topic Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP in Credit Cards

Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

icegeek — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 17:37:59 GMT

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.

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

surehit — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 17:47:28 GMT

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.

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

redpat — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 17:49:00 GMT

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.

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

ceejx — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 17:52:53 GMT

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.

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

jsucool76 — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 20:32:38 GMT

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

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 20:39:31 GMT

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.

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

icegeek — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 21:01:10 GMT

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?

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 00:08:40 GMT

@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?

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-annoucement

No more 10% bonus after Dec 2015

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 21:31:07 GMT

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.

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

OmarGB9 — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 21:34:37 GMT

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

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 22:49:36 GMT

Not unless you get a convenience check (;

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

jsucool76 — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 04:19:13 GMT

@OmarGB9 wrote:
Pretty sure you can't transfer balances between accounts within the same lender. Especially Chase.

This. Here would be the benefit of having something like a barclaycard ring, with no BT fee. BT to the ring (for free) and then onto the freedom. xD #MildlySketchy

Even with a convenience check, that looks mega-risky to lenders. Especially chase, who can be kinda jumpy.

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 04:33:37 GMT

@jsucool76 wrote:
@OmarGB9 wrote:
Pretty sure you can't transfer balances between accounts within the same lender. Especially Chase.
This. Here would be the benefit of having something like a barclaycard ring, with no BT fee. BT to the ring (for free) and then onto the freedom. xD #MildlySketchy

Even with a convenience check, that looks mega-risky to lenders. Especially chase, who can be kinda jumpy.

Then I guess I must be the sketchiest of them all. I have had at least FIVE family members get the ring, explicitly for simplifying a debt shuffle and avoiding a low limit slate card. Lol.

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

Imperfectfuture — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 09:00:49 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@jsucool76 wrote:
@OmarGB9 wrote:
Pretty sure you can't transfer balances between accounts within the same lender. Especially Chase.
This. Here would be the benefit of having something like a barclaycard ring, with no BT fee. BT to the ring (for free) and then onto the freedom. xD #MildlySketchy

Even with a convenience check, that looks mega-risky to lenders. Especially chase, who can be kinda jumpy.
Then I guess I must be the sketchiest of them all. I have had at least FIVE family members get the ring, explicitly for simplifying a debt shuffle and avoiding a low limit slate card. Lol.

In regards to debt shuffle (as away from ring after transfer to ring), that not only looks sketchy, but Barclays doesn't like it.

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

takeshi74 — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 12:25:22 GMT

@icegeek wrote:
It's 2% rewards vs 1% but I fear the interest will outweigh that benefit.

CSP isn't 2%. It's 2x. The % can vary depending on how you redeem. If done right it can be >2%. That said, interest will still kill rewards.

Re: Traveling with new freedom card but also have CSP

ceejx — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 14:32:09 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@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?
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-annoucement
No more 10% bonus after Dec 2015

Wow, interesting. I've been lucky that I still get the 10%+10 per transaction. That page you mention only talks about the anual 10% going away, so hopefully they forgot about us who get the 10+10. If that goes away, then outside of the 5% categories I'll lose my reason for using my Freedom card and will have to find a new rewards card that earns more, or stick with my NFCU that gives me 1.5% CB.