Consumer complaint received 2021-04-12
Company: Bread Financial Holdings, Inc.
State: PA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers
Sub-issue: Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card

Complaint:
I am not in agreement with the AUTOMATIC PAYMENT option that Commenity offers to credit card holders. The description of their process on line is not exactly how they calculate it and they are not detailed enough with their explanation. The overall process they perform does not seem to follow their description of the feature and can actually hurt a credit card holder by withdrawing too much money from their bank account to cover the credit card balance, therefore, putting the person in an overdraft position. 

In XX/XX/2021, I signed up for the AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS feature offered to me as a card holder. My intention was to still use my bill payer at my bank to initiate payments and should the USPS not deliver my payment in time, I would be covered with the auto pay feature. My XX/XX/2021 statement had a new balance of {$230.00} due on XX/XX/2021. In XXXX I used my bill pay at my bank to pay the {$230.00}, which was applied to my credit card balance by the credit card company on XX/XX/2021. At this time I had satisfied my credit card balance due by XX/XX/2021. On XX/XX/2021, the credit card company withdrew {$90.00} from my bank account to pay the credit card balance. This means that I over paid my monthly credit card due to them pulling money from my account. 

When I inquired with Commenity about this issue they stated that by signing up for the AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS feature, I authorized them to withdraw up to the NEW BALANCE amount of {$230.00} to cover any balance on the credit card, not just the current credit card balance. The amount of {$90.00} that they withdrew was actually to cover future charges I made that were not billed yet on my monthly credit card statement. 

I do not feel the description of the automatic payment feature is truthful and feel it is misleading. The below are copies of the text in their website regarding the feature. 

Automatic payments let you authorize an ongoing deduction from your checking account to pay your My BJ 's Perks World Mastercard Credit Card Account on your Payment Due Date. You may schedule an automatic payment of your Minimum Due, My Balance or an Other Amount of your choice. When you do, you will receive an email reminder 10 days before the payment is withdrawn from your checking account. Then, on your Payment Due Date, your payment will be paid according to your chosen payment option -- -no stamps, no late payments, no worries. Go to Automatic Payments. Not signed in? Sign in now. 

My Balance will include the total of your regular revolving credit plan purchases, cash advances and past due amounts plus minimum payments due for any promotional plans. If you have a promotional plan, you may need to pay more than the minimum payment due to pay off the promotional plan balance during the promotional plan period to avoid additional finance charges. You may need to set up additional payments to ensure these promotional plans are paid off before the end of the promotional period. 

If your billing statement 's " New Balance '' is XXXX, no automatic My Balance payment will be withdrawn for that month.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation