Major changes on City National Bank (CNB) Crystal Visa Infinite kicked in on January 1, 2020:
The devaluation is mostly towards previously lucrative perks for free authorized users. Now for $95 a year, your authorized user will receive up to $250 airline credits (the total credits are limited to $350 per Crystal account, which means if you already use $250 credits as the primary cardholder, the incremental credits are only $100; of course spreading $350 out between two cards adds a little bit of flexibility), Priority Pass Select, 12 GoGo passes, Global Entry reimbursement, and Visa Infinite benefits. It is up to you to decide whether it is worthwhile to add an authorized user.
As for the primary cardholder, it might still be a good card to have, but there are a few arguably better alternatives such Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Prestige, and US Bank Altitude Reserve.
Due to the devaluation, Crystal Visa is no longer one of the Best Credit Cards for Perks; it is still #4 Best Credit Card for Protection.
- Annual fee of each authorized user is increased from zero to $95;
- Gas & groceries are no longer a 3x rewards categories;
- Each cardmember is still allowed to have $250 airline incidental credits per year, but the total credits per each Crystal account is now capped at $350. That means if you have used $250 as the primary cardholder, your authorized user can only receive $100 credits;
- Priority Pass Select membership provided by the card will no longer cover guests for free. Each guest will be charged $32;
- Visa Infinite $100 airline discount is discontinued.
The devaluation is mostly towards previously lucrative perks for free authorized users. Now for $95 a year, your authorized user will receive up to $250 airline credits (the total credits are limited to $350 per Crystal account, which means if you already use $250 credits as the primary cardholder, the incremental credits are only $100; of course spreading $350 out between two cards adds a little bit of flexibility), Priority Pass Select, 12 GoGo passes, Global Entry reimbursement, and Visa Infinite benefits. It is up to you to decide whether it is worthwhile to add an authorized user.
As for the primary cardholder, it might still be a good card to have, but there are a few arguably better alternatives such Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Prestige, and US Bank Altitude Reserve.
Due to the devaluation, Crystal Visa is no longer one of the Best Credit Cards for Perks; it is still #4 Best Credit Card for Protection.
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