Crystal Infinite Visa from City Nat'l: anyone got it?

HariOm

Transcendent Level
DoC keeps mentioning this card and I'm tempted, as there's a CNB branch less than an hour from home. $700 travel reim. means even if I use it to pay $5k of Fed taxes to meet the spend, the card still nets > $600 and that's before the $250 airline fee reim. Seems pretty handy, and from a bank outside the usual suspects (CNB is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada). That is, if they approve me for the prerequisite checking account (looking at their Green Checking). Anything I'm missing? Would appreciate any experiential wisdom from those that have the card.
 

HariOm

Transcendent Level
Went ahead and applied online for Green Checking. Got the "App under review" screen, called the number and they said wait up to 72 hours to hear from the review team. Crystal signup offer lasts until 3/31 so there's time.
 

Anh

Level 2 Member
Yes, I have the card and it's been great. AU's also get airline credit and the primary account can request 2 Priority Pass Select memberships, each membership allows unlimited number of guests. You also have 10 Gogo passes per AU, and all the other usual visa infinite benefits
 

smjd

Level 2 Member
I had the card. IMO makes more sense to keep long term than any other card out there due to the $250 AU fee credit for each AU (I tried 2 total users redeeming for AA eGC) and priority pass for first 2 users with no AU fee. Also Visa Infinite Gogo passes and $100 discount on tickets for groups of 2 or more.

For me a checking account with them wasn't necessary.
 

HariOm

Transcendent Level
For me a checking account with them wasn't necessary.
Nicely done. These days an account is apparently required, as they told me on the phone, although a commenter at DoC wrote that savings acct works fine.
 

bayguy

Level 2 Member
I applied in branch and did not open any checking/savings accounts. For people who already have the card, were your AA eGC/pGC less than $100. Trying to see what is the best value for GC which will be reimbursed.
 

dukewake

Level 2 Member
Do you think an income below 70k is even worth a try for this card? I'm going to be in NY tomorrow, and thought I might chance it.
 

dockers

Level 2 Member
FYI - for anyone in Georgia, the one CNB branch in Georgia is right near my house. I did some research on it yesterday, and turns out that it's an "entertainment banking" location (lol) that doesn't offer banking services. So, it doesn't look like you can open up an account in GA at this one 'branch' they have in state.

I'd love to be proven wrong.
 

HariOm

Transcendent Level
This might be irrelevant since we've got reports stating that opening a CNB account is not a prerequisite for the Crystal Infinity, but since I opened an account before seeing those reports, here's my experience: I applied online last week for Green Checking and never heard back from the bank. Finally, eight days later I called and they said the account was opened fine and paper will be coming in the mail, but they don't send email notifications for new accounts. She said if I like, before the paperwork arrives I can go into a branch to make a deposit, which I may do in order to apply for the card at the same time. She also said that all of their branches are closed on Saturdays. [EDIT: after posting this, the mail came with the envelope from CNB. Today is app + 7 days.]
 
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SanDiego1K

Level 2 Member
Both my husband and I got the card last year when they were offering 100K points sign up bonus. It was a huge win and we got great value from it. This year, I decided to only keep his card. Given the $250 travel credit per authorized user, it continues to pay for itself. We looked into the business version but it has a $15K spend to get the bonus and does not waive the first year's fee. We decided against it. The math would continue to support it but I didn't want to move $15K in spend to it from cards where I like the category earn that they have. The best return on an award with CNB is a gift card of $1K for 100K points, or a penny a point.
 

HariOm

Transcendent Level
Just applied for card in NorCal branch. For what it's worth, the banker said that in order to get the bonus, cards must be approved by 3/31 deadline, not just applied for. She's probably mistaken, but just sharing for those that might still be considering this.
 

bayguy

Level 2 Member
Congrats on getting approval. I already got one 250$ AA eGC free and purchased a second one.
 

bayguy

Level 2 Member
Yes, used it for some GC deals and GCM order and points posted few days after statement closure. I also used for grocery spending as it gives 3X points for it. My goal was to reach close to 105000 points for the 1000$ GC redemption.
 

bayguy

Level 2 Member
No, you get 70000 points after 5000 in spend. I met the 5000 spend but yet to get additional 35000 points for 1000$ GC redemption. I was suggesting to meet that spend thru grocery spending(11666) spend which is big.

I have not decided if I want to meet that spend quickly or not.
 

dukewake

Level 2 Member
I applied week before last in the midtown branch. Same experience as many here: last two pay stubs, SS#, and statement of assets. Got approved with a salary below 70k.
 

newaliases

Just an alias
I applied in New York city. I was NOT asked to open a checking account. I had to provide two pay stubs, ID and SS number. I was not asked to provide a statement of assets, but had to tell them what they were.

The service is great - you get a relationship banker who basically takes care of everything (e.g. setting cash advance to zero, adding priority pass, etc.) that you normally would have to call in to do with other cards.

One tip for people getting the card for the first time - their website interface is bad, like circa 2003 bad. The place to actually sign up for benefits, such as the GoGo pass, etc., is a separate Crystal Visa infinite site that you can find the link for on the main website.
 

Flanmann

Level 2 Member
I applied on 3/28. Banker wrote me on 4/4 saying they needed w2's, which I promptly sent. Still no decision. Anyone else have this long of a wait? I've got a big purchase I'm waiting on!
 

HariOm

Transcendent Level
Mine was approved in two days, though I brought the W-2 and pay stubs to the branch at the time of app. Banker said she'd hand-hold the app through the approval process to make sure it met the deadline and I left her a voicemail to confirm that was happening. Might be worth a call to the banker; they're trying to develop personal banking relationships.
 

newaliases

Just an alias
My card was approved within 4 business days. Received the physical cards within the week. The banker was instrumental in making sure everything was working out and kept me in touch. If you haven't reached out to your banker, I suggest you call them as their whole sale is that the banker will take care of everything for you.
 

HariOm

Transcendent Level
I met the spend a few weeks ago and my first statement closed last week. Immediately paid the bill in full 3-4 days ago. Called the rewards number (not the general card service number) to check bonus status and they said it can take 1-2 statement cycles for the bonus points to post. (Didn't give them the card number as I didn't have it on me; in retrospect might have been a good idea just to keep eyes off the account although all but maybe $1000 spend was organic.)
 
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