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by Harrison Pierce Harrison is a full-time digital nomad and award travel writer who's visited or lived in more than 35 countries on six continents. He travels everywhere with his cat, Isabelle, and when he isn't traveling, he's cooking, reading, or learning Spanish.

Hi, Reader. I asked two issuers to knock down my annual fee. Neither had an offer for me. But plenty of cardholders have had better luck, and it only takes a few minutes to ask.

A retention offer can mean bonus points, a statement credit, or your annual fee waived outright. Here's how to ask, and which issuers tend to be most generous.

Why issuers pay you to stay

Credit card retention offers are incentives to keep credit cardholders as customers. At the end of the day, the issuer wants your business. If you close your account a year or two after earning a welcome offer, the issuer loses money on the relationship.

So, if you let the issuer know that you don't see value in the card anymore and are considering closing your account, it might extend a retention offer to persuade you to keep your account open for another year. This offer might include bonus points after you meet a spending requirement (similar to a welcome bonus), a statement credit, or a refund of your annual fee.

How to ask, and when

While you can technically get a retention offer at any time, you'll likely have more luck if you talk with the issuer soon after the annual fee is posted to your account. You can call the issuer or chat online and let them know you're considering closing your account or aren't sure whether you want to pay the annual fee for another year.

Next, ask directly whether any retention offers are available for your account. Asking doesn't trigger a credit check, since you aren't applying for anything. And you don't have to bluff: "I'm deciding whether this card is worth the fee for another year" is enough to get your account reviewed.

I asked for a retention offer for my American Express Platinum Card a few months after I paid my annual fee, which is admittedly well outside the ideal window I just described. I was transferred to a Membership Consulting Professional, who reviewed my account.

They sent several messages explaining the card’s benefits and even shared which benefits I used in my first year as a cardholder. Unfortunately, I wasn't eligible for a retention offer. I decided to keep the card anyway, as I do get plenty of value from it, but I'll certainly try to get a retention offer next year.

American Express seems to be the most generous issuer in terms of retention offers, but issuers are generally more likely to extend an offer to someone who puts significant spend on the card.

What other cardholders have been offered

As of September 2026, here are a few recent retention offers reported by cardholders on the FlyerTalk forum:

• ​American Express: Earn 15,000 bonus points or $150 statement credit after spending $3,000 on the American Express Platinum Card.
• ​Citi: Earn $95 statement credit after spending $3,000 in three months or 10,000 ThankYou Points after spending $3,000 in six months on the Citi Strata Premier.
• ​Chase: $100 reduction in annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which charges $795 a year.
• ​Capital One: $200 Capital One Travel credit after spending $2,000 in three months on the Venture X.

I've heard of much higher offers, but it's always helpful to get a few data points of what other cardholders have been offered recently. You can also ask for a retention offer on cards with low annual fees.

For instance, I asked Citi for an offer on my Citi Strata Premier, which charges a low $95 annual fee. Once again, I was told there aren't any retention offers on my account.

If the answer is no

A rejection doesn't mean your only options are paying the fee or closing the account. When Citi turned me down, I was offered the chance to convert my Citi Strata Premier to a no-annual-fee version. I declined, because I use the card enough to justify the $95. But a product change is worth asking about any time a retention offer falls through: The fee goes away and your account history stays intact, which is the part that matters for your credit.

I struck out twice, and I still plan to ask when my next annual fee posts. The downside is a few minutes on the phone. The upside is a fee that shrinks, or disappears entirely.