Credit Card heads: Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred the best travel card for casual travelers?

[ugk]

Chase has me approved for a Chase Sapphire Preferred and I've been looking for a decent travel card without a hefty annual fee. The CSP has a $95 annual fee but you get a $50 yearly credit towards any hotel and your points can transfer to a wide range of hotels and airlines both domestic and international

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is my favorite travel rewards card, and it's offering a 80,000-point welcome bonus

Here's why the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is one of my go-to travel rewards credit cards.

www.cnbc.com

 

[knightmelodic]

IMO you should never pay fees to people who are already charging you interest. YMMV.

Also, I'd suggest looking for a card(s) that don't charge fees for use in foreign countries. That shit adds up quickly.

 

[ugk]

IMO you should never pay fees to people who are already charging you interest. YMMV.

Also, I'd suggest looking for a card(s) that don't charge fees for use in foreign countries. That shit adds up quickly.

I don't carry credit card debt, except when I'm taking advantage of 0% interest promotions and this card has no foreign transaction fees.

 

[KrafMatik]

Try to apply when they have the 100k point offer. It's good for about $1500 worth of travel if you use the points right.

 

[ugk]

Try to apply when they have the 100k point offer. It's good for about $1500 worth of travel if you use the points right.

The page says 80k but the personalized offer in my account says 100k.. so I went for it and got approved

 

[Dirty Hubcaps]

good shyt ugk.

i've heard reports of people who've applied in their local Chase branch and have gotten the first year annual fee waived.

do you have the Freedom Flex or the Freedom Unlimited? using all three together will allow you to maximize your spending and turn that into free airline tickets (you still have to pay the taxes and fees), hotel stays or rentals

 

[slam]

I`ve got the reserved ...it`s $550 annual fee tho ...but u get $300 travel credit so it`s more like $250 annually ..

n it has boat load of travel benefits ...i like it ...

before the pandemic it was my go to ...i just started traveling again so now it`s back worth it

just got back from DR ....

 

[Dirty Hubcaps]

remember, you have to spend 4K in 3 months to qualify for the welcome bonus so try to put every auto pay bill you have, any subscriptions, cell bills onto that card.

if you don't think you'll hit 4 bands doing regular spending theres a service called Plastiq that will allow you to pay rent or mortgage thru them via credit card. yes they will charge a 2.87% fee but what you will be getting back will offset that in the long run

 

[Dirty Hubcaps]

I`ve got the reserved ...it`s $550 annual fee tho ...but u get $300 travel credit so it`s more like $250 annually ..

n it has boat load of travel benefits ...i like it ...

before the pandemic it was my go to ...i just started traveling again so now it`s back worth it

just got back from DR ....

slam, do you use the lounge access at all?

 

[slam]

slam, do you use the lounge access at all?

naw ..i use the american express lounge ...

free top shelf drinks and the free food is actually not bad ...

i swear by the american express lounge best lounge hands down ...

 

[ugk]

good shyt ugk.

i've heard reports of people who've applied in their local Chase branch and have gotten the first year annual fee waived.

do you have the Freedom Flex or the Freedom Unlimited? using all three together will allow you to maximize your spending and turn that into free airline tickets (you still have to pay the taxes and fees), hotel stays or rentals

Good info. I don't have any of the Freedom credit cards, but is it a must to maximize the Sapphire? I've been thinking of canceling a couple of my oldest credit cards from when my credit was shit (Mine is over 800 now). It's a Wells Fargo Platinum and Capital One 1 Quicksilver that don't really offer much.

 

[jagu]

IMO you should never pay fees to people who are already charging you interest. YMMV.

Also, I'd suggest looking for a card(s) that don't charge fees for use in foreign countries. That shit adds up quickly.

There are ways to beat them. Don’t pay interest, pay the yearly fees and enjoy their benefits.

 

[thismybgolname]

I pulled the plug on the Delta Amex Gold Card.

Only card I have a fee with but the first checked bag being free pretty much pays for the fee for me.

2x miles on a bunch of purchases.

Only had the card for a month, no complaints so far.

 

[ugk]

I`ve got the reserved ...it`s $550 annual fee tho ...but u get $300 travel credit so it`s more like $250 annually ..

n it has boat load of travel benefits ...i like it ...

before the pandemic it was my go to ...i just started traveling again so now it`s back worth it

just got back from DR ....

Lol I hope I'm in a position to upgrade to a Reserve and take advantage of the benefits one day, but right now I don't travel that much

 

[slam]

Lol I hope I'm in a position to upgrade to a Reserve and take advantage of the benefits one day, but right now I don't travel that much

Yeah before the pandemic i was gone at least once a month ...

i have the reserve n amex plat ...the reserve for travel n the amex for the lounge ..

reserve beat amex cuz anything travel related u get credit for ..amex u gotta designate the airline u want them to credit u ..

it`s been a couple years i think amex gives u $250 in travel credits but again on the airline u choose ..

reserve gives u 300 n if i rent a car ...book a flight get gas ...etc etc ...it credits u ..

i burn tht 300 up in a month ...lol

amex lounge pays for tht annual fee in like 3 trips ...

cuz everything is free n i`m n tht bitch n i`m drinking nothing but double shots of goose n sometimes patron going n coming ..

my lay overs r usually 3 hrs so i have plenty time to drink up my annual fee ...

Anyway if u dont travel much i dont recommend the plat or the reserve ...

by the way ..amex lounge dont have henny ...hhhhmmmmm......jus sayin ...

 

[Mr.Chuckles]

 

[Dirty Hubcaps]

Good info. I don't have any of the Freedom credit cards, but is it a must to maximize the Sapphire? I've been thinking of canceling a couple of my oldest credit cards from when my credit was shit (Mine is over 800 now). It's a Wells Fargo Platinum and Capital One 1 Quicksilver that don't really offer much.

in my opinion, yes.

for now, i wouldn't apply for anything else. make sure to divert most of your everyday spending onto this Sapphire card so you can hit the 4,000 spending bonus.

if those older cards don't carry any annual fees, i would not cancel them because it's gonna hurt your overall age and bring down your credit score.

the thing about Chase cards is that their synergy is better when the goal is free travel. for instance the Freedom Unlimited (which offers 20000 points if you spend 500 in the first 3 months. 20000 is effectively 200 dollars. what you can now do is redeem the points you earn from the Freedom Unlimited thru the Sapphire because instead of a 1:1 ratio the Sapphire Preferred values Chase points at 1:1.25 and the big boy Reserve card that slam has does 1: 1.50 so basically you get more value.

 

[Dirty Hubcaps]

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

How to Maximize Travel Benefits With Multiple Credit Cards

Juggling multiple credit cards can majorly boost your points and miles balance. But before you sign up, consider these tips for minimizing your financial housekeeping.

afar.com

 

[ugk]

I'm gonna upgrade my Sapphire Preferred to the Reserve because I use it so much and traveling a lot more