Citibank Australia: ATM card charges for foreign transactions? Sheesh.

Today I received in my email inbox a reminder to get and put in my documentation for the Citibank Plus Transaction Account.

Sure. But on closer notice, I realised that there were fees for using my ATM citibank card/visa debit even in international Citibank ATMS. I could understand that for just normal retail foreign transactions.

But even for withdrawals at international Citibank ATMs?

I'm like, what the?

I am so not going to bother with the application.

I'll just use my Malaysian Citibank visa debit card for transactions with them in Australia. If ever.

I had a friend who saw my Malaysian citibank in my purse earlier. and remarked, "hei, that's a Citibank Visa Debit card!" Yeah, it is. Everything's the same. Everything from the blue design to even the logo.

Except that the Malaysian Citibank Visa Debit cards are able to accumulate reward points (for items!) and its free wherever it is used in ANY Citibank automatic teller machine ANYWHERE in the world. 

By right, if Citibank ATMS are used in any Citibank ATM anywhere in the world, it SHOULD be free. This is just too much!

Australia: Citibank Plus Transaction Account.

I just applied for a Citibank Plus Transaction Account.

Not only is it fee-free, but there is no minimum deposits,
it is
- $0 monthly fee
- No minimum deposit
- Unlimited free transactions
- Free Citibank Global Transfers (not to Malaysia though!)
- Unlimited free ATM withdrawals at any Westpac, St George*, Bank SA or Citibank ATM in Australia
- Visa Debit Card for online, domestic and overseas purchases
- and Cheque book access!

I was actually thinking of doing the ING Direct Visa Debit card,
but Citibank is so much more recognised than any other local bank!

 Go Figure.

Term Deposits: Citibank Malaysia & Maybank.

Today, or rather last night, I "pledged" two Term Deposits, as what my friend in the banking industry calls it.

Term Deposits is an Australian term I picked up, but here in Malaysia, it's called Fixed Deposits. I prefer calling it Term Deposits. So, one was created at Citibank via online. The other at Maybank via online.

MAYBANK
The term deposit created via Maybank online was automatically created. So I knew for sure my money was already in the TD. However, the one at Citibank took a while...

CITIBANK MALAYSIA
I called up Citibank this afternoon, and was told by the person on the phone that if my application was successful, I'd receive an email in a matter of three days that it had been created.

Well, what's the deal with this? Why do they require us to have to go to the outlet, and show our identification cards just to create the Term Deposit?

It makes no sense when it is with the intention of keeping money in the bank and not withdrawing it? What a Total Waste of Time. Citibank should learn to communicate better with the locals and make things easier for themselves by not requiring such red tape.

Maybe I should drop their Customer Service a note to query them on this matter.

It so happened that I received a call from Citibank this evening. I didn't pick up their call as I was in a company meeting with another bank. For all I know, it could have been some person from their Credit Card department trying to sell their cards.

Well, we'll see what happens tomorrow.

Citibank: Hilton PJ Paya Serai Buffet Dinner Promotion.

Paya Serai Hilton PJ

Today I was at Hilton PJ for a Buffet Dinner with staff from my mother's work place. It seems that this restaurant, Paya Serai has a special promotion for all its Citibank card holders.

The terms & conditions of the promotion:

•  Price per paying patron is RM81+ (including 5% GST and 10% service charge).
  
• Promotion per paying patron is 1 + 1 (Buy One, Get One Free)
  
• Promotion valid till 26th April 2010
• Promotion valid only for Buffet Dinner (Sunday & Monday nights only)
  
• Promotion valid to all Citibank cardmembers (Credit Card & Visa Debit)
  

Yes, this is a special for all Citibank cardmembers, including Citibank Visa Debit cardmembers. I really appreciate the fact that Citibank is taking it all out to include the non-credit cardmembers in the promotion as well.

How Was The Food?

The food was fairly serviceable. I can't say much about the food as I already had eaten earlier at Secret Recipe (chicken stew, chocolate cheesecake, flat white coffee, and garden salad) with one of my clients earlier, and could not stomach much of the buffet..

The galore of food available was from local cuisine (chinese, indian, malay), international cuisine like western garden salads, cream soups, cheese & crackers, pasta, and the normal dessert fare of kueh & fruits. I had an order of watermelon juice (which seemed to be freshly squeezed from what I could see), but did not check to see if it was included in the buffet range available.

Nonetheless, the attendees who went seemed fairly happy with the galore of food provided. For a 1+1 promotion, its is fairly satisfactory value for money, and seems brighter & cleaner than the so-called upclass Japanese buffet by Jogoya Starhill.  

Location: Hilton Petaling Jaya,
No 2 Jalan Barat, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia 46200
Tel: 60-3-7955-9122
Fax: 60-3-7955-3909

Singapore: Citibank ATMs abound only in shopping malls.

I thought my eyes were about to pop.. at almost every major shopping establishment in Singapore that I went to, I could practically find a Citibank ATM.

As most may know, I currently hold a Citibank Visa Debit card. I applied for this card after being told that the conversion rates for this card is low, and fee-free as well.

As of date, I have yet to find many Citibank ATMs around any of the shopping malls around Kuala Lumpur, and could never withdraw any money since it is considered a foreign card (RM10 chargeable for withdrawals! How crazy is that!).

The only time I have ever used my Citibank Visa Debit around KL is when I had needed to make payments at the counter....

Perhaps Singapore is less strict on foreign banks, but in Malaysia, it is hard to find many Citibank branches around here.. and the nearest one is in Puchong, where I had made a complaint about their service! So the only way I could transfer money to my Citibank savings account was through bank-to-bank transfer, and that costs RM2 per transaction (free in Australia).

It was a pity that I could not find a single Citibank ATM at the Changi International Airport, although there was a humongous annoying big Citibank bunting right in the middle of their departures terminal.


How deceiving that was! I ended up exchanging my Australian dollars (since Australian and Singapore currently have almost similar exchange rate) at the exchange bureau in the airport and at Chinatown (better cash rates), and not using my Citibank Visa Debit card thereafter.

Oh Well.

Malaysia: Introducing Citibank Visa Debit

We have all heard of Citibank Visa & Mastercard Credit Cards..  *NOW*, Citibank Malaysia has finally released the Statement Brochure for their Visa Debit cards.

What used to be just a normal ATM card, now possess the priviledges of all the Visa benefits.

Citibank Malaysia is giving to all its Visa Debit card users:

• 8 X Citi Reward Points for Petrol Purchases nationwide
• 5 X Citi Reward Points for Grocery Purchases nationwide
• 3 X Citi Reward Points for Utility Bill Payments & Book Purchases nationwide.

For a full list of participating merchants and utilities, please visit citibank.com.my
 Offer is valid from 1st Oct- 31st Dec 2009 unless stated.

*BENEFITS* from the Citibank Visa Debit

•  1 Citi Rewards Points for RM1 spent on the card for all other purchases.
  
• Ability to perform internet, mail and telephone order transactions.
•  Free Citibank withdrawals at over 13,500 Citibank ATMs worldwide.
  
• Evergreen Citi Rewards Points.
  
• FREE Sign & Fly Protection.
• and more to come!!
  

Citibank: Experience at the Puchong Branch.

I finally received my first ever statement for my Malaysian Citibank Savings Acct. statement! I had read somewhere on the Internet that it was difficult to even apply for a savings account in Citibank. Yes, and almost all of that story is true, at least from my experience.

SERVICE NOT UP TO EXPECTATION.

The person who had served me was a Chinese male in the Puchong branch, in his mid 20s to early 30s. I had gone to Puchong to service a client's company, and as there was a branch there, I decided to head over to open an account of the convenience of the location.

But I was not expecting the kind of service that was to be rendered by the staff, who I shall address as "L". I deposited RM250.00 into my account. It was only after depositing the money, and getting my so-called "bank-in slip", and leaving the outlet that I realised that he didn't even provide me the details of my savings account number.

As for the ATM card, I was not even given any information about when it would arrive or how I would get it. So after a week, I called up the Citibank Helpline to enquire about the ATM card, as I thought it would be normal procedure for banks to send cards to the customer's mailing address. I was then informed by the Helpline phone personnel that I could have the card created "on-the-spot" at any Citibank outlet, or sent by mail.

The person who managed my call, was even more surprised to know that I wasn't given the account number, and ATM card. Then she informed me that there was no directive in the Citibank system to create the ATM card!

It was an atrocious service coming from a service-related industry provider, and especially from an International bank like Citibank. Never had I experienced such atrocious service even when opening a new saving accounts at my local Maybank branch.

FOLLOW-UP TO GRIEVANCE PROCESS

Furious, I then forwarded a lengthy e-mail to the Customer Service Dept., of which response time took about 5 days. The Customer Representative waived the Courier fees for my ATM card, but the Processing Fee could not be waived, which was RM8.

I was quite happy, mostly because I did not have to take time off just to return to the Puchong branch to have my card created. To do that, I'd have to get someone to drive me (or borrow someone's car) and take time off during lunch hours for that very purpose.

A few days later, I received in the mail, a Customer Service feedback form which I promptly filled in and sent it off again.

REFLECTION

I'm just happy to not have to waste my time to go all the way to the bank. I had written the letter out of disatissfaction, but happy out of the knowledge that I was not just one who complained but did not do anything about it.

Yes, and also the knowledge that another staff at the Customer Service of an international bank learns the importance of good relationship manners. Which I hope he does know by now what that entails if he performs poorly!