Consumer complaint received 2025-11-04 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: FL

Complaint narrative:
Dear Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, I am writing to file a formal complaint against Citi Retail Services concerning a promotional offer associated with my Best Buy Credit Card ending in XXXX. The card issuer is Citi Retail Services, co-branded with Best Buy. 

As an IT professional, I often need to make purchases at Best Buy, and I have appreciated the convenience and benefits of this credit card. Occasionally, Citi Retail Services issues promotional offers encouraging cardholders to use the card for purchases outside of Best Buy, such as restaurants or other retail categories. Unfortunately, Citi has failed to honor XXXX such offer, which has caused me significant frustration and disappointment. 


Details of the Offer and Transaction : On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from Citi Retail Services with the following promotion : Limited time XXXX  % back in rewards. Choose your category, then shop with your Card to earn up to {$75.00} in rewards. Offer ends XX/XX/XXXX. ( Email attached for reference. ) It happened that I needed to replace some furniture at that time. I had planned to use another credit card for the purchase, but this promotional offer immediately caught my attention. So I clicked the link and followed the instructions in the email, activated the offer, and selected XXXX XXXX as my promotional reward category. The Citi Retail Services website confirmed the activation, and I saved the acknowledgment message as a PDF ( attached ). 

That same day, I made a purchase totaling {$1400.00} at XXXX XXXX XXXX, which clearly falls under the selected XXXX XXXX category. The transaction was processed and posted without issue ( Transaction records with details attached ). 

According to the promotional terms, the XXXX % rewards were to be issued within XXXX weeks after the transaction posted. However, when I reviewed my XXXX statement, I discovered that only the regular 1 % reward was applied instead of the promised XXXX %. 


My Attempts to Resolve the Issue : On XX/XX/XXXX, I called the number on the back of my card and spoke with a representative from the XXXX XXXX XXXX Department. The representative was courteous but explained that because the offer originated from Citi and not Best Buy, they had no visibility into purchases made outside of Best Buy. He then transferred me to Citis customer service. But the waiting time was way too long and I had to hung up and call again. 

After navigating in the call routing system, I finally reached a Citis representative, she initially tried to push me back to Best Buy. After I told her that I already talked to Best Buy staff and clarified that the promotion was issued by Citi and that Best Buy had no control over outside transactions, she reviewed my account and claimed she could not locate any record of my offer activation. I offered to provide the activation acknowledgment page as proof, but she then suggested waiting XXXX or XXXX more billing cycles, despite the offer terms stating rewards would be issued within XXXX weeks. I expressed concern that if this were a system error, waiting would not resolve the issue. Unfortunately, she said there was nothing further she could do. 


Complaint Summary and Requested Resolution : Citi Retail Services failed to deliver on a promotional commitment and did not provide adequate assistance in resolving the matter. The companys lack of accountability and inconsistent responses have left me feeling misled and frustrated. 
I am requesting that Citi Retail Services honor its promotional offer by issuing the promised XXXX % rewards for my eligible purchase and take responsibility for this failure in customer service and promotional fulfillment. 

I have attached the following supporting documents : XXXX ) The promotional email from Citi XXXX ) The offer activation acknowledgment XXXX ) The transaction record for the qualifying purchase XXXX ) The transaction details Thank you for your attention to this matter. I appreciate your assistance in ensuring Citi upholds its obligations to consumers. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX Citi Retail Services Best Buy Credit Card ending in XXXX XXXX XXXX

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 monetary relief