Citi: billing error

Collect

• statement with the error
• account number
• dollar amount
• why it is wrong

Steps

1. Find the address for billing inquiries and correspondence on the front of your statement.

2. Send a letter with your name, account number, the dollar amount and why you believe it is a mistake, within 60 days after the error appeared.

3. To stop an automatic payment of the disputed amount, write at least 3 business days before the payment date.

4. If Citi does not answer or correct it within the legal timelines, complain to the CFPB.

   RegulatorConsumer Financial Protection Bureau +1-855-411-2372

More contacts for this issue

Facts you can cite

• Deadline

  Citi's billing rights notice says you must notify Citi in writing within 60 days after the error appeared on your statement; if you only call, Citi is not required to investigate.

  Source: files.consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

• Process

  Citi must acknowledge your letter within 30 days and, within 90 days, either correct the error or explain why the bill is correct.

  Source: files.consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

• Deadline

  You may reject the Citi card arbitration provision by mailing a written rejection notice within 45 days of account opening.

  Source: files.consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

• Policy

  Citi pays your share of the arbitration fee for claims of $75,000 or less that are unrelated to debt collection.

  Source: files.consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

Rules in force

• Electronic Fund Transfer Act error resolution and unauthorized-transfer liability (Regulation E)
  12 CFR 1005.6; 12 CFR 1005.11; 12 CFR 1005.2(m) (Regulation E)

  For debit cards, ATM transfers, ACH and other electronic fund transfers from a consumer account (including P2P payments that meet the EFT definition), the consumer has 60 days after the statement is sent to report an error. The institution must investigate within 10 business days, or within 45 days if it provisionally credits the account within 10 business days. Liability for unauthorized transfers is capped at $50, $500 or more depending on how fast the consumer reports.

  Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  5 citable points

  • Policy

    Errors covered by the error-resolution procedure include an unauthorized EFT, an incorrect EFT to or from the account, an omitted transfer on a statement, a computational or bookkeeping error, receiving the wrong amount of cash from an ATM, and a request for documentation or clarification about a transfer.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Deadline

    The consumer must give notice of an error no later than 60 days after the institution sent the periodic statement on which the error first appears. The notice must let the institution identify the consumer's name and account and say why the consumer believes there is an error. If notice is oral, the institution may require written confirmation within 10 business days.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Deadline

    The institution must investigate and decide within 10 business days, report results within 3 business days after it completes the investigation, and correct an error within 1 business day after it finds one. It may take up to 45 days only if it provisionally credits the disputed amount within 10 business days. It need not provisionally credit if it asked for written confirmation of an oral notice and did not receive it within 10 business days.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Deadline

    Longer periods apply in some cases: 20 business days instead of 10 for transfers within 30 days after the first deposit to a new account, and 90 days instead of 45 for point-of-sale debit card transactions, transfers not initiated within a state, and new-account transfers.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Process

    If the institution finds no error, it must give a written explanation and tell the consumer of the right to request the documents it relied on. If it debits a provisional credit, it must notify the consumer of the date and amount and honor checks and preauthorized transfers for five business days after the notice.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

• Fair Credit Billing Act billing-error and purchase-dispute rights (Regulation Z)
  12 CFR 1026.13; 12 CFR 1026.12(c) (Regulation Z)

  For credit card and other open-end credit accounts, a written billing-error notice that the creditor receives within 60 days after it sent the first statement with the error starts a dispute process. The creditor must acknowledge it within 30 days and resolve it within 2 complete billing cycles (no later than 90 days). Until then, the consumer need not pay the disputed amount and the creditor may not collect it or report it as delinquent. A separate rule lets a cardholder assert claims and defenses about a card purchase against the card issuer.

  Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  8 citable points

  • Policy

    A billing error includes a charge for credit not made to the consumer or an authorized user; a charge for property or services not accepted by the consumer or not delivered as agreed; a failure to credit a payment or other credit properly; a computational error by the creditor; a charge for which the consumer asks for clarification, including documentary evidence; and failure to send a statement to the last address the creditor received in writing at least 20 days before the end of the billing cycle.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Deadline

    The billing error notice must be written and must be received by the creditor at the address it discloses for billing errors "no later than 60 days after the creditor transmitted the first periodic statement that reflects the alleged billing error". The rule defines the notice as a written notice, so a phone call alone does not start these rights.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Process

    The notice must let the creditor identify the consumer's name and account number and, to the extent possible, state the consumer's belief and reasons that a billing error exists, and the type, date and amount of the error.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Deadline

    The creditor must send written acknowledgment within 30 days of receiving the notice (unless it resolves the dispute within those 30 days), and must resolve the dispute "within 2 complete billing cycles (but in no event later than 90 days)" after receiving the notice.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    Until the dispute is resolved, the consumer need not pay, and the creditor may not try to collect, the disputed amount and related finance or other charges. The creditor may not report the disputed amount as delinquent or threaten an adverse credit report because it is unpaid.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    If the consumer pays the card by automatic deduction from a deposit account at the card issuer, the issuer may not deduct the disputed amount if the billing error notice arrives up to 3 business days before the scheduled payment date.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    A creditor may not accelerate the debt or restrict or close the account solely because the consumer exercised billing-error rights in good faith.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Process

    If there was an error, the creditor must correct it, credit the disputed amount and related charges, and send a correction notice. If it finds no error, it must send a written explanation and, on request, copies of documentary evidence of the debt.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, verified 2026-10-12

• Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA) negative option requirements
  15 U.S.C. 8401-8405

  A seller that charges consumers online through a negative option feature (for example an automatic renewal or a free trial that converts to paid) must clearly disclose all material terms before taking billing information, get the consumer's express informed consent before charging, and provide simple mechanisms to stop recurring charges. The FTC enforces ROSCA.

  Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12

  1 citable point

  • Policy

    The seller must obtain "a consumer's express informed consent before charging the consumer's credit card, debit card, bank account, or other financial account".

    Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12

If that fails, escalate

Go up one step at a time. Keep the reference numbers and dates from each contact.

1. Customer service

   PhoneCiti credit cards, report a lost or stolen card or unauthorized use +1-800-950-5114 Account holder only

   Or the number on the back of the card; per-card numbers are listed below.

2. Written complaint

   EmailForward suspicious emails and texts claiming to be Citi spoof@citi.com
   OnlineCiti online account (secure messages, disputes, request a copy of your card agreement) Sign-in required

   Write to the billing inquiries and correspondence address shown on the front of your statement.

3. Federal regulator

   RegulatorConsumer Financial Protection Bureau +1-855-411-2372

4. State agency

   Your state’s financial regulator. Find it in the list of state agencies (also as JSON: states/<code>.json, for example states/ny.json).

5. Arbitration

   Citi card agreements let either party choose AAA arbitration; individual claims in small claims court are not subject to arbitration.

Watch out

Related

• Billing error at other companies
• How Citi complaints actually go (dossier, checked 2026-10-12)
• Banks and card issuers — how complaints work
• Citi: dispute with a merchant through the bank
• Citi: unauthorized charge
• Citi: fraud or scam
• Citi: account frozen or closed