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Easiest Annual Fee Offer Process I’ve Ever Experienced: Barclay’s Business?

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Barclay's Aviator Waived Annual Fee

Barclay’s Aviator Waived Annual Fee

Retention phone calls, who here besides me hates calling in to the retention line? Before you cancel a card in the future, it might be worth sending a secure message instead asking for a retention offer or waived annual fee. In fact, I’m going to try this before I even call for a retention offer, why not save the time? Here’s a quick report of my (very painless) experience with my Barclay’s AAdvantage Aviator Business Mastercard.

Just to give you a little background, I currently have a few American Airlines cards and 4 total Barclay’s cards. The only business card I have is the AAviator business so I’m not sure how much of an impact closing one card could have on my profile with Barclay’s. I usually keep their personal cards open for at least two years before cancelling them in an effort to avoid poking the bear.

Also Check Out: (Updated) Current Retention Offer: Amex, Chase & Citi Retention Offer Data Points

Barclay's Aviator Waived Annual Fee

AAdvantage Aviator Business Overview

    • Current Welcome Offer: Earn up to 75,000 miles
      • Earn 65,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days. Earn 10,000 miles when a purchase is made on an employee card.
      • Get 2X AAdvantage miles on eligible American Airlines purchases and office supply, telecom and car rental merchants.
  • 5% AAdvantage mileage bonus earned every year after your account anniversary date based on the total number of miles earned using your card.
  • Companion certificate for $99
  • Free checked bag, priority boarding and in-flight savings
  • 3k EQMs after 30K spend for those chasing elite status

Considerations

The only reason I would have wanted to hang onto the card this year is that one of the main benefits of the card is a 5% anniversary mile bonus. Each anniversary year you get a 5% bonus of the number of AAdvantage miles you earned with this specific card. Since I earned a welcome offer on the card this year and I was chasing American Airlines status last year I put a decent amount of spend on the card. Normally I would consider keeping a $95 AF card for some bonus miles but I swore this year I would do a better job of ridding myself of unnecessary annual fees. Plus I made the switch to Delta at the end of 2019 so I really don’t need these benefits right now.

The Outcome: Barclay’s Aviator Waived Annual Fee

I decided to send them a message through the website and let them know that the annual fee was charged and I wasn’t using the card.  I said that I would like to cancel unless the fee could be waived. Sure enough the next day I saw there was a negative balance on the card and they just waived the annual fee without even sending me a message. This might be the easiest interaction I’ve ever had with a bank. So I’m happy to hold the card for an additional year at no cost and get my annual bonus miles.

Disclosure: Miles to Memories has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Miles to Memories and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

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Bethany Walsh
Bethany Walshhttp://Bougiemiles.com
Founder of BougieMiles.com, Bethany is a points, miles and loyalty program strategist who enjoys luxury travel and lives for a deal. When Bethany is not following her Miles to Memories family around the world to various meet-ups you can find her on a beach, in a casino or on a mileage run.

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

5 COMMENTS

  1. Attempted this through the portal first, and then over the phone. Was denied on both fronts and was told that they look for a minimum monthly spend of $4500/mo since account opening in order to waive the annual fee.

  2. They would NOT do this for me, I just tried today. I am setting on 38k of miles and hate to just cancel but I’m probably going to do just that. I have had this card for years and never asked for anything!

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