Garanti BBVA Increased My American Express Card Fee Without Warning
On December 7, 2024, I spoke with Garanti Bank’s customer service over the phone and applied for an American Express credit card. I was informed that the annual membership fee was ₺1800 and that it would be charged on my second statement, which I accepted. However, when I received my statement, I saw that I was charged ₺2595 instead. I contacted the card fee department five times, but they refused to refund the difference, stating that the increase was due to the 2025 price adjustment. When I applied for this card, I agreed to pay ₺1800 for a year, but the bank unilaterally changed the amount at the start of the new year without informing me. If they had warned me, I could have either waited until the new year to apply or not taken the card at all. As a result, they charged me ₺800 more than initially agreed. With this logic, the bank could set the card fee to ₺100,000 in 2025. I will, of course, take legal action, but I advise you to be more cautious when dealing with such transactions.
