Consumer complaint received 2018-08-13
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
State: NY
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest
Sub-issue: Unexpected increase in interest rate

Complaint:
USAA has been charging me false cash advance fees for purchasing on coinbase. When I started to purchase over a year ago they were not charging these fees. I actually used my USAA card because at the time they were supporting blockchain technology. I made calls to them and they blamed coinbase. I tried to contact coinbase and then after 6 months of back and forth I realized it was USAA charging me cash advance fees. I am purchasing into an application and utility token not crypto currency. Had USAA warned me or been honest in the beginning I would not of used their card. They kept telling me it was coinbase not them adding fees. I only used because they were crypto/blockchain supporters at the time. They were even building their own crypto currency. So now they added 1000 's of dollars in cash advance fees to my card over the last year. Every month Im being charged some crazy high interest fee for  cash advances. They then refunded and charged back again It's such a mess I don't understand what they did. Charges and chargebacks all over the place. Because they said it was coinbase I thought it was fixed but it wasn't at a all. I never would use a card for cash advance.I have been run around in circles for months and don't know what to do. My statements are in shambles because of them. Thanks in advance for all your help. 
Finally talked to USAA rep. Usaa admitted on phone they were not charging cash advance fees when I first started making app purchaces and they were crypto friendly. This is why I  chose them. I want to make sure XXXX  know I am absolutely not satisfied with the response. XXXX was actually rude and not at all understanding. I am actually mortified that this is even legal. Are there no usury laws? I will be starting a class action law suit and petition online next. Will research and see who is already suffering the same extortion from USAA and find the most effective media and social media outlets to be heard. 
XXXX___This is one of the XXXX statements that USAA released that made me use them instead of my other cards or waiting for wire transfers, XXXX XXXX XXXX USAA Integrates Bitcoin Access to All Member Accounts USAA Bitcoin Following an initial pilot run which saw select USAA employees and members view their Coinbase accounts via the website and the mobile application, the USAA is now expanding bitcoin  integration via Coinbase for all member accounts. In a post yesterday, USAA announced that all account holders will be able to view their Coinbase accounts in tandem with the rest of their USAA accounts and financial services on the USAA website. Support for the mobile application will be available later this month, although both website and the application were a part of the XX/XX/XXXX trial. XXXX XXXX, lead investment associate for XXXX corporate development team has been researching the cryptocurrency for USAA since XXXX. In a statement, he revealed : Traditionally, USAA is very good about getting in front of emerging technology trends. What were developing is at the forefront of the financial services industries. A Bank Favoring Blockchain and Bitcoin Research USAA, a financial services group that brings banking, insurance and other services to US military members and their families is notable for its endeavor into bitcoin integration and research and investment into its underlying technology, the blockchain. In XX/XX/XXXX, USAA was one among the more prominent investors in XXXX Series C funding round which raised a record {$75.00} XXXX. The managing director of corporate development at the Texas-based bank, XXXX XXXX, also revealed in XXXX that the bank was looking into utilizing blockchain technology in order to decentralize some of the banks operations. Speaking in XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX stated : We have serious interest in the blockchain and we think the technology would have an impact on the organization. The fact that we have such a large group of people working on this shows how serious we are about the potential of this technology. With the integration of XXXX accounts with all member accounts, the move is another sign that USAA is looking to invest in bitcoin for its own future, just as it did with XXXX. One participating member from the original trial, XXXX XXXX, a software engineer at USAA added the following in USAAs post : Bitcoin could easily be the currency of tomorrow. Featured image from USAA.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation