The Citi PremierPass Elite promises a free companion ticket for every domestic ticket purchase over $299. The catch, which nobody mentions, is that the booking must be made through Citi's own travel agency. That agency inflates the price of the first ticket so heavily that the customer ends up paying more, not less.
Take my case. The agency quoted me $300 above what United lists on its website, and $400 above what Orbitz charges. So my choices are to hand Citi $679, or to spend roughly $600 on Orbitz for two tickets at $300 apiece.
Through Citi, "Free Companion" included: $679
Two identical tickets via United: $672
Two identical tickets via Orbitz: $600
The PremierPass carries a $75 annual fee, so this is unacceptable to me. I paid for a benefit that, in practice, is not there.
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