Consumer complaint received 2026-01-27 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Didn't receive advertised or promotional terms
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: CO

Complaint narrative:
CFPB Complaint Draft ( Final With Dates & Missing Records ) Company : Wells Fargo Product : Credit Card Issue : Deceptive promotional offer / Promotional APR not honored Desired Resolution : Honor advertised promotional APR What happened : I applied for and was approved for a Wells Fargo credit card in XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, at XXXX XXXX, Wells Fargo sent me a written approval email stating 0.0 % introductory APR for 21 months from account opening. After that, your APR will be 28.99 %. The email does not limit the offer to purchases only and does not exclude balance transfers.

I relied on this written approval when opening the account and when planning to transfer existing credit card balances under the promised 0 % APR.

Recently ( XX/XX/XXXX, call initiated at XXXX XXXX  that lasted 25 minutes, Wells Fargo informed me that balance transfers would instead be subject to an APR of approximately 28 %, directly contradicting the written approval email. As a result, I am unable to use the card for the purpose for which I applied, despite the clear written offer.

When I raised this discrepancy, Wells Fargo stated that it is unable to locate the XX/XX/XXXX, approval email, despite the fact that the email was sent by Wells Fargo and clearly states the promotional terms. Wells Fargo is now asserting undisclosed exclusions that were not present in the approval email ( as evidenced in the attachment ) and were not clearly disclosed at the time of account opening.

Although interest has not yet been charged, Wells Fargos position prevents me from using the advertised benefit and has caused financial disruption, as I relied on the promised balance transfer terms when planning my payments on other credit cards.

This appears to be a case of material misrepresentation, where a consumer is induced to open an account based on a written promotional offer that the bank later attempts to narrow or revoke, while also claiming it can not locate its own approval communication.

Two separate employees told me that my promotional rate expired. ( See attached evidence that contradicts these statements. ) I was aware of Wells Fargos prior regulatory issues related to deceptive practices, but I understood that those issues had been addressed through enforcement actions and remediation. Based on that understanding, I reasonably relied on the written approval email sent to me on XX/XX/XXXX, when opening this account. The current contradiction between the approval email and Wells Fargos stated position raises concern that similar deceptive practices may still be occurring.

What I want Wells Fargo to do : Honor the 0 % introductory APR for 21 months from account opening, consistent with the XX/XX/XXXX approval email, including balance transfers. 


Supporting documentation : Screenshot of my promotional APR rates expiring XX/XX/XXXX Screenshot of Wells Fargo approval email dated XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX  Screenshot of call to Wells Fargo on XX/XX/XXXX, at XXXX XXXX, duration 25 mins Account records showing account opening in XX/XX/XXXX XXXX

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