Do you mind elaborating a little further if you can? I got a call, thought the CC would be axed but was let go, at least for now. What is the typical scenario? I suppose I should stay away from "heavy MSing" on it, but what is "heavy"? A high amount or does it more have to do with cycling CL ?

I wish I could tell you exactly how much is safe, but I don't know the magic number. In general though, most people who MS a lot eventually get shut down by Cap1, even if they aren't cycling. I've heard a few reports of people getting shut down after a phone call, but I know people who survived the phone call as well (for awhile at least).

Thanks, I suppose if there were too much certainty, it wouldn't be fun : )

The way I see it is that if they are calling me for info regarding my account activity then they probably need a little more info to justify closing my accounts. I was not about to help them. I just paid off my accounts and closed them myself.

But the calls can be marketing calls. "We''ve noticed a lot of activity on your card--would you like a larger CL?" Or they can be anti-fraud calls. "Did you make these purchases yourself? Are you under any duress?" Or they're checking to see if you can still be reached, or are still alive (so no one else is using your card). Or it can be a routine KYC policy--AmEx likes to call cardholders with three routine questions.

I don't see you gain anything by closing accounts proactively when the call could be nothing at all to worry about.

You might be right about nothing to worry about, and I certainly hope you are, but these types of calls are not for marketing purposes or checking if you're under duress. They're specifically inquiring why you buy so many gift cards.

Does anybody know how Cap1 handles returned purchases (like refundable hotel or airline credits) after the account is shut down? Curious how much power they have to decide with the return. I'm assuming they would send you a check, but with a shutdown for a specific reason, who knows. Does anybody have any DPs?

Just had my Sparking Color shut down (again). Had one in my own name which got thrown in the river, then my brother opened one for me. It was total pedal-to-the-metal, a second card on the account, using the CL as soon as it freed up. After about 5 months they called him and he told them accurately that he is an attorney and a local politician and they left it alone, but six months later it's gone. Oh well.

To answer the question in the post just above, I have no specific information on the company, but it's very difficult to imagine that they wouldn't make a cash refund for returned items. They paid off my remaining rewards balance. Closing an account for "good cause" is one thing but closing it essentially without a reason is quite another. They need a very good reason to take your money, while they can close an account just because they don't feel like doing business with you.

I had expected this eventually.

Do you know how to use "reply with quote"? : ) The "good reason" they might cite is that the refund was for the purchase that was reimbursed with Rewards miles. And since the account was closed because of the abuse of the rewards programs, which is specified in the T&C, any money refunded that was reimbursed with the rewards is therefore forfeited, just like points. I'm not saying that's actually how they go about handling refunds after the shutdowns, but it's also within the range of possibilities. That's why I'm curious about any DPs of refunds after shutdowns.

you did the right move by proactively closing the accounts. meaning, there should not be any negative remarks associated to your SSN for future CC apps. however, there still could be some residual notes about the attempted calls made since they wanted to question you but couldnt. either way, self closure is always better than bank closure. your next app should be no prob but give it some time so their "old file" goes into archive. who knows how long that is though.

also, could you give us more MS activity details in the past 2 years? would help us a lot to understand tolerance levels. what was your monthly? im almost certain your auto loan put eyes on your account. similar to a mortgage app. best case scenario, auto lending dept just wanted to know your expenses and spending patterns. but thats a stretch. pretty sure they referred your file to another fraud dept or compliance risk dept. so its good you proactively closed your accounts. but what did your MS activity look like?

and then what about your auto loan? approved?

The auto loan was approved. I churned 4 of those cards from 2017 to the present. I started MS on my second latest one in august 2018 cycling the card twice for three months after which I would MS ABOUT 10-12K per month which went on until about may this year. Beginning in March I got a second card of the same kind and would divide the same amount of MS across the two accounts. After that I only did as needed to cover travel purchases which amounted to about 10k over 2 months. A "Sr Account Manager who monitors account activity" left a couple voicemails saying he had some questions for me. That's what prompted me to close the accounts. The MS was online from simon the first couple months then just GCM.

1. C1t1zens Bank
2. ~4 years personal checking
3. 7k
4. ~8-9k/month MO via ATM only, never more than 1MO per location, 3MO/day and at least 14 days between deposit by branch location.

Ended up closing the account before shut down date. Will be moving on to another bank with a business checking account.

Since the funds are credited to the same person/account, such fragmentation is totally obvious and resembles structuring. The net results don't even trigger any reporting limits. Isn't this acting suspiciously for no reason and with no benefits?

They shut me down a few years ago. They even settled my suit :). I am back swinging w them although not 10 cards. So all is good w Citi

What is suspicious? Doesn't sound suspicous to me.

1. c@p!/venture
2. 1 cc acct, 30k limit, 13 mos
3. new checking and savings, <$100 each
4. ms $12-20k per month last 6 months
5. not really

6. BP using WM, +ach transfers from other banks
7. No

No phone call received. Just logged on one day and saw that my CC account was "currently restricted" (I know what THAT means) and they had cashed out my Rewards at 1%. Days later, received an email that they closed my month-old checking and savings accounts! Deposited WM MOs into checking using ATM only one time!