Consumer complaint received 2026-06-22 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest — Problem with fees
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: OR

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this complaint regarding my XXXX XXXXXXXX credit card account XXXX. I opened this credit card approximately XXXX months ago specifically to receive the companion fare benefit that was advertised as part of the card. At the time of application, I already had an existing XXXX XXXX XXXX account ( # XXXX ) and requested that my credit card rewards be associated with that account. Throughout my time as a cardholder, I paid the annual fee of {$95.00} and maintained the account under the belief that I would receive the benefits for which I signed up. However, I never received or was able to locate the companion fare benefit. On XX/XX/year>, after becoming frustrated that I was not receiving the advertised rewards, I contacted Bank of America to cancel the credit card. During that call, I was informed that Bank of America had no visibility into any companion fares that may have been issued and was advised to contact Alaska XXXX ( through its rewards XXXX XXXX ) to investigate the issue following the cancellation of my credit card. After canceling the credit card and contacting XXXX XXXX, I discovered that a companion fare had in fact been issued, but it was attached to an entirely different XXXX XXXX account ( # XXXX ) that I was unaware existed. I also learned that there were inconsistencies in how my name was recorded between the systems. My legal name is XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Due to system limitations, my first name is sometimes formatted differently. Bank of America had my name listed as " XXXX XXXX XXXX, '' while XXXX XXXX had it listed as " XXXX XXXX XXXX. '' As a result, a duplicate XXXX XXXX account appears to have been created. Alaska XXXX informed me that although the companion fare exists, I can not redeem it because the associated credit card account has now been closed and the fare must be charged to an active XXXX XXXX credit card. Alaska advised me to contact Bank of America and request that the account be reopened. Unfortunately, when I contacted Bank of America again, I was informed by the representatives did not have the authority to reopen the account. I understand that sometimes there was limitations so I requested to have my annual fee refunded if I can not use my companion fare. I was also told that my annual fee would not be refunded. As a result, I am unable to use the companion fare benefit that I earned, despite having paid the annual fee for the card. I am seeking a fair resolution. I would like either : The ability to redeem and use the companion fare benefit that I earned while the account was active or a refund of the annual fee paid for benefits that I was ultimately unable to access or use. In addition to the unresolved issue, I spent several hours navigating between Bank of America and XXXX XXXX, enduring lengthy hold times with both organizations. Had I been properly informed of the account linkage issue and the necessary steps to resolve it before canceling the card, this situation could have been avoided entirely. I respectfully request that this matter be reviewed and that a reasonable resolution be provided.

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 non-monetary relief