Citibank American Airlines Credit Card Experience

Recent poor experience with Citibank American Airlines Credit Card
submitted by anonymous reader

I have been a Citibank American Airlines Credit Card holder for over two years. They offer a very good plan of being able to finance American Airlines tickets for six-months without interest if paid within six months which is the main attraction for possessing the card.

My recent experience.

1. On June fifth, 2012, I made a $1400 hundred dollar payment, owing now $300.00 with a three thousand dollar balance.
2. Payment shows online June 6, 2012 as being paid. However, the open to buy was only $1,246.00.
3. I phoned in and they explained that the payment was still being processed and Citibank had not received the funds yet. I verified with my bank, the payment was in process.
4. On June seventh, I checked in again online with Citibank and the payment was still showing as paid, but the open to buy was still only $1,246.00 on a card with a three thousand credit line.
5. I phoned in and spent several hours speaking with different managers of which one did go to the security department and tried to eliminate the block or hold without success. They told me it could sometimes take up to 14 days.
6. I verified on June seventh, my money had definitely left my bank and was gone.
7. On June, 08, 2012 I again checked online and same thing, payment had been made to Citibank, money had left Bank of America, and my open to buy was still only $1,246.00. With a credit line of $3,000. I should have had an open to buy of $2,646.59.
8. On June, 08, 2012, I make another in my numerous calls to customer service calls to Citibank American Airlines Credit Card company. First of all they have developed the phone system so it is onerous at best to get through to a human being.
9. I finally got through to a representative and then to a manager and the phone was disconnected. I phoned back and got to a manager. While she was polite, claimed not to have any power to do anything and said the payment is being shown but my account was singled out with other based on certain criteria not to be released to the accounts full open to buy. She transferred me to a manager named Antonio id. TRPL06 (sic). He seems to present a cooperative attitude but is so only in appearance and seems to be passive aggressive wanting to say no and not having any real sincerity to his personality of wanting to assist the customer. His manta is to say no while smiling. He should win a bureaucratic of excellence goal. I was denied access to any other management level unless I did so in writing. I also was told that his manager would not speak to anyone by phone and he only provided me her first name of Denise. He said I would have to write her. He told me my account would not have full credit line access until June 16, 2012. He could not explain where my payment was and that it was “in transit”. He said my account may have been targeted because the payment history showed low payment amounts and then all of a sudden a large payment. I asked him if I could speak to any other manager at his level and he said no that it “was escalated” and I would have to phone back in. I also asked him who pays his salary and he would not answer.
10. I phoned back and spoke with a female supervisor again who reports to Antonio. I explained my feelings about Antonio and his nature lacking true compassion or sincerity for the customer. She did offer to leave a message for Antonio’s supervisor, Denise to phone me. She will be back in on Monday – lets see if she phones.
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What is the purpose of this report:

1. I have a Citibank American Airlines Account and I am a customer. I chose to pay off most of my balance so I could purchase a sale fare on American Airlines website.
2. Because I paid a large amount on the balance it flagged the account to hold up the payment from reducing my open to buy and keeping me from making a purchase of an airline ticket.
3. One manager says the money is there and the account has been flagged and another manager says the money is not there it is in transit.
4. If the money left my bank who has the money? Antonio can not explain who has the money – and that it is in transit even though Citibank site shows it has been paid.
5. My opinion is that Citibank has the money since it left Bank of America and is holding it because of the float and earning money.
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I believe Citibank American Airlines does not really care about the customer and may have a type of scam going on to hold on to money. If that is not true – who has the money? More importantly this experience shows that everything is controlled by a computer – that no human being at Citibank can go in and adjust a system – especially when a customer is in need of assistance.

Result —- American Airlines loses out on sale of tickets, the customer loses out, and bureaucrats like Antonio get to continue going through life making things difficult for others without any compassion or empathy for those who are ultimately paying his salary. I asked Antonio how late they were open and he told me midnight eastern. I called back at 9:00 pm eastern and of course – they were closed – I wanted to ask the female manager a question.

We will let you know if Denise the manager for Antonio ever responds to this reader.