Citi AAdvantage Credit Cards

Discussion in 'Credit Talk' started by bravesfan, May 20, 2008.

  1. bravesfan

    bravesfan New Member

    So my question pertains to the Citi Select AAdvantage AmEx and the (not as highly advertised) AAdvantage Visa Signature card. Since I fly AA exclusively, Iâ??m not interested in any other cards, thanks (also in for the long haulâ??AA Milestones).

    First I must get this important factor out of the way-- I am a Canadian Citizen, residing in Canada with a Canadian Social Security Number (9 digits, just like a US SSN). Sure TD Bank here offers an AAdvantage Visa Platinum (just Platinum, not Visa Signature), but compared to Citi's card, the TD card is a terrible value and not worth it (10,000 bonus miles after first purchase, $120 annual fee (not waived the first year), MilesAAver rewards that start at 20,000 miles, opposed to 17,500, basically... you get the idea).

    So before you go and think I can't get it because I'm Canadian, I've been banking in the US longer than I have been in Canada. I have the following in the US:

    -Checking and Savings accounts
    -JCPenney Store Credit Card

    -Secured (with a CD) Visa Credit Card (issued by my American Bank) (will be expiring this October, after having for 2 years-- and asked my banker if I could get this card switched to an unsecured card, and she told me that it would be at the credit card divisions discretion at the time my current secured card expires [this October])

    -Unsecured Visa Credit Card (issued by Bank of America-- marketed towards Canadian customers, so not too sure if it is a 'True American' card-- billed in Canadian dollars)

    All 3 credit cards I put my Canadian Social Security number on the applications for these accounts (and wrote Canadian beside SSN-- these were all paper applications) and have my Canadian address on all my accounts. So if a credit report was pulled in the US, would my Canadian Social Security number come up with my US accounts? (TransUnion and Equifax are on both sides of the border.)

    So I called Citi's customer service and asked if I could apply for the AmEx AAdvantage Select card, despite the fact I have both a Canadian address and SSN, even though I have established credit and a banking history in the United States. The person I spoke with told me that their system only accepts US address' and she also said cards could not be mailed outside the US, not giving me a definite 'yes' or 'no', relying more Citibank's Global AAdvantage Card site, and TD is the only issuer of the only single AAdvantage card in Canada (which I don't want for the reasons listed above). So I went ahead and tried applying online for the Citi Select AmEx card and tried using my Canadian address (using a state that has a similar abbreviation to my province's, and using 5 zeros as a zip code). I didn't get an instant approval, this was last Thursday. So this morning (Tuesday) I called them to check the status of my application and I explained my (Canadian) situation and background and she told me that they wouldn't be able to approve it without a US address (mail the card to me if I was approved) and my application status was â??pendingâ?? and if I couldnâ??t supply a US address, she would have to change that status to â??declinedâ?? (like the time I applied for a Chase Visa at a football game in the US to get the free gift, 2 weeks later I got a declined letter, but theyâ??d reconsider it if I provided a US address, which I didnâ??t do because I got my free gift that I wanted- but the wording of the letter seemed like they would have approved me if I did have a US address [I had to provide my SSN, which I did]).

    Anyways back to the Citi card, so I asked if I was able to provide a US address (my cousin's) she said it that it would improve my chances and leave the status as â??pendingâ??, provided I called back with that US mailing address. So after asking my cousin, I called back and changed my address on the application my cousin's address. They told me that since my application address was left as â??pendingâ??, and resubmitted. So then I would have to wait another 3-4 business days to find out if I was approved or declined.

    Being the impatient person I am (I seriously called the bank several times a day to check my credit card application for my very first student credit card) I found out about the Citi AAdvantage Visa Signature Card (not that it's a big deal, MC and Visa are very similar-- like a Coke/Pepsi thing, but I've always preferred Visa over MC) and thought I'd apply online, curious to see if I'd get instant approval now that I have a US address to put on the application, and because I've also read about people applying for more than 1 AAdvantage Citi card to get the extra miles, but I got the standard "please wait up to 30 days to see if you were approved".

    So is there anyone out there in a similar situation to me (Canadian trying to get US credit) or anyone that might know any tips that would improve my chances to getting approved. Iâ??ve never really see my credit report (Iâ??m only 21, and have never missed a payment and always made payments in full [knock on wood]) but aside for applying for 6 credit cards in my life, I havenâ??t requested any other credit so far, so I figure my credit report is pretty good then.

    And thanks for reading to the end! (I know it was long and boring! :) )
     
  2. greg1045

    greg1045 Well-Known Member

    Fist of all your thread is not boring, but very interesting. I think what you are running into are the strict provisions placed on banks/credit card companies by the US Patriot Act following 9/11/01 - really scrutinizing foreigners. Remember those terrorists who flew those planes into the Trade Center buildings, into the Pentagon, and into the fields in Pennsylvania were foreigners who were able to get bank accounts, credit cards and drivers' licenses.
     
  3. bravesfan

    bravesfan New Member

    That is a very good point, and I completely agree. And I have no problem if the US Government wants to do a background check on me. But I have been banking in the US since over 4 years ago (and after 9/11), and I think the terms and conditions I had to agree with to apply for these Citi cards, mentioned the Patriot Act and the sharing of information (which didnâ??t bother me). But I'm not looking for a driver's license, or anything that would be used for malcontent uses.

    Also on a side note, if any company keeps records in the United States, they are obligated to share that information with the US Government (Patriot Act). For example, about 2 or 3 years ago, Sears Bank (a Canadian company-- managed the Sears Store and MasterCard for its Canadian stores) was sold to JPMorgan Chase, an American corporation. Because of this, Chase would have to share any info on these Canadian cardholders (who reside in Canada) with the US Government if requested because their information would be stored in the US.
     
  4. digicult

    digicult New Member

    Hi bravesfan,
    I am trying to apply for exactly the same card as you. Same situation, I live in Canada and registered using my SIN but I have a mailing address in the states. Did you ever hear back on your application?

    Thanks
     

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