Sometimes shopping for a deal can be a great thing. Say you're shopping for a new flat-screen TV, and you've spent hours doing research on different models and looking at sales flyers to get the best deal. You think you've got exactly the model you want at a great price, so you plunk down your Citi credit card to buy it, and you go home looking forward to your latest, greatest purchase.
It doesn't help then, to discover the following week that the exact TV you just bought is on sale at a different store for $75 less. That's a pretty big chunk of change to have to walk away from. You could go to the effort of seeing whether or not the store you purchased from has a price matching service, then you can collect your receipts and proof that another retailer is selling the same item for less, haul over to the store and stand in line at customer service to make your case and hope they offer you a refund. Or you could register your purchase with Citi Price Rewind and have them track this information for you.
"This is another way we're delivering more value and deepening customers' loyalty," said Emily Collins, director of public affairs at Citi, in an e-mail interview.
"Price Rewind is an easy way for cardholders to save time and money as Citi hunts for a lower price for 30 days after the purchase on eligible items purchased with a Citi credit card. Additionally, Price Rewind allows consumers to avoid frustration altogether and have peace of mind knowing they'll get the best price they shop with their Citi consumer credit card. Even after the gifts are opened, you can still get the difference in price back."
Citi Price Rewind works for many retail categories, including electronics, appliances, clothing and toys. To use the service, shop and pay for online or in-store purchases with a Citi card, then go to www.citi.com/pricerewind to register your purchase, giving information such as its cost, when you bought it and where you bought it. You can then search in the Price Rewind database by UPC code, product name, model number or product description for the items purchased to see if another store is offering the item for a lower price online.
The Price Rewind service will then continue to hunt for a lower online price on the item for 30 days. If the database finds a lower price on the same item by the same manufacturer, it notifies you by e-mail after the tracking period ends. You can also login to the Price Rewind site throughout the tracking period to check on the items you've registered on the site.
If you're eligible for a refund, you have 90 days from the date of your purchase to claim a refund. To do that, confirm your purchase with either a picture or scan of your original receipt and submit a claim online, by fax or by mail in order to be refunded the difference.
To get a refund, the difference in price has to be at least $25, but it can't be greater than $250. Cardmembers can receive up to $1,000 in refunds every calendar year. If you buy more than one of the same item, you're only allowed to get a maximum of $250 per sales receipt.
Only those who have one of Citi's consumer credit cards may use the service, and the purchase must be entirely paid for with that Citi card. Business cards and items paid for with Citi ThankYou Points aren't eligible.
Price Rewind covers many popular shopping categories, but it doesn't cover every shopping category. Refurbished and personalized items, boats, consumables and perishables, antiques, travel and services are examples of categories Price Rewind doesn't track. Jewelry is also not covered, although Citi doesn't classify watches as jewelry for this service.
"Price Rewind is an easy way for cardholders to save time and money as Citi hunts for a lower price for 30 days after the purchase on eligible items purchased with a Citi credit card," said Collins. "Additionally, Price Rewind allows consumers to avoid frustration altogether and have peace of mind knowing they'll get the best price when they shop with their Citi consumer credit card. Even after the gifts are opened, you can still get the difference in price back."
