I love credit cards so much!

[havaneselover]

I actually approach this same situation differently, I don't want to have an SPG personal card get automatically PCed into their new card. As I understand it that could then prevent me from earning the signup bonus on that card (which of course my preference is to get a signup bonus). Any thoughts on that or perhaps I'm overlooking something there...

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[kmc8826]

Hey y'all, need some advice please!
I would like a CC for free hotels. I got the southwest card last year (60K bonus + 50k referral bonus) and now I'm hooked. I was thinking about getting a chase sapphire card but wanted to see what y'all thought before pulling the trigger. I don't have an Amex yet but not sure if that would be the right card for me.

@SouthFayetteFan and @gottalovepluto are absolutely right (of course on all counts). Double dipping the Preferred and Reserve after maybe getting the CIP or CIC is what I would do. Chase Ultimate Reward points are awesome. You can transfer them to hotels, book through the portal, and even book Disney with them. There is a whole threat on our private Reddit board on how to do that (book Disney with Chase UR). Amex can work but you want to probably focus on some Chase cards first. Personally I am focused on UR points and Delta Skymiles. UR points are nice because you can use them for a stay at the Hyatt in Maui but also use them to stay in Disney for a week (both of which I have done just this year).

 

[GZanta77]

I was thinking the same thing.

Me three. I still have the SPG Biz so unless I am missing something, don't want to risk not being able to get a bonus for replacement Starriott Personal.

 

[Texans_loyal]

chase sapphire will open u up to 4 different brands of hotel, although sometimes it not worth transferring to them. (Marriott/SPG, IHG, Hyatt, Ritz). if u have the capacity to make $8k in spendings, its highly recommended to hit both sapphire cards on the same day.

Unfortunately, I don't have anything I need to spend $8K on within 3 months. I would most likely apply for one, was thinking about the preferred card.

Hey - you've come to the right place! Are you looking at the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve? OR were you looking at both and unsure?

Something to keep in mind is once you get one of the Sapphire cards - you cannot earn the bonus on the other for 24+ months. If you're interested in both of them you want to get them on the same day (we can coach you through how to approach that). That will require you to spend $8,000 in 3 months though. If that is overwhelming, you may want to choose the one that's better for you and just get that. Typically the math favors the Reserve card but it does have a $450 annual fee that can scare people off (even though your return will actually more than pay for the $450). Do you have any particular hotels in mind you're looking at?

The $8k will be a bit too much as I don't spend that much normally. My sister has the preferred and loves her benefits so that's the one I was going to apply for. The $450 annual fee is a bit intimidating. No certain hotels in mind, I'm not picky as long as it's not a motel.

 

[Kim Gillihan]

Often I will pick up a card just for the bonus or for a specific travel hack I am planning. Like the Citi Prestige and Premier cards so we could fly to Hawaii on American for free in first class. However, I have a few keeper cards. I'd say my most valuable would be the the Chase Trifecta which is a combination of the Chase Ink Plus, Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom. In addition to the 5 points per dollar we get for paying cell phone, cable and internet, we use the Ink card to purchase gift cards at Office Supply stores for 5 Ultimate Reward points per dollar. That way we get 5 points per dollar on most of our spending. We purchase Whole Foods gift cards for grocery shopping, Amazon, Macy's, Bed Bath Beyond etc. We also purchase Disney gift cards at the Office supply stores and then load them on to the Disney Savings Vacation account for the additional 2% back in Disney gift cards. This way we get 5 points per dollar for annual passes, DVC dues, Disney cruises, Special events and tours at Disney and our Adventures by Disney trips. Just the Disney gift cards alone will earn us enough in UR points for a couple of flights every year.

The Sapphire gets me 2x on dining and travel plus comes with primary car rental insurance and no foreign transaction fees. The Freedom has the rotating category bonuses which we try to max out and the transfer those UR points to the Ink or Sapphire account. I like that the UR points can be transferred to airlines across all 3 airline alliances. Since we usually redeem for flying in first we value the miles more than the cash option. 50,000 UR points is only worth $625 in travel through Chase. However, transferring 50,000 miles to United will get me one way in first class and that has a value into the thousands of dollars depending on the flight.

The Starwood Preferred Guest card is another keeper card since the points transfer to over 30 airlines. Once we used 12,000 SPG points to stay a night in a lovely resort hotel in Scotland that would have cost well over $300 per night. So I will also use the points for stays at an SPG property from time to time.

We also keep the Club Carlson card but do not use it for spending and earning. I'll buy something with it about once a year. The card gives you 40K points every anniversary year. DH and I each have this card and for the $75 annual fee we have been able to use those points and redeem $1800 worth of free Radisson Blu hotel stays in Europe over the last couple of years. We also have a Marriott card which gives you a free night each year at a category 1- 5 property. That is worth more than the annual fee. I recently added an IHG card which gives one free night at any property each year. Well worth the AF. Hope this helps!

wow!! you have this figured out!! I need to reread this and take notes!

 

[Lain]

So it is time to decide which marriott/starwood card is best for him. It sounds like you guys think SPG is better, right? And the status is reciprocal, right? So if he does a SPG card he gets credit towards status and can do the rest through stays, and then voila have Marriott status too? I saw that Marriott gives you silver with their card, so it could work in reverse. Seems like earning 4x on the SPG is better than earning 5x on the Marriott. SPG Biz is better than personal because of the Sheraton lounge access? Where am I going wrong?

ETA: but Marriott gives the anniversary night...hmmnn

Amex SPG is the better card to put Marriott and Starwood hotel stays on.

SPG: DH earns 2 SPG points per $1 spent at Starwood and Marriott Rewards hotels, which exchanges 1:3 to Marriott, so the equivalent of 6 Marriott points.
Marriott: DH earns 5 Marriott points per $1 spent at Starwood and Marriott Rewards hotels, which is less than a SPG card's 6 Marriott points.

Note that you can earn points on a SPG card for stays at both Starwood and Marriott properties, but Marriott stays don't count towards SPG status and Starwood stays don't count towards Marriott status. So for now settle on Marriott or Starwood, earn status in one chain and match status from that program to the other.

You can link Marriott and SPG accounts for automatic status match between the two programs: http://www.marriott.com/marriott-rewards/connect-my-accounts.mi

Marriott Silver Elite translates to SPG Preferred Guest Plus, which is the status you get when you are the primary cardmember of an Amex SPG credit card, so you're not getting anything more there.

Preferred Guest Plus Benefits:

• Earn and redeem at over 1,300 hotels and resorts in nearly 100 countries across 11 hotel brands.
• 2 Starpoints® per eligible US dollar spent.
• Free Night Awards without blackout dates.
• Amazing experiences and access like no other through exclusive partnerships. SPG® is your ticket to the best in music, sports and the arts through our SPG.com/moments auction site.
• Award Flights without blackout dates on over 350 airlines worldwide.
• Upgrades to enhanced rooms at check-in, such as rooms on higher floors or corner rooms.
• 4 p.m. late checkout, where available.
• Other great Starpoints redemption options: transfer Starpoints to miles with over 30 airlines, combine Starpoints with cash for hotel stays, or redeem Starpoints for merchandise awards and more.

I don't know what kind of spend you guys are putting (or expecting to put) on the SPG Biz, but you can achieve Gold status after spending $30,000 on the card in a calendar year, in addition to stays and nights. The Amex Platinums also come with automatic SPG Gold status.

SPG Biz does offer Sheraton club lounge access.

The Marriott cards do offer a free anniversary night stay, but keep in mind it's capped at Category 1-5 hotels.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Unfortunately, I don't have anything I need to spend $8K on within 3 months. I would most likely apply for one, was thinking about the preferred card.



The $8k will be a bit too much as I don't spend that much normally. My sister has the preferred and loves her benefits so that's the one I was going to apply for. The $450 annual fee is a bit intimidating. No certain hotels in mind, I'm not picky as long as it's not a motel.

So I'm not sure if you saw the earlier response where somebody questioned whether you are ok with looking at business cards. If you are I would DEFINITELY look at the Chase Ink Preferred (CIP) or Chase Ink Cash (CIC). I'm going to assume for a second you want to stick with CSR vs. CSP though. Let's Compare:

Both require a $4,000 minimum spend. Here's a comparison from there:

Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP)

• Best Offer = 60,000 Ultimate Rewards (URs) for $4k spend in 90 days
• Annual fee = $95 (not waived)
• Add'l bonus = add an authorized user (AU) and get 5,000 more URs (don't just add your spouse, let's talk about this one before you do it).
• Points are worth = 1.25 cents each through the travel portal OR transfer 1:1 to numerous partners
• Assuming you'd use the 1.25 travel option here's what you get:
• 60,000 bonus URs + 5,000 AU URs + 4,000 base URs (from min spend) = 69,000 URs worth $862.50 LESS $95 annual fee = $767.50

Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR)

• Best Offer = 50,000 Ultimate Rewards (URs) for $4k spend in 90 days
• Annual fee = $450 (not waived)
• Add'l perk = $300 travel credit that you can get 2 times in the first year
• Points are worth = 1.50 cents each through the travel portal OR transfer 1:1 to numerous partners
• Assuming you'd use the 1.50 travel option here's what you get:
• 50,000 bonus URs + 4,000 base URs (from min spend) = 54,000 URs worth $810.00 PLUS $600 in travel credits LESS $450 annual fee = $960.00
• (I'm NOT including the benefit of free TSA Precheck or Global Entry but you could attribute another $100 in value to that).

The clear winner is CSR in this example. HOWEVER if you were to instead transfer your points to Hyatt or Southwest as an example - the points transfer at 1:1 and are worth the same exact amount. In that example the CSP can actually beat out the CSR. Of course the CIP offer beats both of these cards IF you're interested in a biz card.

Hope this is helpful info

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

wow!! you have this figured out!! I need to reread this and take notes!

I see you've quoted a post from 2016 here...First YES @calypso726 definitely has it figured out!! BUT I would fast forward to the posts in the last 3 months if I were you, this game has changed a ton since 2016 and if you're looking to jump in just post away and we'll help you figure it out tooooo!!

 

[Ava]

IHG finally credited me the rest of the points from the Q1 Accelerate offers I completed. It only took 4 e-mails back & forth to finally get them all. And my account still doesn't show the 3 nights from my Feb stay, but I'm not even worrying about it because I'll never hit 75 nights for the next status level anyway.

But, rewards nights were still available for the last 2 nights of our Disneyland trip in July so our hotel is all squared away. Now I just need to figure out the rental car. We never do traditional rentals (just Zipcar) so I really know nothing about the different companies/rewards programs. Any tips/resources? We'll be renting from the Disneyland area and returning the car to the San Diego airport.

 

[Texans_loyal]

Read up URs a bit, remember their minimum value is 1 cent per point (in cash- so if life goes south this is the minimum value you will get out of these points).

I have a chase freedom card, It uses the same portal I think?

CSR: spend $4K get 50,000 UR, $450 annual fee (includes 1 pre-check/global entry credit and $300 travel credit that will work on any travel purchase on the card)

I don't see myself needing pre-check, I will cross this card off of my list.

CIC (Ink Cash): spend $3k get 50,000 UR no af

hmm I need to read up on this one. If it gets the same travel benefit as sapphire, I may just go for this one.

What credit cards have you opened in the last 24 months?

Southwest plus card. I did apply for Disney card and got declined. (dumb move, I had just purchased a new car and house.)

Are you after the Southwest Companion Pass?

nope.

Are you in "2 player mode"?

1 player mode at the moment.

Are you looking for just one card to dip your feet in before deciding if you want more or are you looking for a strategy to maximize point earning over the next year or two by hitting multiple bonuses?

As of now, one card. I don't want to get in over my head. But I defiantly plan on getting more cards down the road.

Are you interested in the business cards?

I am becoming a TA so I think i may have to get a business card.

Rule #3: Do not spend more than you normally would, this means pre-paying expenses you would normally incur to meet a minimum spend requirement is fine but don't fall into the trap of "ohhh- I'm gonna buy this extra little thing, after all I have a spend to meet!" Sounds easy to stay disciplined- it's not. I still fight that temptation!

This is my worst fear. I just paid off 2 cards I had since 18 (young and dumb). I don't want to be paying off CCs for the rest of my life which is why I don't think going for 2 cards is smart at the moment. Thank you so much for all of your help!

 

[wendow]

Unfortunately, I don't have anything I need to spend $8K on within 3 months. I would most likely apply for one, was thinking about the preferred card.

The $8k will be a bit too much as I don't spend that much normally. My sister has the preferred and loves her benefits so that's the one I was going to apply for. The $450 annual fee is a bit intimidating. No certain hotels in mind, I'm not picky as long as it's not a motel.

Another Chase UR fan here! I think the Preferred card is an excellent card but I actually prefer the Reserve (and this is from someone who never thought I'd keep the Reserve). The redemption rate is 1.5% whereas the Preferred is 1.2%. This may not seem like much but it adds up fast. You have to consider that although the Reserve card has a $450 AF, you receive $300 back as a travel statement credit. So, if you are going to spend at least $300 in a calendar year on travel, then that $300 is a wash and the Reserve AF is $150. The difference between the Preferred AF ($95) and the Reserve is really only $55. It's very easy to recover that $55 in the 1x more you earn for dining and travel, as well as with the higher redemption. Not trying to sway you to go for the Reserve if that $450 if more than you can stomach but there really is a lot of value in that card. It just takes some sifting through to really see around the $450.

Others have pointed out the CIP. Another great card if you have anything you can claim as a 'business'.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I have a chase freedom card, It uses the same portal I think?



I don't see myself needing pre-check, I will cross this card off of my list.



hmm I need to read up on this one. If it gets the same travel benefit as sapphire, I may just go for this one.



Southwest plus card. I did apply for Disney card and got declined. (dumb move, I had just purchased a new car and house.)



nope.



1 player mode at the moment.



As of now, one card. I don't want to get in over my head. But I defiantly plan on getting more cards down the road.



I am becoming a TA so I think i may have to get a business card.



This is my worst fear. I just paid off 2 cards I had since 18 (young and dumb). I don't want to be paying off CCs for the rest of my life which is why I don't think going for 2 cards is smart at the moment. Thank you so much for all of your help!

To take full advantage of the travel benefits you'll need a CSR, CSP or CIP. Don't just go for the CIC without at least having one of those cards Also don't just dismiss the CSR because of the precheck...see my earlier post which gives a detailed comparison of the two cards.

 

[Texans_loyal]

@SouthFayetteFan and @gottalovepluto are absolutely right (of course on all counts). Double dipping the Preferred and Reserve after maybe getting the CIP or CIC is what I would do. Chase Ultimate Reward points are awesome. You can transfer them to hotels, book through the portal, and even book Disney with them. There is a whole threat on our private Reddit board on how to do that (book Disney with Chase UR). Amex can work but you want to probably focus on some Chase cards first. Personally I am focused on UR points and Delta Skymiles. UR points are nice because you can use them for a stay at the Hyatt in Maui but also use them to stay in Disney for a week (both of which I have done just this year).

I'm afraid to go for 2 cards and fall into bad habits again or I would've gone for it. I have a chase freedom card, Can I combine points? I also have a southwest plus card, so this would be my 3rd chase card. thank you for helping!

 

[trenty]

I'm afraid to go for 2 cards and fall into bad habits again or I would've gone for it. I have a chase freedom card, Can I combine points? I also have a southwest plus card, so this would be my 3rd chase card. thank you for helping!

I am very cautious with my cards and churn slowly - just a few cards a year. I started with the Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 Annual Fee). I originally started with that card to transfer them to Southwest. But now - almost 2 years later- I use the UR points for so much more in addition to transferring to Southwest.
I have the Chase Freedom too. I transfer those points to Chase Preferred where they are worth more.

 

[Texans_loyal]

If you are I would DEFINITELY look at the Chase Ink Preferred (CIP) or Chase Ink Cash (CIC).

@gottalovepluto brought this to my attention and I think this may be the best route to take.

dd an authorized user (AU) and get 5,000 more URs (don't just add your spouse, let's talk about this one before you do it).

I will put this on the back-burner. No spouse and my parents have bad credit. Don't want to risk hurting mine.

50,000 bonus URs + 4,000 base URs (from min spend) = 54,000 URs worth $810.00 PLUS $600 in travel credits LESS $450 annual fee = $960.00

Now that it's put like this, I do see the benefit of CSR. Thank you!

Of course the CIP offer beats both of these cards IF you're interested in a biz card.

This may be the way to go, The offer is too good to resist.

Hope this is helpful info

Yes, omg I am so overwhelmed (in a good way). Thank you for taking the time and breaking it down.

 

[kmc8826]

I'm afraid to go for 2 cards and fall into bad habits again or I would've gone for it. I have a chase freedom card, Can I combine points? I also have a southwest plus card, so this would be my 3rd chase card. thank you for helping!

That is great you already have a Freedom. Just focusing on putting spend on that is in the quarter bonus category will help build your UR points. You want to get one of the Sapphires or the CIP so your Freedom points have a higher value. I know the Reserve seems intimidating but if you put spend on dining/travel the redemption option does put it clearly ahead of the Preferred. But yes don't get into bad habits. If you can't pay your bill every month that absolutely negates any rewards you gain. Are you putting all your spending on cards? That is what people on here do? I never write checks, pay cash, or heaven forbid have a debit card. Everything goes on credit cards. (Even when it takes some sweet talking to the piano teacher to sign up for Venmo).

 

[Texans_loyal]

Another Chase UR fan here! I think the Preferred card is an excellent card but I actually prefer the Reserve (and this is from someone who never thought I'd keep the Reserve). The redemption rate is 1.5% whereas the Preferred is 1.2%. This may not seem like much but it adds up fast. You have to consider that although the Reserve card has a $450 AF, you receive $300 back as a travel statement credit. So, if you are going to spend at least $300 in a calendar year on travel, then that $300 is a wash and the Reserve AF is $150. The difference between the Preferred AF ($95) and the Reserve is really only $55. It's very easy to recover that $55 in the 1x more you earn for dining and travel, as well as with the higher redemption. Not trying to sway you to go for the Reserve if that $450 if more than you can stomach but there really is a lot of value in that card. It just takes some sifting through to really see around the $450.

Others have pointed out the CIP. Another great card if you have anything you can claim as a 'business'.

Thank you for all the info! I am considering CIP at this point, I think I can make it work.

 

[Texans_loyal]

To take full advantage of the travel benefits you'll need a CSR, CSP or CIP. Don't just go for the CIC without at least having one of those cards Also don't just dismiss the CSR because of the precheck...see my earlier post which gives a detailed comparison of the two cards.

CSR is back in the running lol I will need to process all of this info and see which card is best for me. I will apply for CSR, CSP or CIP and later on get CIC. Thank you for all the info!

 

[Texans_loyal]

I am very cautious with my cards and churn slowly - just a few cards a year. I started with the Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 Annual Fee). I originally started with that card to transfer them to Southwest. But now - almost 2 years later- I use the UR points for so much more in addition to transferring to Southwest.
I have the Chase Freedom too. I transfer those points to Chase Preferred where they are worth more.

Genius! I didn't even think of transferring! Preferred is looking better and better. Thank you!

 

[Texans_loyal]

Just focusing on putting spend on that is in the quarter bonus category will help build your UR points.

I have been using paypal for everything these past couple of days. Hoping to max out the bonus.

Are you putting all your spending on cards?

Yes!! Everything is charged onto my southwest card. I even use Plastiq to pay my car loan.