Introduction
Sorry for blogging about a deal that’s already over, but I wanted to give you my experience with it in case it pops up again (very likely) and how you can maximize it. This is the deal here by DoC.
Funding the account
I signed up for the offer around mid-November. I used my Citi Double Cash card. This was a converted AA Exec Plat card that had a 30K CL. I had recently closed my Citi HH Reserve card and the rep offered to move the CL to a new card. YES PLEASE! So I moved that 7.5K to the DC card, thus giving me a new total CL of 37.5K.
I faxed in the form and used a Citi DC virtual number instead of my DC number. The reason for that is because I had heard/read that virtual numbers trigger less fraud alerts since technically it’s hard to steal those numbers since they are so temporary. I don’t know if it was necessary or not, but that’s what I did and it worked. Three days after they got my fax, my Citi Gold checking account was funded with $37,000.
Bounced Check Fee
When I was on my trip, I wanted to pay off the DC card before the statement closed. I called in to Citi Gold and they let me sorta ‘push’ 35K to the DC card. I thought everything was great.
A couple of days later, I get a notice from Mint that I was hit with an insufficient funds fee on my DC card. I called in to Citi Gold and they told me it was because was ‘blocked’ until they received my driver’s license. I asked them why they would let me push a payment through if my account was still blocked. You can imagine my frustration at their stupidity. If my account was blocked, tell me it’s blocked. Don’t push it through!
Getting the bounced check fee removed
By the time I got back from vacation in mid-December, I had faxed in my driver’s license with my signature card. I called a week later and they still didn’t receive my driver’s license. ARGH! I then re-faxed it back in during the holidays and eventually got my account unblocked.
I then called Citi Gold and asked to get my $25 NSF for their own mistake. They told me they didn’t see a history of the payment. Well of course you didn’t see it because it never happened! I then asked if they had a record of my call, and the clueless non-USA rep had no idea. I then asked him to conference me in with the DC rep; once he did that, I told him to stay on the line. I was then trying to explain to him and the DC rep when all of a sudden, he hung on me. The DC rep apparently was the wrong rep, so she transferred me to a 3rd rep. I explained the situation to her and she eventually refunded the $25 NSF fee.
What about the 50K bonus
Due to the issues with my account being blocked, I didn’t bother to try to a do a bill payment in December. I just submitted one in January, but it’s clear I won’t get the bonus since I didn’t make 2 consecutive bill pays within 60 days. I’m going to pay their stupid $30 fee in February and hopefully argue my way into getting the 50K bonus. Worse case, I at least made $740 from the funding on my DC card. Next step – to open a savings account and fund it the same way.
Conclusion
Moral of story – keep on top of these time limited promotions! And try not to do these types of things right before you go on vacation. Lastly, feel free to use your DC card to keep getting the cashback from the funding.
I had a different issue with funding as they don’t accept business credit cards for funding. So on my second CC funding over the phone it went thru. They process the CCs at 5am apparently, not real-time during the call. Due to the funding, I wasn’t able to make a bill payment in the first calendar month. I think it might have messed up my 1 bill pay in 2 consecutive months over 60 days. Keep us posted if you’re able to HUACA your way to success on this one. I’ll certainly try.
I had a very similar experience as you… funded $37.5k with my Arrival, posted as a purchase, treating that as my $768 bonus. They screwed up my billpay and I was not able to get two consecutive bill pays in. Decided the CSRs are pretty much useless and it wasn’t worth my time to fight them — count the arrival points as my bonus, open a savings account, do the same, close the checking account, and hope it comes around again this year and try the checking account again. Would be nice to bump up the Arrival credit line since they allow you to fund with a CC up to $100k… Maybe I’ll apply for another Barclaycard between now and then, close it, and move the CL.
Ah glad someone else screwed up the bill pay. How many times did you HUCA before you gave up? Did you pay a month’s worth of fees? I may go your route then and just downgrade before the monthly fee hits next months.
I’m curious how it codes, and how it might work to fund a Savings acct with the ATT card?
ServicesMORTGAGE COMPANIES-FINANCIAL INSTITUTION
That’s how USB and NWB is coded, so you won’t earn 3X on ATT.
Womp Womp thanks for checking on that
Well, I envy you. I applied and just got a denial letter last week with no explanation! My credit score is around 800, I have only 1 personal checking acct. (Chase) and one biz acct. (Wells f.).
I want to ask why, but there’s no # on the letter, and I really don’t have time to waste on a fishing expedition.
Did anyone else get denied?
That’s odd. I’ve never heard of anyone being denied for a checking account, especially this one. Maybe you are in a location that is excluded? I’d try calling the new applications dept (see the number on DoC’s post) and ask them.
Great idea. Will do. Thanks!