If you have a Citi credit card and have set up a Virtual Account Number (a credit card number that shields your actual credit card number), be aware that Citi changed the whole process on August 24, 2025 and any VANs created before then are no longer active and will be denied. So if you have set up a VAN to pay your cell phone bill? Denied. Monthly prescriptions? Denied. Rent? Oh, so denied and here is a $50 charge because it was denied. (ymmv)
Citibank did not send out any communication about it, except to bury three sentences at the very end of your last statement between the copyright notice and to pay through text message. And a small banner at the top of the VAN Dashboard.
u/AnonHere2973 started an excellent thread over in r/CreditCards. Check it out for all the details, and rants about how bad an experience this is for everyone:
Recent CitiCard changes to their VAN (Virtual Account Number) program : r/CreditCards
(edited for formatting)
Citi Credit Card Virtual Account Numbers have changed (and not for the better)
byu/ColdBeerandBacon inpersonalfinance
Posted by ColdBeerandBacon
2 Comments
Review and update your payment methods with merchants where you’ve used Citi VANs, replacing them with new VANs generated after August 24.
Wait until you get a late notice and fee because your autopay “failed”. You go in expecting to re-enter your routing and account details (ACH) and you’re presented with a Plaid interface connecting screen instead.
It’s shady AF because they get full access and can see transactions that aren’t payments to them.
My bank, JPMC had 1.89 BILLION polls in June alone. That’s not transactions. It’s data collection.