Makes sense! However, we travel a LOT, and prefer to get $12K - $15K of annual value at Hyatt hotels. We just use a 2 card stack for 95% of our purchases. #1 We use the CSR Visa for airlines, cruises, dining and rideshare (3x pts). #2 We use Chase WOH Visa for everything else to earn and maintain Globalist status (based on Qualifying nights, and credit card spend). We always pay for our flights, and sometimes we leverage the cruiseline group discounts on airfare. Cheers!
I am a Chicagoan like yourself and also own Sapphire Reserve. However, one major weakness for us, Chicagoans, is lack of Priority Pass lounge in any of the domestic terminals and the only one "Swissport Lounge" exists in international travel. Chase has created some Sapphire Lounges and none of them exist in Chicago and it doesn't have any future plan either. Chase used to reimburse unto $28 in other selected restaurants and that program has also been disconnected. We need to raise this to Chase and/or Priority Pass as its devaluing the Reserve card.
The Flex is showing its age. It needs a facelift. The quarterly bonuses are always the same. At this point I only use it January to March for groceries and all year long for 3% off on drug stores. The Sapphire Preferred is useless except for travel. If you can get the first year's fee waived (such as opening in-branch) it's ok for a year, which is what I did. But I canceled after the first year.
Nik, another thing you might want to remind people about is the shopping portals that the airlines have. Not using a shopping portal for the airline that you like is throwing away miles. One of the stores I buy from online is PetSmart and they just had an increase in their miles yesterday to 3 mi from its usual 1 mi per dollar. So when I spent my $100 order I ended up getting 300 mi instead of 100 MI. Plus of course I used my Chase card so I got the normal 1X miles for the hundred dollars and 300 extra miles for going through the portal. Why would anybody throw away free miles??
Great info here, thanks!! I have the Freedom unlimited and Sapphire preferred cards and been using them to book everything on my trip for later this year!!
I'm finding more and more often that businesses are charging anywhere from a two and a half to 4% charge to pay your bill with a card. Is it still worth using the card at that rate?
If you could only have one, and tend to value air travel and lounges more than hotel? Which would it be. Leaning hard to the AMEX Platinum. Just want to ensure I cover that annual fee.
This is a great video. I’m just starting to research as I love to travel but have no idea how to do it for less or even for free. I’m based in the UK though and I don’t think chase offers these here. Any suggestions for us folks here in the Uk? What cards are best for us?
The value you quote for your trip to Europe is kinda inflated because you're comparing to one way flights. It's pretty easy to find round trip tix for about 6k. So you got around $12k in value. Still awesome so no need to exaggerate
It wasn't a roundtrip itinerary though - these were the actual retail rates for the open-jaw flights we took if we'd paid cash. I get what you're saying, but there's no exaggeration here.
Mostly it depends on sign up bonuses thus the need to own a bunch of credit cards and the other is maximizing your spending with the card that give you the most in return 👍
I was recently in Europe and had paid for flights and hotel stays with my Sapphire I acquired earlier this year and the card would not work in multiple locations in Switzerland, France and Italy so I was quite embarrassed and ticked off but luckily had my local bank debit card and chase Amazon card that worked fine and chase has no idea or record of the problem. I wonder if there is something I need to do since chase will do nothing
A Visa card was not accepted? Did you verify that the stores accept Visa? I wonder if Chase’s security systems flagged the use in Europe? Did you contact Chase and ask why the transaction(s) was denied? How new is your card?
According to the numerous times I phoned chase and spoke with numerous different departments they have no record of the card being tried to be used. I acquired the card earlier this year and it had worked in the US and via the internet for a Swiss purchase but not in person at multipe locations in three countries and I have no guarantee it ever would
@@philamongthehills501 I blame the merchant. Once in North Carolina my Amex was “denied”, Amex had my earlier purchases but no attempt by the NC gas station. Another time I tried to buy electronics and another card was “denied” but that card’s issuer said no record of a purchase attempt that day.
@juditmihalovits4641 it's called doing your own research. All the information is out there. you just have to read. Read your medical benefits. Read your HR manual read the terms and conditions of anything and everything that you're about to join or sign a contract with
@@juditmihalovits4641do the research...plenty of websites and FB groups have this information. 10X Travel and Award Travel are excellent places to start. We are attending a weekend seminar in Chicago next month focused on how to maximize this hobby. Put in the work and you will be rewarded. Next trip is UA Polaris to Germany for the Christmas markets then Air France in Business next March. All miles...no cash including 10 hotel nights.
@@juditmihalovits4641 plenty of resources online if you do the research. 10X Travel has a great (free) intro course which can be invaluable if you want to travel and there are many FB groups with knowledgeable and helpful members.
Hey, Nik. I tried to subscribe to the credit card update in the helpful tips section. I didn’t receive notification that my subscription went through. I looked in my spam folder and still didn’t see notification. Can you help?
It sounds as though the optimal arrangement (as you mention), using the Chase family of cards, is to charge all travel related expenses to your Saphire Preferred, and everything else to your Unlimited card, with the caveat that you track the Flex "high point value" categories each quarter, and charge these items to your Flex card, in that quarter. But how do you track which categories are being rewarded (by Flex) from quarter to quarter?
@@tkozikowI stopped at a single card because every card that I open tanks my credit score. When I applied for my first Chase card 3 months ago my score tanked 30 points. The credit bureaus don't like it when you open new accounts.
I address this in a different video, but that score dip is temporary. Responsible card use can actually raise your score over time if you keep utilization low. I don't know your situation though.
@@Jay-Atom50 many benefits for sure but not the benefits of earning on normal everyday purchases. If you’re looking to keep things easy, but want to earn an elevated rate of points on every day spending, it doesn’t get much easier than pairing the freedom unlimited with one of the sapphire cards IMO
@@JD-zt3nras Nik points out the dip is temporary and my score has not dropped below 800 in the past 3+ years. If you really want to get into this hobby it is difficult without a diverse card portfolio. Citi TYP, Chase URs, Amex MRs, and C1 points all have value and offer a lot of flexibility when we are planning travel.
Combining with your spouse has gotten WAY harder lately almost to the point of not worth it. Can't be done online and you have to call now, and they don't always let you do it or really give you the run around to do it. But if you're short on one account and really need it, then go for it and just know it could be an uphill battle
@@awaytogether we've certainly had mixed results, and my brother in law has given up once before and now just deals with their points being in two buckets. Seems to be very dependent on who you get when you call
Can only speak to Chase but my wife and I just did it two days ago. Took maybe 6-8 mins and the test pt transfer he did for her took only a few seconds. We’re good to go now. We did have to call though, can’t do it online.
I have a couple of questions: 1. What did I miss, as you were talking about cash back cards as if they were giving points? 2. When will you make a video about the AMEX trifecta?
Best way to use these points is actually transferring them to airlines and hotels at a 1:1 ratio. Sometimes chase travel has good deals, but the redemption is always better IMO if you transfer.
Agree, the Chase travel portal is a bit of a last resort if the transfer partners don't have availability or aren't in the location you need. The portal will let you use points for any stay regardless of reward availability. But the redemption is a 'worse value' 90% of the time.
@@awaytogetherHi Nik. I am waiting for my CSP to arrive in the mail to use for payment on 4 cruises booked through my agent on RCL. E are also planning to rent a car from Wisconsin to Florida and back both times. I looked in the portal at car rental rates and our rate directly through Enterprise is cheaper. Are we able to transfer points to rent directly with Enterprise? Thank you in advance!
How convenient you post these three cards and want people to use your referral code to gain those $15k of travel. I will use my referral to someone who deserves it.
