Cleo

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

Contacts

• Official website (Cleo): https://web.meetcleo.com/
• Cleo support, questions, complaints and cancellations: [email protected]
• Cleo compliance: Notice of Dispute under arbitration section: [email protected]
• Cleo Help Center: https://web.meetcleo.com/faqs/
• BBB-listed phone (not a Cleo-published support line): (833) 313-3171

Locations

Cleo: cancel, refund, dispute a debit and complain (checked October 7 and 9, 2026)

Who this covers. Cleo AI, Inc., the company behind the Cleo money app at meetcleo.com. Cleo says it is a financial technology company, not a bank: its Terms say deposit-account services come from Thread Bank, Member FDIC, and the Cleo Card is issued by WebBank, Member FDIC. Other businesses use the name Cleo; this page does not cover them.

Cancel a subscription. Cleo's Terms & Conditions (last updated August 11, 2026) say: 'you may do so by typing "cancel" in the mobile app', and 'You may also cancel your Subscription at any time by emailing us at [email protected]'. They add that you must cancel before the fee is charged to avoid billing for the next month. Cleo's Help Center article dated July 25, 2025 gives a different path: go to your profile, select Subscriptions, tap Unsubscribe from Cleo Plus. It says deleting the app does not cancel a subscription. Both pages are live, so keep a screenshot of whichever path you used and of the cancellation confirmation email.

Refund of a subscription fee. The Terms say that if you cancel within 27 days of first signing up for a tier you are refunded automatically within four working days, and that opening a Cleo Card, taking a cash advance or deleting your account without unsubscribing ends that grace period; after it, fees are non-refundable. The Help Center articles (dated July 25 and September 5, 2025) describe the window as 1 month, with no cash advance requested, and say refunds can take 4 business days and cannot be processed if the account was deleted first. Where the two differ, ask Cleo in writing which one applies to your date. For the Plus, Pro and Builder tiers sold with Mobile service, the Terms say: 'there are no refunds for a Subscription Fee after subscribing' (Terms section 6.2.3, re-opened October 9, 2026).

Cash advance repayment and unexpected debits. The Help Center says repayment is taken automatically from your connected card or account on the repayment date, that you can extend the date in the app before it is due, and that if a repayment fails Cleo keeps trying to collect the full amount while your debit authorization remains active (or smaller partial amounts if you opted in to Partial Repayments). The Terms say you may revoke the authorization to withdraw payment at any time by emailing [email protected], and that if Cleo debits you earlier than shown or for more than your rescheduled repayment and you are charged an overdraft fee, you can ask Cleo to refund that fee.

Error resolution. The Terms' electronic fund transfer section asks you to email [email protected] within sixty (60) days of the statement or receipt, giving your name, email and phone number, the amount, and why you think it is an error; Cleo says it will determine whether an error occurred within ten business days. A formal Notice of Dispute for the arbitration process goes to [email protected] (section 21.3), and the Terms contain a binding arbitration and class-action waiver clause with an opt-out mechanism described in section 21; read it before signing up if that matters to you.

If Cleo does not resolve it. You can dispute a debit with your own bank or card issuer, submit a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint, report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or contact your state regulator. The Terms tell Utah residents they may report complaints about an earned wage access provider to the Utah Division of Consumer Protection (1-800-721-7233, dcp.utah.gov). Cleo's Terms list state registrations or licenses in California, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin (see the legitimacy section).

Waiting for FTC refund money. The FTC's press release says the $17 million 'would be used to provide refunds to consumers harmed'. The FTC case page still shows the case status as Pending, last updated May 2, 2025, and the FTC refunds page as rendered on October 7, 2026 did not list a Cleo program. The FTC says it will never demand money or ask you to transfer money; treat any message asking for a fee to claim a Cleo refund with caution and check ftc.gov/enforcement/refunds.

FTC action and $17 million stipulated order (entered April 25, 2025)

FTC v. Cleo AI, Inc. (S.D.N.Y., No. 1:25-cv-02594-ALC). On March 27, 2025 the FTC announced that Cleo AI had agreed to pay $17 million to settle its allegations; the docket shows the complaint filed March 28, 2025. The complaint alleges violations of Section 5(a) of the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA). As the FTC summarizes it, the complaint charges that Cleo's ads promised cash advances of hundreds of dollars but almost no one received anything close to the advertised amounts; that ads promised same-day or instant advances while subscribers had to pay an additional fee and could still wait until the next day; and that Cleo made cancellation difficult, with consumers saying they were charged monthly fees despite repeated cancellation requests and were told they could not cancel until outstanding advances were paid. The complaint describes Cleo Plus at $5.99 a month and Cleo Builder at $14.99 a month.

The order. In the stipulated order, Cleo 'neither admits nor denies any of the allegations in the Complaint, except as specifically stated in this Order' (admitting only jurisdictional facts). It provides for a judgment of $17,000,000, which Cleo stipulated it holds in escrow for payment to the FTC within 7 days of entry. It permanently prohibits misrepresenting material terms of advances (including the amount available and any fees), requires clear disclosure of subscription terms and express informed consent before charging for a subscription, and requires a simple cancellation mechanism that is at least as easy to use as the one used to sign up and, for online cancellation, is not conditioned on interacting with a chatbot or representative if the consumer did not do so to sign up. It has compliance-reporting terms (10 years) and record-keeping terms. The court docket (entry 17) shows the Stipulated Order for Permanent Injunction, Monetary Judgment, and Other Relief dated April 25, 2025.

Later docket entries. On April 30, 2025 the court denied Cleo's request to permanently seal the complaint and a declaration and directed that the unredacted complaint be refiled (it appears on the docket on May 1-2, 2025). On July 8, 2025 the FTC filed a motion for an order to show cause why Cleo should not be held in contempt of court and sanctioned; on July 14, 2025 the FTC filed a notice withdrawing it, and on July 15, 2025 the court denied the motion without prejudice as moot. The documents I could open do not state the reasons for the motion or how the matter was resolved, so none are given here.

Other regulators. I found no CFPB enforcement action or consent order against Cleo AI in the CFPB pages searched on October 7, 2026, and no state attorney general or financial regulator order in the searches run that day. These are scoped negative findings, not statements that none exists. Cleo's Terms list the state registrations and licenses noted in the legitimacy section.

Who operates Cleo, what it sells and how it is priced

Entities. The Terms say the contract is with 'Cleo AI Inc and its subsidiaries', that Cleo is 'a limited company, registered in England' with company number 09864205 and a registered office at 4th Floor, The Gilbert, 40 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1PX, and that 'In the U.S. we are incorporated as Cleo AI Inc., under registration number 6915360'. Companies House lists CLEO AI LTD. (09864205) as incorporated on 9 November 2015. The FTC complaint describes Cleo AI, Inc. as a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in New York. The website footer prints an address in Wilmington, Delaware and '© Cleo AI Ltd. 2026'. In the Moss case, a corporate disclosure statement filed May 9, 2025 by Cleo AI, Inc. is described on the Justia docket as 'identifying Corporate Parent Cleo AI Ltd. for Cleo AI, Inc.' The Companies House record (opened October 9, 2026) shows company status Active and carries the warning 'Accounts overdue': next accounts made up to 31 December 2025, due by 30 September 2026; last accounts made up to 31 December 2024.

Products and prices (pricing page, opened October 7, 2026; Terms re-opened October 9, 2026). Plus $5.99 a month, Pro $8.99 and Builder $14.99. The Terms also list Plus with Mobile at $48.99, Pro with Mobile at $53.99 and Builder with Mobile at $54.99 per month (each 'plus local taxes and fees'), in which mobile services are provided by a partner under separate Mobile Terms. The pricing page says cash advances are 'subject to eligibility', are based on accrued, unpaid income and range from $20 to $250 ($20 to $100 for first-time users), with a daily disbursement of up to $170; Builder users who direct deposit at least $750 a month can qualify for up to $500 ($150 to $500 for existing users, $150 to $180 for first-time users). It says same-day transfers carry express fees of $4.49 to $14.99 depending on the amount, and that you may also request a cash advance without subscribing. The Help Center says you never pay interest on a cash advance, and the Terms call advances 'non-recourse', with no obligation to repay, although Cleo may refuse another advance if an earlier one is unpaid. Pro and Builder include a high-yield savings account (Cleo states a variable 2.75 percent APY effective April 6, 2026) through Thread Bank; Builder adds the Cleo Card issued by WebBank and early access to direct deposits.

Partners named in the Terms. Thread Bank (deposit account and direct deposit), WebBank (Cleo Card), Equifax (credit score), Stripe (subscription payments) and, per the home-page FAQ, Plaid (bank linking).

Security notice. A notice of data breach dated January 25, 2022, filed by Cleo AI Inc. with the Massachusetts Attorney General's office, describes a 'credential stuffing' attack on December 20, 2021 between 9:00 PM and 11:30 PM EST, in which attackers using emails and passwords from another compromised site may have accessed user accounts; Cleo said it did not detect theft of funds or access to bank accounts.

Complaint record as displayed on October 9, 2026

These figures come from separate sources, are as displayed on October 9, 2026, are not added together and are not findings by us.

• BBB profile for 'Cleo AI Inc.', Oakland, CA: not BBB Accredited, rating B; 303 total complaints in the last 3 years, 76 in the last 12 months (the complaints tab reads '76 complaints filed in the last 12 months'); 1 out of 5 stars from an average of 27 customer reviews. BBB's raw data gives file opened July 1, 2025 and business started October 24, 2015. BBB's alert says Cleo came to its attention in July 2025 and that a review of complaints was completed in March 2026, and points consumers to Cleo's support, subscription cancellation and refund, and charge explanation and dispute pages. The BBB address (Oakland) is the one BBB lists and is not Cleo's own published address.
• Trustpilot (meetcleo.com): claimed profile; TrustScore 3.9 from 3,810 reviews, 358 in the last 12 months. Trustpilot shows 'This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative' and 'Hasn't replied to negative reviews'.
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: the database's company-name suggestion lookup, run in the CFPB search page on October 9, 2026, returned no company named Cleo AI (queries 'Cleo AI', 'Cleo AI Inc' and 'meetcleo' returned empty lists; 'Cleo' returned McManamy, McLeod, Heller, LLC; Cycleone Financial Group; and McLeod Capital Fund Inc). The CFPB accepts complaints about financial products and services whether or not a company appears in that lookup.
• ComplaintsBoard: the page for 'Cleo' shows 15 reviews as displayed (a small number; not a measure of how many customers have had problems).
• This site's archive: no approved complaint in the usacomplaints.com archive was identified as being about Cleo AI, Inc. (searched on October 7, 2026 by offender, title, text and site fields). Older archive posts mention other businesses or services using the name Cleo, such as a psychic-reading line and an auto dealer; they are not linked to this company and no complaint themes are shown.

Consumer class actions: Moss, Hoover and Franklin

Court filings are allegations and procedural events; none is a finding that the company is liable unless the court says so. Cleo's Terms contain an arbitration clause and class-action waiver, and several cases turn on whether that clause or another company's arbitration clause can be enforced. The three consumer class actions below are those identified in the dockets and opinions opened; the list is not exhaustive.

Moss v. Cleo AI Inc. (W.D. Wash., No. 2:25-cv-00879-MLP; 9th Cir. No. 25-5856). A putative class action brought by a staff sergeant under the Military Lending Act (MLA) and the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). On September 8, 2025 the court denied Cleo's motion to dismiss the class claims and stay the individual claims in favor of arbitration. At the pleading stage the court concluded that the plaintiff 'adequately pleads facts establishing that Cleo's Subscription Fees are finance charges, rather than participation fees', and that, following Ninth Circuit authority, if the MLA applies the court cannot enforce an agreement to arbitrate, which it applied to the TILA claim as well. These are rulings on what is plausibly alleged, not a finding that Cleo violated either statute. Cleo is the appellant in the Ninth Circuit (docket opened September 17, 2025); amicus briefs were filed by consumer-lending and military-family groups and by a financial-technology trade association, and the docket shows oral argument noticed for November 16, 2026 in San Francisco.

Hoover v. Cleo AI, Inc. (M.D. Pa., No. 3:23-cv-01067-KM; 3d Cir. No. 26-2483). A putative class action filed June 27, 2023 by Pennsylvania users. The remaining plaintiffs allege violations of the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, the Loan Interest and Protection Law, the Consumer Discount Company Act, TILA and the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, and allege that Cleo charges a $3.99 Express Fee and annual percentage rates that can reach up to 986 percent, not disclosed before transactions, although Cleo advertises zero interest. Three original plaintiffs withdrew their claims and were dismissed without prejudice on March 2, 2026. In a memorandum dated May 29, 2026 the court granted Cleo's motion in part (staying the claims of two plaintiffs pending arbitration) and denied it as to a third plaintiff, who it found had not assented to the relevant arbitration provision, so his claims may proceed. Cleo AI Inc. is the appellant in Third Circuit No. 26-2483, docketed June 16, 2026 on a notice from M.D. Pa. No. 3:23-cv-01067 (appellees listed: Karen Hoover, Tom Baker, Jed Reifer, Mark Cave, Geoffrey Breton and Cedric Lenox). The Justia copy of that docket (last retrieved August 6, 2026) shows a briefing notice of that date with Cleo's brief and appendix due on or before September 15, 2026; the entries opened do not state which order is appealed, and filings after August 6, 2026 were not seen.

Franklin v. Cleo AI Inc. (D. Md., No. 1:24-cv-00146-JMC; 4th Cir. No. 24-1817). A putative class action filed January 16, 2024 by Maryland consumers alleging violations of the Maryland Consumer Loan Law (lack of a Maryland license), the Truth in Lending Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act and the Maryland Consumer Protection Act. Cleo moved to compel arbitration based on the terms of service of its former payment partner Synapse, which the plaintiffs had not sued; the district court denied the motion. In an unpublished per curiam opinion decided May 30, 2025, the Fourth Circuit wrote: 'Because we conclude that Cleo cannot compel arbitration as a third party to the arbitration agreement, we affirm.' The ruling concerns who may enforce an arbitration agreement; it is not a finding on the merits. The later course of the district-court case was not checked.

Cleo's position. In these cases Cleo contends that disputes belong in arbitration and, in Moss, is pursuing an appeal; the Terms describe cash advances as carrying no interest.

Not covered. I did not list every docket naming Cleo. CourtListener's search was rate-limited by a human-verification page on October 7, 2026, so individual small-claims or arbitration matters, if any, are not reflected here.

Is Cleo Legitimate?

Cleo AI, Inc. is an identifiable operator: a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in New York according to the FTC complaint, with a UK-registered company of the same name (Cleo AI Ltd.) that Cleo's May 9, 2025 disclosure statement in Moss identifies as its corporate parent, and a published Terms page naming U.S. registration number 6915360. Cleo's Terms state it is registered or licensed in these states: California (DFPI California Consumer Financial Protection Law registration, income-based advances, 04-CCFPL-2575411-3456718), Kansas (earned wage access services provider license EWA.0000006), Missouri (EWA-24-9422), Nevada (EWA00011), South Carolina (earned wage access services provider license), Utah (14236802-EWAS) and Wisconsin (2575411EWA). I have not checked those numbers against each regulator's public register, and the Terms say some services may not be available in all states.

The record that readers search for is the FTC action: in April 2025 the court entered a stipulated order with a $17 million judgment, without Cleo admitting or denying the allegations, with ongoing conduct requirements on advertising, subscriptions and cancellation. Other points are open or contested: the Ninth Circuit appeal in Moss, the Pennsylvania case, and the review-site numbers in the complaint record section, which have not been verified as representative. Cleo is not BBB Accredited and its BBB rating is B as displayed; Cleo's own position, as published in its Terms and Help Center, is that cash advances carry no interest, express delivery is an optional fee, and subscriptions can be cancelled in the app or by email.

Court & Public Records

Company Relationships

• Affiliated with: Thread Bank
• Affiliated with: WebBank
• Owned by: Cleo AI Ltd

Frequently Asked Questions