Not upheld: non-display of rewards and failure to notify customer of earned reward vouchers complaint against Clydesdale Bank Plc trading as Virgin Money

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs S complained that Virgin Money failed to display reward vouchers she had earned through a credit card account, causing her to lose out on rewards. She claimed she was unaware of how to access the vouchers and requested reinstatement of lost vouchers plus 250,000 points compensation. Virgin had offered £25 credit and a two-year extension on one voucher. The ombudsman found the complaint not upheld, determining that Virgin's system requiring phone contact to check rewards was reasonable and clearly documented, Mrs S had demonstrated knowledge of the process through prior redemptions, and the expired vouchers were subject to availability limitations that would not have guaranteed their use.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Mrs S was made reasonably aware of her reward points through credit card statements and had demonstrated knowledge of the redemption process by successfully redeeming vouchers in April 2022 and October 2023. Virgin's system requiring customers to phone the contact centre was not unreasonable, as the process was clearly detailed on their website and Mrs S, having specifically opened the account for rewards, could have contacted Virgin at any time. The expired vouchers were subject to availability limitations (only 12 reward seats per flight), so Mrs S was not guaranteed to have been able to use them even if she had been aware of them. Virgin's offer to extend the October 2022 voucher by two years was fair and reasonable.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website