Consumer complaint received 2018-03-26
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: FL
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Problem with rewards from credit card

Complaint:
My dispute is with the XXXX XXXX Mastercard ( XXXX ) managed by Chase/JP Morgan. On or about XX/XX/XXXX, I've received an email from /XXXX XXXX indicating that " due to lack of activity on my XXXX   XXXX account '' I will be forfeiting all my rewards points as of XX/XX/XXXX. I contacted JP Morgan Chase by telephone and they clearly indicated to me that the fact that I've renewed my XXXX XXXX credit card was sufficient enough to maintain my active status. This conversation was further followed by me and indeed this is what the XXXX XXXX stated -- -- herein enclosed -- -- Points expiration : The points transferred to your Rapid Rewards account wont expire as long as your card account is open or you have flight-earning or XXXX XXXX partner-earning activity at least once every 24 months. If your card account is closed, the points in your Rapid Rewards account will expire if there isnt flight-earning or XXXX XXXX partner-earning activity at least once every 24 months. Losing points : Youll immediately lose all points that havent been transferred to XXXX XXXX if your card account status changes, or your card account is closed for program misuse, fraudulent activities, failure to pay, bankruptcy, or other reasons described in the terms of the Rewards Program Agreement Points Don't Expire, Unlimited Reward Seats, and No Blackout Dates Points dont expire : The points transferred to your Rapid Rewards account wont expire as long as your card is open or you have flight-earning or partner-earning activity at least once every 24 months. If your card account is closed, the points in your Rapid Rewards account will expire if there isnt flight-earning or XXXX XXXX partner-earning activity at least once every 24 months. No blackout dates and unlimited reward seats apply to flights booked with points. 

I would like to emphasize the second and third line on the last paragraph as it was published -- -- ( " points won't expire -- -- -etc, etc ) -- - I've noticed that my account was XXXX balanced after XX/XX/XXXX while I had over XXXX  reward  points that vanished. Thereafter I became the " ping pong '' ball between the bank and the airline, sending me back and forth with each side arguing something different. 
Here is one of the responses from XXXX XXXX -- -- /As you can clearly see, I argue the point in the reward program that my account was active due to the fact that my bank credit card was active and I've paid the renewal fee. 


Dear XXXX, Thank you for your email. As a Rapid Rewards Member since 1999, your satisfaction is paramount. We appreciate the chance to respond. 
We are so sorry for any confusion regarding your Rapid Rewards Account. Please allow me to explain, Rapid Rewards Points dont expire as long as there is earning activity in your account within 24 months, and we make this information available in your XXXX account. According to our records, your last earning activity was on XX/XX/XXXX. As such, your Rapid Rewards account was marked inactive and any points in your account were forfeited. While we cant reinstate forfeited points, your account will be reactivated when qualifying flight or Partner points are earned. Nevertheless, we regret any disappointment in this regard. 
That said, the relationship between XXXX XXXX and Chase is quite unique in that Chase is the actual issuer of the Rapid Rewards Credit Card. This means that Chase processes the applications, issues the credit cards, and handles all account matters associated with the Rapid Rewards Visa card. XXXX XXXX, through Rapid Rewards, maintains the flight points earned from purchases on the XXXX card only. Customer application approval, service charges, new member bonus offers, etc. are determined by Chase. Please contact them directly at XXXX for assistance with your card activity. 
We appreciate your business and loyalty. We truly hope to share the skies with you for many years to come. 
Sincerely, XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX The file reference number for your email isXXXX. 

Finally, an additional response on XX/XX/XXXX indicating that they would not address this issue further. -- -- Dear XXXX , We received your follow-up email and appreciate your taking the time to contact us again. I welcome this additional opportunity to respond to your concerns. 

We are sorry to learn that you remain disappointed with our Rapid Rewards Program, especially if you have contacted Chase and XXXX XXXX on more than one occasion. As I previously mentioned when we spoke by phone on XX/XX/XXXX, Rapid Rewards Points dont expire as long as there is qualifying earning activity in your account within 24 months. Per our Rapid Rewards terms and conditions, Qualifying Activity means ( a ) points earned from flights booked through XXXX XXXX, ( b ) points earned from our Rapid Rewards Partners and posted to Members account prior to the expiration date, ( c ) points purchased through XXXX, and ( d ) gifted/transferred/donated points received and claimed by the recipient. Gifted/Transferred/Donated points are a Qualifying Activity for the recipient only. The act of opening or owning a XXXX Credit Card is not considered qualifying earning activity. 

Nobody likes to lean in the Customers favor more than XXXX XXXX. It truly saddens me that we are not able to honor your request to reinstate your points on this occasion. Our Rapid Rewards Program must be upheld in order to maintain the integrity of our fare rules, and I am deeply sorry that we have disappointed you. At this point, we will be unable to respond to any further correspondence on the issue. 

Your patronage and friendship mean the world to us. We know you have a choice when you fly, and we hope you will continue to choose XXXX. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX The file reference number for your email is XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief