Andy and his wife were saving up for a trip for Hawaii. They had 87,000 points, which represented $87,000 they had spent accumulating these points. Out of nowhere, Citibank closed his account and gave him no chance to get his points.

Andy complained and was told there was nothing that could be done. Citibank had new rules for accounts opened off Equifax data, and Andy didn’t make the cut, despite having 39 accounts in good standing.

But then he wrote Consumerist and we posted his story. After it went live, a Citibank rep contacted us and we put them in touch with Andy. They fixed him up good, though not without a little tug and pull. Andy says:

One of the main sticking points was that Citi said they sent me a letter on June 23rd stating that my account would be closed on July 31st. I never received the letter and I don’t know what it said. After my account was closed on July 31 and points gone, I called them to find out what was up and they referred me to the letter. I said I didn’t have the letter and they offered to send me out a copy of exactly what it said. I said “sure” send me a copy. A few weeks later I received a letter from Citi that said something to the effect of “Sorry, we are unable to provide a copy of the letter you requested and we won’t be able to provide a copy in the future…..”

Now Andy has his points back, demonstrating once again the power of getting your story out to the media, having all your facts and dates straight, and having a big number that catches people’s eye.

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Citibank Yanks Your 87,000 Rewards Points And Closes Account Without Warning

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