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Miles to Memories reports an interesting potential change in Chase retention offers: in the past, calling and saying that you’d like to cancel or think you want to cancel unless there are any offers to keep the card would usually either get you straight to your offers and/or a retention specialist. Apparently Chase has now implemented a system in some cases in which an offer only populates when the phone agent moves forward with the process to cancel your account. I wouldn’t risk going to that step if I weren’t willing to cancel the card, but apparently you may get an offer in some cases. It would be unfortunate to see retention offers move in this direction.
There are still a number of recent Flyertalk data points indicating that retention offers are still working in the traditional way for some cardholders. That is to say that some have called and said that they are thinking of cancelling and want to know if there are any offers available to keep the account and some have been given the option for a statement credit in some amount.
However, the data point from Miles to Memories indicates that the reader asked if there were any offers and was told no, so he asked to go ahead and cancel the card. As the agent moved forward in the process to cancel, they said there was a pop-up offer for a statement credit.
I don’t think this is a case of the agent misleading the caller but rather perhaps a new system that Chase is testing to see how it affects retentions. It makes some sense that they may not want to offer anything until a cardholder has confirmed that they will indeed cancel (as opposed to bluffing). Still, paired with recent news of things tightening up on the business side, it looks like things are potentially getting a lot tougher all around.
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Just cancelled my Chase SW performance business card. they went straight to the process of cancellation, maybe the fastest I have had anything cancelled EVER.
[…] needing to keep good customers and willing to give out retention offers if necessary. It seems that Chase wants to limit these offers to those who are really going to cancel. Reports say so you might need to get right up to the end of the process before the retention offer […]
I chat cancelled an AMEX Platinum and an AMEX Bonvoy in one chat and it was instant without any retention offers at all. They may have figured out from my complete shutdown of spending that they have lost me for good after 25 years. Amazing how the value of points has evaporated overnight. I lost 55k Citi points on an Australia flight because Citi wouldn’t answer their cancellation line and I expect to lose 110k in Virgin Atlantic miles for a ANA flight I can’t get cancelled. I have a million miles that I view with little to no value!
If ur tired of it why don’t u go to an award booker for $75 a piece it’s worth a shot !!! I just canceled May now hoping for Sept. trip..
http://www.milevalue.com
LOL
#stayincave
Chase never has any rention offers for me. I don’t even bother anymore. Its been that way for years for me.
My amex plat retention 2 years ago also required me to go to the last step before cancelling, when agent said a new pop up showed with a 30k offer. Never had that experience since, and I call in frequently.
If this “popup” happens before they say “Do you authorize us to close the account” then can’t we continue saying that we want to close the account and then get the popup retention offer before it’s 100% too late to change our mind about closing the account?
Recently called Amex for Brilliant retention offer after getting dinged for AF and was told to take a hike. Now I’ll wait for the free 50K night to hit and then call back to downgrade – no point in keeping this one because don’t need it now for 15 nights on my way to plat for 2021 when it’s a given. If I remember I’ll see if one ‘populates’ when the cancellation process starts with Amex – doubt it – and come back and provide an update. Had some good use on that card too.
I have this card. My anniversary date was 11/23. The 50K night just posted to my account on 4/2. I’m guessing you might be in for a similar long wait. Also, you might want to consider downgrading to the Amex Bonvoy instead of cancelling. Just a thought.
DPs indicate that you’ll still get the 50k FN cert if you downgrade any time after your anniversary, so you can likely downgrade now.
Smart move on chase’s part and Nutthing to lose for them .
#stayincave
I don’t see anything wrong with this. The CC cancellation game isn’t a game if only one side (the card holder) is playing.
Austerity measures begin at the banks.
As it should be. Not that I’m happy about this, but it always struck me as weird that you could just ask what free stuff they’d give you (and that they’d tell you).