My Personal Finance Journey

Personal finance observation, musing and decisions in a journey toward financial independence by 36 with at least $1 million.


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Best Cashback Card:
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5% off EVERYTHING during introductory period. (review)

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Best 0% APR Card:
Discover More Card
0% APR for purchase and balance transfer for 12 months (review)

Best Business Card:
Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express: Up to 40,000 bonus points in the 1st year (review)

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Citi® mtvU™ Platinum Select® free music, gift cards and more (review)

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The Easiest $1,100 From 10 Minutes of Work

Contributed by mm | August 26, 2007 11:39 PM PST

What's the quickest money you've made? For me, the $1,110 Citibank posted to my credit card account last week should qualify.

Back in March, I shared in this blog that Citibank was inviting me to pay down my $40,000-strong credit card balance from multiple 0% APR balance transfer offers. Citi promised a cash reward of 10% of extra payments I would make that exceeds minimal payments, up to $550 per card. The program, called Payment Partner, is designed to encourage people with spotty credit to pay down the debt to avoid future loss on Citi's part, and for some reasons, I was classified as a credit risk.

I guess it is God's blessing that I opened Citi's letter the day the offer was going to expire -- due to my overseas assignment, I only have access to my mailbox every time I travel to Seattle. You know the rest from this blog: I called to sign up for the offer, made the extra payments, and several months later, I'm $1,100 richer, all for only 10 minutes of work!

I have to say I'm extremely satisfied of the various products Citi has offered over time. During the last four years since I became a Citi customer, I have made over $2,500 in cash from sign-up bonus, cashback rewards and 0% APR balance transfer offers. Adding this $1,100, that's $3,600 from just a few hours of online banking and envelope stuffing.

If you have a few minutes, here are some excellent Citibank credit card offers you can take advantage of today:


Best 0% APR Offer - Citi® Driver's Edge® Platinum Select® Card

• 0% APR on Balance Transfers for 12 Full Months
• Earn Rebates for Every Mile Driven
• 6% Rebates on Gas Station, Supermarket, and Drugstore Purchases for 12 Full Months, 3% Rebates after, and 1% Rebates on All Other Purchases
• Rebates Can Be Applied Toward Car Maintenance, or to Buy or Lease a New or Used Car
• Rebates Can Also Be Applied to the ThankYou(SM) Network
• No Annual Fee
• Read PFBlog Review of this card and Apply Today!


Best Reward Card - Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® Card

• Earn 5% Cash Back at Gas Stations, Supermarkets, Drugstores, Convenience Stores, and Utilities including Cable for 6 Months and 2% Cash Back thereafter, Plus 1% on all Other Purchases
• Earn Cash Back on Qualifying Balance Transfers on Eligible Cash Advances
• Earn Unlimited Cash Back by Shopping Within the Citi® Bonus Cash Center
• No Annual Fee
• Citi® Identity Theft Solutions
• Read PFBlog Review of this card and Apply Today!


Best Sign-Up Bonus - Citi Professional Card

• 10,000 Bonus ThankYou(SM) Points with First Purchase - That's Like Getting a $100 Gift Card
• No Fee Rewards Program
• 0% APR on Balance Transfers for Nine Months from the Date of the First Transfer - No Balance Transfer Fee with this Offer*
• Earn Three ThankYou(SM) Points for Every Dollar Spent at Gas Stations, Restaurants, Car Rentals, and Office Supply Stores
• A Unique Online Expense Reporting Tool to Customize Reports for Billing or Reimbursement
• Read PFBlog Review of this card and Apply Today!


Best Student Card - Citi® mtvU™ Platinum Select® Visa® Card for College Students

• 0% APR* for 6 Months on Purchases, Cash Advances and Balance Transfers
• Get Five ThankYou® Points for Every Dollar You Spend at Restaurants, Book Stores, Record Stores, Movie Theaters, and Video Rental Stores
• Earn One ThankYou Point For Every Dollar You Spend on All Other Purchases
• Earn 25 ThankYou Points for Paying on Time
• Earn 200-2000 ThankYou Points Twice a Year for Maintaining a Good GPA
• Redeem Points for Gift Cards, MTV Events, and Airline Tickets
• No Balance Transfer Fee With This Offer
• No Annual Fee
• Read PFBlog Review of this card and Apply Today!

More PFBlog Articles You Might Find Interesting ...


This Post Has Received 10 Comments. Share Your Opinions Too.


Kaycee Commented on August 27, 2007

Best Student Card -- Citi MTVu Card
It is truly a great card that offers a lot of bonus to responsible students, including 5% on books, movies and more, points for paying your bill on time, and points for getting good grades! No cosigner needed either, just proof your in college!


Meg Commented on August 27, 2007

I have the Platinum Dividend Card, and I love it! I probably earn around $300 a year just for spending on it (I could earn more, but I usually only put big purchases like vacations and car maintenance on the card, just to get the cash back).


MeF Commented on August 27, 2007

Does this not adversely affect credit score ? Opening up new credit cards create big rolling credit.


Phil Commented on August 27, 2007

That is awesome! It's unfortunate so many credit card companies are making it less profitable to do credit card arbitrage. Increased balance transfer fees, or higher minimum payments take out a lot of profit for most people. Congratulations on getting such a great deal!


Tyner Commented on August 28, 2007

I'm familiar with these 0% apr accounts, and obviously this makes it even better. What I don't quite follow is how do you get the money into a high-yield bank account when the 0% apr only applies to balance transfers? I've just never seen the mechanics layed out. Thanks.


MM Commented on August 28, 2007

As a matter of fact, Citi allows (and even encourages) you to transfer the balance to your checking account via ACH. What can be more convenient than this?


PFJournal Commented on August 30, 2007

That is good stuff. I love to hear stories of cc companies giving a little back.


Josh Commented on September 2, 2007

I unfortuantely did not get the payoff offer from Citi for my 0% balance transfer. I did however receive in the mail a few days ago a letter from Citi reducing rewards (I have the Diamond Preferred Rewards Card) from 5 points to 2 points on gas, supermarket purchases (effective in October). I don't use this card for purchases anyways so that is okay.


Dave Nofmeister Commented on September 26, 2007

I'm really impressed that you were able to get the "real" 0%. I've often got such offers, but the fine print always wanted to charge me 3% IMMEDIATELY just to transfer funds, then 0% would go away 6 months later.


vabs Commented on October 23, 2007

Hi,

Nice one. Haha. I have been observing similar letters by citibank, but never realized the true potential of it until l i read your article.

Cheers,
Vabs



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