Consumer complaint received 2024-08-30 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Didn't receive advertised or promotional terms
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
In XX/XX/XXXX, I was looking to purchase an airline ticket from the XXXX XXXX website ( XXXX ). As I was about to purchase the ticket, a promotional offer popped up that if I applied for a Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard I would get a {$250.00} statement credit if I made an eligible XXXX XXXX purchase in the first 6 months, plus XXXX bonus miles if I spend a certain amount in the first 3 months. This offer was, and is, still available at the link below, but the statement credit offer changes from month to month : XXXX : XXXX? XXXX & XXXX & XXXX On XX/XX/XXXX I was approved for the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select card with a credit limit of {$40000.00}. Once I received my credit card number, I used it to purchase an airline ticket from XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. I purchased the ticket and, as I was checking out to purchase my ticket, it stated that the price of my ticket would be less {$250.00} once I receive the statement credit, which would take up to 3 cycles to reflect in my statement. 

After a month, I called Citibank on the phone, but the customer service agent told me to wait 10 weeks for the credit to post. After 10 had passed, I contacted Citibank again, and they told me to send proof of the offer to this email : XXXX So I sent all the proof : the offer, my airline ticket purchase etc. 

They replied by sending a denial letter in the mail dated XX/XX/XXXX, stating that my account was only enrolled in the promotional offer to earn XXXX bonus miles if I spent {$2500.00} in the first 3 months. At that point, 3 months had already passed, so I wasn't even eligible for that anymore, but I wasn't interested in that promotion. I wanted the {$250.00} statement credit promised to me as I was checking out. 

I continued to contact Citibank through telephone and email, and each time getting no where. When I asked to speak to a supervisor, he told me I wasn't eligible for the offer because " I wasn't living in a city that was eligible for the offer ''. This was not true because the offer is for " individuals who reside in the United States '', and I live in California. Other agents would tell me to email proof again, and I did, but each time getting denied with a letter in the mail. The most recent letter on XX/XX/XXXX stated that the " offer is only available when opening a new account ''. 

I even sent a complaint letter with these details around 5 months ago to the Citibank customer complaint address : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX South Dakota XXXX I have yet to receive any response. 

I contacted XXXX XXXX and asked the customer service to verify that I had followed all the proper steps in purchasing my airline ticket in order to received that promotional offer. She checked all the details of my trip and confirmed it was all correct, but that she couldn't issue the {$250.00} because that can only be done through the bank. 

When I spoke to a Citibank customer service agent named XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, she told me that this is a common problem that many customers are having, due to the miscommunication between XXXX XXXX and Citibank. 

I have record of all the emails I sent and all the denial letters I received. I never got a straight answer why I wasn't eligible or why I didn't receive the credit. This is a very false and misleading ad, and something must be done about the terrible customer service and false advertising by Citibank. And, it seems I am not the only one who has been scammed by this ad.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation