Hi, everyone! I'm hoping to travel to Europe this summer and next spring (for a few weeks each season, provided there are no travel restrictions in place) and I'm looking to add a card or two to take with me so I don't incur any foreign transaction fees. I was curious what everyone's thoughts were on the following mid-tier travel cards, since these are the ones I'm considering:
• BofA Travel Rewards -or- Premium Rewards
• Capital One VentureOne -or- Venture
• Chase Sapphire Preferred
• Navy Federal Flagship Rewards
Since you already have accounts with BofA and Chase, I would definitely look at CSP and BofA PR. While the SUB on the Venture is nice, I don;t think it's worth the triple pull. I've never had access to any NFCU products, so I'm not sure about their rewards, but I can't imagine them being more valuable than Chase UR.
Given your existing bi-fecta Chase cards (Freedom and Freedom Unlimited), I would err towards the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Consolidating UR points between them on your CSP will give you a 25% bonus if you choose to book travel through the portal. CSP also gives you the ability to transfer to partners for potentially even more value. Although the AF is $95, you get a lot for your money including a $50 statement credit for hotel stays booked through Chase which lowers the effective AF to $45. No FTF, of course. The travel and shopping benefits are good (although not quite as complete as the Sapphire Reserve).
The Bank of America Premium Rewards works best if you woo them with larger deposits to qualify for Preferred Rewards status. With Gold ($20K+), Platinum ($50K+), or Platinum Honors ($100K+), you can enrich your earnings on both the PR and CCR cards by 25%, 50%, or 75% respectively. And those deposit amounts include investments with Merrill Lynch. Some qualify by moving investment or IRA accounts. The $95 AF on the Premium Rewards is completely offset by the $100 airline fee credit and the $100/4 year ($25 effective annual) TSA Global Entry credit, leaving you with a positve $5 in your pocket.
If you're serious about Capital One's travel cards and plan to use them primarily, I'd recommend the Venture X, even if the SUB declines before you apply. Venture X is a much better card than Venture or Venture One, even with the AF, if you plan to use it often. The $395 AF can be completely offset with a $300 annual travel credit as well as the 100K annual miles bonus (worth $100 in travel), and that's even before the $200 vacation rental credit in year one and the TSA Global Entry reimbursement worth $25 per year ($100 every 4 years.) While the travel protections somewhat lag the Chase Sapphire Reserve, I'm pretty sure they beat the Chase Sapphire Preferred. You also get elevated earnings for booking through their travel portal (10x on hotel; 10x on rental car; 5x on flights). And the 2x miles is a good deal if you plan to use the miles for travel, although cash value is much less.
@Anonymous wrote:
@Reithe wrote:Hi, everyone! I'm hoping to travel to Europe this summer and next spring (for a few weeks each season, provided there are no travel restrictions in place) and I'm looking to add a card or two to take with me so I don't incur any foreign transaction fees. I was curious what everyone's thoughts were on the following mid-tier travel cards, since these are the ones I'm considering:
• BofA Travel Rewards -or- Premium Rewards• Capital One VentureOne -or- Venture
• Chase Sapphire Preferred
• Navy Federal Flagship Rewards
What is your goal, e.g. do you want points you can transfer to partners, or just a no FTF card? If the latter, there are a few 2+% flat rate cards with no FTF and no AF. If transferable points are wanted, then certainly the CSP will work well with your existing Chase cards.
Ideally, I'd want to use points for travel. But I'm not loyal to any specific airline/hotel chain.
@Aim_High wrote:Given your existing bi-fecta Chase cards (Freedom and Freedom Unlimited), I would err towards the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Consolidating UR points between them on your CSP will give you a 25% bonus if you choose to book travel through the portal. CSP also gives you the ability to transfer to partners for potentially even more value. Although the AF is $95, you get a lot for your money including a $50 statement credit for hotel stays booked through Chase which lowers the effective AF to $45. No FTF, of course. The travel and shopping benefits are good (although not quite as complete as the Sapphire Reserve).
The Bank of America Premium Rewards works best if you woo them with larger deposits to qualify for Preferred Rewards status. With Gold ($20K+), Platinum ($50K+), or Platinum Honors ($100K+), you can enrich your earnings on both the PR and CCR cards by 25%, 50%, or 75% respectively. And those deposit amounts include investments with Merrill Lynch. Some qualify by moving investment or IRA accounts. The $95 AF on the Premium Rewards is completely offset by the $100 airline fee credit and the $100/4 year ($25 effective annual) TSA Global Entry credit, leaving you with a positve $5 in your pocket.
If you're serious about Capital One's travel cards and plan to use them primarily, I'd recommend the Venture X, even if the SUB declines before you apply. Venture X is a much better card than Venture or Venture One, even with the AF, if you plan to use it often. The $395 AF can be completely offset with a $300 annual travel credit as well as the 100K annual miles bonus (worth $100 in travel), and that's even before the $200 vacation rental credit in year one and the TSA Global Entry reimbursement worth $25 per year ($100 every 4 years.) While the travel protections somewhat lag the Chase Sapphire Reserve, I'm pretty sure they beat the Chase Sapphire Preferred. You also get elevated earnings for booking through their travel portal (10x on hotel; 10x on rental car; 5x on flights). And the 2x miles is a good deal if you plan to use the miles for travel, although cash value is much less.
That's a really great breakdown of BofA vs. Capital One vs. Chase. I'm leaning toward the CSP just to complete the trifecta, but I'm not sure about their travel portal. I'd rather just book directly with an airline/hotel chain.
