Consumer complaint received 2026-01-26 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest — Unexpected increase in interest rate
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this complaint regarding a deferred interest charge applied to my CareCredit credit card account with Synchrony Bank. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, Synchrony Bank applied approximately {$900.00} in deferred interest to my account related to a promotional balance. I did not become aware of this charge until XX/XX/XXXX, when I reviewed my account in detail. I was not clearly informed of the promotional expiration date, the specific timeframe to avoid deferred interest, or that interest would be applied retroactively in this manner. 

I am enrolled in paperless statements and have consistently made my monthly payments on time. I manage my account by ensuring payments are made as required. While the company may have sent electronic communications, I am not a technology-oriented consumer and do not regularly use or monitor email. I rely on clear, prominent disclosures within my account statements and direct explanations to understand important account changes. There was no clear, conspicuous notification within my statements or account summary explaining that this large retroactive interest charge would be applied if the balance was not paid in full by a specific date, or clearly identifying when the promotion would expire. There should be a notice on your online account that also tells you when this " promotion '' will expire as well as they have it stated on the statements they send out to customers via mail and email. That would be the just thing to do to give the customer a FAIR chance at not having retroactive interest charged as well as it would allow the company 100 % chance to tell the customer that they did everything in their power to make the customer aware of the promotion expiration date as well as interest rate that would be charged if the balance wasn't paid in full. In addition, there were XXXX separate purchases made and nowhere on the online payment portal is there a distinction between the XXXX to know which balance needs to be paid prior to which expiration date to avoid this colossal interest charge all at once. 

Had I been clearly informed or reminded of the promotional expiration date and the consequences of not paying the balance in full, I would have paid the balance before the promotion ended. My goal has never been to carry interest or pay more money, but without clear information, it is impossible for a customer to make an informed decision to avoid retroactive interest charges. 

Additionally, I currently have another promotional balance on my account that is approaching expiration, which further highlights the importance of transparent and proactive communication from the lender. 

I would also like to note that I am Cuban and originally from XXXX, where credit systems and deferred interest programs are very different. XXXX is not my first language, and I often rely on assistance to understand and translate financial information. This made it even more difficult to recognize and understand the nature of this deferred interest charge without clear, direct communication from the company. 

I believe it is unfair that Synchrony Bank does not offer a reasonable customer solution in situations like this, such as a one-time courtesy adjustment where, upon discovering the deferred interest and being willing to pay the remaining balance in full, the retroactive interest charge could be removed. I am willing to pay the promotional balance in full immediately, but I am requesting that the {$900.00} deferred interest charge be removed and reversed as it was not clearly disclosed or reasonably noticeable. 

I am requesting that Synchrony Bank review this matter and provide a fair resolution by removing the deferred interest charge as a courtesy adjustment based on lack of clear disclosure, my positive payment history, and my good-faith intent to avoid interest.

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