If you need help with paying debt, including credit cards, car loans and medical debt.
Also look here for the main NHPB site and programs that help reduce debt.
Hi all,
Love the feedback. We assume / hope all these examples will help people as the deal with Citi. As a reminder, here is how the Citi hardship program even works.
Mueller wrote: ↑Tue Apr 14, 2026 7:37 am
My family had been with Citi for over 10 years, but we ran into job issues and fell about 90 days behind on our credit card. We reached out to see if they could help while we looked for new work. They ended up offering a settlement-type arrangement where they reduced the total balance and also lowered the interest rate to make payments more manageable.
My family had been with Citi for over 10 years, but we ran into job issues and fell about 90 days behind on our credit card. We reached out to see if they could help while we looked for new work. They ended up offering a settlement-type arrangement where they reduced the total balance and also lowered the interest rate to make payments more manageable.
I had around $10,000 in credit card debt with Citi and also used them for banking and other accounts. When I called to explain my situation, I mentioned I was considering closing my other accounts because of financial issues. After that conversation, they ended up offering me about a 20% reduction on the credit card balance, but it seemed tied to me continuing to use their other products. Not sure if that always helps, but it seemed to in my case.
I had about $26,000 in credit card debt with Citi. At one point they offered what they called a settlement-type hardship plan that would have reduced the balance by around 80%, but the catch was I had to pay it over 3 years. I didn’t take it at the time, and now the account has escalated and I’m being sued. For comparison, I was able to settle a different account with Chase by claiming hardship for about 20%, so I was hoping Citi would offer something similar.
I was able to settle a Citi credit card debt for about 55% of what I owed. The balance was several thousand dollars. One thing that surprised me was they gave me up to 12 months to pay the settlement amount, which made it a lot more manageable.
Yeah, they helped me too. I never heard back from Citi directly, but a few days later I started getting calls from a collection agency (United Collection Bureau). They were pretty aggressive, but after I complained to a manager, they ended up offering me a settlement of around $5,600, which is about 50% of the balance.
Gia Paige wrote: ↑Tue Apr 14, 2026 7:30 am
I had about $10,000 in credit card debt with Citi and called them when I was around 60 days past due. At that point, they told me they would only consider settling if I had something extreme like a permanent disability or terminal illness. I couldn’t get anywhere with them then. I ended up falling further behind (closer to 130 days late total), and that’s when they finally became willing to discuss a settlement.
I had roughly $11,000 in Citi credit card debt and was getting crushed with about $560/month in interest and fees. After I stopped paying for about 90 days, I called and mentioned I wanted to settle the account eventually. The rep took my info and said they would submit it.
I had about $10,000 in credit card debt with Citi and called them when I was around 60 days past due. At that point, they told me they would only consider settling if I had something extreme like a permanent disability or terminal illness. I couldn’t get anywhere with them then. I ended up falling further behind (closer to 130 days late total), and that’s when they finally became willing to discuss a settlement.
I live in California, and when I lost my job, I owed about $20,000 on my Citibank credit card. As soon as I became unemployed, I called Citi to notify them and request some kind of forbearance. I continued calling every couple of weeks for about three months to keep them updated on my job search and financial situation. After that period of consistent communication, they finally offered me a hardship program: they cut my interest rate in half and suspended my minimum payments for six months. I’m convinced that staying in touch from day one is what helped me qualify for that offer.
After missing some payments, my interest rate shot up to over 20%. I called Citibank to explain my situation and ask for a lower rate. They agreed to drop my interest rate to 6%, but only if I closed the account. I didn’t accept immediately. Shortly afterward, another Citi representative contacted me and offered a 0% interest rate for 12 months—again, with the condition that I close the account.
I had a little over $20,000 in credit card debt with Citi. When I reached out for help, they enrolled me in a hardship program that lowered my APR to 5% and set my monthly payment at $350. They also reported the account to the credit bureaus as “paid as agreed,” which meant my credit score wasn’t negatively affected. Essentially, Citi deferred most of my balance to a later date while giving me a manageable payment plan.
When I called Citibank about my balance, the first representative didn’t offer anything helpful. They hinted that Citi has a “cycle” of offers and that better deals sometimes appear at different times. I decided to try again, and two days later I called back. After asking a few times about available options, I was offered a 0% interest deal on my outstanding balance.
I owed about $25,000 on my Citibank credit card and had fallen roughly 120 days behind on my payments. My minimum payment used to be around $450 a month when I was current. Once I realized how far behind I was, I called Citi to ask about settling the debt or getting into a hardship program. After speaking with several representatives, they eventually offered me a 12‑month program at 0% interest, which brought my monthly payment down to just $258. It was part of a deferred payment arrangement they offer to certain customers.
