Consumer complaint received 2026-02-16 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: NY

Complaint narrative:
Re : Deceptive Marketing and Interface Design ( " Dark Patterns '' ) Regarding Chase Sapphire Reserve Hotel Benefit Complainant Context : I have been a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder for 8 years. I am also an attorney, and I state this to emphasize that I am a sophisticated consumer accustomed to analyzing complex terms. Despite my professional background and diligence, I was misled by Chases booking platform design, suggesting that this practice is intended to deceive the average consumer. 

The Issue : In late 2025, Chase increased the annual fee for the XXXX XXXX card, justifying the hike with " added benefits, '' specifically a {$250.00} statement credit for " The Edit '' hotel bookings. 

Despite booking a two night stay at a qualifying hotel, the XXXX XXXX in XXXX, per the terms and conditions, I was denied this credit. Chases refusal to honor the benefit relies on a deceptive three-part architecture : XXXX. Ambiguous Definition of " Prepaid Booking '' : Chases promotional language for this benefit explicitly states : " Get up to {$250.00} in statement credits through XXXX for prepaid bookings made with The Edit. '' This language is materially ambiguous. To a reasonable consumer, " prepaid '' simply distinguishes a booking paid in advance from XXXX paid at the hotel counter. It does not inherently distinguish between payment methods ( cash vs. points ). Since a points redemption is a full payment made in advance, it fits the plain-language definition of a " prepaid booking. '' Chase relies on an undisclosed, narrower definition to deny the benefit. 

2. Exacerbation via Interface Design ( " Dark Patterns '' ) : Closed Ecosystem : " The Edit '' is a specific collection of hotels that can only be booked through Chase 's proprietary portal.

Points as Currency : Chase markets Ultimate Rewards points as a currency intrinsic to the Reserve account, effectively valuing them at 1.5 cents per point for travel.

The Trap : Because the portal, the hotel collection, and the currency ( points ) are all parts of the Reserve ecosystem, it is reasonable to conclude that any booking made within this system constitutes a booking made with your Chase Reserve.

3. Failure to Warn : Within the Chase Travel portal " Pay with Points '' is the default option, effectively steering customers into a non-qualifying transaction structure. Nowhere in the promotional material or the immediate checkout flow does Chase disclose that accepting the default payment method ( " Pay with Points '' ) disqualifies the user from the advertised {$250.00} credit.

I contacted Chase via phone, and explained the issue at hand, and they refused to help. I spoke with several supervisors in several different departments and none of them were able to provide a resolution to my issue. Some of the customer service reps even admitted that I was not the first person to have this issue and they have been receiving complaints regarding this benefit.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation