Consumer complaint received 2025-10-01 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: MA

Complaint narrative:
Misleading promotional credit terms and false information provided by representative Date of Incident : XX/XX/year>, approximately XXXXXXXX XXXX  EST What Happened : I received a {$500.00} promotional credit with my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card for travel bookings. On XX/XX/year>, I used {$170.00} of this credit to book a fully refundable hotel reservation through the Chase travel portal. 

When I attempted to book additional non-consecutive nights at the same hotel, I discovered the {$500.00} promotional credit was a one-time use onlymeaning I could not use the remaining {$320.00} for additional bookings. However, since I had intentionally selected a fully refundable booking option ( which was more expensive than non-refundable rates ), I expected I could simply cancel and receive a full refund of my promotional credit back to {$500.00}, then rebook all my dates together in one reservation. 

At approximately XXXXXXXX XXXX on XX/XX/year>, I called the travel booking line to confirm this. The representative ( Employee ID : XXXX ) told me that if I cancelled my refundable reservation, my promotional credit would return to {$500.00}. 

When the representative checked my account to process this, she discovered I would only receive {$170.00} back in promotional credit, not the {$500.00}. She was audibly surprised and took significant time trying to understand what happened. This demonstrated that even the company 's trained representatives don't understand how this promotional offer works. 

When I expressed confusion, the representative told me I " should have read the details '' and that " it makes sense. '' I pointed out that she herself was just surprised by the policy. She went silent and could not respond. She transferred me to an escalation department representative who upheld the policy. 

Why This Is Misleading : 1. False information from company representative : I was told my credit would return to {$500.00}. I relied on this statement from the company 's employee when making decisions.

2. Contradicts " fully refundable '' terms : I deliberately chose a more expensive fully refundable booking option specifically to maintain flexibility. The term " fully refundable '' means a customer can cancel and receive a complete refund without penalty. A reasonable consumer expects that promotional credit used on a fully refundable booking would return to its original amount upon cancellation, just as regular payment would. 

XXXX. Inadequate disclosure at point of booking : The promotional credit fine print states you forfeit the remaining balance if you don't use the entire credit " in one purchase. '' However, this critical information was not prominently displayed during the booking process. Because I selected a fully refundable option ( paying a premium for this flexibility ), I had no reason to scrutinize additional information about forfeiturethe " fully refundable '' designation led me to believe I maintained full flexibility with my promotional credit. 

4. Logical contradiction in policy design : The company offers " fully refundable '' booking options that cost more than non-refundable rates. Customers pay this premium specifically for flexibility and the ability to get full refunds. However, the promotional credit policy undermines this flexibility by making the credit non-refundable even when used on refundable bookings. This contradiction is not disclosed at the point of booking.

5. Company 's own staff confused by terms : The representative 's surprised reaction and initial incorrect information proves these promotional terms are not clear, even to trained employees. If company staff don't understand it, customers can not reasonably be expected to anticipate this outcome. 

Financial Impact : Original promotional credit : {$500.00} Used amount : {$170.00} on XX/XX/year> Current promotional credit : {$170.00} Lost value : {$320.00} What I'm Requesting : Restore the full {$500.00} promotional credit. I was given false information by the company 's representative, I paid a premium for a fully refundable booking with the reasonable expectation of full refund flexibility, and the actual travel services have not been consumed. 

The promotional offer as currently structured creates a misleading situation where customers pay premiums for " fully refundable '' bookings but discover the promotional credit itself is not refundable, despite no clear disclosure of this contradiction at the booking stage.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief