topic Re: SPG vs CSP in Credit Cards

SPG vs CSP

DigitalArk — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 18:24:40 GMT

Which one fits your life style better and why?

Re: SPG vs CSP

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 18:36:43 GMT

@DigitalArk wrote:
Which one fits your life style better and why?

Obviously we know your affiliation. I like both programs but find myself using SPG more due to being transferable to AA. I may be annoyed with the lack of awards availability lately on AA, but I still find it to be a great program.

Re: SPG vs CSP

DigitalArk — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 18:50:12 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@DigitalArk wrote:
Which one fits your life style better and why?
Obviously we know your affiliation. ...

Ya There are so much more transfer partners with SPG.

I used to pay for Boingo WiFi...with SPG, not any more!

It's a no brainer for me.

Re: SPG vs CSP

Sharingan — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 19:29:13 GMT

I held both cards for several years, and the CSP was the one I ultimately decided to keep. The SPG card is excellent for high, noncategory spending and if you reguarly stay at their properties due to how difficult it is to amass Starwood points otherwise. I am much more inclined to choose one of the hotel brands in my signature over the Starwood properties, however, and that is why I had to cancel my SPG. Hyatt is my first choice when traveling and it is also a very good UR transfer partner.

I think the only way I would get the SPG card again is if a free anniversary night certificate is included in the card's benefits. Unfortunately, I don't ever see that happening due to how popular the card has been, even without the certificate.

Re: SPG vs CSP

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 19:36:29 GMT

I just applied for and got the SPG this past month. They sent me the old style card though, and they said it's too soon to order a replacement. That was annoying. I also have an almost uselessly low credit limit on it. My CSP still gets used almost anytime I go out for dinner, depending on the situation, so that beats the SPG for most things. The one nice thing about SPG (which has nothing to do with the card itself) is linking it to my Uber account and getting 1 point for every dollar I spend on rides (plus more if you're checked into one of their hotels), which is pretty significant. That coupled with the 20% discount with the Quicksilver makes Uber an amazing value.

Sorry to get offtopic. Basically I use my CSP for dining, I will use my SPG mostly just at their hotels and random small purchases to keep the card active.

Re: SPG vs CSP

TheConductor — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 20:13:34 GMT

I'm seriously considering closing the SPG because I simply don't stay in hotels often enough for it to be a good value for me. Yes, the points can also be used for quite a few airlines, but most of those airlines do not serve my local airport at all, and for those that do United is usually offering more and cheaper flights.

I know that in the raw point redemption value that can be achieved, Starwood points are great. But given my preference for booking vacation rental homes instead of hotels and my airport situation, it's becoming clear that at least right now the card is not nearly as much of a value to me as the CSP.

I also like being able to multiply my earn rate on the CSP with the 5x Freedom bonus categories, and by shopping online through the Ultimate Rewards portal, and by eating out (which I do more than I should).

My lifestyle is one where the majority of my travel is for pleasure, not business, and what pleases me most is to live like a local when I get there. So I tend to redeem points for airfare and pay accomodation out of pocket so that I can stay closer to the "ground" than I would be in a hotel.

Your mileage may vary. ;-)

Re: SPG vs CSP

lhcole77 — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 21:23:54 GMT

@DigitalArk wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@DigitalArk wrote:
Which one fits your life style better and why?
Obviously we know your affiliation. ...
Ya There are so much more transfer partners with SPG.
I used to pay for Boingo WiFi...with SPG, not any more!
It's a no brainer for me.

How good is the Boingo WiFi? This will def be a nice perk if the speeds are good.

Re: SPG vs CSP

red259 — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 22:13:46 GMT

@lhcole77 wrote:
@DigitalArk wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@DigitalArk wrote:
Which one fits your life style better and why?
Obviously we know your affiliation. ...
Ya There are so much more transfer partners with SPG.
I used to pay for Boingo WiFi...with SPG, not any more!
It's a no brainer for me.
How good is the Boingo WiFi? This will def be a nice perk if the speeds are good.

I'm not sure yet. I have used that service in flight and at the airport, but it will be interesting since I just signed up for it with my card and I will be trying it out in my home city when I am out of the office over the next few days.

Re: SPG vs CSP

DigitalArk — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 22:31:40 GMT

@lhcole77 wrote:
@DigitalArk wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@DigitalArk wrote:
Which one fits your life style better and why?
Obviously we know your affiliation. ...
Ya There are so much more transfer partners with SPG.
I used to pay for Boingo WiFi...with SPG, not any more!
It's a no brainer for me.
How good is the Boingo WiFi? This will def be a nice perk if the speeds are good.

It is fast enough for me to play any online games or watch netflix.

Their customer service is pretty good too.

No major complaints, except their app...

Re: SPG vs CSP

red259 — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 22:38:34 GMT

I downgraded the CSP to CS, but that is only because I have the ink card. In the end I think both cards are very different and they work in tandem. The CSP is good to earn UR points on restaurant/travel spend and allows transfer to travel partners. The SPG card is good for spend where I do not have a category bonus and can provide me access to different travel partners than chase. For me both work in the context of my spending because they don't really overlap. Chase URs are easier to generate than SPG points though, but SPG points can give me more value with low redemptions for hotels or transfer bonuses.

Re: SPG vs CSP

SuperKirby — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 01:20:37 GMT

@red259 wrote:
I downgraded the CSP to CS, but that is only because I have the ink card. In the end I think both cards are very different and they work in tandem. The CSP is good to earn UR points on restaurant/travel spend and allows transfer to travel partners. The SPG card is good for spend where I do not have a category bonus and can provide me access to different travel partners than chase. For me both work in the context of my spending because they don't really overlap. Chase URs are easier to generate than SPG points though, but SPG points can give me more value with low redemptions for hotels or transfer bonuses.

These are probably the two best traveler credit cards out there, IMO. It really depends on what program you redeem your points mostly on. If AA, SPG, or Alaska airlines is your primary program choices, then SPG is better. If you like United, Southwest, or Hyatt, then CSP (Ultimate Rewards) is better. I only listed the most popular programs (at least in value) as examples. As you can see, both programs have excellent partners.

SPG earns 1.2 points/dollar on all purchases (assuming you transfer points at 20,000 increments to airlines).

Ultimate Rewards has a far superior earning rate if you can get your hands on the Ultimate Rewards Triple Threat:

CSP: 2x points on Dining/Traveling

Freedom: 5x points on categories

Ink: 5x Internet/phone/cable/TV

Ink: 2x Gas

Since Freedom and Ink have no annual fee then essentially the UR Triple combo's AF is only $95, same as SPGs.

For me I found myself flying United the most so it felt right using UR to pad my account points/miles. I do not want to diversify points into two seperate programs (I.e UR and SPG both).

Re: SPG vs CSP

red259 — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 01:28:57 GMT

@SuperKirby wrote:
@red259 wrote:
I downgraded the CSP to CS, but that is only because I have the ink card. In the end I think both cards are very different and they work in tandem. The CSP is good to earn UR points on restaurant/travel spend and allows transfer to travel partners. The SPG card is good for spend where I do not have a category bonus and can provide me access to different travel partners than chase. For me both work in the context of my spending because they don't really overlap. Chase URs are easier to generate than SPG points though, but SPG points can give me more value with low redemptions for hotels or transfer bonuses.
These are probably the two best traveler credit cards out there, IMO. It really depends on what program you redeem your points mostly on. If AA, SPG, or Alaska airlines is your primary program choices, then SPG is better. If you like United, Southwest, or Hyatt, then CSP (Ultimate Rewards) is better. I only listed the most popular programs (at least in value) as examples. As you can see, both programs have excellent partners.

SPG earns 1.2 points/dollar on all purchases (assuming you transfer points at 20,000 increments to airlines).

Ultimate Rewards has a far superior earning rate if you can get your hands on the Ultimate Rewards Triple Threat:
CSP: 2x points on Dining/Traveling
Freedom: 5x points on categories
Ink: 5x Internet/phone/cable/TV
Ink: 2x Gas

Since Freedom and Ink have no annual fee then essentially the UR Triple combo's AF is only $95, same as SPGs.

For me I found myself flying United the most so it felt right using UR to pad my account points/miles. I do not want to diversify points into two seperate programs (I.e UR and SPG both).

Part of this depends on how you travel. When I travel I tend to move around quite a bit staying at different hotels. Other people who travel like to go to one location and spend a week there staying in same hotel. I have found that diversification worked really well for me in that I was able to cap my AA account with starpoints to make a redemption and I needed spg points to cover some stays at locations where there were no hyatts around for my Chase UR points. Obviously the amount of spend you have to put towards credit cards is a factor as well, because if you have too little in each program then you won't be able to redeem anything!

Re: SPG vs CSP

SuperKirby — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 01:58:15 GMT

@red259 wrote:
@SuperKirby wrote:
@red259 wrote:
I downgraded the CSP to CS, but that is only because I have the ink card. In the end I think both cards are very different and they work in tandem. The CSP is good to earn UR points on restaurant/travel spend and allows transfer to travel partners. The SPG card is good for spend where I do not have a category bonus and can provide me access to different travel partners than chase. For me both work in the context of my spending because they don't really overlap. Chase URs are easier to generate than SPG points though, but SPG points can give me more value with low redemptions for hotels or transfer bonuses.
These are probably the two best traveler credit cards out there, IMO. It really depends on what program you redeem your points mostly on. If AA, SPG, or Alaska airlines is your primary program choices, then SPG is better. If you like United, Southwest, or Hyatt, then CSP (Ultimate Rewards) is better. I only listed the most popular programs (at least in value) as examples. As you can see, both programs have excellent partners.

SPG earns 1.2 points/dollar on all purchases (assuming you transfer points at 20,000 increments to airlines).

Ultimate Rewards has a far superior earning rate if you can get your hands on the Ultimate Rewards Triple Threat:
CSP: 2x points on Dining/Traveling
Freedom: 5x points on categories
Ink: 5x Internet/phone/cable/TV
Ink: 2x Gas

Since Freedom and Ink have no annual fee then essentially the UR Triple combo's AF is only $95, same as SPGs.

For me I found myself flying United the most so it felt right using UR to pad my account points/miles. I do not want to diversify points into two seperate programs (I.e UR and SPG both).
Part of this depends on how you travel. When I travel I tend to move around quite a bit staying at different hotels. Other people who travel like to go to one location and spend a week there staying in same hotel. I have found that diversification worked really well for me in that I was able to cap my AA account with starpoints to make a redemption and I needed spg points to cover some stays at locations where there were no hyatts around for my Chase UR points. Obviously the amount of spend you have to put towards credit cards is a factor as well, because if you have too little in each program then you won't be able to redeem anything!

I agree as long as you have the luxury of padding two types of reward programs. At the end of the year I usually just dump 150K to united to fly somewhere with the SO and pay for the hotel, or vice versa: dump 150K to hyatt somewhere (hopefully park hyatt etc.) and pay for the flight to wherever. So typically just the combo of United or Hyatt is good enough for me yearly since I really only redeem once a year. As always, to each it's own, or as frequent travelers say, your mileage may vary.