Consumer complaint received 2025-11-28 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Trouble using your card — Can't use card to make purchases
Company: BARCLAYS BANK DELAWARE
State: NJ

Complaint narrative:
Dear Barclays Customer Relations, I am writing to submit a formal complaint regarding my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( ending in XXXX ). 

I applied for this card via the XXXX website specifically to book XXXX flights and earn extra XXXX miles. I accepted the {$99.00} annual fee on the understanding that the card would work normally, especially for XXXX purchases! 

However, when I attempted to use the card to book flights on XXXX ( multiple times ), the transaction failed with the following message : Authentication can not be completed This card can not currently be used at participating online stores. 
You must update your information with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX before using this card with a participating online merchant. Please call XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX at XXXX to resolve this issue. 

I followed these instructions and called multiple times. Each time I was told there was nothing wrong with my card and that the issue was with XXXX. XXXX, however, has repeatedly stated that this is not their issue, that they have no responsibility for the card, and that I must resolve everything with the bank. 

I was therefore stuck between Barclays saying the card is fine and XXXX saying it is not their responsibility, as the error message explicitly directs me to call the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX number. 

To make matters worse, both Barclays and XXXX have advised me not to use this card and to use another banks card instead. While I have been going back and forth, the price of the flights I intended to book has increased by several XXXX dollars, and I have lost valuable working time. 

Most recently, I was told that all restrictions had been removed, only to be informed later that my account is now restricted and I must mail XXXX verification documents because of multiple failed attempts ( which I made following Barclays own instructions - while their representatives were on the phone with me! ). I was also told that the XXXX website is not a valid merchant, which directly contradicts the very reason this co-branded card exists, and this is why my attempts were declined! 

I now have a card that does not work for its primary advertised purpose, I am being charged a {$99.00} annual fee, cancelling may hurt my XXXX XXXX, and I will need to book more expensive tickets with another card of mine ( in order for me to travel ). 

I got very contradicted information even from a single representative ( i.e. I needed to sent these documents in order to activate my card, and later I was told that no, they just need these documents now because I followed their own advice and made multiple attampts to book my tickets while they were on the phone with me, and on the top the purchases where from an invalid merchant aka XXXX official website ). 

This situation feels misleading and unfair. I was effectively induced to apply for and pay for a co-branded product that I can not use for the purpose for which it was marketed, as Barclays, they need at least XXXX more days to resolved a mess I am in by following their own instructions. Which XXXX, nobody informed me before today! I was repeatedly told my card has no issue, and I can use it! Only to find out today, that this was not a new issue and that other representatives should have informed about it. Long story short, I will need to pay at least {$500.00} more for the very tickets I wanted to book with this card ( and that was the only reason I applied for it!! ), and ... use another card of mine to book these tickets ( hence I will not even get the benefits this card is supoposed to provide )... and... I lost so much time going back and forth.... and I have to pay {$99.00}, my annual fee, for a card I will not use! 

I request : ( XXXX ) immediate investigation and correction of the authentication/restriction issues ; ( XXXX ) refund or waiver of the {$99.00} annual fee ; ( XXXX ) appropriate compensation for fare increases and time lost ; and ( XXXX ) written confirmation of how this will be resolved, including options to close the card without unfair impact if the problem can not be fixed.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation