Citi has been the most generous credit card issuer when it comes to retention offers, with it being possible to get multiple offers for the same card in the same year. Some of the offers have been amazing as well with up to 50,000 in bonus points. It looks like that is set to change, when you call Citi on the front page they can see how often you’ve called and the agents you spoke to. Reader Jack said a rep he called was also able to read out all the retention offers he had received.
[Read: Retention Bonus Rules & Tips For Each Card Issuer – Get More Than One Bonus Each Year]
@Drofcredit talked to a rep today and they can see in the system (front page) how many times you called & what types of agents you spoke to
— Amol (@PointsToPointB) January 12, 2016
I assume the reason that Citi have made this IT change is so that representatives don’t offer people as many/as lucrative retention bonuses when they are doing it on a frequent basis. It’s also important to remember that they made changes to their automated system as well. I can’t say I’m surprised, some of the offers they were handing out were absurd but it’s another loss in an already shaky start to 2016.
Citi is not making any retention offers on the AA Platinum card and when I ask for the retention dept. every rep I’ve spoken to tells me it has been closed.
Probably due to the Costco transfer, they are struggling big time
Called to ask for retention offer on Aadvantage Platinum Select and rep said that no offers are in the table and to call back once the AF posts. Rep also said that miles will be lost after 60 days. Not sure if this is true. Still have the Red Aviator, so that won’t happen. Also, rep said that card cannot be applied for in the future at all, not churnable.
If I send secure message online, whether it will increase or decrease the possibility to get the retention offer?
Is there any format I can use, or just say I want the retention offer?
Thanks.
Barclay was willing to waive my annual fee on the Aviator, but Citi would do nothing for me when my annual fee came due on the AAdvantage card.
DoC I think your post is a bit off and mischaracterized… its not upto the rep to offer anything or not — he doesnt make up retention offers & its not coming out of his pockets (paycheck or commission) … infact its better for his record that you dont cancel any given product on em, than if you do.
in any case, they only read what the computer offers/tells em — that is to say what the marketing dept has loaded on your acct. sure they can see what you’ve gotten in the past, this was true up until last summer/fall when I was trying to cancel an Exec. that didnt stop the retention specialist rep to end up offering something juicy, even if initially she may have been trying to make me feel guilty/self-conscious. because once again, they are authorized to do what the system lists as options for your particular acct (can differ from card to card obv)
It’s up to the rep to decide if they want to extend an offer or not. They won’t always extend all the offers that are loaded on the screen. Their metrics aren’t just about number of cancelled vs non cancelled, but the type of offers they were able to get the cardholder to accept.
They can see on their screen when you call, whether they are supposed to transf you to retention or not. If their screen doesn’t say to transf, they won’t.
Found out when I called for retention offers on the AAdvantage card, rep was even smug and curt saying I had gotten the sign up bonus, and also that the card didn’t have much history since opening, at the time being about 3/4 year old.
This title is a little click-baity. It’s really pretty speculative when you read it, but the title says ‘cracking down’. A better headline would be ‘Is Citi poised to cut back retention offers?’
I say this not to be picky, but really as a compliment because I think readers hold you to a higher standard. Your reporting is really very good generally and you present the facts, not speculative worry.
I disagree. Based on the content of the post and the comments section it seems like the title is a pretty accurate representation of what’s going on
I try to avoid any clickbait headlines, but people have already received no retention offers because of this change so I think it’s accurate in this sense. Thanks for pulling me up on it anyway.
Cool, I don’t think I picked up that there were actual data points where people are not getting offers because of this change. Is it in the post? I must be misreading.
I’ll call for my prestige and report back. Hopefully I get lucky.
Anyway, again, not meant to be picky. You run a great show here.
Datapoints were on Twitter/sent to my e-mail.
Not surprising at all to me considering how much I see this tactic being discussed on forums and blogs. I called in a few weeks ago for a retention offer about 7 months after getting a lukewarm retention offer and was offered nothing. All the financial institutions seem to have made a new years resolution to cut the fat and rain on our parade.
The locusts strike again. Yeah yeah I am one of them too. But I am a butterfly.
The rep didnt even connect me to RA. I had called in Dec and RA had asked to call in jan once my annual fee posts and dint give any offers. Called back yesterday and despite this spiel, rep said the system says i cant be connected to RA. Bummer!