@kdm31091 wrote:
Answer this very simple question. How is a Venture or Arrival better to "fill gaps" in spend any more than a Double Cash or Fidelity Amex? You're getting the same 2 percent either way. With Venture/Arrival you only get it if the issuer decides your transaction is "travel related".
I just really fail to see the advantage of using them long term. Why seperate your travel expenses onto a Venture or Arrival when there is no extra benefit (okay, there's an 0.1% extra benefit on Arrival)? It just makes little sense to me.
As far as the no FTF argument, it's a fair argument, but I still don't see why you wouldn't want a Quicksilver instead. You're giving up 0.5% to be able to redeem for anything at full value. To each their own I guess.
If I buy a train ticket in Amsterdam, I'm not going to use DC for that, so I'm not getting the 2% CB for it or the ability to use points to cover the charge. Yes, I could have built up enough CB while in the US that I can just say that money was what paid for the ticket, but I still give up that extra 2% from the actual purchase. It really comes down to that FTF.
As for the QS, it's also a good option for this, cut off (has yfan said) is around 12k USD/yr in spending before the extra 0.5% makes a difference. For me, I easily put more than that through it (normally around 15-20k/yr) in non-category spending. I have some purchases (non-category) that I can get reimbursed on from my company, if I don't have minspend to meet it goes on Arrival+ (that's the ~5k annual difference in the range). Rest is clothing, groceries, etc since I don't have any cards (outside of rotating) that fit those categories. Online purchases are always through a portal (if available), I check cashbackmonitor.com to find the best option. Sometimes that the UR portal, sometimes Barclay rewards boost (which I like for the fact that there's no fighting about which card you use, book through them for 2% but use CSP and get 2x there as well), ebates, etc.
Now, with my work I do spend more time overseas than I do in the US, so FTF do hit me hard. But, as already pointed out, it's only a few thousand a year to make up for a small annual feed (assuming the standard 3%), so for anyone that spends more than that overseas in a year it makes sense to look at the costs. Then look at how much spend you would put through it to see if something like Venture or QS are a better option for your needs.
How I use these cards, and I know a number of others that do the same, is pretty simple. Chase covers my prefered airlines and hotels, so they are my main focus. CSP/Freedom/etc generally cover 2/3 tickets and hotel for our trips (I'm working towards lifetime status, so I still get airlines paid and use pay with points if I have them to spare). Then Arrival+ comes in to cover the extra bits, trains/taxi/amusement tickets/etc. Majority of my other travel is either work related, or short cheap trips (300USD tickets, so pay with cash or pay with points) where I travel alone.
Now, if you have suggestions for a better way, I'm all ears. Our prefered hotel is Marriot, Hyatt is second. Due to the time I lived in Korea I built up a ton of miles on KE, close enough that lifetime status is within reach so that is our primary airline (actually, it's Delta or any other SkyTeam, but miles need to be transfered to KE), United is the second choice due to routing flexibility they offer. As, in my case, I spend a lot of time overseas FTF are basically a no-go for me, only exceptions are maybe gas (plan to get the Ink later this year, which has 2x on that) and groceries.
