Citibank, one of the largest banking institutions in the United States with an estimated 200 million users, experienced a widespread outage on Tuesday that disrupted access to credit cards, mobile banking, and customer accounts across the country. Users from major cities including New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles began reporting problems around 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, according to data from Downdetector, a site that tracks service interruptions.

Customers trying to log in to Citibank’s website were met with an error message stating, “We’ve encountered an issue and are working to fix the issue,” along with instructions to check back in 10 to 15 minutes. However, many users reported that the issue persisted well beyond that timeframe. The alert also provided a toll-free number for customer support, but several frustrated clients said they were unable to get help after spending hours being transferred between departments without resolution.

Approximately 46 percent of affected users reported issues with credit card transactions, while 36 percent were unable to access mobile banking features. Some customers took to social media to vent their concerns and confusion. One user wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Citibank, please help… just spent 2+ hours on the phone being transferred around with no resolution; my credit card info disappeared from my app and nobody can get it back!” Another added, “Having the same issue, this happens every time they update the UI… app and web.”

In addition to financial service disruptions, users trying to make online purchases—such as presale tickets for the Governor’s Ball in New York City—were left locked out and disappointed. “THANK YOU for the monumental presale screw up for tickets this morning,” one customer posted. “Appreciate getting entirely hosed with everyone else trying to get tickets.”

Despite the scope of the problem, Citibank had not issued any formal statement on its social media platforms or provided a detailed explanation for the outage as of late Tuesday morning. The incident highlights growing concerns about the vulnerability of digital banking systems, especially when millions rely on uninterrupted access to manage their finances, pay bills, or make purchases.

While only a few hundred official outage reports had been submitted on Downdetector, the real number of those impacted is likely much higher due to the bank’s vast customer base. The full cause of the outage remains unclear, and customers continue to await further guidance from the institution.