Haven't seen this kind of deal posted much so I don't know if its against the rules ... (where are they BTW?)
Signed up for CitiTravel service ($79.95/yr) after a customer service pitch over the summer. You get three months before they charge your card and then you get a full refund if you cancel before the year is up (like I planned to do). I recently found out that this service can offer a pretty good deal when booking some travel.
In addition to low price (when booking) guarantee, they offer you an additional 5% cash rebate after your travel is completed. I took advantage of this to the tune of ~$35 dollars this summer. I am taking my wife on a cruise in March (10th anniversary) and will get 5% back on that too (~$90). With those transactions, my membership fee is covered.
I also found out that they offer travel certificates through American Airlines. When I booked our air travel to San Juan (cruise departure city), I was able to reduce the already on sale airfare of $474 by another $75 (x2) + I will get the 5% back on that travel too. I also booked the flights for my parents to come from San Fran to watch the kids and got $25 off of each of their fares (certificate scales with airfare).
So ... $79.95 membership fee (refundable) = ~$185 (rebates) + $200 (certificates)
They also offer hotel discounts and rental car savings, but I haven't used those services yet.
The phone number for using the service is 1-800-CITI-234. I'm sure if you get a CSR on the phone, they can hook you up with service. Or maybe try calling the Citibank 800# on your credit card. I also don't know if this service is exclusively for Citbank cardholders.
I know that you may be able to ultimately find a cheaper deal thru Priceline or one of its variants, but those options are out for me since we are usually not very flexible on travel times. Also, you can get some really cheap cruise deals at the last minute, but I didn't want to blow the 10th anniversary vacation. I also liked the fact that this service is offered in conjunction with Citibank so cancellation/refund shouldn't be a problem.
OK ... flame away.
Signed up for CitiTravel service ($79.95/yr) after a customer service pitch over the summer. You get three months before they charge your card and then you get a full refund if you cancel before the year is up (like I planned to do). I recently found out that this service can offer a pretty good deal when booking some travel.
In addition to low price (when booking) guarantee, they offer you an additional 5% cash rebate after your travel is completed. I took advantage of this to the tune of ~$35 dollars this summer. I am taking my wife on a cruise in March (10th anniversary) and will get 5% back on that too (~$90). With those transactions, my membership fee is covered.
I also found out that they offer travel certificates through American Airlines. When I booked our air travel to San Juan (cruise departure city), I was able to reduce the already on sale airfare of $474 by another $75 (x2) + I will get the 5% back on that travel too. I also booked the flights for my parents to come from San Fran to watch the kids and got $25 off of each of their fares (certificate scales with airfare).
So ... $79.95 membership fee (refundable) = ~$185 (rebates) + $200 (certificates)
They also offer hotel discounts and rental car savings, but I haven't used those services yet.
The phone number for using the service is 1-800-CITI-234. I'm sure if you get a CSR on the phone, they can hook you up with service. Or maybe try calling the Citibank 800# on your credit card. I also don't know if this service is exclusively for Citbank cardholders.
I know that you may be able to ultimately find a cheaper deal thru Priceline or one of its variants, but those options are out for me since we are usually not very flexible on travel times. Also, you can get some really cheap cruise deals at the last minute, but I didn't want to blow the 10th anniversary vacation. I also liked the fact that this service is offered in conjunction with Citibank so cancellation/refund shouldn't be a problem.
OK ... flame away.