Not upheld: mis-selling / misleading marketing communications complaint against Clydesdale Bank Plc trading as Virgin Money

Decision detail

Summary

Mr R opened a credit card with Virgin Money on 21 August 2025 and received a marketing email on 9 October 2025 offering additional bonus points for spending £3,000 in the first 90 days. The offer was only available for applications made between 1 September and 13 October 2025, and Mr R's account was opened before this period. When Mr R spent the required amount but did not receive the additional points, he complained that the email was misleading. The ombudsman found that the email clearly stated the eligibility criteria and Virgin Money was not wrong to deny the additional points. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that the marketing email contained clear eligibility criteria stating the additional 18,000 bonus points were for applications received between 1 September and 13 October 2025. Since Mr R opened his account on 21 August 2025, he was not eligible for this offer. The email was not misleading as it clearly set out the terms and limits. The live chat agent appropriately checked Mr R's eligibility and attempted to contact him with the outcome.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website