topic Altitude Reserve is Awesome! in Credit Cards

Altitude Reserve

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 02:15:55 GMT

For the ones who have this card, what are your thoughts? Do you specifically only use this card for travel and mobile purchases while using other cards for other purchases? Also how do you think it fairs with the other premium cards out there?

I’m possibly considering this card in the near future but I was just curious how it stacks up with the competition.

Re: Altitude Reserve

credit_is_crack — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 02:41:09 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
For the ones who have this card, what are your thoughts? Do you specifically only use this card for travel and mobile purchases while using other cards for other purchases? Also how do you think it fairs with the other premium cards out there?

I’m possibly considering this card in the near future but I was just curious how it stacks up with the competition.

Depending on how you plan to use points and stuff will determine how it stacks up for you. Some folks have the CSR, Amex Platinum Altitude and a few others and I think each person uses them differently. I have the CSR because after the credit it's more cost effective than the CSP, and have Altitude mainly for mobile stuff, but it feels the same as my CSR for travel stuff. CSR does have better car rental coverage so that always goes there. I just got mine about a month ago and the SUB was a nice incentive to snag it up to. Next year I may just axe it, but we'll see how this year goes.

Re: Altitude Reserve

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 03:20:55 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
For the ones who have this card, what are your thoughts? Do you specifically only use this card for travel and mobile purchases while using other cards for other purchases? Also how do you think it fairs with the other premium cards out there?

I’m possibly considering this card in the near future but I was just curious how it stacks up with the competition.

It is my most attractive card, unfortunately, it never sees the light of day. It is a perfect card for my uses as most merchants I go to I can use Samsung Pay to get 3x. The travel/retail benefits are pretty good, but for expensive trips, there are better cards. I have a lot of other services with US Bank so it is convenient having my credit products there as well.

Re: Altitude Reserve

Shadowfactor — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 11:03:29 GMT

Personally I value the Altitude Reserve over CSR. I will be downgrading to CF come annual fee time. Chase no longer has any valuable transfer partners except Hyatt for my redemption preferences.

RTR is a much better deal with being forced to use the portal. It’s quite easy to cash out for travel gift cards which provide the most flexibility.

I tend to only use the AR for mobile pay and taxis. It’s a nice card to have in Europe as they accept contactless everywhere.

Given the $75 net annual fee and the WiFi passes. It makes it a no brainer to keep it even if you hardly swipe it. I run though all 12 WiFi passes in a year so I save money just by having the card.

Re: Altitude Reserve

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 11:23:26 GMT

I've thought about the Altitude Reseve, as I don't qualify for CSR. I do like the Mobile Pay discount, the ease of use, the primary CDW, the 6-hour trip delay coverage, and the fact that the travel credit can be used for fares/rooms.

However, I decided to wait and work on other keeper cards first. Plus, kinda holding out for the Crystal Visa with the $100 companion fare discount.

Re: Altitude Reserve

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 12:03:58 GMT

@Shadowfactor wrote:
Personally I value the Altitude Reserve over CSR. I will be downgrading to CF come annual fee time. Chase no longer has any valuable transfer partners except Hyatt for my redemption preferences.

RTR is a much better deal with being forced to use the portal. It’s quite easy to cash out for travel gift cards which provide the most flexibility.

I tend to only use the AR for mobile pay and taxis. It’s a nice card to have in Europe as they accept contactless everywhere.

Given the $75 net annual fee and the WiFi passes. It makes it a no brainer to keep it even if you hardly swipe it. I run though all 12 WiFi passes in a year so I save money just by having the card.

There are a lot of data points that purchasing gift card on AR results in shutdown, but I'm not sure whether it's risky only when you're working on min spending requirement for SUB or not.

Re: Altitude Reserve

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 12:21:36 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Shadowfactor wrote:
Personally I value the Altitude Reserve over CSR. I will be downgrading to CF come annual fee time. Chase no longer has any valuable transfer partners except Hyatt for my redemption preferences.

RTR is a much better deal with being forced to use the portal. It’s quite easy to cash out for travel gift cards which provide the most flexibility.

I tend to only use the AR for mobile pay and taxis. It’s a nice card to have in Europe as they accept contactless everywhere.

Given the $75 net annual fee and the WiFi passes. It makes it a no brainer to keep it even if you hardly swipe it. I run though all 12 WiFi passes in a year so I save money just by having the card.

There are a lot of data points that purchasing gift card on AR results in shutdown, but I'm not sure whether it's risky only when you're working on min spending requirement for SUB or not.

I think Shadowfactor is talking about REDEEMING for travel gift cards, not purchasing (presumably V/MC/A prepaid) gift cards which lead to AA

Re: Altitude Reserve

imaximous — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 12:47:30 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Shadowfactor wrote:
Personally I value the Altitude Reserve over CSR. I will be downgrading to CF come annual fee time. Chase no longer has any valuable transfer partners except Hyatt for my redemption preferences.

RTR is a much better deal with being forced to use the portal. It’s quite easy to cash out for travel gift cards which provide the most flexibility.

I tend to only use the AR for mobile pay and taxis. It’s a nice card to have in Europe as they accept contactless everywhere.

Given the $75 net annual fee and the WiFi passes. It makes it a no brainer to keep it even if you hardly swipe it. I run though all 12 WiFi passes in a year so I save money just by having the card.

There are a lot of data points that purchasing gift card on AR results in shutdown, but I'm not sure whether it's risky only when you're working on min spending requirement for SUB or not.
I think Shadowfactor is talking about REDEEMING for travel gift cards, not purchasing (presumably V/MC/A prepaid) gift cards which lead to AA

I could be wrong, but I think he actually bought the gift cards to redeem his points using RTR. Basically, purchased airline gift cards for x amount, and then used RTR to redeem against the purchase. That's the only way to redeem for gift cards because there's no travel gift cards on the portal. Most importantly, you get 1.5x value since it's considered a travel redemption. All other gift cards on the portal are 1:1 otherwise.

Re: Altitude Reserve

Winesnoblv — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 15:56:31 GMT

With an AF of $400, it is lower than most other premium cards.

I use it for mobile purchases as well as travel.

For travel, once the travel expense posts to the account, the $325 travel credit posts.

I use it in combination with the AMEX Platinum for travel. Having the AMEX Platinum works well when your home airport is Vegas with the Centurion lounge.

Re: Altitude Reserve

digitek — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:52:09 GMT

I've had it for a few months now and I really like it. I switched from CSR + Freedom, both of which I closed out. I went with Alt Reserve + Uber. Lower AF by $50 and lower effective AF by $75 ($400 AF with $325 credit as opposed to $450 AF with $300 credit), almost exact same insurance except for lower amount on trip cancellation ($10k vs $2k), many more opportunities to use it with mobile payments as opposed to just restaurants, I don't really care much about airport lounges, US Bank is solid all around.

If you also have a Samsung product with MST then you can use the card practically anywhere you have to swipe even if it doesn't support typical NFC mobile payments. Samsung Pay even gives some rewards for using it, but they aren't worth much and not sure you can redeem for actual cash, only towards Samsung products.

Of all the major AF (Amex Plat, Citi Prestige, CSR, Alt Reserve) cards it made the most sense to me. I don't travel a whole lot, 3-4 times a year, and value lounge access at $0, just wanted a card with good travel insurance, Visa network, dedicated 'good' customer service, no FTF, and I really like the mobile wallet increased cashback category. Personally, I like the Real-Time-Redemption style of using points over any of the others, too.

Re: Altitude Reserve

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 04:09:46 GMT

@digitek wrote:
I've had it for a few months now and I really like it. I switched from CSR + Freedom, both of which I closed out. I went with Alt Reserve + Uber. Lower AF by $50 and lower effective AF by $75 ($400 AF with $325 credit as opposed to $450 AF with $300 credit), almost exact same insurance except for lower amount on trip cancellation ($10k vs $2k), many more opportunities to use it with mobile payments as opposed to just restaurants, I don't really care much about airport lounges, US Bank is solid all around.

If you also have a Samsung product with MST then you can use the card practically anywhere you have to swipe even if it doesn't support typical NFC mobile payments. Samsung Pay even gives some rewards for using it, but they aren't worth much and not sure you can redeem for actual cash, only towards Samsung products.

Of all the major AF (Amex Plat, Citi Prestige, CSR, Alt Reserve) cards it made the most sense to me. I don't travel a whole lot, 3-4 times a year, and value lounge access at $0, just wanted a card with good travel insurance, Visa network, dedicated 'good' customer service, no FTF, and I really like the mobile wallet increased cashback category. Personally, I like the Real-Time-Redemption style of using points over any of the others, too.

I noticed you also have the Gold as well. I’m interesting in how you use that with the Alt reserve since you mentioned you use the Uber as well.

Anyways yeah I was just approved for this card and so far I’m liking it! I am thinking I will just drop my Gold in October when the 2nd fee hits. I don’t like the idea of paying for multiple 200+ annual fee cards. Ill still have the BBP for 2 MRs for all purchases regardless. I’ll then use the Altitude Reserve+Savor for essentially all purchases. Reserve will handle all mobile payments/travel/non cat spend while Savor will take care of restaurants/entertainment that don’t take Apple Pay.

Re: Altitude Reserve

Shadowfactor — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 04:53:23 GMT

I was referring to redeeming your points for giftcards through RTR. It’s quite easy to redeem them for AA giftcards as AA lets you enter any dollar amount up to $1500.
It gives you additional flexibility to book flights Without the portal or more complicated bookings that the portal may not have.

Don’t buy giftcards using Mobile wallet to earn 3X points, USB will shut you down. I’ve done in twice not thinking about it but it was only $25 restaurant giftcards as gifts.

Re: Altitude Reserve

NRB525 — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 12:33:20 GMT

The RTR method would work on the actual AA flight, whether $150 or $500 for a particular flight. The Altitude points don’t expire as long as the card remains open, so it is not the same “use it or lose it” as the AMEX airline credits.

Yes, setting up a large AA gift card may make it easier in booking with AA, but keep in mind, those Altitude points are now committed to AA.

There are annoyances in the RTR as well, such as booking flights. If you buy two airline tickets on the same itinerary, or two upgrades to seats, you may get two separate charges, one for each seat, within seconds of each other. Because RTR really is Real Time, that means you get two texts, back to back, but only the last text can be “Redeem” responded.

So RTR maintains flexibility, but there may be cases when one cannot get as much redeemed as one would like.

Congrats on getting the card OP. I like mine, although my access to ApplePay merchants seems to be declining. I plan to keep it open, because those GoGo passes are nice.

Altitude Reserve is Awesome!

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 14:22:53 GMT

So I was literally at the dentist getting ready to pay with my BBP then I discovered that the terminal said Apple Pay. I was in shock because the dentist would be the last place I would expect to take mobile pay. I asked the lady if they took mobile pay because it said it on the machine. She was like “I don’t think it works, someone else has tried it”. I’m like “cool do you mind if I try it”. Of course, she was like sure and to my surprise it worked!

I have around a 2k dental expense coming up next week so that’s an easy 6k points! I am also planning on moving the expense over to my Discover, which has a 18 month/0%/3% fee. Despite the fee, I’m still coming out ahead which is nice. My BBP has around 8 months left on its 0% APR so I’ll gladly take that trade off for an extra 10 months!

Re: Altitude Reserve is Awesome!

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 15:42:12 GMT

Just keep rubbing in how great the card is to those of us who were denied....

I kid. That's awesome you can use it at your dentist. I'm hoping to get the card in December and am waiting to have some major work done on my car until I get it.

Re: Altitude Reserve is Awesome!

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 15:59:13 GMT

I mainly got it for use abroad (as my most common expenses, groceries, have other cards offering more than 3x/4.5 travel) But like OP, I was pleasantly surprised yesterday at my auto repair place, took SP (via NFC), $1495 triple points, good process towards SUB (and hopefully insurance will pay most of it anyway!)

But wish travel was as broad as CSR, have to pull that out for parking and tolls!

Re: Altitude Reserve is Awesome!

JR_TX — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 17:29:02 GMT

I’m sure it’s awesome if you travel enough to justify the $500 AF.

Re: Altitude Reserve is Awesome!

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 17:33:21 GMT

@JR_TX wrote:
I’m sure it’s awesome if you travel enough to justify the $500 AF.

It’s 400$ AF and it’s an effective 75$ annual fee after the 325$ credit. You really don’t even have to travel much to justify it. Travel and mobile pay both earn 3 points.

Re: Altitude Reserve is Awesome!

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 17:35:58 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I mainly got it for use abroad (as my most common expenses, groceries, have other cards offering more than 3x/4.5 travel) But like OP, I was pleasantly surprised yesterday at my auto repair place, took SP (via NFC), $1495 triple points, good process towards SUB (and hopefully insurance will pay most of it anyway!)

But wish travel was as broad as CSR, have to pull that out for parking and tolls!

True! It’s nice discovering places that you least expect would accept Apple Pay. That alone makes the card a keeper!

Re: Altitude Reserve

practical1 — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 18:15:09 GMT

I've had this card for about a year and a half. Since I'm accumulating Marriott and AMEX points, I don't use it very often. The one place I do is COSTCO, since they switched to VISA only for credit cards.

Haven't tried using the mobile payments feature (since I don't have a phone with working fingerprint scanner) but expect, if you do and use it frequently at places like COSTCO, the 3 X points would be attractive.

So far, I've kept all the accumulated points banked -- between those and the $325 annual travel credit, it seems like a good deal to keep this card alive. Plus, it's satisyingly solid metal -- just wish it also could do tap to pay (but then it would need to have the sandwich construction of AMEX metal cards).