EkekoBWI

Over the last week, I've called CC reps / Retention to inquire about promotions and retention offers. Unlike every previous year, I've recently received an almost unbroken string of very polite yet firm, "No, sorry, we can't do anything" in response to my typical pitch of, "I'm thinking about closing this card, but am interested in first knowing if an offer can be extended to me..."

I'm curious if CCs' belts are being tightened across the board, and the days of "if you ask, they will cave" are over. Is this the new normal?

CCs:
CSR (< 1 year): Zip
Chase Ink Bold (4 years): Nada
BoF Alaska Visa Sig (4 years): Zilch
UA Select (7 years): Zip
AA Plat (5 years): Rock
SPG AMEX (5 years): Have yet to call, but low expectations since I've sock drawer-ed it
DL AMEX Plat (< 2 years): 1000 miles + 2000 miles for $1k spend in 3 months

safigan

I notice you don't have any of AmEx's "core" credit cards on your list. Just last week I kept my AmEx Plat (and its $550 fee) when offered a 30k point retention bonus. And on my son's AmEx business gold, he was targeted for a 10k offer to add the "pay over time" option and then another 75k offer to upgrade to AmEx plat business with $10k in new spending. That's 115k points in offers in the last 30 days without opening a new CC account; but it did come with higher annual fees and spending requirements.

garykung

No.

In fact, per the cards you mentioned, you are clearly the group of customers that issuers intend NOT to retain. It sounds like your cards are all recent open cards.

Retention offers are offered to those who have been with the company for a while.

EkekoBWI

Edited OP to show duration with each CC.

sdsearch

And yet, it was just this past week or so all over the news that some study had just been done and found that an astoundingly high percentage (way over 50%!) of consumers who asked for some offset on their annual fee got it.

It was a WSJ article that I saw the link to, and I don't have a WSJ subsription, so I couldn't figure out how to read the whole article, and that's why I can't provide more details as to whether they listed it by bank, for example. I wonder if the success rate is much higher with cards that don't earn airline miles, hotel points, or transferable points, since presumably the average consumer doesn't have any of those three types of cards.

tayfor2011

You have to be the only holder ever to not get an offer on AA Plat. How mant times do you call per year on each card looking for promotions?

tmiw

I didn't get any offers for the Aviator or the PRG recently. Of course, the former was understandable due to the card getting barely any spend; however, the PRG not getting any was a headscratcher due to me actually having used the card on occasion throughout the year.

Anyway, I'm not sure I'd consider either of our experiences part of a larger trend just yet. Anecdotes != data and all.

cplush

i've closed a AA red aviator and a citi hilton card recently and got 0% for 18 months as the offers. went ahead and closed them. granted i had barely 2 yrs with both of them and they were sock drawered, so the probably figured i was churning.

mia

Note that we have retention offer threads for all major issuers:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...all-cards.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...ll-cards.html?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...perks-etc.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...on-offers.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chase...5-present.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi-...all-cards.html

levilevi

I'd agree with OP - I"m seeing offers posted in those retention threads, I seem to fit similar patterns as those posters, and yet no offers... but hard to know all the inputs that factor into retention offers - including if your total bank relationship is factored in (likely). BUt the net result is me actually closing a few cards - which, I'm kinda happy about - less to track... also I'm waiting out 5/24 until August -- so trimming the fat now to ramp up later.

Recently closed within last few months: Barclays AAviator Red, SPG Open, PRG, Citi AA Plat Personal (got a retention on Citi AA Plat Biz).

EkekoBWI

It was a first for me! I usually call just before the af hits. With the AA Plat, I broke my typical mo and called 6 months ahead of the af hitting, legitimately wondering if I should retain the card or not.

H2O - COWBOY

I just tried for a retention with the AA/MC Citi Gold and was denied. Member since 2004 at 35k I will call back again and Link it with AA/Visa Citi Platinum Member since 2010 at 25k and see what that brings me . I am guessing Platinum beats Gold ?