Retention Bonuses

AnotherGradStudent

Level 2 Member
Barclays AA Aviator: Called in, was told they can't offer a AF statement credit until the AF posts and I should call back after the 31st. However, did offer either 5K AA for $1K spend, OR, $100 for $1K/mo spend for 3mo. As much as I <3 AA, as a grad student I'll take cash over points at 2cpm, so I went with option B. Will call back on 2/1 and see if they'll waive my AF!
 

baffld

Level 2 Member
Thanks so much for all that detail, M L - very helpful!

Mailman just brought an Arrival+ 50,000 bonus mile offer, not opened yet. Don't know if that's the best offer out there if I do decide to go for it.

Likely to drop Delta card for awhile if they don't come thru with some sort of retention. Have had 2 levels of them, but didn't use it much in 2016 except to fly on a buddy pass. If I want them again, will have to go for their highest end personal or else a biz card next time if I want bonus miles. (Which of course, don't we all!)

Hope you're right about Citi just being overwhelmed last year... maybe they'll be better this year? After many years with their personal one, often with retention, I got their biz version last year. Probably don't need both to continue unless they deliver a deal!

Due to suddenly & often staying in a city 500 miles away (elderly parent in nursing home), I've MS'd as much as I could figure out how to do in the past couple years. It's been extremely $$ helpful to stay for little or nothing at Hilton, Hyatt & IHGs. I know, I'm preaching to the choir on that!

Again, thank you! Hope to see more of your posts!
 

baffld

Level 2 Member
Really struck out today on 6 cards, couldn't even get Amex to push over a few goodwill Hilton points.
Thanks for the update. Sorry it went so badly for you! This doesn't bode well; have to contact Citi in the next few days about my personal CitiAA card that I've had for several years. Got a biz version last year, so don't really need two. So they'd need to make a very sweet offer. Hmm. Will update here how it plays out...
 

Flanmann

Level 2 Member
Called today for Barclay Aviator Red for me and my wife. Both of us received mailer offer of 15k for $500 spend for Dec/Jan/Feb. Wife had received a few targeted offers over the year, I hadn't. Couldn't waive her annual fee, but could substitute offer of 5k for $1k in 90 days. I declined that. My annual fee was able to be waived. Took that. I would have kept both anyway for the 15k offers we preemptively got.
 

smjd

Level 2 Member
I have not had good luck recently with getting retention bonuses. Called for SPG, Chase Fairmont, and CSP, didn't get offered even one retention bonus.
 

Flanmann

Level 2 Member
Offered a $60 statement credit on Chase United Explorer card. I had no real plans on cancelling the card, so I took it. keeps the MPX bonus active, the better award space, and 2 club passes for $35.
 

Josh F

Level 2 Member
Charity Forum Mod
Really struck out today on 6 cards, couldn't even get Amex to push over a few goodwill Hilton points.
Amex is even supporting automatic cancellation via voice prompts. On 2 of my Amex cards I didn't even talk to a person before it was canceled. Careful if you're just trying to snag a retention and don't really want to cancel (I was cancelling regardless).
 

knick1959

Level 2 Member
My wife called and got the $89 fee for her original Aviator card waived. In addition, she scored a 5k miles for 1k spend retention deal. I had pre-coached her a little, only to cancel if we didn't get the fee waived or an equal statement credit. She managed to get the bonus all on her own! Perfecto!

Not huge, but we'll take it. And the card lives another year. Hopefully they'll do better with other spend offers this year.
 

zceuxbhjutf

Panel 3 Member
Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red, one call (first rep transferred me to Erin)...
  • Annual fee waived
  • 5000 mile bonus with $1000 spend in next 90 daze
Annual spend: $21 LOL.

P.S. My post from last year...
Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red, one call...
  • Annual fee waived
  • up to 8000 extra miles at 1 extra per $1 spend (meh)
  • 0% APR on purchases in next 4 months (meh)
I almost felt like I should decline the two meh offers, I probably won't swipe the card for those. But it would be difficult to gather weird datapoints like, hmmm, "I only accept the fee waiver offer. Declining the other offers makes it more likely they'll offer a fee waiver next year" or something.

I only used the card enough to get the signup bonus, plus about $200 during foreign travel.
 

SanDiego1K

Level 2 Member
I called to cancel my Barclay AA card. I don't think I've used it this past year. Last year, I was given a waiver on the annual fee to keep from cancelling. This year, I was offered the fee waiver plus a choice of 1 of these 3 (1) additional point on utilities, groceries, gas, up to 8K points in the next 4 months, (2) no interest for a few months (never carry a balance so really didn't pay attention and (3) 5K points on 1K spend in the next 3 months. I accepted the fee waiver and the 5K points on $1K spend. I've no idea why they want to retain me as I'm of no value to them.
 

suljaga13

Level 2 Member
Called on two Barclays Wyndham cards. CSR made a big deal that both cards had over $20K spend, (MS). Both AF waived and received 5K bonus on $1K spend in 3 months. Also just received 15K on both cards for rental car bonus...didn't rent any car.
15k is for annual renewal, it comes up as car rental bonus. LOL
 

Flanmann

Level 2 Member
  • No offer for my wife's Chase United Explorer. No spend at all in the past year. Cancelled.
  • Citi Biz AA- first offer- $95 credit for spending $95- Passed
  • Spend $1000, get 1000 for up to 16 billing cycles- Passed
  • Spend $1000/3 months, get 7500 miles- Accepted
 

Kendon

Level 2 Member
Called to cancel Citi AA personal MasterCard since the annual fee hit. No retention offers, but not too surprised since I didn't put any spend on the card other than to get the signup bonus.
 

heavenlyjane

Level 2 Member
My husband was just offered and accepted this retention promo: $95 credit for spending $95

He was so bent on cancelling that he didn't hold out for the better.
 

suljaga13

Level 2 Member
Amex SPG: 10k points, no fee waiver. Used the retention phone # on FT: 800-452-3945
Got 10k in points as well, for Amex SPG, was also offered $25 statement credit or $75 stetement credit for spending 2k.
Yook the 10k in points. I was goign to keep card anyway.

13k spent last year.
 

HariOm

Transcendent Level
WSJ, 3/27/17: "More than 80% of people who ask their card company for relief from their annual fees receive it, according to a new survey."

Code:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/now-negotiable-credit-card-annual-fees-1490587260
 

dockers

Level 2 Member
Got 10k TYP for 3k spend over 6mo on a Citi Access More. AF just hit. ~35k spend over the past year. I'm amazed at what Citi pays out to keep this card. This was on top of the 10k anniversary bonus.
 

milesaway733

Level 2 Member
Called Chase last night for the following annual fees:

IHG < $1k spend - kept
Hyatt < $1k spend - kept
UA < $100 spend - downgraded to no AF version

No offers on any cards, was transferred to a manager who wanted to check all my cards (2x Freedoms, Ink Cash, and Ink Bold) - was 0/7. I have MS and organic spend on all the Chase owned cards.
 

dockers

Level 2 Member
AMEX PRG
-around 1500 spend, nothing beyond initial 1k min spend and a couple of AMEX offers
-AF posted a couple days ago
-no retention offers on the card
 

nickelfish1

Level 2 Member
Aviator Red- waived fee and still had the 10k annual bonus pts post (They have waived the fee every year since I had the old USAir card)

Marriott Premier- Guy immediately went to, "You can close the card with me right now and your fee will be waived." I responded that I have the CSR, CSP, IHG and this one. I'm also a CPC. No dice.
-HUCA twice. Nope. Last woman said I could load a Starbucks card with the card and get 10% back. Didn't say she could transfer me to retention just that she could close it now. I kept it since I have a few stays coming up and want to use the free cert night. The cert night is worth more than $85
 

Tricia

Level 2 Member
Citi AA business platinum card-$95 annual fee.
Offered 10,000 pts after $5000 spend/6mo-accepted
Offered 1000 pts per month for next 16 cycles if I spend $1000 each month-declined

I have 2 citi AA cards, one from 11/2014 and one from this year. Thinking of canceling both, I don't use/need them. And then it would start the new 24 month cycle without me having to pay any more annual fees. Can I do both in one phone call? I would want to transfer my credit to another citi card.
 

Cmonman76

Level 2 Member
Citi AA business platinum card-$95 annual fee.
Offered 10,000 pts after $5000 spend/6mo-accepted
Offered 1000 pts per month for next 16 cycles if I spend $1000 each month-declined

I have 2 citi AA cards, one from 11/2014 and one from this year. Thinking of canceling both, I don't use/need them. And then it would start the new 24 month cycle without me having to pay any more annual fees. Can I do both in one phone call? I would want to transfer my credit to another citi card.
Just an FYI. In my experience Citi was one of the few that wanted a hard pull when moving credit. YMMV.
 

Belisarius

Level 2 Member
Called today to get $95 annual fee waived on Chase United Explorer Biz. No luck. Will call back again in a couple of weeks and then cancel.
 

newaliases

Just an alias
Citi Prestige - had for less than a year; offer was either (1) 10,000 points after $3K spend within 6 months or (2) $200 after $4000 spend PER MONTH for the next three months.

Chase - no offer from any of my three Chase cards (Sapphire, Marriott and Chase), nada. And I had each for over a year.
 

Jay Shaw

Level 2 Member
Called in for AA Citi Advantage.

Was offered credit for the AF and bonus 1000 pts and additional 1000 per month if i spend $1000 a month.

Sum it up - Spend $12K in a year receive 24K points (1000 for spend plus 1000 bonus) with additional $10 on top since my AF is $85 i recevied credit of $95 towards the AF.

Planning to call next month for my Amex Business Plat for some rentention offers.
 

scdc

New Member
I called for AA Citi Advantage last week. I've had the card for 2 years or so and maybe put $5k to $10k on the card each year.

First offer was $95 AF waived for $95 in spending.
After asking about miles related offers instead, received and accepted offer of 15K miles for $3k in spending over 3 months.
 

Taylor

New Member
Called to cancel a AA Citi Gold, and was only offered a $50 statement credit. Also have the AA Plat, and the Gold was only used for the sign up spend.
 

Walmero

Level 2 Member
Curious what the likelihood is of offers changing (improving preferably) over time as you near the AF cutoff. And also if you pile some spend in there at the end if it increases your chances for a better offer? PRG recently wouldn't budge, called several times every few weeks, always the same; cancel. SPG Biz had nothing for a long time (I was still charging a few K MS up to a few days before cutoff) then right at deadline the lady offered to waive AF, her words, which I thought was never possible with amex. I guess it could have to do w/ Amex potentially losing starwood contract soon or something.
 

Matt

Administrator
Staff member
Curious what the likelihood is of offers changing (improving preferably) over time as you near the AF cutoff. And also if you pile some spend in there at the end if it increases your chances for a better offer? PRG recently wouldn't budge, called several times every few weeks, always the same; cancel. SPG Biz had nothing for a long time (I was still charging a few K MS up to a few days before cutoff) then right at deadline the lady offered to waive AF, her words, which I thought was never possible with amex. I guess it could have to do w/ Amex potentially losing starwood contract soon or something.
I just went through this with Amex Plat personal card. They said that my spend had dropped off so the offer wouldn't be as good.

I got 15000 pts for $3K spend. I then found out when they read the terms that it would be 5K upfront, and 10K for $3K spend, so I'm taking the 5K and cancelling...
 

Walmero

Level 2 Member
I just went through this with Amex Plat personal card. They said that my spend had dropped off so the offer wouldn't be as good.

I got 15000 pts for $3K spend. I then found out when they read the terms that it would be 5K upfront, and 10K for $3K spend, so I'm taking the 5K and cancelling...
I am doing the Plat tango right now too. So far a couple of call clusters spaced out over a few weeks. Stuck at same offer. I guess I will let it ride and see if anything changes. The SPG flip was like a day or 2 before cutoff, but I was putting some spend through there. Plat gets nothing recently.
 
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