I face an analogous decision here, and am torn.

My Chase Southwest card -- which I have had for ages -- is up for renewal. My plan was to shift the credit over or close it to cover a Chase United Explorer application.

Turns out, that wasn't necessary, as I got approved for the United Explorer card without having to do anything with the Southwest card.

This leads to my dilemma: do I now close to Southwest account to save the annual fee (fairly low) OR do I keep it with the intention of "sacrificing" it later to get a new card??

I am strongly considering holding onto it so I can use it as a future "trade off" in a call with a reconsideration line for another type of Chase card. I seem to recall reading (or hearing from a Chase rep) that it is better to close one account to gain acceptance for another, rather than to close it before applying for the new one.

Also, they send me some decent 0% offers (which is why I have had the account so long, though I have hardly used it beyond that), so I could see myself using it for that.

Finally, I am NOT a big "card churner." In fact, I seem to have too many open accounts, and am seriously considering weeding a few of them out (primarily some AMEX cards that I never, ever use). That said, I am okay continuing to hold this Chase card, as they seem to have a number of other card options that I wouldn't mind moving to later this year.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts/advice!