Consumer complaint received 2026-01-30 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Trouble using your card — Can't use card to make purchases
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: TN

Complaint narrative:
Issue Summary I am submitting this complaint to report systemic, repeated, and unjustified transaction declines on my Chase Freedom Unlimited credit card, despite excellent credit, sufficient available credit, and low or XXXX balances. Chase has been unable or unwilling to provide a coherent explanation or corrective action, rendering the account unreliable and effectively unusable for its intended purpose. 

From the moment I opened this account, the card has been functionally unreliable. A majority of my legitimate transactions have been declined, including routine purchases and modest personal expenses, even when my balance was XXXX and well within my credit limit. 

By comparison, I also hold an XXXX XXXX XXXX card, which has no preset spending limit and has never once been declineddomestically or internationally, for large purchases or irregular spending. The contrast highlights a systemic issue with Chases fraud detection and transaction authorization practices, not my creditworthiness or spending behavior. 

Consumer Profile Credit score consistently XXXX for most of my adult life Longstanding history of responsible credit usage Multiple active credit accounts with other issuers without comparable issues No history of fraud, delinquency, or misuse Description of the Problem From the outset of this account, Chase has declined a significant portion of legitimate transactions, including ordinary retail purchases and recurring merchant charges. These declines occur even when : The account balance is XXXX The transaction amount is well below the credit limit The merchant is established and previously approved No fraud alerts or verification requests are issued in advance Chases transaction authorization practices have been inconsistent, opaque, and disproportionate to any reasonable fraud risk assessment. 

Recent Declined Transactions The following are recent examples of declined transactions, most occurring with a XXXX balance : XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX {$100.00} These transactions are routine, non-suspicious, and consistent with my spending history. 

Chases Response I have contacted Chases fraud and customer service departments repeatedly. Each time : I am informed the decline was for security reasons No specific risk factor is identified No preventative solution is offered I am instructed to call after a decline occurs On my most recent call, Chase stated a transaction was declined because I was in another state, despite : Chases knowledge ( via my credit report ) that I own residences in multiple states Chases prior approval of transactions in the same location No travel notice requirement being communicated or documented This explanation is inconsistent and unsupported. 

Impact to the Consumer Chases practices have resulted in : Repeated inability to complete legitimate purchases Public transaction failures in professional and personal contexts Loss of confidence in the reliability of the financial product Ongoing consumer burden to manually intervene after each decline Consumer Harm These repeated declines have caused : Public embarrassment and reputational harm, particularly in professional and social settings Emotional distress and anxiety, including when attempting to purchase basic necessities A complete loss of confidence in Chases ability to provide a usable financial product A credit card that routinely requires post-decline intervention is not functioning as intended. 

Systemic Concern Chase appears to rely almost exclusively on automated fraud detection systems without adequate human review or contextual analysis. The result is a pattern of false positives that Chase has failed to correct despite repeated notice. 

Chases framing of these declines as consumer protection is misleading. Under applicable consumer protections, fraudulent transactions would not result in consumer liability. The financial risk being mitigated is Chases, not the consumers, while the negative consequences fall entirely on the consumer.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation