You may get shocked later on. Review on Citibank MasterCard Credit Card

Hi all: I have credit cards of almost all major companies except for Citi Bank and Manhattan (Manhattans review has been given before in this site by me). Just a week and half before I got a call for the first time from some representative of CitiBank saying that it is a life time free card. Inspite of knowing all dangers I still thought of giving it a shot too. A day or two later a guy came to my house and he simply told me to sign in 4-5 places. Surprisingly I saw that except for one box, signature in almost all other boxes could lead me to money losses later which actually one may never sign if the words above it are easily readable. Moreover the way they have made their form one can simply miss a very valid point that is 'one has to use this card for an amount of Rs. 5000/- a year so that the membership fees is waived else be ready to be pay a hefty membership fees'. To get SMS alerts also you may have to pay and by mistake and hurry if you have signed all the boxes you are bound to pay charges/surcharges for all those things which otherwise you would have never signed for. Above all, facts about the cards facilities etc are also not known clearly to their phone executives too. I could have also been fooled if I wouldn't have read those microscopic line & confirmed with their helpline. Rs. 5000/- a year is as such not at all a very big amount but makes you bound to do something. Suppose if someone suddenly leaves for a long abroad trip or God forbid leaves for heavenly abode and no one could tell the company about it then? Interests unnecessary goes on mounting up against you. Also they require your other card's latest original statement or some original utility bill. Whatever card of their bank you may have but as per the information I gathered form their form is that you can only get upto Rs. 10000/- as cash credit over the ATM and Fuel as they say it is free of surcharge in all IOCs is only true in pumps where their is a CitiBank EDC. Only one good thing I saw is that their form itself provides you almost all the information, especially where one may get charged for but when does one get a proper chance to read them. Last but not the least, only one thing I like to mention about any card and that is PLEASE READ THE FORM/OFFER DOCUMENTS etc VERY CAREFULLY (BEFORE OR AFTER GETTING THE CARD) & TRY TO GATHER AS MUCH INFORMATION FROM THE CARD'S HELPLINE AS POSSIBLE AS THEIR FREE HOME REPRESENTATIVES FOR A FEW BUCKS AS THEIR INCENTIVE DO NOT ALWAYS REPRESENT THE CORRECT PICTURE. UNLESS IT IS NECESSARY, USE THE CARD ONLY WHERE REQUIRED AND IS FREE OF SURCHARGES/HIDDEN CHARGES etc. Card basically people keep so that one does not require to carry cash or pile the whole month's expenses and pay it on getting the salary etc but does it mean that we land up paying some hidden charges. Reliance and Citibank tie up is also closing by June and if you have such RelianceCitibank card, then it might get deactivated by June 2009 as it is happening for me.

Please read my review "What to Look for in a Credit Card" also. It may be useful too.

Hope my infos help.