Another year has come and gone with Citi AT&T Access More card.
Although this card is one of the most valuable and lucrative cards I have – as with every card – it’s time to evaluate whether this card is worth keeping or closing before I’m on the hook for the $95 annual fee.
Call Results: My Retention Offer For The Citi AT&T Access More Credit Card
Before making any “keep or cancel” decision, I’ve always found it wise to call the card company and see if there are any retention offers available.
I called Citi customer service at the number on the back of the card. I quickly got a representative, told her I was trying to determine if I should keep the card, and asked her if there were perhaps any fee-waivers or retention offers available to me to help me make my decision.
Immediately she came back and said, “Are you stating you want to cancel this card today? If so, I can cancel this card right now”.
I replied, “No, as I mentioned, my annual fee has come due and I’m trying to determine if I should keep the card for another year”.
At this point, I was feeling pretty good. I had gotten a great retention offer in 2019, and I again had over $12,000 in spending on this card during the membership year.
But my hopes were quickly dashed. “Sir, there are no offers for you. But, I’m happy to cancel this card for you right now”.
She called my bluff.
I declined.
The New Retention Offer Normal?
I’m getting the feeling, especially due to the tightening of the credit markets during the pandemic, that easy retention offers are a thing of the past.
I’ve also seen data points that banks have gotten “hip to the game” and are now making offers only to people who are in fact going to cancel.
It’s very possible that I could have gotten a retention offer had I pressed on and she happened to transfer me to a “retention specialist” or whatever, but it’s also possible she could have just immediately cancelled my card [which I love and that you can’t apply for anymore]. I’ve also seen frightening data points that show Citi can be “trigger-happy” on the cancellations (especially now).
The Bottom Line on My Retention Offer for the Citi AT&T Access More Card:
Well, no dice.
That’s now cards from Chase, Amex, and Citi that I’ve been denied retention offers for in 2020.
I did have two successful retention offers, one for my Citi Premier Card, and one for my Hilton Honors Aspire card, but I’m getting the feeling offers like that are going to be much harder to come by for the rest of 2020.
