CSP Question

[Skye12329]

So i see that everyone says the freedom and CSP go hand in hand. I was just wondering how does the CSP earn 2x the points? 

Is it mainly a travel and dining card? 

Also do i have to use the CSP card to earn more points or can i use the freedom card and earn the same still?

[IcEWoLF]

CSP/Freedom is one of the best combo cards you can get there.

I use my CSP mainly for dining and travel. I use my Freedom for 5% categories. I also use the Discover It to maximize the rewards.

Since I established the Barclay WE arrival+ card, I've been using that for the past month or so to earn the bonus rewards, but after that, I will be using my CSP again as my primary travel card.

[mongstradamus]

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@IcEWoLF wrote:

CSP/Freedom is one of the best combo cards you can get there.

I use my CSP mainly for dining and travel. I use my Freedom for 5% categories. I also use the Discover It to maximize the rewards.

Since I established the Barclay WE arrival+ card, I've been using that for the past month or so to earn the bonus rewards, but after that, I will be using my CSP again as my primary travel card.

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Also if you go online to do shopping you should go thru UR portal to maximize some points. Recently i bought an external hard drive thru office max and got 3x points from for going thru the ur portal. You can use an site like cashback monitor to compare whats the best "deal" for you when you shop online. 

[Anonymous]

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@Skye12329 wrote:

So i see that everyone says the freedom and CSP go hand in hand. I was just wondering how does the CSP earn 2x the points? 

Is it mainly a travel and dining card? 

Also do i have to use the CSP card to earn more points or can i use the freedom card and earn the same still?

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Since the other answers so far didn't directly address!

1) CSP gives 2x on travel and dining, so from that point of view, yes it is.   The real value comes from the fact you can transfer points to airline/hotel loyalty programs, greatly increasing their value if done "correctly"

2) You have to use the CSP for travel to get the 2x points.   For dining, sometimes Freedom will have a 5x quarter on dining (up to $1,500 per quarter spend), so in that quarter it makes sense to use the Freedom up to the cap, then use CSP.

Basically the bonus categories are tied to a particular card, and you need to use that card to get that bonus category.

If you have a Chase checking account, you get a 10% bonus on all Freedom purchases, whereas CSP gives you 7% (whether or not you have checking).  So, if you do have checking, it makes sense to use Freedom on everything not travel (and dining outside Freedom's dining promotion).  If you don't have checking, use CSP for things not covered by Freedom's 5% categories.