Citi Simplicity® Says Goodbye to Frustration of Late Fees in New Advertising Campaign
Citi Simplicity® Says Goodbye to Frustration of Late Fees in New Advertising Campaign
Citi Simplicity Is the Only Credit Card to Never Charge Late Fees and a Penalty Rate
Over Half of Americans Have Paid A Bill Late; Forgetfulness Top Reason Cited in New Survey
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ever paid a bill late? You're not alone. More than half of Americans have paid a bill late, and forgetfulness was the top reason they cited in a recent survey sponsored by Citi. Designed to provide a simplified credit experience and alleviate the frustration of late fees, Citi Simplicity is the onlycard to never charge late fees, a penalty rate, and an annual fee, ever (www.citi.com/simplicity). You can say goodbye to these fees forever as a Citi Simplicity cardmember, as illustrated in the new television commercial, "Kickboxer" which debuts this week.
"The commercial is literally hard-hitting with our kickboxer working out the frustrations of a challenging day, yet relieved that with her Citi Simplicity card she never has to worry about a late fee, a penalty rate or an annual fee - ever," said Anthony Merola, Managing Director, Citi Cards.
New Citi Simplicity Advertising Campaign
The commercial features "Erica" who exercises with a punching bag to take out her frustrations over the challenges of a bad day. After missing a payment due date for her Citi Simplicity card, Erica feels reassured that she won't get penalized with a late fee or a rate hike. The "Kickboxer" commercial is part of a larger campaign, which includes television, print, digital, social media, and out of home installations, highlighting the unique benefits of the Citi Simplicity card.
Citi Simplicity Will Never Charge Late Fees, a Penalty Rate or an Annual Fee
First introduced in July 2011, Citi Simplicity is a credit card that recognizes managing your credit card can - and should - be simpler and easier. Designed directly based on feedback from Citi cardmembers, Citi Simplicity features the following benefits:
No Late Fees. Ever.
No Penalty Rate.Ever.
No Annual Fee. Ever.
A Single Rate for All Borrowing and Spending. The Citi Simplicity Card offers the same rate for all purchases, cash advances and balance transfers, after any introductory or promotional period.
No Waiting for Live Help. With the Citi Simplicity Card, cardmembers can quickly and easily reach a customer service professional.
Flexibility and Control. Citi Simplicity cardmembers can customize their payment due date and set e-mail and text alerts based on their preferences and needs.
Survey Shows Opportunities for Americans to Save Time, Money and Avoid Late Fees Research indicates that Americans are still losing time and money due to missed payment deadlines. According to the Citi Simplicity Survey, 59 percent of Americans have paid a bill late in their lifetime (including credit card, utility, cable, etc.), and 88 percent of those have done so in the past 12 months.
Which bills are being paid late? Half have paid a utility bill late, while almost as many (44 percent) have paid a cell phone and telephone bill after the due date. Credit cards and cable are the next likely bills to be paid late by four in 10 survey respondents.
Why are Americans missing due dates? Survey respondents cited forgetfulness (61 percent), lack of available funds (42 percent) and being busy with work and family obligations (39 percent) as the top reasons.
Approximately 40 percent of those who have paid a bill late have asked their credit card company or bill issuer to waive a late fee. Credit card late payment fees typically start at $15 and can be as high as $35 per missed payment.
More than one-third estimate they are charged up to $25 dollars annually for late payment fees by a biller, one in five estimate they are charged $26 to $50.
57 percent of survey respondents who have asked a credit card company to waive their late fee spent at least 10 minutes on the phone regarding this request.
"Americans are increasingly leading hectic, busy lives and are in need of flexible solutions to help them better manage their credit card so they can avoid late fees," said Anthony Merola, Managing Director at Citi Cards. "By completely removing late fees and a penalty rate from the equation, Citi Simplicity is saving cardmembers time and money."
For more information on the Citi Simplicity card, including benefits, terms and how to apply for the card, visit www.citi.com/simplicity.
Citi Simplicity Survey Methodology
The Citi Simplicity Survey fielded April 19-21, 2013 via GfK Roper's national Super OmniTel phone survey among a nationally representative sample of 1,006 U.S. adults, via random digit dialing (RDD) probability landline and cell phone sample. Results of the survey are weighted to ensure accurate and reliable representation of the total population, 18 years and older, ensuring a margin of error of no more than plus-or-minus three percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.
About Citi
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.
Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com Twitter: @Citi YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi Blog: http://new.citi.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi
Citi
Emily Collins, 718-248-3901
Emily.Collins@citi.com
or
On Behalf of Citi
Mike Goon, 212-453-2128
Michael.Goon@fleishman.com
KEYWORDS: United States North America New York
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