I see this as a positive and a negative. I'd still like to see the CSP become a companion card to the CSR, much like the Gold is to the Platinum. But that's wishful thinking and this is great for me, for the following reasons.
I have no desire for a CFF, even though i have the CF in my "goal card list". My spending doesn't align with it, and the one quarter it does, ill currently use my discover card.
I'm over 5/24 until July 2021, so the only reason for me to get a CFF is a temporary 1 year of groceries at 5x and a $200 SUB, but again I'm ineligible due to 5/24 and that's really not even a good enough reason for me to use a 5/24 slot if I had one available.
I already have a CFU, so even if I was under 5/24 the card that i'd go after for 5x groceries in the first year, I already have.
The negative is, this is the only change we'll see on the Sapphire line until May 2021. That's frustrating because I'd like to see, at minimum, 4x dining, 4x travel, and the 5x travel in the UR Portal on CSR, then 3x dining/travel on CSP.
The CSP can have the same earning rate on dining as CFU/CFF, imo, because of its 1.25 minimum cpp advantage, and access to using points in the travel portal. Plus a $95 AF is nothing.
I don't believe groceries belongs on the CSR/CSP but I'll take it for now. What I'd like to see in May 2021, is the change to 3x groceries on CFU/CFF to replace 3x at drug stores, but I also don't see that happening on a no AF card.
I still think Chase should come out with a Freedom Prefered, with an AF and structure to rival the Gold card. Simply because the CFF should have stayed a simple rotator only card, the CFU can have the 3x drug stores and dining, and groceries don't belong on the CSP/CSR as a permanent category. If they create a whole new card as their "grocery card" like the Gold it would be something that many people, imo, would jump on.
All that being said, this change makes me feel a little better about missing out on the 5x groceries for a year SUB, being over 5/24. And gives me a reason to use my CSR again.
@randomguy1 wrote:
@K-in-Boston wrote:
@simplynoir wrote:
@Jccflat wrote:Ok but is the 3x Worth it more than my AMEX gold which I get 4x GrocerySince if I redeem the Chase reserve to traveling i get 50% value more which is 4 1/2 ?
That is entirely on the cardholder on how they value award points when talking about URs and MRs. This can range from ease of use (using Chase's travel portal with CSR to get 1.5X worth) to transfer partners where it can get complicated. A lot of variables come into play at this point when determining your own valuation
+1. If it's cash back/statement credit you're looking for, CSR's 3x would be 3% while Amex Gold's 4x would be 2.4%. For travel portal it's 4.5% for CSR and 4% for Amex (although the latter is effectively 6.16% if the cardholder also has Business Platinum). But when it comes to points transfers, everyone's value will be different depending on how those points are used.
Wouldn't using the PYB back feature with the CSR be 3x + 1.5x. That's effectively 4.5%, no?
Yes. Forgot about that new option.
@notmyrealname23 wrote:
@coreysw12 wrote:
@Citylights18 wrote:The CSP AF is not that much and you need it for transfer partners.
If, indeed, someone is not getting $95 in value out of it then it might be worth downgrading, at least for the next year.
That said, it surprises me when I hear people saying they're not getting $95 worth of value out of their CSP. I'm honestly not sure how that's even possible.
Oh, it's easily possible:
- you got it for the SUB churn- you're primarily cashback
- you don't travel much, almost never outside the US
- when you do travel, you're mostly doing road trips
- plane travel is VERY occasional so United and Southwest accrual won't do much for you, let alone the more exotic Chase UR partners, not a lot of need for platinum-level travel interruption insurance, and when it is it's coach tickets and paying cash
- your tastes in occasional hotel stays are more Motel 6 than Park Hyatt (plus Hyatt's geographic reach in the US isn't great, oh, and Chase UR->IHG is a terrible way to transfer anyway, you're setting point value on fire)
- you're not renting cars very often so no need for primary rental car insurance
There's a pretty good case that if you fit that kind of travel pattern that a Wells Fargo AMEX Propel (which is a 3% card on gas, BTW- quite useful if you're doing road trips) is a more useful keeper travel card for you than paying $95 off the top of your spending rebate for a CSP (alternately: just use Chase Freedom products and PC out of your CSP).
Basically what you're giving up is partner transfers you aren't doing anyway since you're cashback, the occasional international merchant that won't take AMEX but will take Visa (but you're not traveling much outside the US anyway), rental car protections/travel protections that aren't really things you'd use, and some edge cases for Chase exactas/trifectas/quadfectas or the Chase portal getting outsize value on Sapphire products (and other Wells Fargo cards can actually make an exacta/trifecta with Propel similar to Freedom/CSP).
I have been eyeing the card for years. You described my lifestyle well. Travel 1.5 times a year (non-corona years). Have left the country 3 times in 30 years of life. I have Chase Freedom and Freedom Unlimited and have accrued points in hopes of making one of the Sapphires work out for me some year. I'm sure it can make sense but won't be as rewarding for me as the frequent fliers.
Must garden until 2/1/2022 to hit my goal AAOA. 
Reading these updates makes me sad because mid-2021 is the absolute earliest anything will get back to normal, and that’s probably not happening. Other than that, it’s something at least for the Sapphires.
