topic Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred in Credit Cards

Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

calisig — Sat, 16 Jul 2022 15:00:26 GMT

I travel sporadically, so I wondered if the US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite card (AR) could replace my existing Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Signature card (CSP)? Since they both have similar effective annual fees, and mostly similar benefits, I see them as logical competitors for the credit card optimizer who travels occasionally. To that end I created this comparison of the categories that are potentially valuable to me. After each category I compared them in, I declared a winner for me based on my spending value system.

If you choose to read further, please note that you may not agree with me, but you don’t have to agree with me either. I did not compare all details. Your spending value system may be different than mine, which will obviously yield different results.
Enjoy

Annual Fee

CSP = $95
AR = $75 Effective AF

Minimum Credit Line:

CSP: $5,000
AR: $5,000

Winner: AR should win because it is a Visa Infinite, while the CSP is a Visa Signature, but US Bank has cheapened the Visa Infinite by offering it at $5,000 instead of $10,000 like other banks require. So for me the winner is:

Tie

Credits

CSP: DoorDash membership worth $9.99 / month, 10% annual spending points bonus ($25,000 spend = 2,500 points = $25, 25% points bonus via Chase Travel Portal.

AR: TSA or Global every four years worth $100, 4 priority pass visits / year with one guest, 50% travel points bonus via Real Time Rewards (RTR).

Winner? The CSP DoorDash membership replaced my Uber membership I had through my American Express Platinum card that I canceled. Since DoorDash is the only credit, in this shootout, that I can use regardless of travel and hoping my airports have a Priority Pass lounge, the winner for me is:

CSP

Rewards

CSP: 3x dining, 5x Lyft
AR: 3x mobile wallet

Winner? Dining is a big category for me, and CSP works 3x at ALL restaurants. Mobile wallet works at supermarkets, which is strong! But I still run into plenty of restaurants and gas stations that don’t take mobile wallet. AR requires $50 minimum redemption for statement credit, which works out to $1667 spend. I have or plan on other cards for other categories that fall outside of dining and mobile wallet, and my CSP allows me to redeem point in any denomination, so for me the winner is:

Tie

Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver

CSP:
Primary CDW up to 31 days.
Exclusions:
High value motor vehicles or exotic car brands not covered examples are Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Bentley, Corvette, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, Maybach, McLaren, Porsche, Rolls Royce, and Tesla; However, selected models of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, Infiniti, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, and Range Rover are covered.

AR:
Primary CDW up to 15 days domestic & 31 days foreign - up to $75,000
Exclusions:
Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland

Winner: CSP

Baggage Delay Insurance

CSP: One hundred ($100.00) dollars per day up to a maximum of five (5) days if Your Baggage is delayed or misdirected for more than six (6) hours.

AR: None

Winner: CSP

Extended Warranty Protection

Extends the time period of warranty coverage by one (1) additional year on original eligible warranties of three (3) years or less up to a maximum of $10,000 per claim and a maximum of $50,000 per Account.

Notable AR Exclusion:
Real estate and items which are intended to become part of
real estate including, but not limited to, items that are hard-
wired or hard-plumbed, garage doors, garage door openers,
and ceiling fans

Winner: since I am more likely to buy something with the AR when mobile wallet available for 3x rewards vs 1x CSP, I would be more likely to use AR for mobile wallet purchases, and use another card for home improvement items. So the winner is:

Tie

Lost Luggage

CSP: up to $3,000 per Covered Person per Trip. Both include a sub-limit up to $500 for jewelry and watches and a sub-limit up to $500 for cameras and other electronic equipment per Covered Person per Trip.

AR: up to $3,000 per Covered Trip

Winner: CSP

Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption

CSP: benefit provides reimbursement for Eligible Travel Expenses charged to the Cardholder’s Account up to ten thousand ($10,000.00) dollars per Covered Person and up to twenty thousand ($20,000.00) dollars per Trip, if a loss results in cancellation or interruption of the travel arrangements.

Eligible TRIP INTERRUPTION Travel Expenses are Non-Refundable prepaid travel expenses charged by a Travel Supplier (Travel Agency, Tour Operator, Provider of Lodging, rental car agency, Rented Recreational Vehicle Provider, commercial recreational excursion provider, Cruise Line, airline, railroad, and other Common Carriers). Eligible Travel Expenses also means redeposit fees imposed by a Rewards program administrator. Eligible Travel Expenses does not include Event Tickets or prepaid fees to theme parks, museums, golf courses, or other points of interest (unless such expenses are included as part of a travel package).

Eligible Travel Expenses include Change Fees and costs to return a rental vehicle to the closest rental agency

If You are forced to temporarily postpone a Trip due to a loss and a new departure date is set, We will reimburse for the prepaid unused Non-Refundable land, air, and/or sea arrangements.

CSP Covered Events:
• Accidental Bodily Injury, Loss of Life, or Sickness experienced by You or Your Traveling Companion which prevents You or Your Traveling Companion from traveling on the Trip
• Accidental Bodily Injury, Loss of Life, or Sickness experienced by an Immediate Family Member of You or Your Traveling Companion when the Accidental Bodily Injury or Sickness is considered life threatening, requires hospitalization, or such Immediate Family Member requires care by You or Your Traveling Companion
• Severe Weather, which prevents a reasonable and prudent person from beginning or continuing on a Trip and occurs: 1) at the point of origin of the Trip prior to departure; or 2) in the path between Your place of permanent residence and the point of origin of the Trip prior to departure; or 3) within fifty (50) miles of the airport, terminal, station, booked lodging, and/or Host at Destination location listed on Your travel itinerary; and which: A) impacts a reasonable and prudent person’s ability to: (a) safely travel to the departure point of a Common Carrier on which You are scheduled to travel; or (b) safely remain at a booked Provider of Lodging,
or a Host at Destination location listed on Your travel itinerary;
or B) causes the cessation of operation of a Common Carrier for which You are scheduled to travel provided that such cessation of operation causes You to: (a) miss at least 20% of the scheduled duration of the Trip; or (b) miss the departure of a prepaid cruise, or tour (booked through a Tour Operator) that You are scheduled to take; or C) causes a Provider of Lodging with which You booked accommodations to cease normal operations
• NamedStormWarning
• Change in military orders for You or Your Spouse
• A call to jury duty or receiving a subpoena from the courts, neither
of which can be postponed or waived
• You or Your Traveling Companion’s place of permanent residence
being made uninhabitable, being burglarized, or damaged by fire
or flood
• You or Your Traveling Companion’s lodging accommodations at
the destination of the Trip being made uninhabitable
• The death or hospitalization of You or Your Traveling Companion’s
Host at Destination
If you're outside of the US, call collect at 1-804-673-1691 31
• Quarantine of You or Your Traveling Companion imposed by a Physician or by a competent governmental authority having jurisdiction, due to health reasons
• An organized strike affecting public transportation which causes You or Your Traveling Companion to a) miss at least 20% of the scheduled duration of the Trip; or b) miss the departure of a prepaid cruise, or tour (booked through a Tour Operator) that You are scheduled to take
The following losses are specific to Trip Cancellation:
• Terrorist Incident within twenty-five (25) miles of You or Your
Traveling Companion’s place of permanent residence within thirty (30) days of Your Scheduled Departure Date; or a Terrorist Incident within twenty-five (25) miles of an airport, booked lodging, and/or Host at Destination location listed on the itinerary within thirty (30) days of the scheduled arrival
• A Travel Warning due to terrorism issued by the branch of the United States Government with jurisdiction to issue such warning for the immediate vicinity of You or Your Traveling Companion’s place of permanent residence within ten (10) days of the Scheduled Departure Date; or a Travel Warning due to terrorism issued by the United States Department of State or other branch of the United States Government with jurisdiction to issue such warning for a geographic area within twenty-five (25) miles of
an airport, booked lodging, and/or Host at Destination location that is in effect within thirty (30) days immediately preceding the Scheduled Departure Date
The following losses are specific to Trip Interruption:
• Terrorist Incident within twenty-five (25) miles of an airport, booked lodging, and/or Host at Destination location listed on Your itinerary while on a Trip
• Travel Warning due to terrorism issued by the United States
Department of State or other branch of the United States Government with jurisdiction to issue such warning for a geographic area within twenty-five (25) miles of an airport, booked lodging, and/or Host at Destination location that is issued during Your or Your Traveling Companion’s Trip

AR: Trip Cancellation and Interruption benefits pay up to $2,000 per Insured Person for the non-refundable Common Carrier ticket(s).

AR Covered Events:

1. The death, Accidental Bodily Injury, disease or physical illness of You or an Immediate Family Member of the Insured person; or
2. Default of the Common Carrier resulting from
financial insolvency.
The death, Accidental injury, disease or physical illness must be verified by a Physician and must prevent You from traveling on
the trip.

Winner: CSP

Trip Delay Reimbursement

CSP: benefit provides reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred during the delay up to
five hundred ($500.00) dollars for each ticket purchased
when You are delayed due to a Covered Hazard for more than twelve (12) hours or require an overnight stay. Will reimburse Your reasonable additional expenses incurred during a Covered Trip delay, including meals, lodging, toiletries and medication. Covered Hazards – equipment failure, inclement weather, strike and hijacking/skyjacking.

AR: Trip Delay Reimbursement covers up to a maximum of five
hundred dollars ($500.00) for each purchased ticket, for
reasonable additional expenses incurred when a Covered Trip is delayed for
more than six (6) hours or requires an overnight stay. Covered Hazards means equipment failure, inclement weather, strike and hijacking/skyjacking.

Winner: AR (close, but AR kicks in 6 hours earlier)

Return Protection

CSP: None

AR: If You are disappointed with an item, within ninety (90) days
from the date of purchase, and the retailer will not accept a
return, You can be reimbursed for the purchase price, up to
three hundred dollars ($300.00) per item of personal property,
and an annual maximum of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00),
per Account.

Winner: AR

Purchase Protection / Security

CSP: Purchase Protection protects against theft of, damage to, or involuntary and accidental parting with new retail purchases within 120 days from the date of purchase. Involuntary and accidental parting with property means the unintended separation from an item of personal property when its location is known, but recovery is impractical to complete. up to a maximum of $500 per claim and $50,000 per Account.

AR: protects new retail purchases made within the first ninety (90) days from the date of purchase. To be eligible for this coverage, You need to purchase either a portion or the entire cost of the item using Your Account and/or rewards program associated with Your covered Account. up to a maximum of $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per cardholder, in the event of theft or damage.

Notable Exclusion (not in CSP): Real estate and items intended for real estate, including hard-
wired and hard-plumbed items, garage doors and openers, ceiling fans, among other items

Winner: Depends. CSP covers one month longer, and includes home repair items. AR covers higher amount per claim, but is shorter and excludes home repair. Since both are secondary to home owners, it is more likely I would use ‘Purchase Protection’ for smaller amounts and deductible, so smaller coverage would work for me - in which case one month longer coverage that includes home repair items is more valuable for me. But since I am more lilely to use AR when mobile wallet is available for 3x, the winner is:

Winner: Tie

Emergency Evacuation and Transportation or Repatriation of Remains

CSP: None

AR:
Emergency Evacuation and Transportation benefit limit: up to $10,000.00
Repatriation of Remains benefit limit: up to $1,000

Emergency Evacuation means:
a. Your medical condition warrants immediate transportation
from the place where You are injured or sick to the nearest
Hospital where appropriate medical treatment can be
obtained; or
b. After treatment at a local Hospital, Your medical condition
warrants transportation back to Your Residence for further
medical treatment or recovery; or
c. Both a) and b) above
The Emergency Evacuation benefit applies if You suffer an injury
or illness resulting in a necessary Emergency Evacuation when
You are on a Covered Trip. The Covered Trip must be no less than
five (5) days and no more than sixty (60) days and at least one
hundred* (100) miles from Your Residence.

Exclusions: Skydiving, scuba, skin, or deep sea diving, Hang gliding, parachuting, rock climbing and contests of speed

Must be pre-approved by the Benefit Administrator!

Winner: AR

When I started this, I wanted the Altitude Reserve to be the clear winner, because the AR is what I have been gardening for recently. And it could be the winner, if you want to commit to mobile wallet despite sporatic acceptance, are going to be visiting an airport that has a conveniently accessible Priority Pass lounge, value Return Protection, or plan not to scuba so you can depend on AR Emergency Evacuation insurance.

If you have other cards that cover groceries and gas, then the CSP is a strong competitor, especially if you are able to justify the AF by ordering food once or twice a month through DoorDash. CSP has the strongest protections in most categories, which for me gives it the edge. I may still get an Altitude Reserve, but after this analysis, I may end up keeping my Sapphire Preferred - even if I get an AR. What I am now leaning toward is moving AR down in the list of my next five cards.

If this looks like a reasonable comparison to you, and you have some constructive thoughts on the matter, please comment below.

Enjoy

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

Credit_hawk — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 07:46:35 GMT

Kudos to you for having such a detailed post. For me the CSP will always "win" so long as it retains its current core benefits which include first party domestic rental car insurance.

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 13:53:01 GMT

One big difference is in travel redemptions, CSP points can be transferred, which CAN give great redemption value. OTOH, AR points are worth 1.5c when redeemed for travel, making mobile wallet transactions worth 4.5%

In this area, mobile wallet is pretty widely usable, and with chain gas stations you can often use it via the app, e.g. ExxonMobil supports Google Pay in its app, allowing AR.

I couldn't justify keeping both AR and CSR, so I dropped the CSR (or rather converted it to a Visa Freedom!)

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

TSlop — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 14:07:10 GMT

You can also add in the $50 annual hotel credit for the CSP. I didn't see that included in the credits or effective annual fee.

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

calisig — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 19:49:53 GMT

@Anonymous- I did forget to mention the transferabiltiy of Ultimate Reward (UR) points - which can enhance their value by almost double - so good point! But I did already mention the 50% value enhancement of Altitude points - when redeemed through the USB travel portal.

Personally I think most bank travel portal redemption is a scam - at least for the travel I have priced through it. I have priced several trips I was considering through both the AmEx MR portal (when I had Platinum) and the UR portal, and both portals were more expensive than if I shopped my own sites and booked without points - even after the 25% increase in UR point value! Waller's Wallet on YouTube also did a video confirming the same inflated results with the US Bank portal. I realize redeeming rewards through bank travel portals works for some - especially for flexible destination international aspirational travel. But for me, I think I have done better redeeming points for cash back while shopping for travel outside of the often inflated bank travel portals.

@TSlop- I purposefully did not mention the $50 CSP hotel credit for the same reasons as above - I think I do better booking travel outside of the UR portal.

I still plan to price the bank portals, and who knows, maybe someday I'll get lucky. Cheers

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 17:11:51 GMT

@calisig wrote:
@Anonymous- I did forget to mention the transferabiltiy of Ultimate Reward (UR) points - which can enhance their value by almost double - so good point! But I did already mention the 50% value enhancement of Altitude points - WHEN REDEAMED THROUGH THE USB TRAVEL PORTAL.

Personally I think most bank travel portal redemption is a scam - at least for the travel I have priced through it. I have priced several trips I was considering through both the AmEx MR portal (when I had Platinum) and the UR portal, and both portals were more expensive than if I shopped my own sites and booked without points - even after the 25% increase in UR point value! Waller's Wallet on YouTube also did a video confirming the same inflated results with the US Bank portal. I realize redeeming rewards through bank travel portals works for some - especially for flexible destination international aspirational travel. But for me, I think I have done better redeeming points for cash back while shopping for travel outside of the often inflated bank travel portals.

The AR has Real Time Rewards, which allows you to redeem at 1.5cpp for travel booked outside the portal. So if you book directly from many airlines, you are then offered the opportunity to redeem points at 1.5cpp via a text message.

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

calisig — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 17:28:33 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
The AR has Real Time Rewards, which allows you to redeem at 1.5cpp for travel booked outside the portal. So if you book directly from many airlines, you are then offered the opportunity to redeem points at 1.5cpp via a text message.

Great hack! That would be the way to do it. Unfortunately I am not a fan of connecting my cell phone to my bank - I see it as a security risk. Mobile wallet is one thing - because I trust Apple. But I don't wish to have a texting relationship with my banks. So redeeming Altitude points outside of the Altitude Rewards portal via text message to enhance value may be where I draw the line in my quest for credit card value. Cheers

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 19:17:04 GMT

@calisig wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
The AR has Real Time Rewards, which allows you to redeem at 1.5cpp for travel booked outside the portal. So if you book directly from many airlines, you are then offered the opportunity to redeem points at 1.5cpp via a text message.
Great hack! That would be the way to do it. Unfortunately I am not a fan of connecting my cell phone to my bank - I see it as a security risk. Mobile wallet is one thing - because I trust Apple. But I don't wish to have a texting relationship with my banks. So redeeming Altitude points outside of the Altitude Rewards portal via text message to enhance value may be where I draw the line in my quest for credit card value. Cheers

So you don't use text notifications on your cards like many here? I don't really use them except in this case (and the RTR can be a different number than the "main" one) but really to avoid clutter rather than security issues.... I thought most cards require a phone number, guess it doesn't need to a cell.

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

NRB525 — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 22:34:14 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@calisig wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
The AR has Real Time Rewards, which allows you to redeem at 1.5cpp for travel booked outside the portal. So if you book directly from many airlines, you are then offered the opportunity to redeem points at 1.5cpp via a text message.
Great hack! That would be the way to do it. Unfortunately I am not a fan of connecting my cell phone to my bank - I see it as a security risk. Mobile wallet is one thing - because I trust Apple. But I don't wish to have a texting relationship with my banks. So redeeming Altitude points outside of the Altitude Rewards portal via text message to enhance value may be where I draw the line in my quest for credit card value. Cheers
So you don't use text notifications on your cards like many here? I don't really use them except in this case (and the RTR can be a different number than the "main" one) but really to avoid clutter rather than security issues.... I thought most cards require a phone number, guess it doesn't need to a cell.

Connecting your cell phone number to verification with your bank, both for text responses and app validation is an important part of two factor authentication for your card and checking account security. Not having that link, not allowing your banks to communicate with you through your texts is a security risk for you.

Plus USB RTR is an excellent redemption method for rental cars, airlines and hotels.

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

calisig — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 06:28:00 GMT

@NRB525 wrote:
Connecting your cell phone number to verification with your bank, both for text responses and app validation is an important part of two factor authentication for your card and checking account security. Not having that link, not allowing your banks to communicate with you through your texts is a security risk for you.

On this topic I will have to respectfully disagree.

Data lesson #1 - you only have control over the security risk your data poses to you as long as you are in possession of your data. The second you give it to another party - especially one that does NOT have your best interest in mind - you have lost control of your data and are subject to the security risk the loss of that data poses.

In this case we are talking about giving one of your most private pieces of data - the one that tracks you the most - to your bank. Question is: who's best interest does your bank have in mind? Yours or theirs? With regards to credit cards - you have very little risk - max $50 - and most banks don't even enforce that. The bank on the other hand has big risk - so the only purpose of your data is for their benefit - not yours. So the only person at risk when you give your bank your cell phone number is you.

Once you give your cell phone number to your bank, you don't know how they are going to use it or protect it. Banks databases and databases associated with banks have been hacked, so that's one problem. Another is that the bank is going to share or sell your cell phone number for marketing. They are also going to report it to the credit reporting agencies. And then every marketer who buys a soft pull on you is going to have it. And then from there, your cell phone number is spread to more entities exponentially. I don't want any of that.

Another thing - SMS is not secure. And neither is GSM.

I never wrote I didn't want to have communication with my bank. I wrote that I didn't want to have a texting (SMS) relationship with my bank. So why do you think two factor authentication has to be via text? Why can't it be via email? I have no problem with communicating with my bank via email. And why do you have to use their app? Working through a web browser is way safer than an app.

The more data you give to other parties, the GREATER your security risk is. Regarding credit cards, the only party at risk is your bank - not you. If you feel like helping your bank mitigate their security risk through communication with you, the best way to do it is to provide them with email - not your cell phone number. Cheers

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

xenon3030 — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 11:45:48 GMT

CSP is definitely better. Several Chase cards including CSP have also 10$ monthly credit from Gopuff for around two years. There are some fees and markups (to make it profitable, you may choose pickup in store to turn around delivery fee/tip).

After considering markups/fees, the effective Gopuff credit can be ~5$/month. So, the effective AF of CSP would be reduced by ~60$. So, CSP looks to be a good card to keep in the wallet, even if you are not a frequent traveler.

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 13:26:54 GMT

@xenon3030 wrote:
CSP is definitely better.

It's very rare to be able to say that one card is definitely better than another, especially when they are so different. (While I myself have said that 2% cashback card from bank X is definitely better than 1.5% cashback card from bank Y, both with same fees and protections, others objected saying things like bank Y is better at SP CLIs etc....)

In this case, if you heavily use Mobile Pay and utilize RTR, the AR can be much more valuable. If you dine out a lot, at places that don't accept mobile pay, AND especially if you transfer points, then CSP wins. But in the absence of this information, there is no obvious winner.

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

Remedios — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 16:11:59 GMT

To me, CSP and AR are apples and cauliflower.

If comparisons are to be made, CSP and Connect would be more appropriate, and CSP would win that race with it's arms and legs tied.

AR "should" be compared to CSR, but there is no easy winner there, it really depends on what one is looking for.

The beauty of AR is while it's "travel" card, one doesn't need to travel for AR to be a good fit if mobile wallet is used sufficiently.

CSR, better protections, transfer partners, and ability to farm URs with other cards in Freedom family.

Strangely, US Bank pools Go and Connect points, but not AR

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

GatorGuy — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 17:45:07 GMT

@calisig wrote:
I travel sporadically, so I wondered if the US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite card (AR) could replace my existing Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Signature card (CSP)? Since they both have similar effective annual fees, and mostly similar benefits, I see them as logical competitors for the credit card optimizer who travels occasionally. To that end I created this comparison of the categories that are potentially valuable to me. After each category I compared them in, I declared a winner for me based on my spending value system.
If you choose to read further, please note that you may not agree with me, but you don’t have to agree with me either. I did not compare all details. Your spending value system may be different than mine, which will obviously yield different results.
Enjoy

If you don't travel much, not sure why you would consider the CSP. UR points aren't that great unless you transfer them to travel partners. None of those travel perks have value if you aren't traveling. Also the purchase protection can be valuable if you have regularly put the purchases on the card because you can never be sure which one you would need to use it on. For CSP that means earning minimal rewards because every day spend has no rewards bonus. For the AR it has better rewards if you can use mobile purchases.

However it seems like there are much better fit for you than these cards if you don't travel much and don't want to use RTR for US Bank.

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

GatorGuy — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 17:44:39 GMT

@Remedios wrote:
To me, CSP and AR are apples and cauliflower.
If comparisons are to be made, CSP and Connect would be more appropriate, and CSP would win that race with it's arms and legs tied.

AR "should" be compared to CSR, but there is no easy winner there, it really depends on what one is looking for.
The beauty of AR is while it's "travel" card, one doesn't need to travel for AR to be a good fit if mobile wallet is used sufficiently.

CSR, better protections, transfer partners, and ability to farm URs with other cards in Freedom family.

Strangely, US Bank pools Go and Connect points, but not AR

@Remedios Great points. I have the CSR and recently got the AR. For me they serve two different benefits. The CSR is my goto for booking travel because of it's rewards and great protections. It's nice the UR portal offer 10x points for hotels which makes it more competitive even if it is not always the cheapest.

The AR is great as an everyday card. It is far more versatile since you can get 4.5% back at any store regardless of it's MCC code. Because of it's value as an everyday card, it's purchase protection becomes even more valuable because you don't need to put a purchase on a card with low rewards to get purchase protection, that you may or may not use.

Also, the AR is the perfect card for using internationally since there is no FTF and the vast majority of the world offers tap to pay. Even 3rd world countries seem to offer mobile payments more readily than the U.S.

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 20:17:57 GMT

@GatorGuy wrote:

The AR is great as an everyday card. It is far more versatile since you can get 4.5% back at any store regardless of it's MCC code. Because of it's value as an everyday card, it's purchase protection becomes even more valuable because you don't need to put a purchase on a card with low rewards to get purchase protection, that you may or may not use.

Also, the AR is the perfect card for using internationally since there is no FTF and the vast majority of the world offers tap to pay. Even 3rd world countries seem to offer mobile payments more readily than the U.S.

Yes, except for a subset here, AR seems underrated as an everyday card, maybe because of the large AF for those that can't easily use the $325 annual travel credit (which is much less usable than the CSR for example)

That said, having lived through the major Cash+ nerfs, always just waiting for something bad to happen! The card seems fragile, i.e. some small changes will change it from great to "drop" (with the AF). So if the reduced mobile wallet to 2x, or put a lowish cap on the 3x, or made the travel bones only apply through the travel portal etc. But it's still going strong, so let's hope.

Re: Altitude Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred

NRB525 — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 05:08:33 GMT

@calisig wrote:
@NRB525 wrote:
Connecting your cell phone number to verification with your bank, both for text responses and app validation is an important part of two factor authentication for your card and checking account security. Not having that link, not allowing your banks to communicate with you through your texts is a security risk for you.
On this topic I will have to respectfully disagree.

Data lesson #1 - you only have control over the security risk your data poses to you as long as you are in possession of your data. The second you give it to another party - especially one that does NOT have your best interest in mind - you have lost control of your data and are subject to the security risk the loss of that data poses.

In this case we are talking about giving one of your most private pieces of data - the one that tracks you the most - to your bank. Question is: who's best interest does your bank have in mind? Yours or theirs? With regards to credit cards - you have very little risk - max $50 - and most banks don't even enforce that. The bank on the other hand has big risk - so the only purpose of your data is for their benefit - not yours. So the only person at risk when you give your bank your cell phone number is you.

Once you give your cell phone number to your bank, you don't know how they are going to use it or protect it. Banks databases and databases associated with banks have been hacked, so that's one problem. Another is that the bank is going to share or sell your cell phone number for marketing. They are also going to report it to the credit reporting agencies. And then every marketer who buys a soft pull on you is going to have it. And then from there, your cell phone number is spread to more entities exponentially. I don't want any of that.

Another thing - SMS is not secure. And neither is GSM.

I never wrote I didn't want to have communication with my bank. I wrote that I didn't want to have a texting (SMS) relationship with my bank. So why do you think two factor authentication has to be via text? Why can't it be via email? I have no problem with communicating with my bank via email. And why do you have to use their app? Working through a web browser is way safer than an app.

The more data you give to other parties, the GREATER your security risk is. Regarding credit cards, the only party at risk is your bank - not you. If you feel like helping your bank mitigate their security risk through communication with you, the best way to do it is to provide them with email - not your cell phone number. Cheers

You haven't used Real Time Rewards. If you are considering Altitude Reserve, it is one of the differentiating features of the card, a stand-out feature I would not pass up. I tried to use the USBank travel portal. The ability to book the specific airline class, I didn't see it. It wanted to book certain flights as Basic Economy, based on the price of the fare, which was same as the Delta site offerings.

Apps and text communication are secure enough for the average person. No one is out there trying to track down my transactions, for what intermittent text communication happens with my bank. My employer and several apps I use have tokenization that is able to recognize it is my registered phone approving my VPN connection request, another case where there is enough security to rely on the connection. They aren't top secret White House level secure, but they don't need to be.

You also give your Social Security number to your banks.