Consumer complaint received 2021-12-23
Company: Self Financial Inc.
State: FL
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Trouble using your card
Sub-issue: Can't use card to make purchases

Complaint:
Note that in this case, my issue was with XXXX however XXXX has the exact same abuse prone Quasi Cash transaction coding, and I have encountered similar issues with them as voiced in my complaint against XXXX. 
~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ So there is almost no literature out there actually defining what a quasi cash transaction is but I was just told I could not top up the balance of my cryptocurrency account, which I use to pay for my XXXX subscription because it reimburses me monthly for the cost of XXXX in XXXX or XXXX currency, which I can then use to either upgrade my account tier on XXXX, which would enable me to eventually be reimbursed in CRO for additional monthly payments, provided I paid for them using my Crypto.com prepaid debit card. The card also pays me 2 % in the current USD value of CRO as cash back. 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ This complaint is not against XXXX, while based XXXX XXXX the company has gone above and beyond to comply with US regulations and excepting the loss of no-fee purchases with credit and debit cards with the addition of a 3 % fee, the site has been largely consumer friendly, and is one of if not the only XXXX website that has never been hacked or otherwise lost user funds. Their debit card is issued in partnership with XXXX XXXX Bank in the XXXX. 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ The issue I have is with a new kind of transaction coding that has been invented by card networks such as XXXX  which enable abusive and usurious card issuers to restrict where a consumer, who has every right to expect their card will be usable anywhere XXXX  is accepted as is advertised more or less industry wide by XXXX  card issuers, beyond the legally required restrictions placed on US-sanctioned countries such as XXXX XXXX. 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ So now not only are consumers made to pay exorbitant fees and increased interest rates to withdraw cash at ATMs or in person with a bank teller, XXXX now allows issuers to identify quasi cash transactions that enable consumers to to pay bills and other routine expenses outside the XXXX ecosystem, enforcing their payment monopoly in conjunction with XXXX who forces merchants to use the same opaque quasi cash transaction coding to force consumers to pay exorbitant fees, or not be able to at all, leave the XXXX/XXXX  payment networks with their available line of credit, which is ultimately the consumers own money. 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ What gives XXXX and XXXX the right to XXXX this abusive new categorization of transactions that only serve to further monopolize the industry? 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ For example, if I desired to use my SECURED XXXX  Credit Card issued by Self.Inc - secured meaning it is a credit card in name only and they have already been paid more than the full amount of the credit limit by myself and therefore can only possibly profit additionally from its use, facing zero risk of default having been paid already - to pay a bill or other expense to a merchant that requires a check or cryptocurrency payment, such as a landlord or in my case, a cryptocurrency based reward program, and ultimately XXXX, would not be able to even do something as simple as that or to purchase even a Cashiers Check to pay a landlord or any other biller not accepting XXXX. 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ Financial institutions are not suffering from the Coronavirus, Consumers are. All this sort of unscrupulous policy does is further tilt the benefit of finance even further towards wealthy corporations and banking interests and away from consumers attempting to exploit a few paltry rewards programs offered here and there needed in order to survive each month with stagnant wages, a debt based economy, a heretofore failure of current political leadership to fulfill the majority of their promises to improve the economic standing of the poor, and soaring prices for housing and everything else that should be a human right but is not treated as such in the United States. 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ How is this not a flagrant anti-trust violation? 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ I certainly have standing to sue if it is. 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ And I assure you that it is. 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ I am addressing this complaint principally to the card issuers responsible for setting the rules and codings used by all card issuers across their payment networks, as this problem is industry wide and not limited to Self.Inc telling me where I can and can not spend MY OWN MONEY. 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ Although I will be filing this complaint in triplicate to ensure it is brought to the attention not only of Self.Inc, which is an institution I otherwise very much like, but more importantly to the much more powerful transaction coding overlords at XXXX and XXXX. 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ I hope that is acceptable. 

~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~ ~ [ ] ~~ ( ( ( ) ) ) ~~ [ ] ~

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation