{"id":327,"date":"2020-07-27T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-27T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moneywithkatie.com\/negotiatefees\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T19:50:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T19:50:50","slug":"negotiatefees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moneywithkatie.com\/negotiatefees\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Negotiate Annual Fees in the COVID Era"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

July 2020<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\"

The most expensive card in my wallet that I was somehow able to finesse this year.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Always the opportunist, I was determined to find some upside \u2013 any upside \u2013 to the Coronavirus\u2019s impact to travel hacking. <\/p>\n

And you know what? I think I did. <\/p>\n

Before COVID hit, I got to work early one morning (#tbt to working in an office) and sat at my desk in our Team\u2019s room, alone. I pulled out my wallet to pay an electric bill online and reached for my Platinum card. <\/p>\n

As I ran my finger around the thick metal edges, I contemplated the fact that my annual fee was set to trigger in the next few weeks, and I grimaced remembering the $550 hit from the year before. Abandoning the electric bill (sorry, roommate), I quickly typed \u201cAmEx retention number\u201d into the Google search bar, and on a whim, dialed the result. <\/p>\n

A chipper woman named Kathy answered on the third ring. <\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, this is Kathy with American Express. Am I speaking with Kathleen Gatti?\u201d <\/p>\n

Taken aback by the recognition, I froze in place. \u201cYes?\u201d I answered, as if it were a question. Then I remembered my phone number is associated with my credit card\u2019s account, and I felt stupid for feeling surprised. I was impressed nonetheless by their customer service. <\/p>\n

I think I had to give a few personal details to confirm my #identity (which I appreciated given the great identity theft debacle of 2019), but then she got to the question that made my stomach flip: \u201cWhat can I help you with today?\u201d<\/p>\n

Be cool, Gatti. Calm, cool and collected. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cRight!\u201d I replied, my voice raising two octaves, \u201cWell, Kathy, you know\u2026 it\u2019s almost time for my card to renew for the next year and I\u2019m thinking about switching to Sapphire Reserve.\u201d I delivered the blow. I felt bad for playing mind games with Kathy, but I didn\u2019t want to pay the fee. <\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry to hear that, Kathleen,\u201d she replied, sounding genuinely remorseful. I felt worse. \u201cBut!\u201d she said, \u201cit looks like you\u2019ve been using all your Platinum benefits!\u201d <\/p>\n

Shit<\/em>, I thought, she caught me platinum-handed. I use this thing constantly. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Kathy, yes \u2013 but you see,\u201d I strung the words together quickly, \u201cI work for Southwest Airlines so the airline incidental credit is hard for me to make use of.\u201d <\/p>\n

Now her<\/em> voice raised two octaves: \u201cI LOVE Southwest Airlines! I live in Fort Lauderdale! I flew them last week to Houston.\u201d <\/p>\n

We have liftoff!<\/p>\n

\u201cNo way! That\u2019s great. What were you doing in Houston?\u201d I asked as if Kathy and I were gal pals from way back. We talked about Southwest, flying, and family for a minute or two, and then \u2013 as if she had remembered she were at work \u2013 she steered the conversation politely back to the issue at hand: my cheapness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Kathleen, let me see what I can do.\u201d No more than 15 seconds elapsed before she returned. \u201cKathleen, I\u2019m pleased to announce that I can offer you my best option today to keep you as a cardmember. We\u2019ll credit your account for $500 to offset the annual fee.\u201d <\/p>\n

My heart soared and I silently fist-pumped. <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Kathy,\u201d I oozed, \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how much I appreciate this,\u201d and I meant it. Kathy had saved me $500 \u2013 and she was pleasant as hell to boot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just ask that you keep using that card, Kathleen!\u201d <\/p>\n

I promised her I would. <\/p>\n

And in a matter of minutes, I had earned back my annual fee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

The remarkable thing about this anecdote is that it happened before Coronavirus was a twinkle in our eye. I had to negotiate the old-fashioned way: through veiled threats and empty promises that I\u2019d take (more of) my business to a competitor. <\/p>\n

Now, negotiating an annual fee is probably as simple as calling a retention hotline and saying the word COVID. <\/p>\n

Negotiating an annual fee: the checklist<\/h4>\n
    \n
  1. \n

    This is probably unhelpful if your annual fee is far away \u2013 if you paid it 6 months ago and won\u2019t have to pay again for another 6 months, I doubt the retention department is going to be very fruitful. If your annual fee is coming up or just hit, keep reading.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Look at the number on the back of your card or Google \u201c(card name) retention number.\u201d I\u2019d call the number on the back of your card first and then ask to speak to the retention department<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Once you\u2019re on the phone with a representative, be polite and friendly. It goes a long way to treat this human being like an actual human being<\/em>. Yes, they\u2019re at work, but people are more inclined to help others who are nice to them. Be nice. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Explain your situation. You can use the simple following script:<\/p>\n

    \u201cDue to Coronavirus, my travel habits have changed a lot and I can no longer justify paying ($annual fee amount) this year for this card. I want to keep it because I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll travel next year, <\/em>but I\u2019m trying to cut back on annual fees.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  5. \n

    Worried that you\u2019re being too obvious? Don\u2019t be. They\u2019re a retention hotline. Their job is to offer customers incentives to stay. A few different things might happen:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n

      They\u2019ll offer to waive the annual fee.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    2. \n

      They\u2019ll offer to reimburse part or all of the annual fee.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    3. \n

      They\u2019ll offer you points to stay. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    4. \n

      They\u2019ll call your bluff and say, Okay, would you like us to cancel the card?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n

    5. \n

      Listen carefully: If they offer to cancel the card, you need to pivot quickly: <\/strong>\u201cWell, is there anything you can do to help?\u201d Put the ball back in their court. Make absolutely sure they\u2019re unwilling to relent. If they hold their ground, simply say, \u201cThanks, I\u2019ll think about it a little longer and get back to you.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    6. \n

      Then, you hang up without canceling the card, and you call back the next day hoping to talk to a representative who hasn\u2019t blown through their retention bonus quota for the month.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Let me know if you try it and have success. Or, if you feel empowered to negotiate annual fees now and want to get a premium card, you can check out my full breakdown here<\/a>. Happy negotiating!<\/p>\n

      \n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      July 2020 Always the opportunist, I was determined to find some upside \u2013 any upside \u2013 to the Coronavirus\u2019s impact to travel hacking. And you know what? I think I did. Before COVID hit, I got to work early one morning (#tbt to working in an office) and sat at my desk in our Team\u2019s room, alone. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178814,"featured_media":2466,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"si-template-single-post-everyday-spending-and-budgeting.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-rewards","tag-everyday-spending-and-budgeting"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Negotiate Annual Fees in the COVID Era - Money with Katie<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/moneywithkatie.com\/negotiatefees\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Negotiate Annual Fees in the COVID Era - Money with Katie\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"July 2020 Always the opportunist, I was determined to find some upside \u2013 any upside \u2013 to the Coronavirus\u2019s impact to travel hacking. 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