***NOTE: As of July 1, 2024 the Chase Sapphire Reserve will be losing Priority Pass restaurant access. This is a change that was made several months after this video was published.
I’m considering the CSP and AmEx Platinum combo. Then I would have the AmEx duo: Gold and Platinum and the Chase Trifecta: Freedom Unlimited, Ink Cash and CSP.
Team Chase Sappphire Preferred 💪(And also my first travel credit card!) But that's really because I have (and keep finding value) from the Amex Platinum and Venture X cards, so it's really hard to fit in another premium card in that setup. Similar to you, the lounge here in my home airport is the (new) Centurion lounge, so definitely relying on the Plat there, and of course given my primary way of using Chase points is partner redemptions, it just makes sense! Great breakdown Daniel!
The catch with both these cards is Chase’s travel booking site is horrific to use. It’s slow, doesn’t save recent searches, and has mediocre selection.
Interesting. I haven’t experienced this issue whatsoever. As a matter of fact, the chase travel portal is better than Capital One by far. Plus you get much, much more value when you redeem your points for travel.
I recently traveled with a friend with the Chase Sapphire Reserved and was amazed at all the access to lounges and food credits, not to mention the global entry or TSA pre check. Then when he got married, he used all the points to fly to Paris for a 2 week honeymoon and more points to stay at different 4+ star hotels while in france. He made me a believer that the 550 annual fee was basically a membership fee to a better travel experience for life. Now I'm fixing my credit to make that Chase Trifecta.
If you’re looking for a better travel experience, then also take a look at the Amex Platinum card. Not saying it’s a better card, but you should consider its features for your lifestyle.
@@blorfenburgerChase trifecta is a 3 card setup that includes the Freedom Unlimited, Freedom Flex, and Sapphire Preferred (or Sapphire Reserve). Look it up on RU-vid to see how people use them to maximize travel rewards
I have the Preferred. It's all about the value from transfer partners, mainly Hyatt, which is mine and that of many in the Sapphire family. The Chase Travel Portal tends to price very poorly.
Mileage may vary, for me I use the CSP for the transfer partners which is the same on the more expensive CSR and I already have PP lounge access through the VX which once per year gets you into a Sapphire lounge anyway. I also can take advantage of the online grocery multiplier on the CSP in store when paying through the APP of multiple grocery chains which is not a benefit on the CSR.
Same here. Have the CSP and the VX as well. I also compliment them with the CFF and the C1 Savor One. It's a great setup for just $40 and gets you a ton of value.
Based on the current meta, I think I would eventually land on the CSR as an end game strategy and use UR points for domestic travel and other cards for international trips. Until then, I still have a lot of welcome bonuses to chase down.
So you are doing all these just for the sapphire lounges and airport dining credits essentially? Don’t have already have the Amex platinum and gold cards? I just feel like there’s next to no benefit for you making the switch and it’s gonna be a waste of money
Nice Video Daniel, I upgraded my CSP to CSR and added my wife as AU in August. For our travel habits its definitely been a winner so far. Easiest travel credit, 3x on travel purchases (very broad) PP restaurants (being based out of PDX) have been huge. Plus we travel with the kids to Boston (mother-in-law lives there) every winter and summer. Hopefully the card works out as great for you as it has for me!
I just PC my CSR after having it for 5+ years to an OG freedom and going to apply for CSP once I see a nice sign on bonus. I think that's a better model than upgrading/downgrading cards to CSP to CSR as you miss out on the sign on bonus. In addition, if you PC your CSR within 41 days of posting date of annual fee, you will get refunded.. so be sure to use that $300 travel credit! Won't get clawed back! Happy churning :)
I think you would be because according to Chase policy, there would need to be 48 months in between the point when you first get the bonus and when that expires for the next one
Can’t get bonus before 48 mos since last receiving bonus. And when u apply for one for sub again (after 48 mos) u can’t currently have any sapphire cards.
I just recently upgraded my CSP to the CSR and I'm super happy I did. I've already gotten so much more use out of my Reserve than I did with the Preferred, especially on the travel side of things. I can see the Reserve being a staple in my wallet for a long time to come!! Great breakdown here man 👊🏼
You can get tsa pre check for 100$ for 5 years and if you don’t have a chase Lou he in your state I would just say go with the preferred , just my opinion maybe it will change in the future
Daniel, gotta say, great visual fx - really helps convey the information while holding attention. I had the CSR until they raised that annual fee a couple years ago so I downgraded to the CSP to keep all the points. But I will say, I miss the super flexible $300 credit. Awesome videos, man. Keep up the stellar work.
Thank you! Appreciate the early view after upload! I think that's a smart move, I'm really hoping that Chase continues the trend of limited time 80-100K offers once or twice in 2024
Another factor that differentiates these cards is the cost to add authorized users. On the preferred it’s free. On the reserve it’s a $75 fee to add an authorized user, but they get their own priority pass card.
I have had my CSP For over 4 years now but now want the bonus on the CSR. Do i downgrade my CSP to a freedom card and then apply for a CSR and how long do l wait in-between to apply?
Yes, you would downgrade the CSP to a Freedom card first before applying next for the CSR. There doesn't seem to be an exact rule for the time needed to pass, but it seems like generally letting at least a couple of weeks pass can be good for everything to get updated in their system. I'll report back with what I find when downgrading and then applying for the CSR myself later this year!
How many times at a year do you need to travel to make it worth the reserve fee? I normally fly 3 times a year for vacation. Cruises & resorts. The TSA screening, lounges & insurance benefits seem nice but is it worth the annual fee for a few trips a year?
Im confused would the ritz carlton card be a better pick? Cause its the JP Morgan, and Sapphire reserve who can only bring 2 comp guests while ritz carlton gives unlimited guest access to the lounge?
yes, so as for the the AU, but if u live in Austin, the Ritz Carlton card is not allowed to enter the Sapphire Terrace, only CSR and JPMR, and the card only earns Marriott points which is not as valuable as UR points
Reserve is one of the few credit cards that offer Nexus. That is a rare benefit because Nexus is free to kids and only $50 per adult (family of 4 covered). The program covers global entry, TSA, and Canada entry.
I got the preferred 2 years ago with 100k bonus. I use the points to transfer to partner airlines. 3x on restaurants basically covers most of the annual fee. Appreciate the video. Their chase travel site is terrible for real 😂😂😂😂
Daniel , as always an excellent video! Thank you ! I have been on the fence about upgrading to the CSR. I got the CSP this past April with the 90k Bonus. In your opinion, is it still worth getting if I already have the Platinum? Thank you !
This was a great review of the CSR. I really want this card but I really don’t use the products that they have credits for except Uber and rarely do I use Lyft. However, I do travel a lot internationally from JFK and that lounge and priority pass would be perfect. What you did point out is your use 2 Business Ink Cash cards. I have only the BIU and you have me thinking about applying for the BIC and then later getting another one or a CFF because I have CFU and BIU. I need those cash cards and the CSR.
Very informative. I just started my business and personal relationship with chase. They gave me a $4400 credit line with freedom unlimited… any advice on building up the personal from here? And the business side?
I still think it's hard to justify the CSR if you have the C1VX or Amex Plat. I use the CSP and Citi Premier as my 3x travel catch card on purchases abroad. Still the chase ecosystem is great so the CSR can come out on top, but you already get lounge access from those other cards.
Daniel what about a chase set with the United Explore card for Access into Lounges in INk cash Business card with either the freedom or CSP.that would be set up for United Club Lounges
The CSR is the only card that does everything. Lounge access, credits, good transfer partners, high earning categories, and probably the best insurances. One stop shop. Plus you can get more than one SUB albeit it’s slow
Dan, question. So I have a CSP and already got the points on it. Can I upgrade my CSP to a CSR, use it for a few years and then downgrade it to something else to apply for the CSR for those points? I haven’t gotten the CSR points since I chose the CSP as my first travel card.
That's why I am looking applying for the CSR soon. I spend around $600/year on Lyft - with the 5% discount on rides plus the 10x vs. 5.1x multipliers, I would get an extra $88.80 in value from that part of the membership alone. I am in Chicago, and had a Divvy membership (equivalent of Citi Bikes) for a while, but dropped it because I only used the bikes a few times a year. However, with CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) service deteriorating over the past few years, having a Divvy as an option would be nice, and the non-electric bikes are free to use with a membership (up to 45 minutes at a time). Since a 30 minute ride would cost around $6 without a membership, I would get at least $100 from that part of the CSR alone. The other big part of the card is the 3x vs. 2.1x on general travel. I plan on spending at least $5000 on airfare alone, including round-trip business-class flights from Chicago to the Netherlands within the next few weeks. With the difference in multipliers, I would value the points at $95. With the 3x on travel and the Lyft partnership the effective annual fee for the CSR would drop to $55 (vs. $45 for CSP). Add in the DoorDash/Caviar/Instacart credits (valuable since I am car-free), along with Priority Pass restaurants and added insurance. and the CSR looks like a better option!
@@chijason6630 I used to ride those Divvy Bikes in Chicago, I wish there were more bike lanes, should be one on Clark st. CTA is frustrating waiting for 15 minutes and the red line is just something else. I think your analysis makes sense, plus there are lots of smaller protections with the CSR that make the experience much better. I wish O'Hare had better priority pass options tho...
@@jakemercure Yup - the only Priority Pass option that I am aware of at O'Hare is the Swissport Lounge in Terminal 5, which is regarded as one of the worst airport lounges in the United States. Midway Airport is getting a dedicated Priority Pass lounge in Fall 2024. Southwest carries over 95% of the passengers at Midway, so if I book a flight through them, I can check out the lounge! I do plan on flying KLM (a SkyTeam partner airline) to the Netherlands next year, so I get to check out the Delta SkyClub in Terminal 5, which is regarded as top-tier lounge. The lounge includes several rooms, and had showers as well. Finally, the lounge has direct boarding to LaGuardia from Gate M11, and direct boarding for long-haul flights for Air France, KLM, and Korean Air at another gate. Being able to board straight from the lounge on my KLM flight would be awesome!
Priority Pass gets you into Sapphire lounges so if you have that from AMEX you can still get in. You don’t need the CSR since the lounges are not exclusive to Sapphire cards.
Is the points boost really worth it when the real benefit comes from transferring points to airline miles and hotel stays? And for the most part no one is going to book travel thru the portal.
Another consideration: I applied for my CSP in a branch here in Denver in Oct 2023. In return for some additional spend, I got 70,000 UR points as a SUB. I do not believe the CSR offers that option (please let me know if you have done it)
lol why? those two cards are nowhere near the same thing. If anything, keep the gold and just get the preferred. You are getting way more value from the gold in dining and groceries than the preferred would ever give you.
Any thoughts on pairing Amex Gold with CSP? Mainly because I feel I’m missing out on a lot of points with grocery. I don’t do online grocery orders. But I have also been thinking about upgrading to CSR in about 6 months, but would it be stupid to get Amex gold and then upgrade to CSR? Anybody else do this? Or have similar situation?
I just got a CFU to go alongside my CSP. The CFU's limited time sign-up bonus includes 5x on Grocery and 5x on Gas for a year on top of the 20k point bonus for 500 in spend. For me, that's a no-brainer on a zero-annual fee card. The Gold Card is good, but if you like Chase points, that kind of intro bonus keeps you with Chase for at least a year.
I'll apply for the Reserve, and Player 2 will go for the Preferred. Stack 'em points. Thanks for sharing Rocket Money. I might try it. I'm teaching my child how to handle credit and finance. This might be a good tool. 😊
Don't make me laugh. 3X multiplier on travel.. that's it. I need 10x on hotels, 5x on airfare, 10x on chase dining, 3 on other dining, lounge access etc. That doesn't come with the CIP.
@@tarrius1210 if you try to get max value, who use credit company own bad third party portal anyway? Those 10x 5x are irrelevant. Welcome offer is nicer under new offer. All other flex chase flex cards have 3x on dining. This card has 3x on phone, cable and Internet, anyone can use it. Phone insurance is a nice perk. Only time CSR is better when you travel international often, but average consumers are not.
I just want to emphasize that sapphire lounge is part of priority pass. However for those with CSR you get 2 guests for free versus for other priority pass you only get 1. Hopefully they make it exclusive as well. I hold the CSR as of last week.
Hi daniel i have a question for you. I have a US credit card but do not have ssn and a 1k USD limit on the card what happens if if spend the amount and never pay the money back. What are the other ways they can come after me in a different country?
