Consumer complaint received 2025-07-12 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: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/year>, I was approved for a PayPal Credit line for {$1800.00} issued by Synchrony Bank. My approval was confirmed by email and immediately visible in my PayPal Wallet. 

I then attempted to use the PayPal Credit option at XXXX major vendors, all of which accept PayPal as a method of payment : XXXX. XXXX XXXX XXXX {$1300.00} XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX {$190.00} XXXX. XXXX {$7.00} Every transaction failedeither I received error messages stating PayPal isnt available at this time, or the transaction simply wouldnt complete. These were not declined purchases in the traditional sensethey never reached the bank. 

Between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, I called PayPal customer support XXXX times and Synchrony Banks PayPal Credit support 4 times. I was transferred between departments repeatedly, given inconsistent explanations, and ultimately received XXXX resolution. 

What PayPal Told Me : The transaction was blocked due to security protocols. 

Wait a few hours for the system to reset. 

Youll be contacted by a supervisor. ( No one ever contacted me. ) This issue is on Synchronys end. 


What Synchrony Told Me : No transactions ever reached us. Nothing was blocked. 

Your account is open and in good standing. There are no flags. 

Youll need to speak with PayPal.

This was a clear blame game, with each party passing the buck and refusing to take responsibility for a product they jointly offer. As a result, I was approved for a credit line that was never functional, never usable, and never supported. It became clear that PayPal and Synchrony lack proper escalation mechanisms and intentionally obscure responsibility for technical failures. 

I closed the account out of frustration on XX/XX/year>. 


-- - Escalation Steps Taken So Far : XXXX  Complaint ( ID # XXXX ) : PayPal responded by redirecting me to Synchrony.

I rejected the response, clarifying Synchrony had already confirmed no transactions reached them. 

Attached supporting documents. 


CFPB Complaint ( # XXXX ) : Synchrony claimed the account was closed voluntarily and never experienced any issues. 

This is factually falseI supplied videos showing blocked transactions.

California Attorney General Complaint : Filed against both PayPal and Synchrony.

Included PDF evidence, recorded call summaries, email chains, and a screen recording of failed checkout attempts.

Executive Email Threads : Sent a detailed email with attachments to XXXX no response. 

Tried forwarding this thread to XXXX, which bounced as an invalid address. 


XXXX XXXX XXXX : Documented the entire issue with evidence for public awareness. 

Link : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  -- - Why This Matters : I am a 100 % Permanently and Totally XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Veteran. I do not have the time, energy, or mental bandwidth to navigate an endless loop of deflection and misdirection from multi-billion-dollar corporations. This experience left me feeling exploited, gaslit, and entirely dismissed by XXXX companies that jointly issued a credit product they refused to support or honor. 

The burden of investigation was dumped onto me, the customer. I was forced to do the job of PayPal 's IT, Synchronys fraud department, and customer service escalation teams just to uncover the fact that this credit line was never operational in the first place. 

I had no overdue balance, no risk flags, and no misuse. There is no excuse for this kind of failure. 


-- - Evidence Provided : XXXX complaint PDF CFPB complaint response XXXX CA AG complaint PDF XXXX email chain with PayPal Executive Office Two screen recordings of failed purchase attempts Screenshot of error message Public XXXX thread Call notes and agent summaries -- - Requested Resolution : 1. A formal investigation into this joint failure by Synchrony and PayPal 2. A written admission from both companies stating who was responsible 3. Reinstatement of my PayPal Credit account with a {$5400.00} limit 4. Assurance that future transactions will not be blocked without cause or communication 5. A formal apology for the stress, confusion, and wasted time caused by both institutions

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