Consumer complaint received 2017-02-03
Product: Credit card — 
Issue: Transaction issue — 
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. (UT)

I applied for a new credit card, the Chase XXXX XXXX and was approved. The card comes with a very hefty annual fee of {$450.00}, but it also comes with a fantastic opening bonus of XXXX ultimate reward points. Upon receiving the card, I immediately set out to try to spend the {$4000.00} dollar in XXXX months necessary to receive the opening bonus. I tried to make a large purchase at a local store ( the purchase was still only a tiny fraction of my revolving credit limite on the card ) and Chase declined the transaction. I immediately called their fraud department and they explained that they were being cautious because it was a new card. I understood XXXX % and the fraud department cleared the card for immediate use. Still at the store, I tried running the card again and was again declined despite just being told the alert on the card had been cleared. Embarrassed at being declined twice, I resorted to using another credit card with which I had no issue. About XXXX minutes later, I received a call from the Chase fraud department alerting me about the second declined transaction. After speaking with the fraud team, I again cleared the alert on my account. Thinking the cause of the second transaction being declined was because of the close proximity to the first declined transaction, I went that night to another store of the same chain to attempt another purchase. For a third time, my transaction was declined. Again I called the fraud team and cleared the alert on the account. 
A few days later, I attempted to make the same purchase again, and for a fourth time I was declined. Now fuming, I called Chase and demanded to speak with a supervisor. After waiting XXXX minutes on the line with no supervisor available, I lost patience and had the representative clear the alert on the account. He assured me there would be no more declined transaction, and gave me his personal word. 
I tried to make the purchase the next day and was finally successful. However, I still had {$3000.00} spend till I reached the opening bonus. So I returned to the store for another large purchase and low and behold, I was declined for a fifth time. So once again I call Chase to clear the alert. But this time, I also warn the agent that I am going make a purchase of approximately XXXX dollars at such and such time. The agent said she had noted the account and there should be no trouble with the transaction. 
I go to the store and, I ca n't believe it, but for a sixth time my transaction is declined. After clearing the alert on my account so many times and giving a call ahead to warn of the large purchase, Chase still had the gall to block the transaction. 
After spending such a long time embarrassed at the line in the store and calling Chase to clear the alerts I have come to a conclusion. I believe that Chase is deliberately flagging large transactions on annual fee accounts with opening bonuses to make it more difficult for their customers to reach to opening bonus. By doing so, they reap the benefit of getting a new customer without having to take the loss of the opening bonus. Instead of maybe XXXX % of their customers reaching the opening bonus ( this is a guess ), by practicing overzealous fraud protection on these accounts they could reduce that amount to say XXXX %. This is a deceptive practice that preys on consumer rights and the CFPB should launch an investigation into this issue.