Native Currency: TY Points (Thank You Points) - Citibank is a good alternative if you have had issues with Chase or Amex. - They partner with American Airlines for their AAdvantage cards. - AAdvantage cards earn AA miles, not ThankYou Points. - American Airlines points are highly valuable. - Citibank is relationship-based, so it's best to apply in-branch with a banker you have built rapport with. - Some people are datamined into Citibank without knowing it by using Citi Costco Card or Citi Best Buy card. PULLS FROM: - Citibank usually pulls from Experian. - On the business side, they hard pull EQ for approvals but CLI's go through Experian. RULES: - 1/8 rule: You can only apply for one Citi personal card every 8 days. - 2/65 rule: You can apply for no more than two Citi personal cards every 65 days. - 1/95 rule: You can apply for ONE Citi business card every 95 days. - 6/6 rule: You'll be declined if there are 6 or more hard inquiries on your credit report in the past 6 months. CLI's: - Citibank offers soft pulls for credit limit increases (CLI's). Directly from the portal. - Good spend behavior can allow for a CLI every 91 days. - It's recommended to wait 6 months between CLI requests. BONUSES: - Citibank has cooldown periods for card bonuses. - Different cooldown periods apply to different groups of cards. - Group 1 (Premier, Preferred, Prestige, Rewards+): 24-month cooldown period. - Group 2 (AAdvantage + Custom Cash Cards): 48-month cooldown period. - Group 3 (Citi Double Cash Card): No specific cooldown period. - Closing an account from a card family resets the cooldown clock for that family. - Account closure does not reset the cooldown clock for individual AA cards. BEST PERSONAL CARD: - The AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is highly recommended. - It offers Admirals Club membership with lounge access for you and your immediate family or up to two guests. - The annual fee is $595. - It has 10 authorized user card slots, each with a $175 fee.

Let me explain regional banks and how to find out which banks are in your area. You know how there are big banks like Chase, Bank of America (BOA), Citibank, and Wells Fargo that have branches all over the country? Well, those are called major banks because they serve people from all different regions. They offer a wide range of banking services to customers all across the country. But then there are these other banks called mid-tier regional banks. These banks are a bit different because they are only available in specific regions. They don't have branches everywhere like the major banks do. They focus on serving the people who live in their particular region. These regional banks often have some really good lending products, which means they can offer loans and other financial services that are tailored to the needs of the people in that specific area. Finding out which banks are in your area is actually pretty easy! You can use a website called ibanknet.com/bankmap to see a list of banks and credit unions that have branches in your state. The list will show you the biggest banks first, and then the smaller ones. It's important to remember that some banks can still serve a state even if they don't have branches in that state. So, it's always a good idea to check online or visit the bank's website to see what services they offer. Now, there are some people who like to maximize their banking options. They want to have relationships with different banks, including these mid-tier regional banks. Sometimes, if you want to open an account with a bank that is not available in your region, you might need to create what's called a foreign entity. This means you create a special type of business or organization in a different state that qualifies for banking with that specific bank. It's like having a passport instead of just a driver's license when showing your identification documents. So, regional banks are banks that are limited to specific regions, and you can find out which banks are in your area by using a website like ibanknet.com/bankmap. If you want to have accounts with banks outside your region, you might need to create a special business entity and use a passport for identification.

In the United States, there are three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each bureau has its own way of scoring, which can be a bit confusing but is important to manage correctly. Here's a brief history of each bureau: 1. Equifax: It is the oldest of the three and was started in 1899 in Atlanta, Georgia. Initially, it provided credit reports to businesses. 2. Experian: It began in California and went through several mergers. Initially known as CCN Systems, it later became Experian in 1992. 3. TransUnion: Founded in 1968, TransUnion initially served the transportation industry. Over time, it expanded its services to include general consumer credit reporting. While all three bureaus consider similar factors like credit utilization and payment history, they weigh these factors differently. This can lead to variations in your credit scores across the bureaus. It is important to care about these differences because overlooking them can have real consequences. For example, if you never check your Experian report and it contains an error that drops your score by 50 points, a lender who checks only this score might offer you high interest rates or even deny you a loan. So, it's crucial to stay on top of your credit reports from all three bureaus.

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Credit Karma shows you a credit score from Equifax and Transunion. But these scores are not the same as the FICO score. They use a different scoring model called Vantage, which is cheaper for them to provide. However, the Vantage score can be 20-30 points different from the FICO score, so it's not very reliable. Credit Karma has also faced legal trouble because they used the inflated Vantage score and falsely advertised "pre-approved" credit card offers. They did this to make more money through affiliate commissions. It's important to know that the score doesn't matter as much as the credit report. And most banks actually use the FICO score, not the Vantage score. So, it's not the right score to focus on. Don't be tricked by the nice design and ads of Credit Karma. They are a company that makes money from affiliate partnerships. So, their recommendations may not be trustworthy.