Consumer complaint received 2025-12-08 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Problem with rewards from credit card
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I pay a {$390.00} annual fee for privileges as a Capital One XXXX XXXX cardmember, including a {$300.00} annual travel voucher. In my case, my account cycles and the voucher must be used by XXXX XXXX, 2025. On XXXX XXXX, 2025 I booked travel through the Capital One XXXX website and used the travel credit as a part of my purchase. ( Or at least I understood that that was what I was doing ). My transaction purchase of {$2200.00} met the criteria and qualified for the credit. My confirmationXX/XX/XXXXXXXX confirmed it, or I thought it did. Then, on XXXX XXXX I was notified that my travel credit had expired on XXXX XXXX, and that it had gone unclaimed. I called Capital One and was rudely met with an explanation that the credit has to be used by the deadline. I asked for a supervisor and got XXXX. All he did is repeat that it my fault and the credit had not been used. I pointed out that despite traveling dozens of times each year, I use the Capital One travel website only to book with my voucher, and I do that once a year, as I had done on XXXX XXXX, and that I selected to use the voucher. I suggested they have a website error and that the selection did not register or was not preserved. He said that was impossible, and that he had a recording that showed I did not use the voucher. I asked for a copy of the recording, he refused. I asked to speak with a more senior supervisor, he declined. I asked what logic there would be for me to come and book the travel transaction if not to use the voucher, and he did not answer. I asked for credit and he offered {$100.00}. I asked why Capital One would offer partial compensation if there was nothing to compensate for, and he said it was " policy ''. I asked what the policy was, and he said the voucher had to be used or it would be lost. He would not reconcile which part of policy changed my voucher 's value from {$300.00} to {$100.00}. I asked him to do the right thing, that I've been a loyal customer and my company has been, and that even if their website got screwed up, my intent was clear, the timing was explicitly qualified for the voucher use, and it was the right thing to do. He told me that by asking him to do that I was jeapardizing his life and his family and his ability to put food on the table for his children. At that point I was not able to understand the logic of his insistence that denying my credit was a moral obligation of Capital One. Sounded like intent to cheat me. Worst case -- they are defrauding me in violation of their cardmemeber agreement. Best case, they are taking advantage of an honest mistake in their user interface sequence that " tricked '' me into somehow missing a confirmation of the travel credit checkbox on a refreshed final screen, and then using that error to justify withholding the money. I imagine if this happens thousands of times for many customers, the company saves significant money.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief