Originally Posted by
slotownmomma
I always recommend keeping your cards open until the annual fee is due (1 yr).
I generally call at around 10 months. Usually they will always throw some miles or points your way to agree to keep the card open or think about it. Take the miles/points offer and wait until they post to your account. Then call back and truly cancel. In this case with the Continental card they will not be trying to convenience you to keep it. I don't know any other benefit to keeping it open besides the fact that it looks really bad if you open and close the account in less than 6 months, preferably longer. More than likely they will try to get you to switch over to the United Explorer card and not give you the full sign up bonus.....so don't go for that.
I called and attempted my standard "ohh I'm thinking of cancelling," and I belive if I had said "I wish to cancel" she would have cancelled. Zero offers for waiving AF or points. All she said was "don't cancel until your statement and miles from this statement post ($4k this statement) or you'll lose them." She then had some lame talk about conversion to either Sapphire or Freedom cards. I'm gunning to try to change it to an AMTRAK card if they don't budge on the AF next time I call.