Was that the first time you'd asked?
Many CC companies keep track of every user interaction 'to improve the experience' officially. Reality, they use it to know which customers blink.
If your credit is good, and have a partner with equally good credit aka CC applications get approved - then cancel that card AFTER you've already changed all DDs to another card or cards. With most DDs that is a painless experience you can do online by logging into the power, gas, water, phone etc accounts.
Ideally you have a few CCs, including no annual fee ones such as 28 Degrees, Coles MC etc. Typically our approach is to spread the DDs over the cards that have no fees for DDs and equally suffer no fees from the merchant for using them for DDs (cuts out using Amex for a couple of ours).
That way, it is only a matter of switching 2 or 3 DDs from one card to others BEFORE calling up to discuss cancelling your card.
If you customer record shows you repeatedly calling up to ask, getting declined, not cancelling and having more than 1 or 2 DDs set-up then you're unlikely to EVER get offered a retention bonus.
Compare that to a customer who has removed all DDs recently as if in preparation to shut down the account....
