Consumer complaint received 2026-01-29 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — Store credit card
Issue: Fees or interest — Unexpected increase in interest rate
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
In or around XX/XX/year>, I used my Best Buy Citi credit card to finance the purchase of a household appliance in the approximate amount of {$3500.00} under a XXXX promotional financing program. 

Throughout the promotional period, I made regular monthly payments and maintained the account in good standing. Payments were made consistently, including through the use of automatic payment features. At no time did I intentionally miss a payment or disregard my repayment obligations. 

After the promotional period ended, I was assessed a substantial amount of deferred interest applied retroactively to the entire promotional balance. This charge was not reasonably anticipated based on the information available to me through the online account interface during the promotional period. 

A material contributing factor was the limited transparency of the Best Buy Citi credit card website. The online account interface did not provide an easy or clear way to determine : The total amount paid toward the promotional purchase The remaining promotional principal balance Whether interest was accruing during the promotional period A projected payoff date or clear indication of proximity to full payoff Historical payment information and promotional payoff tracking were not readily accessible or presented in a manner that would reasonably allow a consumer to independently confirm whether the promotional balance would be fully satisfied before the deadline. 

In addition to the limited informational transparency, the Best Buy Citi credit card website frequently exhibited performance and accessibility issues. On multiple occasions, pages related to account details, payment history, and promotional balances were slow to load, unresponsive, or failed to display relevant information altogether. 

These performance issues materially interfered with my ability to research my account status, review historical payment activity, and verify the remaining promotional balance. As a result, routine attempts to monitor payoff progress were often abandoned due to the sites lack of responsiveness. 

Even while preparing this complaint, attempts to access detailed payment and promotional balance information through the website did not reliably display the requested data. This further underscores the practical difficulty a consumer faces when attempting to independently verify payoff status through the online account portal. 

I raise this issue solely to describe the functional limitations encountered when accessing account information, not to speculate as to intent. 

As a result, I reasonably relied on the automated payment setup and the limited information displayed in the online account portal, believing the promotional balance was being paid down as intended. I was not provided with clear, prominent, or actionable notice that a minimal remaining balance would result in the retroactive application of interest to the entire XXXX promotional period. 

Upon discovering the deferred interest charge, I promptly contacted Citi to request a review. During these communications, a customer service XXXX advised that the only available adjustment would be a refund of approximately the last XXXX months of interest charges, totaling roughly {$130.00}. This limited offer did not address the retroactive nature or overall magnitude of the deferred interest applied ( {$2300.00} ) and was not presented as a full review or resolution of the matter. 

Subsequently, I experienced an involuntary job loss, resulting in financial hardship. The sudden assessment of significant retroactive interest has materially impacted my ability to manage my financial obligations.

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