Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

[icegeek]

My CSP incurs interest and I don't plan to PIF. I just got a freedom with 15 months intro Apr. I'm going on vacation. Should I use freedom on trip or CSP. It's 2% rewards vs 1% but I fear the interest will outweigh that benefit.

This is domestic travel.

[surehit]

I would always suggest not paying interest if at all possible. It is pretty easy for the ~15% interest to outweigh the extra 1% in rewards, so I wouldn't risk it. If you're renting a car though the CSP provides primary instead of secondary rental coverage, so I would suggest using the CSP for that expense if you will have it. 

[redpat]

How much are you going to spend and how long before it is paid off, example  $1,000 is 20 UR but at 15.99% one month interest cost is $13.33.  If you are paying interest on CSP now because of a balance then use Freedom.

[ceejx]

Stick with your freedom.. you're going to pay more in interest than you're going to get back in the form of points on your CSP.

Here's the kicker tho, gas is 5% points right now on Freedom. I don't know if they still do it, but they also give you 10% additional points and 10 points per swipe (I still have this on my card), if you have a chase checking account which gives you a little extra benefit. CSP gives you 2 pts per $1 on restaurants, so technically if you used the CSP for restuarants, they paid off the amount you spent on restaurants on your CSP, then it's a wash and you can take in the points.

[jsucool76]

If you're travelling overseas, remember the freedom will add 3% to every transaction you make. 

[Anonymous]

Have you satisfied the $4000 bonus requirement? If you haven't then you could use the CSP and then transfer the end of trip balance to your Freedom card. 

[icegeek]

I thought about transferring my $2k balance on CSP to freedom when I got I but there's a 3% transfer fee. Can anyone else confirm the extra freedom rewards when you also have a chase checking account?

[longtimelurker]

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@icegeek wrote:
I thought about transferring my $2k balance on CSP to freedom when I got I but there's a 3% transfer fee. Can anyone else confirm the extra freedom rewards when you also have a chase checking account?

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It used to be the case, but that program stopped being available a long while back.   The program was then changed to a 10% bonus on app points, including bonus categories, which made it better for some but worse for most.   That program ended too.

I beleve the first program was meant to REALLY end, but the end of 2013.   For some reason, several people still get it, which is great.    But bonuses for checking have gone.

ETA: See https://www.chase.com/index.jsp?pg_name=ccpmapp/shared/marketing/page/ultimate-rewards-freedom-404-a...

No more 10% bonus after Dec 2015

[Anonymous]

Depending on who you plan to book your travel with, you might still get the 2% on your Freedom. If you book through the UR travel portal, which I believe mirrors Expedia, you get the extra 1% so it's still 2%.
For a while, you could earn 2% directly through expedia with shop through Chase and 4% at orbitz, but it appears those offers are done.

[OmarGB9]

Pretty sure you can't transfer balances between accounts within the same lender. Especially Chase.