Citi PayAll Program to Be Shut down

Lepicfacepalm on 18/11/2024 - 20:49
Last edited 20/11/2024 - 12:08 by 1 other user

Just spoke with a Citibank representative about my PayAll payment.

The representative informed me that in the next month or two, Citi will be writing to all cardholders to inform them of the closure of the PayAll program. Apparently this is a business decision that will impact all cardholders in Australia who are using PayAll.

Just wanted to inform the community, as I am sure there are many Citi cardholders here who utilise the feature (especially those set up on a 0% fee payment) and get a lot of value out of it. Don't think there is any alternative. It was a good run while it lasted!

We want to let you know we will no longer offer Citi PayAll on Citi Credit Cards effective 20 January 2025.
As a result, Citi PayAll payments with a due date of 20 January 2025 and onwards will not be processed.

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Comments

                  • cashless on 22/11/2024 - 15:23
                    +2

                    @whyisave:

                    unless it's an iron-clad guarantee of 5.5%, I don't know if it can be worth using so much money to chase these little gains

                    Really?
                    What could be more “iron clad” than Ubank savings account paying 5.5%?
                    “Little gains” of $1440/year? To some people, that is a lot of free money, even if it is taxable.
                    As for the “risk”. If you jumped into the Payall hack and read through the useful posts by the likes of @Legoman & others, there was no risk. Simple to automate, set & forget for years to come. Until NAB got greedy.

                    And no, you didn’t need to be homeowner without a mortgage for it to work. Many of the people using Payall were using it on their offset mortgages. In those cases the annual value was higher & tax free.

                    • whyisave on 24/11/2024 - 02:15

                      @cashless: Wow… Payall money out - invest elsewhere - Payall money back in.
                      That sounds amazing now, in retrospect.

                      “Little gains” of $1440/year? To some people, that is a lot of free money, even if it is taxable.

                      Yes, you are right … with enough "losses", those gains could have been off-set.

                      As for the “risk”. If you jumped into the Payall hack and read through the useful posts by the likes of @Legoman & others, there was no risk. Simple to automate, set & forget for years to come. Until NAB got greedy.

                      I have been a Citi card holder for more than 10 years, and with offset mortgages , etc.
                      I did receive the PayAll promotion, many years ago but completely ignored it.
                      I was just owing money and had loan repayments, that I didn't bother delving into any information that at first glance to me felt like "meh, …marketing".
                      Most importantly,…I wasn't logging into nor reading OzB much at all.
                      I was just a casual front-page visitor, but missed out on the gold nuggets in the comments and the Forums.

  • chillybags on 20/11/2024 - 18:53

    Big shame!! This card is pretty worthless now. Unlimited priority pass is the only perk but I do not travel enough to make it worth it.

    I just had my annual fee taken out this month :( I will cancel and try to get a refund of the fee!

    • Legoman on 20/11/2024 - 18:59
      -5

      All the people who missed catching the FFFL bus when it was passing are the ones who hate on the card now and do eveything they can to talk themselves out of it by calling it "average" or "worthless" and declare they're going to bin it. Yet when challenged, they can't name an alternative card that's better. I guess if that makes you feel good about missing the gravy train for the last 10 years, then so be it.

      • digitalane on 20/11/2024 - 19:16

        It’s totally not worth $700. For 240,000 points plus PP and uber credit it was well worth it. For uber credit and PP (which I have abut 4 times elsewhere!) it totally isn’t

        • gadgetguy on 21/11/2024 - 07:48

          The PP is unlimited which is significant value. Where do you have this 4 times elsewhere? Because I'd like to keep it, just not having to pay $700 for it.

          • digitalane on 21/11/2024 - 15:44
            +1

            @gadgetguy: Amex Platinum (unlimited but no restaurants), Crypto.com (unlimited with restaurants), HSBC US Elite

            • tororm on 22/11/2024 - 08:39

              @digitalane: Is that with a free guest in the restaurants/lounges?

              • Pikaloo on 22/11/2024 - 12:52
                +1

                @tororm: I go in multiple times to multiple lounges and bring in different guests to maximize the priority pass HAAHHAHA. I think the maximum value in a single lounge I got was bringing 2-3 people into the same lounge at the same time at no extra cost.

                • yht on 22/11/2024 - 13:24

                  @Pikaloo: Sorry, how again ? So you can get into same lounge twice with you and 1 guest on same day ? Is there any time in between ?

                  • Pikaloo on 22/11/2024 - 14:17
                    +1

                    @yht: Yep, same day, like minutes apart. One method would be to get yourself + 1 guest in, then go back to reception and ask if you can bring in another guest and it's as if you're signing in again.

                    • yht on 22/11/2024 - 14:28
                      +1

                      @Pikaloo: Oh wow and free too. I was told off previously even though I said I have 2 different PP cards.

                      • Pikaloo on 22/11/2024 - 14:30
                        +1

                        @yht: I guess it depends on the lounge/the person at reception. If all else fails I just sign 2 people into another lounge and myself + 1 to another.

                        • yht on 22/11/2024 - 15:21

                          @Pikaloo: Yeah, it depends on the staff there

              • digitalane on 22/11/2024 - 16:39
                +1

                @tororm: Yeah sure is. I’m lucky as get the Amex Plat for $750 af

            • whyisave on 24/11/2024 - 02:51

              @digitalane:

              Crypto.com

              I'm just reading the interesting offers from here.
              I never saw them, before.

              The PP offers are tied to the Visa 'debit card' based on the amount of money "locked up" (over 365 days?) via the own CRO tokens.

              For AU$ 70K and 700K lock-ups, there are unlimited PP visits for card-holder and 1 guest.

              For AU$ 7K lock-up, there are 4 x PP visits per calendar year.

              Then, reading the fees information, and it's not usual to see these kinds of amounts:

              Debit / Credit Card Top-Up:
              Debit – 1%
              Credit – 2%
              Debit / Credit Card top-up via Apple Pay – 2%

              Close Account:
              Midnight Blue – A$10
              Other VISA Cards – A$70

              Card Replacement:
              Midnight Blue – A$4.01
              Other Card Tiers – A$70
              Card Upgrade: Waived

              Physical Card Issuance: A$5.99 (for new and replacement Midnight Blue card only)

              Inactivity: A$5 per month of inactivity will be charged after 12 months of no cardholder-initiated financial activity on the card unless activity resumes. The fee will stop being charged and the 12 months will be reset once activity resumes.
              Note: Declined and refunded transactions do not constitute financial activity.

              Also, it looks like they've removed some of these perks after 06 NOV 2024,

              • 10% purchase rebate on each Expedia (US$50 equivalent) or Airbnb booking (US$100 equivalent)
              • Spotify. Get a 100% rebate for your standard subscription plan (up to US$13.99 equivalent)
              • Netflix. Get a 100% rebate for your basic subscription plan (up to US$13.99 equivalent)
              • Your Social Media: X.com (Previously Twitter). Get a 100% rebate for your premium subscription plan (up to US$8 equivalent)
              • Up to 5% back on spending, local or overseas, no minimum spending required.
              • Up to 8% back in CRO rewards on spending, local or overseas, depending on your card tier and no minimum spending required depending on your Card tier.

              • digitalane on 24/11/2024 - 11:00

                @whyisave: Depending on your view on crypto and risk it was a good card when I got it a few years ago. It needed $50k of CRO staked to get what was then 5% back in CRO on purchases. Thats since dropped to 3 and then recently they’ve upped the staking requirements. But I have bought cars (twice) using the cards and earned heaps of CRO. CRO itself somewhat follows BTC and the overall crypto market so it’s having a decent price surge right now. So overall I’m up on my investment and have had lots of use from the perks. (NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE)

      • chillybags on 20/11/2024 - 20:35
        +2

        I was more than happy to keep it at $700 for PP and the 240k points a year. The $20k in our offset basically covered the annual fee. No complaints whilst it lasted. Just annoyed that its ending just after im on the hook for the annual fee.

        • digitalane on 20/11/2024 - 20:43

          Definitely. Same. But absolutely not worth keeping after January

    • rash8412 on 26/11/2024 - 12:43

      did u get any discount on the annual fee if u had met a criteria of spending $10k or something like how its for premier card

  • twistedbow on 20/11/2024 - 20:35

    FYI payall does not count towards spending requirement as per their T&C now so don't bother applying it now if you planned on using payall to meet requirement.

    • Phesto on 20/11/2024 - 21:01

      The T&C's changes come into effect when payall is shut down, not now.

      • twistedbow on 20/11/2024 - 21:04

        it doesn't mention when below T&C will be effective from so i take that as of now or whenever it was changed. But email does say payall will be gone as of 20th Jan 2025 so could be true as well.

        Bonus Citi reward Points
        To be eligible to receive 250,000 bonus Citi reward Points, you must spend a minimum of $10,000 on eligible purchases using your new card within 3 months from approval. Eligible purchases exclude Citi PayAll payments, Cash Advances, Balance Transfers, Special Promotions, interest and fees.

        From what i can see on web archive, snapshot taken on 15th Oct doesn't mention "exclude citi payall". So this must have happened pretty recently with payall being shutdown.

        • Phesto on 20/11/2024 - 21:48

          Damn I hope not lol, just got approved for premier this morning

          • twistedbow on 20/11/2024 - 21:50

            @Phesto: Cancel it before you activate. Then you wont be liable for annual fee

            • Phesto on 20/11/2024 - 21:56

              @twistedbow: You're right that the T&C's under premier now say payall is excluded. Damn

              • twistedbow on 20/11/2024 - 21:58

                @Phesto: However the email sent out today does say t&c change will become effective 20th Jan 2025 so I hope I am wrong here.

                • Phesto on 20/11/2024 - 22:01

                  @twistedbow: I think that's different T&C's though? The card specific T&C's seem to be updated and live already

                  • twistedbow on 20/11/2024 - 22:03

                    @Phesto: Let’s hope i am wrong and you’re right 🙏

                    • Phesto on 20/11/2024 - 22:04
                      +1

                      @twistedbow: I'll have to figure it out before I activate the card to not waste annual fee, not sure I'll hit 7k without payall

                    • Phesto on 24/11/2024 - 09:00
                      +1

                      @twistedbow: I called them and they said payall was eligible for min spend and will still earn points until Jan.
                      Got note added to my account but forgot to ask to send me an email.
                      fingers crossed

                      • twistedbow on 24/11/2024 - 11:01

                        @Phesto: Thank you for going through the trouble for the forum :)

  • fullmetal on 20/11/2024 - 20:40
    +1

    What is the best use of those citi points? Convert to velocity?

    • playbargain on 20/11/2024 - 21:14

      Park in Flybuys and convert when needed.

    • Ozb101 on 20/11/2024 - 21:40

      I was thinking of converting to Singapore Airlines as they sre a highly ranked airline. Some people on here converted their points for business class

      • leiiv on 20/11/2024 - 23:02

        What are the best ways to keep the SA points from expiring?

        • Craze on 20/11/2024 - 23:09

          No "free" methods I'm afraid. From memory you can pay a fee to extend expiry, otherwise stick to redeeming by the 3-year expiry.

        • yht on 21/11/2024 - 09:05

          Convert to Velocity ?

        • whyisave on 21/11/2024 - 10:24
          +1

          The problem of SQ points is the 3-year expiry of the points PER TRANCHE.

          Other Frequent Flyer programmes (eg. Velocity) are not like this and I really hope they don't go down this path.

          Example:
          If your SQ KrisFlyer account receives points in this way,…
          10K in Jan.2023 — Expiry Jan.2026
          15K in Jun.2024 — Expiry Jun.2027
          5K in Nov.2024 — Expiry Nov.2027

          • leiiv on 21/11/2024 - 11:13

            @whyisave: So does it mean that there is really no way to extend the expiry date?

            • whyisave on 21/11/2024 - 11:43
              +2

              @leiiv: In the above example, you will notice that there is a period between NOV 2024 —> 2026 JAN, that you have a total of 30K points which can be redeemed.
              So, you just need to be on top of your KrisFlyer game.

              You can also use KrisFlyer points towards Scoot flights too.

              You can extend the KrisFlyer expiry date, and there is a financial cost to do so, but you will need to decide if it's "worth" doing this.

              ► How to keep Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles from expiring
              https://www.executivetraveller.com/singapore-airlines-krisfl…

              ► Extend validity of expiring miles (fee per 10,000 miles or part thereof)
              https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/au/ppsclub-krisflyer/form…

    • yht on 21/11/2024 - 09:07

      Probably to velocity when they have bonus promotions. Then to SA when you want to travel with SA in future

      • whyisave on 21/11/2024 - 10:27

        Yes, Velocity points can be converted to SQ and now/soon to QR too.

        • LeonardoTenInchy on 21/11/2024 - 10:45

          You can only redeem Velocity points on QR metal but can't convert Velocity to Avios. Nothing has been announced whether this will be possible in the future either.

  • digitalane on 20/11/2024 - 23:07
    +1

    Is there any citi card with downgrading too (from Prestige) or should I just scrap the account?

  • PerthectDeal on 21/11/2024 - 00:12
    -1

    I am gutted as booked a holiday using the card in April.. my $700 fee is due in Feb. If I cancel it, the holiday insurance will be void (family of 4). Had a car hire as well for 3 weeks, the insurance excess on that would be a bit. Not sure what to do.

    • AG_ACT on 21/11/2024 - 10:46

      Check if your hirecar is refundable, if so, book on another card. If not, it's a very expensive priority pass visit.

      • PerthectDeal on 23/11/2024 - 01:15

        I have checked and it is. Anyone now a good card to churn to that has hire car excess for International travel? I have seen quite a lot only cover domestic travel in Australia

        • PerthectDeal on 23/11/2024 - 02:50

          Wow Aus post was $266 for a month covering all of Europe travel insurance for a family of 4 and car hire excess - much cheaper than the Citibank $700 renew fee

    • heytherehoney on 21/11/2024 - 15:29

      How much is travel insurance for your family via an insurance provider such as InsureandGo or 1Cover?

      • PerthectDeal on 23/11/2024 - 01:13

        Good point, I will get some quotes.

  • mmd on 21/11/2024 - 03:14

    What can i do with 750,000 points?

    • Team Ozgiftcards on 21/11/2024 - 07:09
      +1

      Flybuys/velocity/ cashout in Giftcard’s

    • heytherehoney on 21/11/2024 - 15:23

      If you transfer to Flybuys first, right now they are doing a 15% bonus to Velocity for first-time auto transfers (up to 30k bonus, ends 23 Nov)

    • Legoman on 21/11/2024 - 17:25
      -1

      Convert to 750K Flybuys points, then convert the FlyBuys points to Fluybuys cash on the card, then use that to pay for groceries until you've used up the whole $3,750

      750K Citi points = 750K Flybuys = $3,750 Flybuys cash = Spend in K-Mart, Coles, First Choice, Shell, Liquorland, Target etc.

      • mmd on 13/01/2025 - 16:44

        Hi Legoman,
        How long does it take to transfer citi to flybuys?

        Also, I'll like to say thankyou so much for the clear and concise explanations in the previous Payall forums!

        • leeroys_dad on 13/01/2025 - 16:51
          +1

          Mine took about 2 or so days last week

        • Legoman on 13/01/2025 - 17:23

          Sometimes they appear the next day if you request the transfer early in the day, otherwise it might be 2 days. Rarely is it longer than that unless I suppose if you do the transfer on a Saturday morning of a long weekend.

    • tororm on 22/11/2024 - 08:43

      I'd convert to 300,000 Singapore airlines points and book myself a return first class flight to somewhere nice. Worth at least $11,000

      • endolphin on 22/11/2024 - 20:02

        So, I presume if you had 750k citibank points and were offered $10k for them, you'd knock it back, right??

  • gadgetguy on 21/11/2024 - 07:51

    I wonder if we cancel in Jan if the PP will also be cancelled or will continue for the year. I just got mine renewed.

    • LeonardoTenInchy on 21/11/2024 - 08:14
      +1

      It’s tied to the card so it will be cancelled when you cancel the card.

      • gadgetguy on 21/11/2024 - 11:25

        If true then i will be looking to get my fee refunded, or most of it.

  • mmd on 21/11/2024 - 10:32

    Another question : do u have to redeem the points before cancelling the card?

  • AG_ACT on 21/11/2024 - 10:41
    +1

    I jumped onto the card about 16months ago. I was happy to pay $700 a year or the card because I was getting roughly $480 back in points by 10,000 Payall each month, but not sure it will be worth it for me anymore.

    Anyone know of any other card with unlimited (or a decent number say 10+) priority pass visits?

    • realaccount627465746 on 21/11/2024 - 11:16
      +1

      https://www.pointhacks.com.au/priority-pass-lounge-guide/#h-…

      $1450 AF amex or be a doctor, lol

      • AG_ACT on 21/11/2024 - 12:18

        Might as well just pay per visit :(

      • mrfuku on 22/11/2024 - 10:19

        My colleague has a plat amex and recently and both went to use it, apparently they have a shit version of PP.

        Allegedly AMEX membership doesn't have any of the food perks as the Citi one has, so pretty much is useless at most domestic airports.

        Unsure of the BOQ Specialist one, as it wasn't a perk when I held that CC

      • infinity03 on 23/11/2024 - 09:32

        Do doctors get free priority pass?

    • yht on 21/11/2024 - 13:42

      Anyone has using unlimited PP before ? I meant, lets say I have 2 guests, thus 3 people including myself. Can we use the card for myself and 1 guest then ask them to rescan again for the third guest ? Both at same place. Can we do that or we have to have the space between both visits ?

      • realaccount627465746 on 21/11/2024 - 14:10

        by saying you have a guest you get double the allowance. you can also go to as many venues as you like and get the full value at each one. but you can't come back to the same place on the same day.

      • nomekop on 21/11/2024 - 21:52

        Yes I have. Keep in mind that it's unlimitted for you and 1 gues but only ONCE per VENUE every day. You can't get unlimitted people in lounge, just you and yourself.

        However, as it's unlimitted, you can go to multiple lounges in the airport on the same day. Furthermore, some places take priority pass as form of payment (restaurants for example), and that's like 38$ for you and another 38$ for the guest. So you can go to multiple restaurants that accept priority pass, and spend 76$ on each.

        • yht on 22/11/2024 - 10:53

          You can't get unlimitted people in lounge, just you and yourself.

          You meant you and your guest ?

          • nomekop on 22/11/2024 - 12:11
            +1

            @yht: Yes, Priority Pass allows access for you and one guest, but this access is limited to one visit per venue per day. For example, if you visit Lounge A in the morning, you cannot revisit Lounge A later on the same day.

            However, you are not limited to a single venue per day. You can visit multiple lounges or restaurants in the airport, provided they are part of the Priority Pass network. For instance, if Lounge B and Restaurant C are included, you can visit both in one day.

            For some restaurants or dining options that accept Priority Pass, there’s a spending limit (e.g., $38 per person). If you bring a guest, they also receive $38, so the combined allowance could be $76. Keep in mind, additional charges beyond the allowance will be your responsibility.

            • CodeXD on 22/11/2024 - 12:29

              @nomekop: It is $36 per person so combined with a guest is $72.

            • kanga91 on 07/01/2025 - 15:15

              @nomekop: I'm reasonably sure the cool-down window is two hours, not per day. I had an eight hour layover and visited the same lounge twice with no extra charge

              • nomekop on 08/01/2025 - 10:19

                @kanga91: That's a really interesting find! I wonder if there's a way to check this. That would make long layovers even more appealing.

              • nomekop on 08/01/2025 - 10:37

                @kanga91: After giving it more thought, did you visit the lounge alone or with a guest? If you went alone, your second visit would likely be counted as your complimentary guest entry.

                I believe the lounge visit limit resets daily, as the Priority Pass account displays access history by date. However, the reset might be based on a specific timezone. If you happen to enter twice, and midnight has passed in the system’s set timezone, it’s possible that the second visit could be counted as a new day’s entry.

                • kanga91 on 08/01/2025 - 11:23

                  @nomekop: It was in the middle of the day Vietnam time and with a guest both times. I saw the 2 hours as being the reset time mentioned once on reddit so thought I'd give it a go.

    • Homr on 21/11/2024 - 15:24
      +1

      How you get back $480 each month with 10k spend?

      I use redeem with points and I get around $60 of value from 16k transfer

      • Legoman on 21/11/2024 - 17:36
        -3

        He's probably counting some very specific business or first class seat upgrade deal as his calculation for "$480 worth". The reality is that's not going to ever be repeatable and guaranteed for each and every month. Flybuys is the only reliable and measureable worth you can ascribe that anyone else can also repeat and be assured of also getting regardless of airline status or who you know contacts.
        For instance, Anthony Albanese's university son can get free Qantas Chairman's lounge membership, but you can't and nor can anyone else.
        A $10,000 spend in the real world is not worth $480 in cash value to 99.99% of card holders. It's worth exactly $50 because that's all Flybuys will give you for 10,000 Flybuys points (divide by 200).

        I have 1.8mil points left over from paying $70,000 PayAlls every month. If I went and said I can get a RTW ticket in business class on Singapore Airlines for 240,000 points (which is true) and then I priced the real monetary cost of buying that and calculated that back to my points, then my points are probably "worth" several tens of thousands of $$$. But do I want to travel RTW in business class on SQ? No.

        • AG_ACT on 21/11/2024 - 18:24
          +1

          Nothing that complicated mate. I just didn’t think my sentence would cause confusion. 120,000 points a year or 10,000 points a month is worth $480 in cash value. According to my calculations, I was paying roughly $220 a year for unlimited priority pass.

        • digitalane on 21/11/2024 - 18:51

          Only a fool would use points for flybuys!

          • Legoman on 21/11/2024 - 19:41
            -1

            @digitalane: I like making broad sweeping generalizations with no attribution or justification whatsoever to back up my point! They're lots of fun.

      • AG_ACT on 21/11/2024 - 18:20
        +1

        lol, I wish. I was talking 10,000 points a month being equal to $480 a year or 120,000 points. Sorry for creating confusion

  • Poor Ass on 21/11/2024 - 11:36
    -1

    what were the perks of PayAll?

    • realaccount627465746 on 21/11/2024 - 13:15

      free money

    • timhn on 21/11/2024 - 13:20
      +1

      Use somebody else (ie Citibank) money for about 44 days then pay back.

      Rinse and repeat every month.

    • cashless on 21/11/2024 - 13:58
      +1

      Free reward points

  • donman92 on 22/11/2024 - 14:57
    -1

    Ah well, moves to B2bpay

    Shame you can't use it to buy stonks tho

    • leiiv on 22/11/2024 - 22:13

      Is that legit? How can they do that for free?

      • donman92 on 22/11/2024 - 23:44
        -1

        B2bpay has a slightly higher fee but you get more Qantas points and it stacks with your CC points rate

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