This is not a rant, just a breakdown of some shady payment manipulation Citi, and perhaps other banks, are pulling with their system. I caught them trying to sneak interest charges on me and got gaslit by their customer support when I called them out. I used Citi Flex Pay, which is a low interest installment plan that lets you break up large purchases. My last statement balance was \~$1800, with \~$1200 of that being on the Flex plan. This means that my actual non-flex purchases were only \~$550, so to avoid interest, I just needed to pay that amount plus my current Flex installment (which came out to $749.15 total). Here is where they tried to screw me over: Instead of giving me the actual amount needed to avoid interest, they suggested I pay $578.67, labeled as "Remaining Adjusted New Balance + Flex Plan Monthly Payment." Looks reasonable, right? Wrong. That number doesn't actually clear all of my non-Flex charges. It leaves about $200 unpaid, which rolls over and starts accruing interest, exactly what I was trying to avoid. After double checking my math, I called support to see if I was doing the math wrong. This is where they straight-up lied to me. The rep swore up and down that $578.67 would cover everything except future Flex payments (it doesn't). He told me I must have done my math wrong (I didn't). He said I must not have read my statement correctly (I did). When I told him (verbatim), "If I pulled shit like this with a client, I would be fired," he doubled down. Then he offered to take my payment over the phone, as if I would trust them at this point. I just said goodbye and hung up. This is no mistake: Citi is intentionally misleading customers to trick them into paying just slightly less than what's actually needed to avoid interest. If I had not checked the numbers, I would have unknowingly left a balance that would have started accruing interest. They know most people won't do the math and will just trust the suggested payment amount. **This is how banks squeeze money out of people who think they are paying their balance in full.** The takeaway from this: If you use Citi Flex Pay (or any structured payment plan), do your own math. Don't just trust their suggested payment. To avoid interest, you must pay: (Non-Flex Portion of your last statement) + (This month's Flex installment). If you are unsure, manually check your statement and confirm where every charge is coming from. If Citi (or any other bank) tells you a different number, ask them to put it in writing. (Spoiler alert: they won’t, because they know they’re misleading you). The only way to avoid getting screwed is to double-check their math and never assume they have your best interest in mind. I’m sharing this because most people assume their bank is doing the right calculations for them, but they’re not. If you have a Citi Costco Visa or any card with Flex Pay, always verify before paying.

I reported a provider to my ins co for balance billing. The provider wanted me to sign a waiver allowing them to balance bill me. I asked the rep if this waiver is illegal, and/or would it get the provider kicked off for violating their contract. I really couldn't get a straight answer. I was just told that unfortunately a lot of providers do this, and there's no guarantee of what will happen to them. Is it worth it to also report them to my state's insurance division? I don't want to waste my time if these balance billing waivers are legal.

Just got the email. Already paying around $300 a month. Now I get to pay $350. That's after one year of coverage for a one year old dog.

I adopted bonded pair of kittens and got them on pet insurance with trupanion at 8 weeks. They just turned two and trupanion has increased my premiums by 70 % in those two years. I understand they don’t raise the premiums based on pets age, but at this rate I won’t be able to afford to insure them until they get old. Looking at switching to lemonade - my one kitty has two minor claims and my boy has none. I realize her two claims will be pre-existing but they aren’t chronic issues. To the cat parents with lemonade- do you like it? Are you happy? I know I risk their premiums rising as well but at least I can afford more coverage with a smaller deductible to start. Would love your thoughts I want the best for my babies!! Thank you

I’m high risk. I have first acceptance because it’s what I can afford. I was waiting 3 more months for an accident to drop off so I could get better insurance. My policy is up for renewal 3/11 and I was going to pay it tomorrow. Opened up my envelope and it says the due date is 2/25. They always want to paid by first and then you have until 11th of month to pay before it would cancel so that is what I expected. Instead it says that if I don’t pay by the due date then it’s canceled effective of that date, meaning 2/25. They can’t do that can they? The notice clearly states renewal starts 3/11 and my current card clearly states my insurance is through 3/11.

Hey all, I’ve been having issues with my insurance trying to approve a surgery. My surgeon submitted a prior authorization and they denied it. They resubmitted it with a different diagnosis to meet the criteria. They usually take 5-10 business days. But within 48 hours I checked my UHC account and it said “cancelled”. What does it mean when it’s been “cancelled” and not actually denied? I have United Healthcare through my mom’s work. Thanks!

It’s a long story but I’ll try to shorten it. I’m not 100% sure how insurance works. My car is under my name but my insurance is shared with my parents. My parents have a few other family members included (me, one sister that is 25, an uncle, an aunt). But my Toyota Corolla 2017 is under my name, automatic payments under my own bank account, etc. I guess my parents own the whole insurance policy but the car is under my name. My bill in December 2024 was raised to $400 (NOT full coverage) They won’t give a clear answer as to why they raised my bill so high. But I let it slide. I saw it as a consequence to our current economy. In february they charged me $825. No clear answer. They gave me unreasonable excuses such as being under 25 (I’m 28), or someone else under the policy is under 25 (no one is under 25). Someone that USED to be on it was under 25 but they got their own insurance under a different company over a year ago. But they used that person as an excuse either way. We even sent proof that they are no longer with State Farm and for how long but that wasn’t enough. We dispute it. They compromised and said I won’t have to pay my “$400 bill” for March. Technically half of $824 isn’t $400 so in the end they won an extra $25 from me. Today they told me I still owe $200 this month and $200 next month. That they’re splitting the $425 between March and April. PLUS they randomly began charging my 25 yr old sister an extra $26 AND used the name of the person who was under 25 on that bill (again, that person has not been with us or state farm for over a year). Does anyone have any idea what’s going on? We’ve never been late on payments, we paid off our cars, we never fight them when they raise our bill (except for this time because $825 a month is excessive). My last accident was in 2022, it was not my fault, I never filed a claim or asked for money to fix my car, I asked for info about my options 2 years after the fact (in 2024) but it was too late to do anything about it anyway. I’m planning to cancel my policy with State Farm but I’m still curious about what is happening here.

I have Delta Dental PPO. I get 2 free cleanings per year. One xray per year. Earlier this year, I got a cleaning and X-rays done at one dental office, but they dropped me as a patient because they stopped accepting Delta Dental. For my second cleaning, I scheduled with a different dental office. The receptionist there has been difficult to deal with. I explained that I already had my X-rays done at a different office and only needed a cleaning. She pushed back and said, “How can you get a cleaning without X-rays?” She asked if i can email the xray images, so I contacted my old office and had them send the X-rays to me and then i sent the all the xray images to the new office. After i emailed the xray images, the receptionist said I would probably need to get new X-rays anyway, but that I could wait and see what the dentist says. I explained that I’m only allowed one set of X-rays per year under my plan and that I’m not due for another one until next February. She said, "I KNOW! But how can we provide proper care without knowing what is going on." I reiterated that I only need a cleaning and can wait until next year for another x ray and she seemed to understand but not without an attitude. When I showed up for my appointment, she incorrectly said she checked my insurance and that I was eligible for another “free” X-ray anyway so it doesnt matter. I reminded her that I had already emailed them and dont need them again. She asked what email address?? She couldn’t find them in my chart until I opened up my phone to show my sent messages, then suddenly she “found” them and said never mind. Despite that, they still insisted on doing a single bitewing X-ray and said I would need to return on a separate day for the cleaning. I’m frustrated because I feel like I’m being forced into extra appointments and services I may not need or be covered for. Will I be charged out of pocket for this second X-ray, even though I already had one set done earlier this year? I thought Delta only covered one set annually. Has anyone else dealt with something similar? I also want to add that the other receptionists, dental assistants, and dentists have all been very nice and easy to work with. It's just this one receptionist that is very difficult to deal with.

Bought my home back in 2018. My mortgage company chose Berkshire Hathaway and they paid them through my mortgage payments so I didn't pay BH direct. I got notice last week that my policy will be cancelled end of September. Do I need to shop insurance myself or is that up to my mortgage company since they have vested interest in my home? Can I tell my mortgage company what company and policy that I want?