Consumer complaint received 2026-04-26 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Opening an account — Didn't receive terms that were advertised
Company: Chime Financial Inc
State: GA

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting a complaint against Chime Financial , Inc. regarding a failure to honor a promotional referral bonus and repeated provision of inaccurate and conflicting information by customer support. I referred a friend to Chime during a promotional period offering a {$300.00} referral bonus to me and a {$100.00} bonus to the referred customer. Despite meeting the requirements as they were communicated to us by Chime representatives, neither bonus has been paid. The primary issue is that Chime representatives repeatedly provided inconsistent and incorrect information about the requirements for the promotion. We relied on that information in good faith and took all actions we were told were necessary. Only after the stated waiting period had passed were we told we were ineligible based on requirements that had not previously been disclosed. Timeline of events : XX/XX/year> : My friend signed up using my referral link during a $ XXXX {$100.00} promotion. XX/XX/year> : My friend completed a qualifying direct deposit of {$200.00}. XX/XX/year> : My friend requested a replacement card after not receiving the original card. XX/XX/year> : I contacted Chime Support and was told no additional steps were required beyond sign-up with my referral link and direct deposit. XX/XX/year> : I was told for the first time that card activation was required. XX/XX/year> : I followed up again ; no bonus had been issued and my friend still had not received his card. XX/XX/year> : My friend received and activated his replacement card the same day. XX/XX/year> : I was told ( 1 ) the bonus would be issued within 14 business days of activation, and ( 2 ) that I was only eligible for a {$100.00} bonus instead of the {$300.00} promotion in effect at the time of referral. XX/XX/year> : After the stated timeframe passed, we contacted support again and were instructed to complete a three-way call. During that call, we were told the activated card that was sent to my friend by one of Chimes representatives was the wrong cardit was a XXXX XXXX card rather than a debit cardand that activation occurred outside the eligibility period even if the representative had sent him the correct type of card. A supervisor stated we were ineligible on both grounds and that the matter could not be escalated further, while also acknowledging that prior representatives had provided incorrect information. This situation demonstrates : Failure to clearly disclose or consistently apply promotional terms Reliance on inaccurate information provided by customer support Denial of a promotional incentive after the consumer took all steps as instructed My friend acted promptly at every stage, including requesting a replacement card when the original was not delivered and activating the replacement immediately upon receipt. The delay in card delivery was outside of our control, and we followed all guidance provided by Chime. This experience has resulted in a significant amount of time spent attempting to resolve the issue and has undermined my trust in the companys promotional practices.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation