In this commercial for the Citi Preferred Card, some
underling at a company has the job of getting his coworkers donuts each Friday, and he brags
about all the rewards points he’s racking up by using his own credit card to
pay for them. Um, this looks like it might be a good strategy, but I have known
people who have been fired for using this strategy, even when it wasn’t
intentional.
Yes, it turns out that if the company reimburses you for the
expenses, and you get a financial windfall from it, they consider it should be
theirs, not yours, since they are ultimately paying the charges. So if you’re
getting these rewards, be aware that your company might consider this a scam,
which could get you into trouble (and out of a job). And whatever you do, don’t
star in a TV commercial bragging about all the extra cash you’re making on the
side from company money on company time, because it might just cost you more
than it rewards you.
Seriously, if you try the scenario in this ad, and it
doesn’t work out so well for you, don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.
Here’s the rewarding spot:
