@greatscott85 wrote:Very congratulations on your comeback!
You're starting to tread in an area many of us have been in! MR's (membership rewards from Amex) vs UR's (ultimate rewards from Chase). IF you're interested in building up more focused points, which it sounds like you are with the Chase trifecta. I'd double check to ensure that spending more with Amex doesn't derail your efforts. Now just doing a Delta Amex won't conflict this as those are miles and not MR's there. Food for thought on Amex. The Delta cards are really great!
The Apple Card is great, IF you are in their ecosystem. Keep in mind, the 5/24 rule with Chase still seems to be very present. There are some anecdotal exceptions to this, so keep that in mind as you look for more.
The CFF would seem to be the natural next card. How is your 5/24 status? INQs in the last 12 months? I'd think you'd probably want to wait at least 3-6 months before trying to get the CFF. I'm sure someone else has this experience, I'm mostly an Amex guy
! The CSP is great travel card and I will likely upgrade mine to the Reserve in a few months. The Chase trifecta is an awesome goal!
I'm slowly getting there amongst the rest on this forum 
, I'm curious how MR's stack up against Chase's UR, I haven't come across anything appealing lately on Chase. As I'm already in the Chase ecosystem (Checking, CFU, and now CSP), I'm incredibly excited to see the potential when both CFU & CSP are paired together.
As far as your question with my Chase 5/24 status, my last card that I opened up was in 2018 (Best Buy Citi Visa). After that I did a lease on a car back in May of 2021 which set me back one inquiry on my account so far. Going into CSP I had only two inquiries on file.
I am also in the Apple ecosystem as well! I actually use Apple Pay quite frequently, so that's probably my next consideration.
It is a tough decision between AMEX or Apple as the next card given that I do travel a lot, but not exclusively with Delta. Since you're familiar with AMEX, have you had experience with their Delta card? If so, have you had any issues finding flights that Delta allowed your miles to be used, or are there restrictions, or dates that couldn't be booked which made the process inconvenient for you?
Question for those already invested in Chase's ecosystem, what would be the best course of action to effectively utilize my rewards? What did you benefit greatly after acquiring the Sapphire Preferred after owning the Freedom Unlimited? And did you stay with Preferred, or found Reserve to be better for your use case?
Congrats on the CSP!
That's the next card I want, as a points multiplier to go with my CFF. (I don't think I spend enough or travel enough to justify the annual fee for the CSR, but I believe I can get value from a CSP.)
As for your next card, the CFF is a great one to have for the rotating 5% categories. I highly recommend it.
BUT, as others have mentioned, you should probably relax for a while before applying for anything else. Chase seems a little skittish and you don't want to scare them off.
Starting Score: EQ8 680, TU8 713, EX8 701
@Anonymous wrote:About two years ago, I wasn't satisfied with the way my financials were at the moment. I had no game plan on what to do as far as rebuilding my credit. I was maxed out on some cards, while a group of derogatories still haunt my reports from years back. I couldn't sit around any longer, and so I made a move on my finances. Researching, writing out a game plan, etc.
Fast forward to about a year, I came across this forum. Filled with an incredible amount of information, as well as those who that had way more experience than I had. I wrote out a lengthy post after, detailing my financial situation, and had taken every advice to heart. One of my goals was to piece together the holy trinity, which many would call the "Chase Trifecta". I did try to apply, but was instantly denied from Chase when I tried a year ago. I recalled someone here mentioning that Chase didn't really like me at all due to my current status at the time so the CSP/CSR wouldn't have been possible
I hunkered down for another year so that my derogatories and late payments can drop off, while building up my credit and keeping UTL to a low.
So after a year of waiting, I would like to announce that I finally achieved part of that goal!
I was approved for a the Chase Sapphire Preferred! SL @ $5,000 w/ a 22.99%. I was a little bit nervous at first since it's a HP, and if it were a denial, I'd been left with just that. This Preferred card is now currently my highest CL card I have on hand. The rest range between $3,300 - $2,000. Would the next step be the CFF? I already have Chase's Freedom Unlimited.
I also did a check on Apple, and saw I also was approved for $4,000 @ a 21.99% APR, but I didn't proceed with that. Same went with AMEX, which gave me prequalified offers on their AMEX Plat, Delta Plat, and so on. I wanted to actually look into either Delta or Apple next, should I wait a bit before going onto those cards?
IMHO you should savor the moment and take a pause of 6 months or so from applying for new credit. Chase is known for doing soft pulls after an approval, and will sometimes take adverse action if they see a lot of credit-seeking activity after the approval.
If you want to do something, I would suggest finding a good local credit union, and joining it -- getting just a checking and savings account for the time being. If you do, make sure it's a credit union which does not do a hard pull when you apply for membership.
Congratulations on your CSP approval!
