Annual fee waivers for second and subsequent years - the new normal?

[Bunty]

After using my ANZ Black for lounge access in a few days will be cancelling it. Lost interest in QF points. Reward J flights to Asia are like winning the lottery.

My NAB Virgin Premium card is around annual fee time. For the $150 fee I see that as a decent trade off for not having to buy insurance when using miles for a trip. I do like the card as the conversion to SQ points is still a bit better than the CB signature. Should I try me luck to get a fee free for the next year

Fee free for life signature card wont be handed back unless they do a points enhancement.

Amex Edge has my family with sup cards earning lots of points, and the free flight leaves me in credit each year so am happy with the cost benefits of that one.

Credit score a bit on the low side so going to wait for a couple of cards to disappear from my history this year before applying for any more bonus points.

www.creditsavvy.com.au lets you see your credit score and history for free for anyone interested. beats paying veda for the privilege.

Are you aware that creditsavvy.com.au is a front for Aussie Home Loans (AHL)? I'd rather not give my details to them. They request the credit score from Experian anyway, so why not go straight to Credit Report Australia, Credit Check, Credit Rating | Free Credit Report

BTW, Veda can give it to you for free too - Order a Free Credit Report | My Credit File AU

 

[Bunty]

Mind if I ask which NAB Platinum is it?
If it is the Qantas rewards, interested to know how do you managed to get that free for life?

Actually, the card is just branded "NAB Platinum Visa". I don't think it's linked to Qantas. I never used it, so don't really care. It's my emergency back up card.

 

[SydneySwan]

After several years of fee waiver on the Earth black only got the fee halved this time, using it for travel insurance.
We also have ANZ Black and Platinum which is coming up for renewal.
Has anyone been successful in have the second year annual fee waived?

Mrs SydneySwan spent a long time on the phone to ANZ yesterday requesting the annual fee be waived for her second year of ANZ Black but they wouldn't budge. The chap on the phone told her her best hope was to wait until the fee was charged to her account and then ring up and try to negotiate a reduction. I don't think so ....

 

[Isochronous]

Actually, the card is just branded "NAB Platinum Visa". I don't think it's linked to Qantas. I never used it, so don't really care. It's my emergency back up card.

What kind of points does it earn, and how did you manage to get the waiver?

 

[Travel Bug]

That's great news. I am going to try to convince my credit cards company to waive my fee. Wish me luck. Think I'm going to need it!!!!!!

 

[Bunty]

What kind of points does it earn, and how did you manage to get the waiver?

I think it must earn Flybuys points, but I can't be certain as I don't use the card and can't remember the last time I used it. Have had the card for over 15 years, but it started out as a Standard card and was upgraded to Gold, then Platinum over the years. Focus of my spending is on Amex Platinum Reserve (primary) and Diamond Mastercard (for non-Amex spend).

I think it's quite likely that these card issuers are rewarding long term members with annual fee waivers.

 

[nickfromeastryde]

Citi Signature - free for life. Rarely used. Priority Lounge passes every year, plus some additional benefits during the year.
HSBC Platinum - free for life. Rarely used. Can be useful overseas to get preferential access/pricing.
Coles Platinum - free for life. Rarely used.
NAB Platinum - free for life. Rarely used.
David Jones Amex - $99p.a.+ $25p.a. for Supplementary. Good points haul from Supermarkets & Fuel and can transfer to multiple airlines/hotel programs. In the early years, they were prepared to waive the annual fee, but last couple of years have rejected my request.
David Jones Store Card - free for life. Never use.
CBA Diamond Mastercard/Amex - free as part of Home Loan Package. Points are OK for Mastercard (1.25 per $) and Amex (3 per $). ATO spend earns full points.
Amex Platinum Reserve - most restaurant spend goes on this (3 points per $) and travel. Free annual flight/hotel and travel insurance is respectable. $395 annual fee is therefore marginal, but have had varying success in having this waived over the last 10 years. This year they gifted me 40,000 points to retain my business. Amex membership is now over 20 years, so this may have some impact on their willingness to occasionally waive fees.

Have had all of these cards as well (except Amex Platinum Reserve) though in recent times have rationalised and only now have Citi, CBA Diamond and DJ Amex Platinum. Not all were free for life, though with the exception of DJ Amex Platinum have always got annual fee waived. My DJ annual fee is $295.00 which is a lot but it is also the only card I have where I can transfer points through to SPG (2 DJ = 1 SPG point) so up to this year have always paid it. As part of a 3 month holiday we just came home from we managed to use points to save about USD 4,100 at SPG properties so 3 years worth of fees has been absolutely worth it.

Anyway, fee just appeared on current statement so I thought I would cancel card. Rang up and told them why and they said straight up we will give you 30K points to stay, more than enough to pay the annual fee. The girl even offered to process the fee transaction for me though I said no as I would much prefer 15K in SPG points and pay the fee with cash. On finishing the call she told me to call back next year as in all likelihood they would do the same again

So currently, all three of my cards are fee free and they are really the cards I intend to keep for life anyway

 

[Duffa]

Mixed bag
EDR - fee free for past 3 years
Westpac Black - reduced to $150 for 2 yrs but they wouldn't go to zero
Jetstar - no reduction
Citi Prestige half price for last 4 years
Silver donut - no reduction from $99
ANZ Black - interested to see in a few months when renewal comes up

 

[ellen10]

Received my latest ANZ Platinum statement with the annual fee.
I rang to cancel. Gave the annual fee as my reason for cancelling She said you have been a very good customer, would like to keep me. But I said the annual fee was too high.
She offered me a reduced fee on the basic card. I said the points rewards were not what I liked (Amex $1=1 and visa 0.5). She then offered the basic for no annual fee but I said no.
She asked me what other cards I was looking at. I said the NAB has a good sign on offer and I already had the EDRCC visa with 1:1.

So I closed the account. I will have a look around to see what other good deals come through in the next month or so.

 

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

Are you aware that creditsavvy.com.au is a front for Aussie Home Loans (AHL)? I'd rather not give my details to them. They request the credit score from Experian anyway, so why not go straight to Credit Report Australia, Credit Check, Credit Rating | Free Credit Report

BTW, Veda can give it to you for free too - Order a Free Credit Report | My Credit File AU

Credit Savy gives you a monthly update for free. Most other providers will give you one free report each year.

So far not had any unwelcome calls or selling from creditsavy so happy to be able to monitor my credit applicatins for free.

 

[Sheriff]

My wife received a full annual fee waiver on her Macquarie Visa card for the second year.

Unfortunately, I didn't receive the same so I destroyed the card.

 

[smit0847]

I forget the general public dont automatically think like us http://m.theage.com.au/money/borrow...waived-for-those-who-ask-20150807-gitp9c.html

 

[Daver6]

Jetstar Platinum Mastcard. Called up a couple of days ago to find out when the fee was due and how much. Was told $149 in a few weeks. Asked for a reduction and was given the spiel about all the benefits etc and no reduction possible. I just asked who I speak to about cancelling it. The gentleman said he can help and wanted to know why. Basically said I thought it was poor value for money and I'd like to cancel. He then says let me see what I can do. Magically the annual fee for the next year is halved. I kept the card. So annoying how you have to play the games, but so be it.

 

[Febs]

Coming up for 5 years now fee-free on a card that is usually $395/year. Had no expectation for it to be free beyond the first year, but I'll keep it as long as it is!

 

[nicky286]

Coming up for 5 years now fee-free on a card that is usually $395/year. Had no expectation for it to be free beyond the first year, but I'll keep it as long as it is!

What card do u have?

 

[theblank]

My partner got off the phone with a rather rude NAB Relationship Manager. He was calling up with my partner to get his annual fee waived (I did mine a few months ago and it was very straight forward). He jumped through the usual hoops of saying ‘been thinking of cancelling it’, ‘not a competitive product’, ‘many other cards out there with no annual fee’ etc.
Some of the RMs responses:

Relationship managers at NAB dont have control over credit cards. The way to deal with NAB is to contact the credit card centre, not someone in a branch. They will waive fees and will do so easily.

Because you did it your way, its probably that your RM is paying for the card fee waiver out of his budget, and his response is reasonable. (its understandble his response seemed rude because you did not like it)

No thing about 'we value your business', 'we don't want to lose you' etc.

I worked for a long time for NAB, (but this would apply to any bank) and I can assure you that I dealt with many customers at times where we did not value their business, and we wanted to lose them. Sometimes they did not take the hint and I would tell them direct to their face and they still wouldn't go. Generally these were people who were always overdrawing cheque accounts

 

[RTWtraveler]

Has anyone tried a fee waiver with Chase MileagePlus Explorer? That's a United card.

 

[diningdecadence]

got 1/2 off + 15k points for 2nd year in a row with citi select/ prestige. not as good as others have posted in the citi section but enough to justify as front of wallet (and now only) c/c.

offered 1/2 off on WBC alt. black- declined as couldn't see the benefit of increased SQ earn vs AMEX surcharges.

 

[Dawg]

Doesn't sound like anyone has had luck with ANZ Black. I had an unsuccessful try at getting my 2nd year fee wiped. No luck. Card cancelled. Good luck for all the rest who signed up this time last year. If anyone manages to get the ANZ waiver let us know how!

 

[pangwen]

For those with Citi, how far before the annual fee is charged do you usually call to ask for a waiver? Or do you wait until after it's charged to get a refund?