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

[gapmatt]

My Plat Charge renewal is due tomorrow. Called up last week, spoke with offshore agent, and explained I wasn't getting value from the card currently (owing to no international travel) and hence asked if they could please lower the annual fee. Got told no, so I suggested it would make more sense for me to just cancel the card and re-apply in 12 months and get the signup bonus again. Asked if there were any retention bonus on offer to avoid this. Got put through to retention team agent in AU, re-told my story, and about 40 seconds into the call she offered me 190K points to not cancel. Accepted the offer, and was told to expect the points in my account within 2-4 days. Total call duration under 4 minutes!

Very surprised and pleased to get this offer given others recent experiences I've see in this thread.

Nice! I should have asked for some more! I think 190k points is the current offer for new card holders hence that amount.

 

[Ktan89]

My Plat Charge renewal is due tomorrow. Called up last week, spoke with offshore agent, and explained I wasn't getting value from the card currently (owing to no international travel) and hence asked if they could please lower the annual fee. Got told no, so I suggested it would make more sense for me to just cancel the card and re-apply in 12 months and get the signup bonus again. Asked if there were any retention bonus on offer to avoid this. Got put through to retention team agent in AU, re-told my story, and about 40 seconds into the call she offered me 190K points to not cancel. Accepted the offer, and was told to expect the points in my account within 2-4 days. Total call duration under 4 minutes!

Very surprised and pleased to get this offer given others recent experiences I've see in this thread.

total time took 4 mins? damn it takes me 4 mins just to explain to them and I get no where.
My renewal is next week, can you spare another 4min, pretend to be me and talk to Amex?

 

[sambo]

total time took 4 mins? damn it takes me 4 mins just to explain to them and I get no where.
My renewal is next week, can you spare another 4min, pretend to be me and talk to Amex?

Sure thing - split the points with me 50/50?

 

[Sapz]

offered me 190K points to not cancel

Wondering how they came up with a 190k figure. why not 200k

 

[chowda85]

total time took 4 mins? damn it takes me 4 mins just to explain to them and I get no where.
My renewal is next week, can you spare another 4min, pretend to be me and talk to Amex?

No doubt based on various factors but I wonder if the key is the "makes more sense to cancel and reapply after 12 months' comment"?

 

[sambo]

No doubt based on various factors but I wonder if the key is the "makes more sense to cancel and reapply after 12 months' comment"?

Possibly, I just made that up on the spot, so a spot of good luck if that was indeed the key!

 

[Daver6]

Wondering how they came up with a 190k figure. why not 200k

Algorithms. My theory is it makes no difference what story you tell them. Either there is a retention bonus available or not and the amount is based on a bunch of factors that we could only guess at.

 

[DC3]

Algorithms. My theory is it makes no difference what story you tell them. Either there is a retention bonus available or not and the amount is based on a bunch of factors that we could only guess at.

That makes sense. Computer then says “No”, or sometimes “Yes”, churning out a number accordingly.

Edited

 

[TheRealTMA]

That makes sense. Computer then says “No”, or sometimes “Yes”, churning out a number accordingly.

Edited

No. It’s always the computer who says yes. That’s why some get 100K, or 190k and others 250k. Humans have no part in Amex apart from getting to the person who can press the right key.

 

[rbjhan]

AMEX is mental.
I called last Oct and there was nothing, so downgraded to green. And now they sent me an upgrade offer, 80K points for 3K spending in 3 months. WTF?!
Problem is my old Plat was through a professional org and the annual fee is $1200. Worth it for the 80K points? probably not...

 

[Ktan89]

My fee posted this month, just got off the phone with them and still no points offer.
Only offered to downgrade to Gold or Green card.
They probably have notes in the system showing that I've tried many times hahaha.
Now my question is to keep or cancel the card and wait for 18months. Problem is I have hopes to travel within the 18months.

 

[sambo]

Wondering how they came up with a 190k figure. why not 200k

Not sure - but I've just checked now, and they have credited 200k points bonus. Happy with that!

 

[yzstyle]

Called the Plat AU line Monday morning, annual fee charged last week.

Mentioned to the consultant concerns around tangible values being utilised last year, keen to explore options given the fee has just been issued. ($1450).

Was transferred to the retention line, AU based, told the same story around trying to understand the value which member can get out of the high fee, consultant looked up my account, offered 120k points which he mentioned can be redeemed for $600 off the annual fee, very nice gesture and the points arrived the same afternoon.

Description of the points was 'Once Only Valued Customer Loyalty Bonus'.

Have 3 cards with Amex and 10 years member, spend didn't change much during last year.

Well done Amex

 

[DC3]

... Well done Amex

Good to hear that the computer said
“Yes, 120,000 points” for you.

 

[Poojou]

Called the Plat AU line Monday morning, annual fee charged last week.

Mentioned to the consultant concerns around tangible values being utilised last year, keen to explore options given the fee has just been issued. ($1450).

Was transferred to the retention line, AU based, told the same story around trying to understand the value which member can get out of the high fee, consultant looked up my account, offered 120k points which he mentioned can be redeemed for $600 off the annual fee, very nice gesture and the points arrived the same afternoon.

Description of the points was 'Once Only Valued Customer Loyalty Bonus'.

Have 3 cards with Amex and 10 years member, spend didn't change much during last year.

Well done Amex

Awesome man! Good to hear! Also amusingly - that 'one only valued customer' is on my account at least 3 times haha

 

[ChrisFlyer]

Not so much a retention bonus, but a follow on from that.

Called AMEX about my Explorer card earlier in the year as I couldn't see the point in continuing to pay the annual fee when I already have several cards (sure, there's the $400 travel credit, but the fee is $395, so that barely breaks even: I could just not pay the fee and spend that money however I want, on travel or anything else).

No reason to keep it, so downgraded that account to the free Essential card (mainly to keep as an extra card for AMEX offers).

Fast-forward a couple of months, and AMEX sends me an offer to return back to the Explorer with an offer of 60,000 bonus MR points + $200 back to the card (meaning a $195 first-year cost, still with the $400 travel credit).

Seemed OK but figured I again wouldn't use the card after meeting the minimum spend, so looked around the Upgrades section of the account and found a better fit for me: swap the Essential to the Plat Edge with 40,000 bonus MR points + $100 back (so a $95 first-year fee with a $200 travel credit). Not as big a bonus but half the out-of-pocket cost, and with a higher earn rate than I'm currently getting on any other card for supermarket and petrol spend, so would actually use the card beyond the qualifying period.

Not an astronomical deal, but always happy for bonus point opportunities where you don't actually have to apply for a new line of credit.

 

[Quattro]

Card: Platinum Charge
Fee due: this month

Called again, got O/S call centre. Definitely less rude than the Aus ones. He did note I called in February last year for a similar reason... and that's when I knew it was all over. I am seriously tempted to reduce to Green, but now the Reserve travel credit is no longer than is really not sitting well.

Ah well.

 

[Ktan89]

Card: Platinum Charge
Fee due: this month

Called again, got O/S call centre. Definitely less rude than the Aus ones. He did note I called in February last year for a similar reason... and that's when I knew it was all over. I am seriously tempted to reduce to Green, but now the Reserve travel credit is no longer than is really not sitting well.

Ah well.

Haha I feel your pain. I had the same experience and I agree with you, the O/S call centre is much better than the ones I've dealt with in Sydney.

 

[DC3]

Maybe best to concentrate on the points and not on how nice they sound when computer says ‘No’.

 

[Dave G]

Card: Platinum Charge
Fee due: this month

Called again, got O/S call centre. Definitely less rude than the Aus ones. He did note I called in February last year for a similar reason... and that's when I knew it was all over. I am seriously tempted to reduce to Green, but now the Reserve travel credit is no longer than is really not sitting well.

Ah well.

Are you thinking that the plat reserve credit is disappearing for existing holders ?