When I first saw the above promotion, I was quite excited since I was going overseas soon. An 8% cash rebate is unprecedented and it would mean there’s extra money in the pocket after adjusting for VISA/Master and FOREX fees. Then I started scrutinising the T&C below:
So there is a cap of $30 of cash rebate per month i.e. you get back $30 even if you spend $1000, so the ideal will be $380 spent overseas, but you need to make another 7 different credit card transactions, send in the SMS and be the first 500 Cardmembers per calendar month. A lot of work don’t you think?
Then, I spotted another bank offering 5% cash rebate for overseas spend
Then the T&C again reveal a cap of $20 for this promotion i.e. $400 should be spent overseas, and that means $600 for local purchases to make up the minimum $1000 to be spent locally and/or overseas. The Citibank debit card is not one of Citibank’s best cards in terms of rewards and returns, so I will avoid participating in this promotion.