Citi AT&T Access More Card Review (discontinued for new applications)
Updated July 19, 2016.
The Facts
The Math
Assuming you spend at least $10K per year, the anniversary 10K points more than offsets the $95 annual fee; if you have a premier ThankYou product such as ThankYou Premier and Citi Prestige, the 10K points can value more.
If you don't have a premier ThankYou product, this card essentially returns 3% and 1%. This by no means is that attractive, especially when compared with a 2% cashback card like Fidelity Amex or Citi Double Cash. However, combined with a premier ThankYou product, this card shines due to the unique bonus categories. For example, if you have Citi Prestige and use points toward American Airlines tickets (fixed at 1.6 cents per point value), the bonus categories will earn 4.8% cashback equivalent. If you transfer points to frequent flyer miles, then your return may be higher. Online retail websites, such as amazon.com, ebay.com, drugstore.com, staples.com, kohls.com, macys.com, bloomingdales.com, sephora.com, etc., offer a wide range of purchases that can earn 3x points. Online travel websites, pretty much cover all your travel need, since nowadays, airlines, hotels, car rentals, and travel agents such as expedia, orbitz, travelocity, etc., are all online.
The Conclusion
AT&T Access More's annual 10K points bonus more than cancel out its annual fee, as long as you spend at least $10K per year. Its 3-1 rewards structure doesn't look like much at first glance, but could be extremely lucrative when combined with a premier ThankYou product like ThankYou Premier and Citi Prestige. You don't need to be an AT&T customer to enjoy its excellent rewards. The reason why it doesn't make our Top List is that we think without a premier ThankYou product, the card is mediocre.
The Facts
- Annual Fee: $95
- Signup Bonus: a new phone up to $650
- Rewards: 3x on online purchases at retail and travel websites, AT&T products and services, 1x everything else. You also earn an anniversary 10,000 points after you spend $10K each year.
- Best Use of ThankYou Points: ThankYou (TY) is Citi's rewards program and the points can be redeemed for merchandise, gift cards, and travel, returning up to 1 cent per point. However, if you have a ThankYou Premier or Citi Prestige, all your TY points will be pooled together and you can then enjoy the premier redemption options such as fixed value redemption for travel (1.25 cents per point for travel on ThankYou Premier, 1.6 cents per point for American Airlines tickets and 1.33 cents for tickets on other airlines on Citi Prestige) and transfer to frequent traveler programs. This definitely increases the value of this card quite a bit.
- Other Benefits: EMV chip embedded; however, please note that foreign transaction fees are not waived.
- Other Facts: there is non-fee version called "AT&T Access Card" which returns 2x for online retail and travel websites and AT&T purchases.
- History: Citi introduced the new duo AT&T credit cards in April 2015 and received tremendous attention. In July 2016, Citi discontinued the AT&T Access More Card for new applications.
The Math
Assuming you spend at least $10K per year, the anniversary 10K points more than offsets the $95 annual fee; if you have a premier ThankYou product such as ThankYou Premier and Citi Prestige, the 10K points can value more.
If you don't have a premier ThankYou product, this card essentially returns 3% and 1%. This by no means is that attractive, especially when compared with a 2% cashback card like Fidelity Amex or Citi Double Cash. However, combined with a premier ThankYou product, this card shines due to the unique bonus categories. For example, if you have Citi Prestige and use points toward American Airlines tickets (fixed at 1.6 cents per point value), the bonus categories will earn 4.8% cashback equivalent. If you transfer points to frequent flyer miles, then your return may be higher. Online retail websites, such as amazon.com, ebay.com, drugstore.com, staples.com, kohls.com, macys.com, bloomingdales.com, sephora.com, etc., offer a wide range of purchases that can earn 3x points. Online travel websites, pretty much cover all your travel need, since nowadays, airlines, hotels, car rentals, and travel agents such as expedia, orbitz, travelocity, etc., are all online.
The Conclusion
AT&T Access More's annual 10K points bonus more than cancel out its annual fee, as long as you spend at least $10K per year. Its 3-1 rewards structure doesn't look like much at first glance, but could be extremely lucrative when combined with a premier ThankYou product like ThankYou Premier and Citi Prestige. You don't need to be an AT&T customer to enjoy its excellent rewards. The reason why it doesn't make our Top List is that we think without a premier ThankYou product, the card is mediocre.