Citi AT&T Access Credit Card [2020.12 Update: New Welcome Bonus of 15,000 + $100 AT&T Credit]

【2020.12 Update】If you apply for this co-branded credit card through the AT&T website now, you can earn a welcome bonus of 15,000 + a $100 AT&T credit. To receive the credit, you need to spend $250+ with AT&T, which includes both purchases and bill payments. Overall, it’s quite a solid offer.

Citi AT&T Access

Cons

• You need to have a premium ThankYou Points credit card (Citi Prestige and Citi ThankYou Premier) to maximize the value of TYP.
• It has a 3% foreign transaction fee, so it’s not suitable for purchases made outside the US, including online transactions.

Points System Overview

• Point value: Average value is 1.5c/p, 100 TYP = $1.5 (Point value and analysis)
• Direct redemption: Redeem at 1c/p for Statement Credit
• Point transfers: 1:1 transfer to AA (good for U.S.-China and U.S.-Europe redemptions, especially premium cabins); 1:1 transfer to Virgin Atlantic miles (good for Delta One nonstop awards and ANA round-trip first class between the U.S. and Japan); 1:1 transfer to Avianca miles (good for U.S.-China business class, ANA and Asiana first class between the U.S. and China, with no YQ on ticketing); 1:1 transfer to Qantas Airways (QF) miles (good for nonstop U.S. domestic awards and U.S. East Coast to Western Europe). You need to hold the ThankYou Premier or Prestige to transfer TYP to airline and hotel points.
• Program features: You can pool all TYP points into one account and use them together. TYP points on each card expire separately, so it’s best to use up the TYP from a card before closing it. You can transfer up to 100k TYP per year to a friend’s account.
• My quick take: For TYP airline partners, just keep AA, AV, and VS straight. Hilton as a hotel partner is also not really worth transferring to. Redeeming for cash/gift cards is only worth 1 cent per point. So the value is about 1.3c, and a few of the more niche airline partners still make it interesting.
• Detailed analysis: ThankYou Points guide>>

My Take

This card’s welcome bonus is 10,000 TYP, worth about $130. This card is a very good choice for online purchases. Earning 2x TYP on online shopping is not as good as Citi AT&T Access More, but it still makes for a strong complement.

How to Apply

• Citi application status link or call: 877-343-4118
• 8/65/95 rule: You can apply for only one personal card every 8 days, only two personal cards every 65 days, and only one business card every 95 days. This refers to application submission limits, regardless of whether you were approved or not.
• 24/48-month welcome bonus rule: If you have received a welcome bonus on a ThankYou Points card within the past 24 months, you will not be eligible to receive the bonus again. For AA products, the restriction is 48 months, but both rules apply only to the same card; there is no restriction across different card families.
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-763-9795) to speed up the credit card approval process or ask a representative to review a denied credit card application again.
• Having a Citi Checking/Gold relationship may help with your application.
• More about applying for Citi credit cards

Application Link