I understand how much time can go into resolving a problem like this. I know that seemingly small problems can turn out to be extremely difficult to isolate and resolve. However, I also believe the squeaky wheel gets the oil. That being said; here's an email from SE received just a few minutes ago:

Dear Customer,

Regarding your request for billing support. Please find your answer below.

This issue is still being addressed and complete recovery will take an additional amount time. We would like to ask that any customers who still encounter a "UCS-5024" error upon trying to reactivate their PlayOnline accounts to please wait and try again at a later time.

Thank you for contacting the SQUARE ENIX Support Center.
___________
For additional assistance with this issue, you can reply to this email directly. For assistance with a new issue, please visit the SQUARE ENIX Support Center at http://support.na.square-enix.com.


OK gotta admit that this email makes me feel good because they acknowledge my issue. What's just crazy is how they are telling me to "try again later" as if that is a solution. What I need to know is when this "later" will be so I can log on at that time.