Consumer complaint received 2026-06-02 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Problem with cash advances
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: VA

Complaint narrative:
I hold a XXXX Credit Card issued by Synchrony Bank. Beginning XXXX XXXX, 2025, I made hundreds of transactions totaling several thousands of dollars with the merchant XXXX. Every single XXXX of those transactions was classified as a regular " entertainment '' purchase not a cash advance for over 14 months. On XXXX XXXX, 2026, without any prior notice, warning, or account communication of any kind, Synchrony began classifying XXXX transactions as cash advances and assessing a {$10.00} flat fee per transaction. The affected transactions are as follows : XX/XX/XXXX : {$12.00}, {$29.00}, {$49.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$49.00}, {$29.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$8.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$29.00}, {$9.00}, {$19.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$8.00}, {$19.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$14.00}, {$49.00}, {$24.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$9.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$14.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$14.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$14.00}, {$49.00}, {$24.00} That is XXXX transactions totaling {$490.00}, yet I was assessed XXXX separate {$10.00} cash advance fees totaling {$260.00} XXXX more fees than there are transactions, a discrepancy Synchrony has not explained. I was also charged {$2.00} in cash advance interest on XX/XX/XXXX. In several instances, the {$10.00} fee exceeded the transaction amount itself ( e.g., an {$8.00} purchase incurring a {$10.00} fee ). I received XXXX advance notice of this reclassification, as required under Regulation Z ( 12 C.F.R. 1026.9 ), which mandates 45 days advance notice before significant changes to credit card terms. No account message, email, or notification of any kind was provided. Compounding this, I am enrolled in paperless delivery and have been unable to access my statements through the XXXX app for approximately XXXX month. Every attempt to view my statement produces the error : " We're experiencing an issue but all should be back to normal soon. Try again in a few minutes. '' The statement is my only available delivery method. This means the only channel through which I could have been notified of this change has been inaccessible. I independently contacted XXXX directly via their live support chat on XXXX XXXX, 2026. XXXX confirmed in writing : " No, the transactions are still being processed as regular purchase transactions. We have not made any changes to classify them as cash advances. '' This directly contradicts the repeated claim by Synchrony representatives that the merchant was responsible for the cash advance coding. Additionally, multiple other merchants operating identical business models to XXXX continue to be classified by Synchrony as regular entertainment transactions not cash advances. Furthermore, XXXX transactions on other XXXX credit cards issued by different banks are not classified as cash advances. Both facts confirm this is a Synchrony-specific classification decision, not a merchant-driven one. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX, I called Synchrony twice. In the first call, a front-line agent and then a supervisor named XXXX both refused to issue any courtesy credit and continued to attribute the reclassification to the merchant despite my evidence to the contrary. In the second call, a different agent stated that a corporate case had already been opened on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX days before my first contact with Synchrony suggesting Synchrony may have been internally aware of this issue before I called. When I questioned this date, the agent ended the call without resolution.

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 monetary relief