Retention Bonuses?
Aug 27, 2003 | 6:24 am
#1
Original Poster
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Freeload Univ. Where are you sitting?
Posts: 14,818
Retention Bonuses?
I might be the only guy in the world who's keeping his BA Visa card. 
It seems that everyone else just signs up for the card, gets the bonus, and then dumps it.
It's as good a card as any other, the interest rate isn't wonderful but it's not all that bad, especially since I pay it off every month. Visa is accepted everywhere.
So ... if I decide to keep it (I use it every day - gotta keep them miles comin' in!), do they offer anything in the way of a retention bonus?
I got 10K from my Diner's Club card, and another lump from these guys would sure be nice.
Never heard of retention bonuses for Visa, though. Anybody ever get one?
It seems that everyone else just signs up for the card, gets the bonus, and then dumps it.
It's as good a card as any other, the interest rate isn't wonderful but it's not all that bad, especially since I pay it off every month. Visa is accepted everywhere.
So ... if I decide to keep it (I use it every day - gotta keep them miles comin' in!), do they offer anything in the way of a retention bonus?
I got 10K from my Diner's Club card, and another lump from these guys would sure be nice.
Never heard of retention bonuses for Visa, though. Anybody ever get one?
Sep 3, 2003 | 4:16 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
Posts: 19,810
You know, I rang and cancelled my First USA British Airways Visa card last week. I of course braced myself ahead of time... the last time I cancelled a card, an Amex product, I had to wait out 45 minutes of wrangling and wheedling and fake computer crashes.
This time, however, I got through to First USA, told the CSR I wanted to cancel and was just confirming the final-payment figure, and she said:
"I presume you're cancelling because you don't wish to pay the annual fee."
Me: "Oh, not, not at all. I'm cancelling because of changes to the British Airways Executive Club."
Her: "Oh. What changes are those?"
Me: (Details same.)
Her. "Ah, I see. All right then. Your account is cancelled. Thank you for calling First USA."
She was very responsive, but couldn't have cared less whether I kept the card or not and offered no inducements.
For the record, it was a fairly high-spend account; large payoffs used to trigger automated we-hope-we're-still-your-primary-card mailings; I was surprised they made no effort at all to retain my business.
Not that it would have done any good.
This time, however, I got through to First USA, told the CSR I wanted to cancel and was just confirming the final-payment figure, and she said:
"I presume you're cancelling because you don't wish to pay the annual fee."
Me: "Oh, not, not at all. I'm cancelling because of changes to the British Airways Executive Club."
Her: "Oh. What changes are those?"
Me: (Details same.)
Her. "Ah, I see. All right then. Your account is cancelled. Thank you for calling First USA."
She was very responsive, but couldn't have cared less whether I kept the card or not and offered no inducements.
For the record, it was a fairly high-spend account; large payoffs used to trigger automated we-hope-we're-still-your-primary-card mailings; I was surprised they made no effort at all to retain my business.
Not that it would have done any good.
Sep 7, 2003 | 7:23 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2003
Location: CA
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 2,879
A couple of months ago I also called First to cancel my credit card. Had no problems. When asked why I wanted to cancel I said I had opened a new card in my wifes name in order to gain the 20,000 UA miles.
They then cancelled the card without any problems.
They then cancelled the card without any problems.