Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) refused to renew my RBC issued Visa credit card upon its expiry. It expired at the end of June 2014 and it has always been in good standing.

I obtained this credit card in August 2003 — 11 years ago. I had just moved to Canada on a 1-year work permit. RBC issued this card as a non-restricted unsecured credit card. At no point in time, did RBC or Visa require any guarantees in exchange for the credit card.

Fast forward to June 2014, my credit card expired and I did not get a replacement card in the mail. It is standard practice for a replacement card to be automatically mailed out about a month before a current card expires. I phoned RBC Customer Service on June 30 asking about my replacement credit card. The customer service representative initially told me that I didn’t get a replacement card because I had not being using my credit card. Nothing could be further from the truth. He later mentioned that I had an irregularity in my residency status. He advised that I go to a branch office and get it resolved.

On July 2, I visited a RBC branch. I was told that the credit card was closed because someone flagged me as being on a work permit from 2003 up till 2014. Further details were not provided. I explained that RBC had its facts wrong. RBC also does not have any evidence of me being on work permit for 11 years. My 1-year work permit and work visa (originally issued in 2003) were renewed in 2004 and again in 2005. In 2005, I obtained a Canadian permanent residency. This also meant that my Social Insurance Number changed. RBC was duly notified at those times — and it’s on record. In 2009, I became a Canadian citizen. I was advised that my only option was to re-apply for a new credit card. I was livid but maintained my composure. I also refused to re-apply for a new credit card.

On July 3, I phoned Customer Service again to escalate the issue — it simply wasn’t making sense to me. I was told to go to a branch yet again. I went to the branch near my house. The representative at the branch made a call, then entered some notes on his computer and sent it off to the appropriate RBC department. He promised to give me a call later in the day. He never did and so I phoned Customer Service in the evening to get an update. I was transferred to various representatives and was finally told that my only option was to re-apply for a new credit card. My request for the issue to be escalated did not seem to go anywhere.

While I am confident that I will qualify for a new credit card, I completely disagree with RBC on a matter of principle. First, I had a non-restricted unsecured credit card. There is no reason why a cardholder should be asked to re-qualify for a credit card. Second, RBC never contacted me with regards to its decision not to renew my credit card. At the very least, someone should have reached out to me. It is clear that RBC failed to maintain its documentation and somehow screwed things up. RBC has it on file that I am a permanent resident. RBC also has my current Social Insurance Number — which reflects my permanent status in Canada. RBC knows that I am a Canadian citizen.

The refusal to renew my credit card without any notice whatsoever has been a great inconvenience. It is my first and only credit card — and so I am now left without a credit card. I cannot perform simple activities like paying for parking or buying an app on my smartphone. I also cannot pay for more important things that pertain to my business. In fact, I had to transfer a key monthly payment to my wife’s credit card — otherwise it would have adversely affected my business and my customers. One only wonders what RBC’s decision will do to my credit rating in the near and long term.

RBC, this is an awful way to treat a customer of 11 years. This is a customer who over these years has opened and maintained an RBC chequing account, a savings account, a TFSA account, RBC Direct Investment accounts, and an RBC Dominion Security account. This is also a customer who has referred friends to bank with RBC. I will certainly be reconsidering my future relationship with RBC. Come the week of July 7, 2014, I will be applying for a new credit card with a different bank. I will also move my personal and business accounts to a different bank. My days with RBC are over, except if RBC corrects this wrong and re-issues a replacement card without my having to re-apply for it. It is simply a matter of principle. I may be the “small man” but I refuse to be treated shabbily by the great and mighty RBC.

Update — July 4, 2014 @ 2.48pm.

RBC has agreed to renew my credit card — and I do not have to re-apply for it. The new credit card should arrive by Wednesday, July 9. The wrong has been corrected. Thanks to social media and everyone who helped out.