sgtbalski

Yes, I just tried this before seeing your comment. Rep said no retention offer available (I'm understanding you need to pay annual fee first) and if I downgraded to Delta Blue they may take my 75K first year bonus away. She recommended I call at exactly 12 months to downgrade and avoid the fee.

Noted.

mia

This is not quite correct. You must not close or downgrade the card until it has been open a full 12 months. This will be before the annual fee is due. Look for the email telling you that the application was approved to know when the account was opened.

MaxVO

Calling for retention before 12 mo sometimes allows one to get offers several years in a row. You just can't bluff or close your account. And bluffing with algo's is a losing proposition.

No, that's incorrect.

blitzen

I mostly call before 12 month are over on renewals to space them out 13 month (as you said several years in a row).
For new cards I usually call in 11+ month after opening to see if there is a retention offer (sometimes it works) and 12 month after opening willing to cancel if needed.

fwfdan

So my husband called today on the Hilton Surpass card about the $95 fee and all they would offer was 10k points with 1K spend (we do that in about a week!) - they did not budge so he took it as we are just about to hit his 15k for the free night (we got mine first this year) not great but last year we got nothing but we still were getting the $5 a month credit for restaurants so we kept it.

My surpass card comes up next month (only 2 years old and already have the free night). Might push a little harder on mine.

Schnit

I had the Surpass and Business cards. Only real practical benefit of having both is the 2 free nights, which just isn't worth it to me (opportunity cost of other cards). Only reason I kept the Surpass last year was the $10 restaurant credits every month. I downgraded it in January once those credits ended. No retention offer, but at least I got 50% of my annual fee back.

Captain Greg

Delta Amex Platinum AF posted on 7/14. Chatted today for retention offer. Was offered $100 for $2k spend. I asked if there were any other offers and the person said that this was the best offer. When I insisted on hearing the other offers anyway, she offered me 15k skymiles for $1k. Accepted.

Dr Jabadski

Anyone else think, based on datapoints here, that recently AmEx retention bonuses in general have decreased significantly?

BREAK

Question about a somewhat unique specific situation. Have several AMEX Biz Plats (thank you targeted NLL offers). About eight months ago, called about possible retention offer for a several year old Blue Biz Plus. Ended up accepting a small retention offer for a two-month-old Biz Plat (yeah, not particularly very well thought out). Potentially could end up canceling that Biz Plat, approximately 10 months after receiving the retention offer, when the annual fee comes due in a few months, if I don’t receive a worthwhile retention offer. Would still have 2 or 3 Biz Plats and a couple of Biz Golds open.

Would AMEX warn me, during the discussion to close the account, me of any adverse actions due to canceling the card less than one year after receiving a retention offer? How long after canceling the card should I expect to see any adverse action? Do we think that adverse action for that sort of “violation“, is (limited to) clawback of retention bonus and/or provoking a financial review and/or being banned by AMEX? Should I expect AMEX to confiscate all of my high six digit MR balance? Thank you.

Schnit

Why not just keep the card for an extra 2 months and get a prorated fee returned, and not worry about pissing them off

ehchan

Business Platinum, minimal spend ($200/mo) after bonus, took advantage of some benefits (Dell, Airline, Wireless). No offer, at all. Will try again later next week.

blitzen

No pro rated refunds when you cancel. 30 days after AF posts = 100% back afterwards 0
you can downgrade for a pro rated refund (but are probably still better off keeping platinum)

Biggie Fries

So about this time last year I surprised myself by getting and taking an offer to keep an Amex Plat open. It was way toward the end of the month in which the AF had posted. Another surprise was that I listened very carefully to the part of the disclaimer the Amex guy read to me about what it meant to have accepted the offer. In particular, they would take the points back if I ditched the card before another 12 months were up. Okay, you know this already - no real surprise there. What did interest me is that when I said to him, "Well, wow, if I am hearing you right, there is only going to be a very small window next August when I can legitimately cancel this card," he said to me, "You got that right," and then he got on his calendar and gave me the six-day safe period when I could still pull this stunt.

What's my point here? Ah, points -- points is the point. I think they have the rules elaborated so that can smash and grab points back on a fair fraction of the unwary, just as we know how to smash and grab for double and triple dipping. And that's it. I got no sense that they intended to make me a persona non grata with Amex if I was clever enough to notice that I only had - only will have - a small window for getting rid of the card this year.

Biggie Fries

On your other question, put me in as a DP noticing very decreased retention offers: In particular, this time for an Amex Business Plat, first year, 30K spend, where the fee has posted: AF posted as $595 (not $695). The CSR said, "Hmm, you must be grandfathered in or something." I can't figure out why that might be, but whatever, since in the next breath he noted that there were no offers on the card. Didn't even want to go over the benefits with me. Suggested I should call back, but no guarantees. We agree I had a couple more weeks to do that.

Rationalization of my disgrace: It could have been worse. He could have offered my $150 or even $200 for $4K spend. Then where would I be? This way, I am forced to do the rational thing, which is to cancel and apply with my NLL 150K MR points "personal" offer.

gmangg

I chatted in to ask about a retention off on my Schwab Platinum card. I get the $200 relationship bonus already, so on balance it makes sense to keep the card. I got an offer the last year, so I was doubtful. The agent gave me an itemized list of how much I personally saved with each benefit. It was over $1,000. I could argue I would not have spent that money without the benefit, but I think AMEX is mechanizing for more aggressive retentions.

stanj

No retention offer for me on my Aspire card via chat. Just given list of all the benefits and that the free night cert and credits would more than cover the annual fee. I pointed out the devaluation of Hilton Diamond status given the change to F&B credit vs free breakfast in US and that most EL's in US are still closed. Agent apologized and said would let management know, but couldn't offer me any bonus. I'll keep the card for now, but I'm close to dumping it or at least downgrading.