Definitely a non-answer from my side given I don't have personal/hands-on experience or proven data points. Surprisingly, there's other options that it says is possible here: helpmebuildcredit.com/creditcard/free-spirit-travel-more-world-elite-mastercard/#:~:text=Downgrade%20options%3A%20You%20can%20downgrade,Unlimited%20Cash%20Rewards%20(%240).
Nice video Lalit. I locked in on my gold at $250 and ordered white gold card, but honestly will need to decide in Jan 2025 if I will keep card or downgrade to Green and play the upgrade game. $7 monthly Dunkin credit is a joke.
Thanks Juan :) The upgrade game, to me, is like a side quest - somewhat break even value/convenient way to get a little bump in points balance. Fun background plot line and you have some time to decide so that's nice 😊
@@LalitDevraj so you do you need to make the reservation through the resy app to utilize this? Or do you just need to be enrolled and see if the restaurant is shown on the resy app to use it?
@@JordyHimself1 There's videos on RU-vid for sure that tell you how to use it step by step; in transparency, I haven't used the credit yet/Resy in general so I'm yet to get my own hands-on experience with it :)
Just a point of clarification, the 4x dining cap at $50k is actually a nerf; this used to be unlimited. You might have been thinking about the $25k cap on (U.S.) groceries, which remains the same. Great analysis otherwise 👍🏽. I just got the card renewed at $250 about a month ago, so I’ll have about a year to decide if this is worth $325 🙂.
The changes are live and official. I would if Capital One would reapprove me since I stupidly went to a QuickSilver the first time around, back to a SavorOne and plus, I have 2 Citi Custom Cashes and the second was through a product change from a Double Cash. For groceries, I can use the 2 Custom Cashes at 5x and when they are quarterly categories, the Discover It and Freedom Flex at 5x at $1500 cap each, the Blue Cash Preferred or even if I downgrade the the Blue Cash Everyday and Venmo Visa for groceries which considers also Walmart supercenters as GROCERY with the Venmo Visa if its a top category at 3x. For dining, at 3x I can use the Venmo Visa if its my top category, Bilt Mastercard, Freedom FLEX and the if I'm ever under 5/24, I would reacquire the Freedom Unlimited at 3x again since I product changed it to the Flex at 3x and 5x when its quarterly category and the Discover It when dining is a quarterly category. Bottom line I have options for groceries and dining. I don't fly much so my Airline card would be 2x card which I have the Blue Business Plus, Blue Business Cash and the Synchrony Mastercard.
This is a common link to an Amex card I have, which you can still use to apply for the Amex Gold - make sure you're getting the best intro offer though. Public looks like 60k and searching incognito may provide 90k bonus + 20% statement credit: americanexpress.com/en-us/referral/bluebusinessplus-credit-card?ref=LAlITDvRRb&XL=MNANS
@@iCARTER On same page as you yet I would still benefit with you applying for the Amex gold card with my Amex blue business Plus Card link- for whatever reason, I haven't had one for this card or others for a hot second. Out of multiple cards I have with them, I only have 2 referral links. Appreciate you though looking to support, means a lot 😊
@@iCARTER To get to the other cards, you’d have to click on “Membership Rewards”, & then in the filter tab hit “Personal” & there’d be the referrals for the personal cards (Amex not making it very easy, I know). The good thing about Amex compared to others is that even if you only have a direct referral link for one card (in this case, only the BBP), you can get referrals to others by clicking thru to them, in case you ever want to send referrals to your friends one day 👍🏽.
Currently, I use the Grubhub and Uber Eats credits. The Dunkin’ Donuts credit I definitely could use once a month. If it’s $325 annual fee, My effective annual fee would be only a dollar a year to hold it. Currently at the $250 annual fee rate, it would be $10 a year for me to hold it. I just have to use it a lot with groceries and dining even with the rumored $25,000 a year dining cap. That’s still a lot. I have both the blue business plus and the blue business cash and both of them have a $50,000 limit so I don’t come close on either one of the cards between both of $100,000 cap on both business cards.
I honestly love Dunkin BUT $7 a month is weird to me lol - like, if you're gonna introduce a sub $10 credit, that too on the Amex Gold of all cards, then have more options (like the Dining credit). Or make dining more (like $15+ a month) and add DD as an option haha
Testing out the credit. I ordered an online gift card for $7. That hit as “WGCBASKINROBBINS” on the statement. Then I reloaded the mobile app with another $7. That is showing as “DUNKIN MOBILE”. Based on the T&C’s, I think the Dunkin mobile will trigger the credit. To test this properly, I should have ordered the online gift certificate at $2 since that’s the minimum. Meh, I will still use the $14 so no worries.
No one touched the greens lol how sad haha i only went there on breakfast sadly it was meh haha but free food was nice. Chase sapphire lounge and delta sky club and capital one lounge so far had a best food for me!!
@@Creditcardnerd Thats really good to know haha - yet to try out any Chase Sapphire lounge and Delta (domestic vs international terminal) lounges can be a night and day difference!
@@LalitDevraj I tried chase sapphire lounge at JFK bc it was right next to centurion lounge! Love fresh to order food! They had salmon egg Benedict! I heard international terminal delta lounge is ok
Hahahahaha 😅😅 The reason I made this video was legit because I was personally having trouble understanding and figuring out what in the world it was all about!! Love that you now know lol and appreciate you as always for the support Xavier 😊😁😁
Excellent video and love the details & attention you put into this one :) ❤️ Definitely think that Spirit is overlooked easily, but if you're looking to travel at a low fee & get all of these perks with it (with the Gold card), it's so worth it! ☺️
@@heysabo Thanks so much and appreciate it - it's frankly unmatched and when I saw those consistent flights from ATL -> TPA at $19 each way (one of many route examples of prices being insanely valuable), it's something actually worth considering all else equal :) Gold Status is wild based on your need and the two cards are also not totally trash haha and can assist more than zero, especially given not fun rules commonly known about with Spirit 😊🥰
I have delta Amex gold, won’t qualify for welcome bonus on platinum. Wondering if the stay benefits on delta platinum will substitute for the one free night on chase boundless
I product changed from an Freedom Unlimited to a Flex and also have the 1 Discover It Cash Back and I have 2 Citi Custom Cashes. One was product changed from previously being a Double Cash.
I had my thoughts of that too yet with me being uncertain about keeping the Chase Sapphire Reserve when the Capital Once Venture X came out, that 3x on Dining with the flex was more important overall - great callout though, slipped my mind that this was something that actually had some good amount of thought upon :)
@@rthilson I will eventually obtain the Unlimited again when I'm out of 5/24 jail in another 1 year and 7 months for Costco in case I ever decide to get a membership there. Until then, my top card for Costco is the Amazon Prime VISA if I want extended warranty for a high ticket item. Non extended warranty items, I have the Truist 3/2/1 and 1.5% cards which are also Visa cards.
Interesting as I was thinking of eventually carrying 2 Flexes. We will often max out the $1500 category limits, so having a buffer of $3,000 instead would maximize our returns more.
Nice video Lalit. I have 3 Citi Custom Cash cards. Not sure if I cannot deal with the mental gymnastics to activate the Freedom Flex cards every time you want to take advantage of a category on a rotational basis.
Totally feel you on that Juan - for the Chase Freedom Flexes, as you probably know, it's not like the Discover It, where you won't get the 5% till you activate. Custom Cash, I know you have to do nothing of course With the Flex, I just activate in a very timely manner but also because a lot of other things happen on the first of the month (and/or first of the month of a quarter) like Bilt's Rent Day, Amex monthly credits re-upped etc. I don't disagree with you, judt made it a part of a checkpoint where I do all these things :)
The good thing about activating is it only takes 2 seconds on my 1 Freedom Flex card and my 1 Discover It Cash Back and the quarterly cap lasts longer since I can use my 2 Custom Cashes for other categories or to switch my spend too and if I pass the cap on either card on a certain category, for the remainder of the quarter, I can put one category on one or both Custom Cash cards . This quarter, my Chase Amazon Prime is 5% on Gas, Groceries and Dining, so when I go over that card's cap, I can go to one of the Custom Cashes. I got one through application and got the bonus and the other through product change from a Double Cash to a second Custom Cash.
I use 3 in the value I forgot to mention in this video of Chase Merchant Offers, where you're able to potentially double/triple dip on certain merchants From a $1,500*3 Flexs cap - consistently, not all. Given home-related expenses, some categories are really helpful (Amazon, Home Improvement, Dining, Groceries) and the points being exchanged for transfer partners for my use cases is phenomenal Side note is that I always think about credit card set ups to support future expenditure arrangements (family expenses) - like, these setups have a scalable nature to them and you can expand and contract etc :)
I'm not the traveler you are but I prefer stand at marriott properties. Like you I'm not so much Into aspirational travel As I am into id teor properties. I do a lot of grocery and restaurants spend so I product.Change from them boundless to the bountiful on one of my cards. The 4x for me is a no brainer. I will snag the Brilliant when my current Marriott setup allows me to. I have to downgrade my Ritz and wait.
That's awesome - I love that everyone has their preferred way to travel/redeem points and strategies for their optimal scenario. Being able to share/communicate about this is priceless I too am looking forward to getting the Marriott Brilliant on my side one fine day as well 😊😊
@@LalitDevraj yesterday, I booked 3 nights at AC Wailea Maui on Bonvoy points and a 4th night on my Amex Plat points. Works for me. I will eventually downgrade the Plat, as I simplify and narrow my aim If Chase one day gives 1 of their Marriott cards Plat Status, I'll be satisfied.
After getting the core cards/the majority of cards that are worth getting, this was really one more was to spend towards the sign up bonus - that said, it had an insane unplanned advantage :)
Depends how you're doing it - I got it as a card not meant to be churnt fully (get bonus and cancel). Since it's no AF, I just kept it after bonus and hardly use it on actual spend (except an Amex Offer if applicable etc)
That intro was awesome hahaha! Easy to follow! Going to show this to my wife as she has gotten some stuff from Sephora in the past for sure. And 60+ credit cards, jeeeeez haha. Good stuff Lalit, loved this!
Same as the Sephora card - for INSANE value ($500+) after the first purchase, this is the card I can't stop raving about: www.applyaviator.com/referafriend?referrid=eefabb72-5f35-48c2-9fa8-de38be94fe7e
