Citi: dispute with a merchant through the bank

Collect

• statement showing the charge
• receipt
• record of contact with the merchant

Steps

1. Try to resolve the problem with the merchant first and keep proof.

2. Write to the billing inquiries address on your statement, or start a dispute after signing in.

   OnlineCiti online account (secure messages, disputes, request a copy of your card agreement) Sign-in required

3. If Citi does not resolve it, complain to the CFPB.

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

More contacts for this issue

Facts you can cite

• Policy

  To withhold payment for a bad purchase, you must have tried in good faith to fix it with the merchant, the purchase must be over $50 and in your home state or within 100 miles of your mailing address (unless Citi mailed the ad), and you must not have fully paid for it; then write to Citi.

  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

• 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

  2 citable points

  • Policy

    Claims and defenses (12 CFR 1026.12(c)): when a merchant does not resolve a dispute about property or services bought with a credit card, the cardholder may assert against the card issuer all claims (other than tort claims) and defenses from the transaction, and may withhold payment up to the amount of credit outstanding for that purchase plus related charges. The issuer may not report that withheld amount as delinquent until the dispute is settled or judgment is rendered.

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

  • Limit

    Claims-and-defenses limits: the cardholder must first make a good faith attempt to resolve the dispute with the merchant, the purchase must exceed $50, and it must have occurred in the same state as the cardholder's current designated address or within 100 miles of it. The $50 and location limits do not apply when the merchant is the card issuer, is controlled by or controls the issuer, is a franchised dealer in the issuer's products, or got the order through a mail solicitation the issuer made or took part in.

    Source: consumerfinance.gov, 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

• Dispute with a merchant through the bank at other companies
• How Citi complaints actually go (dossier, checked 2026-10-12)
• Banks and card issuers — how complaints work
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• Citi: fraud or scam
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