Amex "I'm going to cancel my card" - bonus points given thread.

[auflier]

So another interesting experience I had - I decided to call Amex via the number on the back of my card. Got put through to Manila.

Had a chat to the agent about my annual fee that just got posted, and whether she coudl waive any of the fees. She went away, then came back a few mins later and said she couldn't. She also said there were no additional offers on my card.

Sensning I was getting no where, I said "oh that's ok, maybe I'll call back to retention"

She then said to me, oh are you thinking of taking your business elsewhere?

I then spoke a a bit about me not being in Aus atm blah blah blah (I'm living in SEA atm) - and she then again asked "so does that mean you're thinking of cancelling"

To which I then replied - yeah I guess so.This set her off to put me on hold again to "check" if they could do anything - and sure enough she came back and said "If you keep your card for another 12m, we'll give you 200k points, how about that sir?" (she also said they'd be posted in ~3 biz days so will let you guys know)

To which I replied casually "sure, why not, thanks"

Seems that it's massively luck of the draw / agent's mood / how nice you are / mercury is in retrograde?

I have had Amex's for some years - i think my charge, reserve and plat edge are all "5 years old" almost - that may have been a part of this?

Happy hunting!

👁👁 i m longer, with gold charge and reserve, nothing

 

[blacksultan]

So another interesting experience I had - I decided to call Amex via the number on the back of my card. Got put through to Manila.

Had a chat to the agent about my annual fee that just got posted, and whether she coudl waive any of the fees. She went away, then came back a few mins later and said she couldn't. She also said there were no additional offers on my card.

Sensning I was getting no where, I said "oh that's ok, maybe I'll call back to retention"

She then said to me, oh are you thinking of taking your business elsewhere?

I then spoke a a bit about me not being in Aus atm blah blah blah (I'm living in SEA atm) - and she then again asked "so does that mean you're thinking of cancelling"

To which I then replied - yeah I guess so.This set her off to put me on hold again to "check" if they could do anything - and sure enough she came back and said "If you keep your card for another 12m, we'll give you 200k points, how about that sir?" (she also said they'd be posted in ~3 biz days so will let you guys know)

To which I replied casually "sure, why not, thanks"

Seems that it's massively luck of the draw / agent's mood / how nice you are / mercury is in retrograde?

I have had Amex's for some years - i think my charge, reserve and plat edge are all "5 years old" almost - that may have been a part of this?

Happy hunting!

Well done . Was that the platinum charge ?

 

[tinkybelle]

Nothing offered for me today with plat charge Think i will cancel. NExt week after using my new credit

 

[RAM]

I think a useful datapoint to differentiate how they're responding would be if you have any supplementary cards & if so how many.

I've wondered for a while whether part of the calculation is how easy it is for the account holder to leave (how many direct debits set up, how many supplementary cards etc).

With our experience, a card with 2 supplementary cards & 5 DDs got offered zero. Bad call - it was cancelled.

Another (different person) with no supplementary & only 1 DD got 60,000 VFF points.

 

[Poojou]

Well done . Was that the platinum charge ?

Yessir - platinum charge was the card I was talking about.

I think a useful datapoint to differentiate how they're responding would be if you have any supplementary cards & if so how many.

I've wondered for a while whether part of the calculation is how easy it is for the account holder to leave (how many direct debits set up, how many supplementary cards etc).

With our experience, a card with 2 supplementary cards & 5 DDs got offered zero. Bad call - it was cancelled.

Another (different person) with no supplementary & only 1 DD got 60,000 VFF points.

I have:
1x Platinum Edge (AU)
1x Platinum Charge (AU)
1x Platinum Reserve (AU)
1x Krisflyer 'pleb edition' card here in SG

I rang the Australian number btw.

 

[RAM]

Yessir - platinum charge was the card I was talking about.




I have:
1x Platinum Edge (AU)
1x Platinum Charge (AU)
1x Platinum Reserve (AU)
1x Krisflyer 'pleb edition' card here in SG

I rang the Australian number btw.

Helpful datapoint.
No supplementaries on any of them? Or direct debits set-up?

 

[Poojou]

Helpful datapoint.
No supplementaries on any of them? Or direct debits set-up?

That's correct, nothing additional from that.

I am also exceedingly pleasant on these types of calls - don't know if that makes a difference, but it can't hurt!

In other news I also found out you can simply just ask them to extend all your travel credits if they haven't already automatically done it. Even if they're expired for this year!

 

[avante]

I called to cancel my Amex Explorer, due for renewal in Jan 2021 but was denied! I currently also hold a Plat Edge which I am happy to keep. I've been out of the game for a while but I assume I don't lose my Ascent points (which both cards pool to) if I cancel the Explorer but keep the Plat Edge?

 

[DC3]

I called to cancel my Amex Explorer, due for renewal in Jan 2021 but was denied! ...

So, they refused to cancel your card? How odd.

Suggest HUACA.

 

[Mr_Orange]

So, they refused to cancel your card? How odd.

Suggest HUACA.

Well quite. I don't think they would even be allowed to stop you cancelling.

 

[avante]

Sorry, clearly not a good start for a Monday morning... I meant to say (but didn't!) that I called to get a fee waiver.

 

[burmans]

Well quite. I don't think they would even be allowed to stop you cancelling.

Simple, they can't. But not all CSRs are very well trained.

 

[maccaisking]

I’m looking at ringing about dropping an Explorer and hoping for points, but if they say no and offer a downgrade I would still like the statement credit offers. Does anybody with one of the fee free card have any insight if the statement credit offers from Explorer to Essentials are similar?

 

[albyd]

I moved explorer to essentials. I only really use my charge card now. Essentials is just for Amex offers now. It’s fee free and on MR. Surprisingly, Explorer was pooling to my MR Ascent Premium account now only earns Gateway points. The number of points isn’t worth getting flustered over but I was surprised they didn’t link them all to pool esp since the charge card isn’t a budget product as goodwill gesture. That’s what I thought was originally the idea in letting us pool Explorer to the same MR account as charge. Guess that was just a fluke.

 

[Poojou]

Just an update for the thread. Can confirm the 200k points have hit my account. Will call up and try cancel the reserve card in the new year me thinks!

 

[DC3]

Just an update for the thread. Can confirm the 200k points have hit my account. Will call up and try cancel the reserve card in the new year me thinks!

So, that would be 200,000 MR points received to retain the Platinum Charge card. . So far, so good.

And you will also be using your skills in order to get a points offer to retain the Platinum Reserve?

When do you intend to start practicing your steps for the cancell/re-instate credit card dance, when you phone regarding offers for the Reserve?. Best of luck in tripping the light fantastic with whoever picks up at the Call Centre.

 

[ForestZ]

👁👁 i m longer, with gold charge and reserve, nothing

I also only have gold charge and reserve. Just wondering why you have “chosen” to keep these two cards?

 

[Poojou]

So, that would be 200,000 MR points received to retain the Platinum Charge card. . So far, so good.

And you will also be using your skills in order to get a points offer to retain the Platinum Reserve?

When do you intend to start practicing your steps for the cancell/re-instate credit card dance, when you phone regarding offers for the Reserve?. Best of luck in tripping the light fantastic with whoever picks up at the Call Centre.

I am actually a bit shocked they actually threw these points at me!!!

I never actually get through to Australia tbh, it's almost always the offshore mob who I find to be incredibly pleasant tbh.

Might give the platinum reserve cancellation a go closer to the end of the year... Here's hoping my luck holds!!!! (And that we can travel in 2021 so I can use some of these points)

 

[Bell21]

I think a useful datapoint to differentiate how they're responding would be if you have any supplementary cards & if so how many.

I've wondered for a while whether part of the calculation is how easy it is for the account holder to leave (how many direct debits set up, how many supplementary cards etc).

With our experience, a card with 2 supplementary cards & 5 DDs got offered zero. Bad call - it was cancelled.

Another (different person) with no supplementary & only 1 DD got 60,000 VFF points.

interesting data point - I have 4 supp cards and multiple DD's and we got offered zero even after a few attempts - we kept the card as we didn't quite push it to 'please now cancel my card' --- although we considered going ahead with cancelling, due to our set-up, we decided we still get enough benefit from the card to keep it in a lean year like this one for using benefits, although i suspect we might be less common in this regard

 

[Poojou]

interesting data point - I have 4 supp cards and multiple DD's and we got offered zero even after a few attempts - we kept the card as we didn't quite push it to 'please now cancel my card' --- although we considered going ahead with cancelling, due to our set-up, we decided we still get enough benefit from the card to keep it in a lean year like this one for using benefits, although i suspect we might be less common in this regard

For me the agents always need you to say "I want to cancel" then it weirdly like... Must unlock something on their computer? The last agent literally "helped" me into saying the words haha. Just a pov!