Citibank Customer Service

I want to improve my credit score before applying for a new car loan to secure a better rate. I have a decent enough score, but a couple more points will get me into the excellent range. I just need a little more available credit, so I decided to look into a Citi credit card. I'm apprehensive about signing up for things online because of identity fraud, which I have been a victim of in the past, so I called the bank directly to talk about my options. 

Overall, my experience was pleasant, and I didn't have to wait too long to talk to someone, which was a bit of a surprise since Citibank is a major banking corporation, and if I needed to wait, I would've understood. I expected to be on hold for a while, but I ended up talking to someone within the first few minutes of my phone call, so that wasn't bad. People probably call daily about their credit cards, billing, savings accounts, loans and potential fraud, so they clearly do a good job of providing enough agents to address customers' needs. 

When I first called, an automated voice said, "Welcome to Citi Cards. This call may be monitored or recorded. How can I help you today?" I answered, "Open a new account," and the voice assistant responded, "Thanks for your interest in opening a Citi account. You can visit Citi.com to apply online. If you are already a Citi customer, you can apply using the Citi app. Otherwise, do you want to submit a new application over the phone?" After I replied yes, it told me to wait while it got someone to help me. 

At this point, I thought I might get to the hold line, but instead, I had another new array of options to get through first. This time, a different automated voice said, "Thank you for calling the Citi Cards application center. If you want to check the progress of a previously submitted application, our average processing time is 10 days. If it is after 10 days and you want to check the status of your application, please press 1. If you require assistance with an existing Citi card or retail account, please press 2. If you are calling to apply for a Citi credit card, please press 3, and you will be connected to the next available. If you are calling because you believe you received an outbound call from Citi with your call showing 800 Citi, please be informed that Citi would not place calls from this outbound number. The call was, therefore, placed by another organization. Citi cannot assist you from being removed from another outbound organization’s list."

It was quite the speech, but thankfully that was the last one because after a brief pause, once I chose option 2, it took me straight to an agent who helped me complete the application process.