Credit card application What you need to know
The customer service representative might send you to someone who specializes in convincing reluctant customers like yourself to stay, or you might stay with them throughout the call. Either way, when you are speaking with someone who can change your interest rate, lay out your case politely and calmly and be prepared to negotiate. If you cannot come to an agreement on your first call, thank the representative, end the call, and call back another day, when you may get someone who is more willing to help you. (Representatives are required to follow guidelines, but they have some wiggle room in deciding how far they are willing to help a given customer. ) Credit card customers who used this method found that more than half the time they were able to get a reduction in their credit card interest rates, and the average reduction was 5 to 6 percent.