Which Amex Retention Offer?

[mkhan1093]

Hey all,

So as I enter year 2 of my membership with Amex, the first card to get an AF hit was my SPG personal card. I called frontline CSR who told me I have no retention offers, and then I called retentions directly who told me I have a lot of cards with Amex, and they only allow somebody to get one retention offer per year in total, not per card. (Sadly, this was never made clear in any of the stuff I've read online about getting Amex retention offers).

So, if you look in my signature, I have 8 cards with them. The two business ones I plan on closing once they enter year 2, and the Hilton cards/Delta card I'm going to downgrade. This leaves me with the SPG personal, Platinum, and PRG cards which are going to have AFs, and I plan on keeping all 3 at least for the next year. So which do you think is the wisest card to get a retention on? I asked if I could be given the current retention offers I have on all 3 but he said he could only tell me the offer for one card.

[wasCB14]

I have PM'ed OP with the FT wiki on Amex retention (which includes a long list of past offers). I don't believe I can post the link publicly, but can sent a PM to anyone else who is interested.

[Anonymous]

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@mkhan1093 wrote:

Hey all,

So as I enter year 2 of my membership with Amex, the first card to get an AF hit was my SPG personal card. I called frontline CSR who told me I have no retention offers, and then I called retentions directly who told me I have a lot of cards with Amex, and they only allow somebody to get one retention offer per year in total, not per card. (Sadly, this was never made clear in any of the stuff I've read online about getting Amex retention offers).

So, if you look in my signature, I have 8 cards with them. The two business ones I plan on closing once they enter year 2, and the Hilton cards/Delta card I'm going to downgrade. This leaves me with the SPG personal, Platinum, and PRG cards which are going to have AFs, and I plan on keeping all 3 at least for the next year. So which do you think is the wisest card to get a retention on? I asked if I could be given the current retention offers I have on all 3 but he said he could only tell me the offer for one card.

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Which ones do you want to use going forward.  SPG will be gone by the end of the year if that is a factor or you.  Seems like a lot of annual fees to have both PRG and Platinum.  745 dollars for two cards.  Are you really going to get that much value out of them? 

[wasCB14]

There are also some CSRs who don't understand we're satisfied customers just fishing for extras, or who have no interest in playing such games with us. Some may check for offers, see none, and close your card without explicitly asking for your final instruction to do so. After all, you're talking to a specialized department, you say you're unhappy with the card, and they can't offer you anything.

Despite the higher gross AF, I don't call for retention on Platinum because I use the perks heavily and wouldn't want them interrupted. With SPG, though, I am willing to play games.

[UpperNwGuy]

I think your best retention offer will be on the Platinum, so I would keep the Platinum and close the PRG and SPG.

[mkhan1093]

I called again in true HUCA fashion and actually was met some with great results! The same lady gave me 2 retention offers without much work on my end:

1) SPG: 7K points for $1K spend in 3 months

2) Platinum: 5K MR immediately and 15K after $3K spend in 3 months

Fantastic results considering I spent more on Chase cards this past year than I did Amex cards. Definitely makes these 2 worth it now. The PRG will be up in a few months, so at the moment there were no offers for it but I'll see what happens when the fee actually hits. Overall super glad

[MrDisco99]

So wait... Amex only gives you one retention offer per year?  That's good info to know.

My EDP, PRG, and Green cards all turn a year old at the same time.  I need to figure out what I should try for with mine, too.  Is it possible for me to get an upgrade offer for the Green to PRG if I already hold that card?  I wonder if I should cancel the PRG and try for a retention and an upgrade.  Or get a likely better retention offer on the PRG (which I actually use regularly) and cancel the Green.  Decisions decisions...