Consumer complaint received 2025-07-16 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I applied for a Capital One credit card using a referral link that clearly advertised a promotional bonus of XXXX points after spending {$4000.00} on the Capital One Venture card. I was approved through that referral link, and I went on to spend well over {$4000.00} but I never received the bonus.

After following up, I was told I had not qualified for the bonus because my credit wasnt high enough despite the fact that I was approved through the referral link that advertised the reward. I was also told that I had actually been approved for a different card the Capital One VentureOne card, not the Venture card that was shown in the referral offer.

This was a complete shock to me. The difference between the Venture and VentureOne cards was never made clear to me at the time of application. They have nearly identical names and similar branding, and nowhere during the referral process, application, or approval was it disclosed that I was being directed to a different product. I believed and had every reason to believe that I was applying for the card shown on the referral link : the Venture card with the XXXX point bonus. 

To make matters worse, even the VentureOne card I was allegedly approved for comes with a XXXX point bonus for spending {$500.00}. I received no points at all not even that smaller bonus. So regardless of which card I received, Capital One has failed to deliver any of the advertised rewards associated with either version. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke with a supervisor who confirmed that there was nothing they could do and suggested I reapply but also acknowledged that I likely would not be approved again since I had just opened this account. On XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke with another supervisor who stood by the same position. Before ending the call, I explicitly asked that they document in my account notes that they are refusing to honor a reward that was clearly advertised at the time of my approved application, and that I would be submitting a formal complaint to the CFPB. 

After going back to review the original referral link and approval email, I can confirm that nowhere was it disclosed that I would be approved for a different card with no bonus. The language and presentation were entirely misleading. This is a textbook example of : Bait-and-switch marketing Material misrepresentation Deceptive referral funneling Had I known I would not receive the XXXX points or even the XXXX VentureOne bonus I never would have applied for this card, let alone spent thousands of dollars on it. These points were specifically intended to help offset travel expenses for my upcoming honeymoon, and I feel I was completely misled, manipulated, and denied what was promised. 

I also question : what is the point of having a referral program at all if people who are referred are unknowingly funneled into a completely different product with no bonus? That defeats the purpose and is fundamentally deceptive. When a company uses a specific offer ( XXXX points ) to entice someone to apply, and then issues them a similar-looking product with no upfront disclosure of the change, it carries serious legal implications under consumer protection and advertising law. 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau exists to protect consumers from misleading, unfair, and unethical financial practices and this situation checks every box. Im respectfully asking the CFPB to investigate this issue and require that Capital One immediately issue the XXXX points that were advertised through the referral link I used and that I reasonably believed I had qualified for.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation