As to what card to switch to:
Assuming you want something similar but better, many people seem to consider Barclay Arrival / Arrival+ to fit that description. Again, there's a thread specific to that in that same forum:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...l-credits.html
But any such card from any bank is going to have the same restriction: You have to use up the credit card points before you close the card, and you have to use them up on travel, not on gift cards for travel.
The only kind of credit cards where you can cancel and not lose points/miles are those credit cards that earn real airline miles or real hotel points which are deposited every month (every statement) to the airline program or hotel program (and thus don't stay with the credit card). But, of course, most of those programs are specific to one airline (and its partners) or one hotel. All "any airline" programs are credit card specifc, and you have to keep at least one card in that program open all the time to be able to use them.