Consumer complaint received 2025-04-12 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: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: AZ

Complaint narrative:
I applied and was instantly approved for the PayPal Cashback Mastercard on XX/XX/XXXX. The application page clearly and definitely stated that I would receive a " {$50.00} cash back bonus '' after making my first purchase. However, I have now had this credit card account for nearly four months and still have not received this {$50.00} cash back sign-up bonus despite having met all of the requirements detailed in the offer terms. I have attached a screenshot of the application page showing the {$50.00} sign-up bonus and the offer terms in the fine print. 

The fine print of the offer stated that, to qualify for this offer, " you must apply for the card by XXXX XXXX. ET on XX/XX/XXXX and subsequently be approved. '' As stated above, I applied and was instantly approved for the card well before this date. The terms further state that " cardholder must make net eligible purchase ( minus any returns and other adjustments ) of {$0.00} or more with their PayPal Cashback Mastercard within 90 days of account. My first purchase occurred immediately after I was approved for this card and was in the amount of {$89.00}. This purchase was not returned and I paid it off on my first statement. Finally, the terms state that " fulfillment of the cash back bonus will post to your PayPal Cashback Mastercard account no later then 1-2 billing statement cycles after the net eligible purchase qualification threshold is met. '' I have now been through 4 billing cycles with this credit card and still have not received this {$50.00} cash back bonus. 

I have contacted the issuer of this card ( Synchrony Bank ) multiple times about this issue using the number on the back of the credit card ( XXXX ). Below is a brief timeline. 

XX/XX/XXXX : The representative at first could not see the {$50.00} cash back welcome offer attached to my account. After speaking with a supervisor and further researching my account, she finally saw the offer on my account, confirmed that I was eligible and had fulfilled the requirements, and informed me that I should wait for my next billing cycle to close ( approximately XX/XX/XXXX ), at which time I should see the {$50.00} cash back post to my account. 

XX/XX/XXXX : My XXXX billing cycle closed the previous day and I received my electronic billing statement. Still, there was no sign of the {$50.00} cash back or any type of {$50.00} credit on my statement. I called Synchrony Bank again and was told provided the same information as in my XXXX call above -- that the offer was on my account and I had fulfilled the requirements. I was told to wait one more billing cycle to receive the bonus. I requested that the agent provide me something in writing stating that I was eligible for the bonus and would receive it. 

XX/XX/XXXX : I received an emailed letter from Synchrony Bank ( attached ) stating that I was eligible for offer, that my " request had been processed, '' and that I should " allow up to two billing cycles for the credit to reflect on your account from the end of the promotion date. '' XX/XX/XXXX : My XXXX billing cycle closed, again with no sign of the {$50.00} bonus or a statement credit. I called Synchrony Bank again on XX/XX/XXXX. The representative could see notes on my account stating that I had previously called about this issue. She again confirmed that I was eligible for the offer and asked that I keep waiting for the bonus to post to my account. I asked her if I could speak with the team or department responsible for administering these bonuses. She said I could not speak with them directly but that she would put me on hold, speak with them, and then get back to me. After about 20 minutes on hold, the representative said that the " bonus '' or " rewards '' team confirmed that the offer is on my account and that I've met all the requirements. She said that the bonus should post to my account by XXXX and apologized for all the hassle. 

XX/XX/XXXX : My XXXX billing cycle is set to close, still with no sign of the {$50.00} cash back bonus that I was promised when I applied for the card. 

One of the main reasons I applied for this card was the {$50.00} sign-up bonus. It was a major incentive and I likely would not have opened the card otherwise. If Synchrony Bank does not intend to honor this promotion, then this is nothing more than false advertising and a classic bait-and-switch tactic.

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