Consumer complaint received 2019-03-03
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: VA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Add-on products and services

Complaint:
My wife is an authorized user on my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card. One of the benefits this card advertises when I opened this account, and that it has maintained, ( see attached file ) is 'Trip Delay Reimbursement '. Provided certain conditions are met ( an overnight or 6+ hr delay, a cap of {$500.00} in expenses ) the benefit states the card will cover reasonable hotel, transportation and food costs for flight or other common carrier delays. 

In XXXX, my wife went on vacation to XXXX, a trip that was paid for using the CSR card, on XXXX XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, her flight from XXXX to XXXX was delayed, due to a delayed copilot, causing her to be unable to make her connection in XXXX to XXXX. She was rebooked onto a flight for the following evening, and contacted Chase via phone to inquire as to benefits for her situation - and was informed by a representative that the Trip Delay Reimbursement would apply for hotel and other expenses for that evening and the day of the XXXX. She used the card to pay for a hotel stay, lunch and dinner, and transportation to/from the airport, for a total of {$360.00}. In my mind, this should be a straightforward and very typical use of this benefit. 

After we returned from the trip, we filed a claim for this benefit through the process set out by Chase, using a vendor name eClaims Line. eClaims Line has been incredibly difficult to work with, and the process has only moved forward when my wife or I contact them directly. After uploading several rounds of documentation, we have yet to receive the benefit, and our last conversation strongly suggested the claim will be rejected by incredibly restrictive interpretation of the legalese fine print of the benefit. 

I find this experience to have been highly unfair, deceptive and abusive on the part of Chase, in multiple ways : ( 1 ) Before spending any of this money, my wife called Chase to confirm the benefit, which a representative did, and Chase is now walking back that commitment.

( 2 ) Any reasonable interpretation of Chase 's summary of the benefit is that her expenses should have been covered. Chase 's website states that the benefit 'Provides reimbursement for expenses such as meals and lodging if your common carrier ( airline, bus, cruise ship, train ) travel is delayed more than 6 hours or requires an overnight stay '. The trip met the other listed criteria of being away from our city of residence, a trip less than a year, the only time we're claiming this benefit for this trip, etc. The only exclusion it makes is to not cover 'Any covered hazard delay that was made public or known to you prior to the departure for the covered trip. Prepaid expenses are not covered. ' The length of the delay at the XXXX airport was not communicated to my wife until after the initial take-off time had passed ; this was not a rescheduled flight. The expenses could not have been pre-paid as they had only occurred as a result of a unforeseen and unplanned delay.

( 3 ) Reading the fine print & legalese in the card 's Guide to Benefits, the following are explicitly covered : 'A Covered Hazard includes equipment failure, inclement weather, labor strikes, and hijacking or skyjacking. ' The following is explicitly not covered : 'You are not covered for any Covered Hazard delay that was made public or known to you prior to the departure for the Covered Trip. 
Also, prepaid expenses are not covered '. The airline has not provided us with a reason for the delay of the co-pilot, which could have been mechanical or weather related on their inbound flight, but nowhere is this type of delay excluded. More importantly, these terms are much more restrictive than those described in plain English on the website and are a clear 'bait & switch ' of advertising something of much higher than value than what's actually available to customers. 

We have shared extensive documentation with eClaims Line for receipts, flight information, etc. and are happy to furnish those again if would be helpful in resolving this complaint, or provide any additional information. 

A fair resolution to this issue would be the prompt payment of the {$360.00} claim via check or statement credit. More broadly, I encourage the CFPB to look further into the spurious nature of credit card benefits at Chase. These appear highly valuable to customers when opening a product, but attempts to use them, fully in good faith, involve incredibly hurdles and slim chances of success. 

Chase 's summary of the benefit, which is also an attached file : XXXX XXXX   XXXX  The Guide to Benefit is attached as a file to this complaint.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation