Consumer complaint received 2026-05-19 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — Store credit card
Issue: Fees or interest — Problem with fees
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: IL

Complaint narrative:
Synchrony Bank silently enrolled me in an add-on product called " Payment Security '' ( also called " Payment Security Debt Cancellation Program, '' appearing on every statement as the line item " XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX '' ) on my XXXX XXXX XXXX SYNCB store credit card. The account was opened in XX/XX/XXXX. I have no record of consenting to enroll. I have no enrollment confirmation email. I do not recall a phone call, online checkbox, or paper form authorizing enrollment. Synchrony 's own printed disclosure on the XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX statements states verbatim : " Payment Security is an optional product you purchased and is not required as a condition of maintaining your account. The monthly fee for the Program is {$1.00} per {$100.00} of your account monthly ending balance. The fee will appear on your billing statement every month and will be charged even if you pay the statement balance in full. '' DOCUMENTED FEES From 11 monthly statements in my possession ( XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX ) : - XX/XX/XXXX : {$9.00} - XX/XX/XXXX : {$8.00} - XX/XX/XXXX : {$3.00} - XX/XX/XXXX : {$25.00} - XX/XX/XXXX : {$3.00} - XX/XX/XXXX : {$12.00} - XX/XX/XXXX : {$0.00} ( balance paid in full ) - XX/XX/XXXX : {$2.00} - XX/XX/XXXX : {$5.00} - XX/XX/XXXX : {$59.00} - XX/XX/XXXX : {$57.00} Documented total : {$180.00} Additionally, the XX/XX/XXXX statement shows XXXX Year-to-Date total fees of {$74.00}, of which only {$18.00} was charged on that statement. This means approximately {$56.00} in additional fees were charged between XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX that I can not independently verify. The account opened in XX/XX/XXXX, so an additional XXXX months ( XXXX XXXX ) of fees exist on Synchrony 's records. Estimated full enrollment-period total : {$250.00} to {$320.00} or more. CONSEQUENTIAL INTEREST HARM : The XX/XX/XXXX statement shows a {$2.00} regular APR interest charge on standard purchases assessed at 34.99 % APR. This charge resulted directly from the Payment Security fee consuming part of my monthly minimum payment and leaving an unpaid standard balance. Had the unauthorized fee not been deducted, my minimum payments would have covered my standard purchase balance in full and no interest would have accrued. The Payment Security fee was {$57.00} that same month the largest in the documented history, and the same month the first interest charge appeared. The causal link is plain. THE XX/XX/XXXX PHONE CALL : I called Synchrony Card Security at XXXX ( the phone number printed on every Payment Security fee line item, and in Synchrony 's own disclosure ). The following occurred : 1. The first representative cancelled the product. Cancellation confirmation number : XXXX. 2. The first representative offered a {$170.00} partial refund. 3. I declined the {$170.00} offer in clear language and requested a full refund of all fees plus consequential interest, plus a status check on the same product on any other Synchrony-issued accounts under my SSN. 4. The supervisor refused to authorize a larger refund, would not commit to a specific full-fee total despite Synchrony 's records being complete, and escalated my case to the " Resolution Department '' with a stated 3-to-5 business-day callback timeline. 5. Despite my explicit verbal declination, Synchrony processed the {$170.00} partial refund to my account during the call without my authorization creating a record that could later be used to claim the matter was resolved at the partial amount. After the call, I attempted to send Synchrony a secure message through their online portal to document my position in writing. Synchrony 's virtual assistant ( " XXXX '' ) responded that the secure message center has been eliminated. I am sending a formal billing dispute letter via fax and Certified Mail today. CONDUCT I AM ASKING THE BUREAU TO REVIEW : - Silent or non-transparent enrollment in a debt-cancellation add-on product with no verifiable consumer authorization on file. - A fee structure that by Synchrony 's own disclosure charges customers " even if you pay the statement balance in full '' meaning customers can not escape the fee even by XXXX the balance, only by cancelling the product. - Unauthorized processing of a partial refund during an active verbal dispute, before I had the opportunity to formally decline, with the apparent intent to create a " matter resolved '' record. - Consequential interest harm caused directly by the unauthorized enrollment diverting funds from my minimum payments. - Apparent enrollment in this or substantially identical products across multiple Synchrony-issued accounts under the same SSN, which the bank has not voluntarily disclosed or refunded. The other Synchrony accounts I hold are : a PayPal Credit card, a XXXX Credit card, a CareCredit account, and a Synchrony XXXX Installment loan. I am requesting that the Bureau direct Synchrony to audit each of these for enrollment in the same product and refund accordingly. - Removal of the secure-message channel from the online portal, eliminating customers ' primary written-record dispute channel during an active fee dispute.

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