Consumer complaint received 2016-02-01
Product: Credit card — 
Issue: Rewards — 
Company: U.S. BANCORP (MI)

I lost XXXX Reward Points on my Us Bank XXXX card in XXXX. When I applied for the card there was no indication that the points would expire in five years. I have a copy of a credit card offer from that period before the CFPB ( forwarded by mail ). I do all my banking on line but receive a paper statement that I file for taxes. US Bank Customer Service said that because I elect to receive paper statements US Bank was under no obligation no notify me on line or by email or account alert of the loss of points. If informed, I could have received {$790.00} cash reward. In XXXX, I never checked the REWARDS web site. I was saving my XXXX points for a dream trip to XXXX once my husband completed his XXXX. Obviously if I knew that there was a five year limit on REWARDS, I would have taken the {$790.00} check.. Also, if US Bank had stated that their points expired in five years, I would have used US Bank points for a trip in XXXX rather XXXX XXXX . In XXXX, US Bank sent a two big sleek brochures of their REWARDS program and my points as of XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX, XXXX but in all the fine print never said I would lose XXXX on XXXX XXXX, XXXX and XXXX on XXXX if I did not use the points now. ( I will send a copy by mail ). Customer Service claims that the five year limit must have been listed in some rules I received in XXXX or XXXX but said a copy of those rules was not available on the US Bank web site. I have checked with all the major credit card company 's ( XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX etc ) and none of them have a time limit on rewards. I think I was completely reasonable to be shocked that US Bank would take XXXX points from me. One US Bank Customer Service agent said that I would have been notified by email If only I had given up my right to a paper statement .Another Customer Service representative said that even though my email was on my profile, I had not given them permission to email me any notifications. Another Customer Service Representative said I was responsible because I had not set up an alert for my rewards. A supervisor in technical support said it was not possible to set up an alert on rewards points expiring. He also said that I was receiving the same Account Summary and 180 day list of purchases when I went on line whether I had requested paper statement or not. He said I would have to go to the REWARDS SCREEN to get any information on my rewards expiring or search out my original statement and download it to a new file.. I had no reason to go to REWARDS SCREEN because I could not take a trip in XXXX because of my husbands XXXX. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX, I checked the REWARDS SCREEN to purchase an airlines ticket for my granddaughter and found that had lost XXXX miles in XXXX. I was in total disbelief. After contacting XXXX major credit card companies, I found that rewards points do not expire among the industry leaders. At that point I looked at my statements for XXXX and found that on my XXXX XXXX Statement there was one line in a XXXX page statement : Points Expiring on XXXX. This warning was not available on the main screen. I would have had to download the statement to a Document File. Most customers using the online site would never download the actual statement and would miss this warning and others that followed. CFPB has made a gigantic improvement in the way credit card companies divulge information to consumers. I think that the REWARDS programs are not yet covered by CFPB. If the REWARDS program was covered, US BANK would have to clearly state on a credit application the FIVE year limit on Rewards and notify customers on the main computer screen when points expire. No rational person looses {$790.00} when they can get a cash reward by just asking!!!