Citi Prestige has been one of my favorite credit cards for the past several years. Although it has a premium annual fee, there are were so many benefits that offset the annual fee. And one of my favorite benefits was the 3 free rounds of golf each year. Unfortunately, free golf from Citi Prestige is going away this weekend as they “improve” the card’s benefits. Now is your last chance to book free golf from Citi Prestige!
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In This Post
Awesome Free Golf From Citi Prestige
Normally, I golf at courses that I can find at a discount using Groupon or LivingSocial for around $40-50 a person. But, with the Citi Prestige benefits, I’ve been able to play courses that normally cost $175-$205 per round. Even if I didn’t use any of the Citi Prestige’s other benefits, that means I’m playing $600+ in golf each year for around $400. Certainly, a nice discount if you’re willing to pay that much.
The courses my buddy and I have been able to play are simply amazing. The grass is green (a big thing during the California drought). There aren’t weeds or dirt patches (hello Groupon golf). And we get treated like royalty by the staff.
Last Change to Book Free Golf from Citi Prestige
Citibank is rolling out revised benefits for the Citi Prestige, so some benefits will be lost, while others will be added.
The benefits that will be lost or changed are:
- Elimination of 3 rounds of free golf from Citi Prestige
- Elimination of Admirals Club lounge access when flying American
- 4th-night free benefit will now be the average of the nightly rates instead of the actual cost of the 4th night
- Reduction of airfare booking redemption of Thank You points from $0.016 on American and $0.0133 for everyone else to a flat $0.0125 for all airlines
The primary “benefit” being added is:
- The ability to book 4th night free reservations online
- Be careful because you’ll most likely lose hotel loyalty benefits, hotel stay credits, and hotel points earning
- Currently, to make 4th night free reservations, you need to call customer service
And these benefits remain unchanged:
- $250 in annual travel credits remain (this effectively lowers the annual fee from $450 or $395 to $200 or $145)
- Priority Pass Select membership is still included
- $100 Global Entry reimbursement remains
- You still earn 3x on air travel and hotels, 2x on dining and entertainment, and 1x on everything else
- Points can be transferred to Citi’s travel partners
So, now is the time to book free golf from Citi Prestige before the benefits changed. I called Citibank and confirmed that you can continue to book reservations through Sunday, July 23, 2017, at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time.
Go to citiprestige.golfhub.com to book your tee times. If you haven’t registered before, it is very quick. And, if you don’t golf, book a round for someone who does. They will totally thank you!
However, I wouldn’t push it and wait until the last minute because banks are notorious for taking their websites offline during the weekend for maintenance and because there will be a lot of people trying to exhaust their benefits at the last minute.
Even though the benefits expire on July 23, 2017, you can book your free golf from Citi Prestige as far into the future as the schedule permits. My favorite course, Monarch Beach Golf Links, is allowing me to reserve rounds of golf into early September. Other golf courses may offer the same timeframe… or even longer if you’re lucky!
Just don’t end up like my buddy Travis. Everyone loves going to the beach… but not when playing golf.
The Bald Thoughts
When you’re paying an annual fee for a credit card, you owe it to yourself to maximize the benefits that you’re paying for. I’ve been able to golf several thousand dollars worth of golf the past few years thanks to the free golf from Citi Prestige. I’m really sad to see this benefit being eliminated. Unless Citi starts offering some better benefits, I think it will be time to focus my effort with other premium cards.
Have you been able to use the benefit of free golf from Citi Prestige? Now that these benefits are being eliminated will you keep the card or cancel it when the annual fee comes due?
Before you cancel it, consider calling Citibank to see what retention offers there are. My latest round of retention calls in May were fairly successful, especially for the Citi Prestige card.
Thinking of getting a new credit card? To see the best credit card offers available, go to our credit card marketplace to find your next card.
