Consumer complaint received 2026-04-08 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account — Can't close your account
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: AZ

Complaint narrative:
I am filing a formal complaint against Citibank regarding my AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard. I am an AAdvantage Platinum Pro member ( Account : XXXX ). Citi has charged me a {$590.00} premium fee for a non-functional product and is now refusing to honor my legal request to close the account and refund the fee. XXXX. BREACH OF " INSTANT ACCESS '' PROMISE ( XX/XX/year> ) : On Saturday, XX/XX/year>, I was approved for the account and issued a digital card for " immediate use. '' This feature failed entirely ; every transaction attempt was declined. This is a clear bait-and-switch of a primary advertised feature used to induce a {$590.00} annual fee. XXXX. FAILED RESOLUTION ATTEMPTS ( XX/XX/XXXX & XX/XX/year> ) : On Sunday, XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted Citi ; representatives could not explain the failure and told me to " wait XXXX hours. '' On Monday, XX/XX/XXXX, the card was still being declined. I called back again and was told there was " nothing they could do '' and I had to wait for the physical card to arrive to use the account. XXXX. SYSTEMATIC BLOCKING AND VERIFICATION FAILURE ( XX/XX/year> ) : Today, Wednesday, XX/XX/XXXX, the physical card arrived and was immediately blocked upon first use. I have the physical card in my possession. I attempted to verify my identity using every method Citi provided, all of which failed : - Social Security XXXX : Failed to verify. - Primary Cell Phone ( XXXX ) : Failed to verify. - Spouses Cell Phone : Citi attempted to verify me using my wifes phone number, which also failed. I spoke with the first-line Fraud Department and was escalated to a Fraud Department Manager. They explicitly stated they have " no other methods '' to verify me over the phone, despite me having all the credentials used to approve the line of credit just days prior. I confirmed these calls were recorded and I request the CFPB review the call with the Fraud Department Manager for full context. 4. REFUSAL TO TERMINATE ACCOUNT : After the Fraud Manager stated they could not help, I requested an immediate termination of my account and a transfer to Customer Service. The Customer Service Manager on duty refused to speak with me, claiming they could not talk to an " unverified '' customera status caused solely by their own internal system failure. I informed the front-line Customer Service agent that I am refusing the 10-day verification letter, I am opening a complaint with the CFPB, and I demand the account be terminated immediately. The agent noted the account and the call ended without a resolution. XXXX. CONCLUSION : Citibank is holding my credit line and a {$590.00} fee hostage for a product I can not use and am not allowed to cancel. This is a violation of consumer protection standards and the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act. I demand the immediate closure of this account and a full refund/waiver of the {$590.00} annual fee.

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 non-monetary relief