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How would you replace high limit travel card?

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sammydavidjr
Regular Contributor

Re: How would you replace high limit travel card?


@Anonymous wrote:

@sammydavidjr wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

I've been quite pleased with my combination of Chase Sapphire Reserve (AU on wife's), United Club (now Explorer until we start flying again), and Hyatt. The value of the Reserve is highly dependent on your ability to use Chase points. The United Club provides Premiere Access and free bags, both of which are valuable if you fly United without status. The Hyatt card offers great value if you like Hyatt. All 3 cards offered very usable limits.


I like Hyatt but it's too small a chain and tends not to cover some of my destinations. Maybe the Sapphire Reserve...


The Amex Marriott card appears excellent. If you spend $75k per year, not necessarily at Marriott, you get a useful status.


It's an interesting suggestion, but after doing the math it doesn't really make sense:
- I don't value Bonvoy Platinum Elite status so much. While I do stay with Bonvoy properties quite a bit, I am not particularly loyal to a chain over another. I prefer to always choose the best price/value hotel for each trip. I have Bonvoy Gold status through the Amex platinum card. $75,000 is most my card spend per (non-Covid) year, but channeling it all on one card would cost quite a bit in missed rewards/cashback in categories where this card is not too competitive.

- The net annual fee of $150 ($450 minus the $300 statement credit) is not the best of deals compared to other premium cards. The card would probably lose me money.
- I also already have plenty of Amex cards. I would rather add a visa or mastercard: a lot of my travel is around Europe (Romania, Hungary, Poland, Italy) where Amex is not as widely accepted as in the US.

 

Right now I am leaning towards just cancelling the City National Crystal and waiting until next year to figure out whether a good replacement exists.
Maybe the US Bank Altitude Reserve: the net annual fee is $75 ($400 minus $325 travel credit), and the rewards are pretty solid. Works out to 4.5% equivalent cashback on mobile wallet spending and hotels, which beats most of my existing cards: it would be easy to make up for the $75 in annual fees and be in the black. Assuming, of course, no cut in rewards in the next program year (that 3x on mobile wallet spending does not look durable).
I could maybe start by applying for the US Bank Altitude Go Visa later this year: it has no annual fee, good rewards, and it would save me the trouble of opening a checking account if I later want to apply for the Reserve card.
 

Message 11 of 17
MisterWives
Regular Contributor

Re: How would you replace high limit travel card?


@sammydavidjr wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

@sammydavidjr wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

I've been quite pleased with my combination of Chase Sapphire Reserve (AU on wife's), United Club (now Explorer until we start flying again), and Hyatt. The value of the Reserve is highly dependent on your ability to use Chase points. The United Club provides Premiere Access and free bags, both of which are valuable if you fly United without status. The Hyatt card offers great value if you like Hyatt. All 3 cards offered very usable limits.


I like Hyatt but it's too small a chain and tends not to cover some of my destinations. Maybe the Sapphire Reserve...


The Amex Marriott card appears excellent. If you spend $75k per year, not necessarily at Marriott, you get a useful status.


It's an interesting suggestion, but after doing the math it doesn't really make sense:
- I don't value Bonvoy Platinum Elite status so much. While I do stay with Bonvoy properties quite a bit, I am not particularly loyal to a chain over another. I prefer to always choose the best price/value hotel for each trip. I have Bonvoy Gold status through the Amex platinum card. $75,000 is most my card spend per (non-Covid) year, but channeling it all on one card would cost quite a bit in missed rewards/cashback in categories where this card is not too competitive.

- The net annual fee of $150 ($450 minus the $300 statement credit) is not the best of deals compared to other premium cards. The card would probably lose me money.
- I also already have plenty of Amex cards. I would rather add a visa or mastercard: a lot of my travel is around Europe (Romania, Hungary, Poland, Italy) where Amex is not as widely accepted as in the US.

 

Right now I am leaning towards just cancelling the City National Crystal and waiting until next year to figure out whether a good replacement exists.
Maybe the US Bank Altitude Reserve: the net annual fee is $75 ($400 minus $325 travel credit), and the rewards are pretty solid. Works out to 4.5% equivalent cashback on mobile wallet spending and hotels, which beats most of my existing cards: it would be easy to make up for the $75 in annual fees and be in the black. Assuming, of course, no cut in rewards in the next program year (that 3x on mobile wallet spending does not look durable).
I could maybe start by applying for the US Bank Altitude Go Visa later this year: it has no annual fee, good rewards, and it would save me the trouble of opening a checking account if I later want to apply for the Reserve card.
 


US Bank Altitude Reserve does look like a very good travel card honestly might even be better then the Chase Sapphire Reserve $550 AF, but I would suggest looking at both of them I feel the difference in which travel card is better is based on of course how the points are spent what rewards you get back. Since Chase gives you 50% extra of the value back from using your points to book a trip i'm not sure what US Bank does if when you use your points to book a trip do you still get the 3x points extra or not. 

 

Does the US Bank credit cards require a banking account with them?




Wants: PenFed Pathfinder Rewards(4x pts travel), PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature (5pts Gas, 3pts Restaurants and Grocery), U.S. Bank Cash+ (5% Categories), Chase Freedom Flex (5% Rotating Categories, 5% Travel, 3% Restaurants)
Message 12 of 17
sammydavidjr
Regular Contributor

Re: How would you replace high limit travel card?


@MisterWives wrote:

@sammydavidjr wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

@sammydavidjr wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

I've been quite pleased with my combination of Chase Sapphire Reserve (AU on wife's), United Club (now Explorer until we start flying again), and Hyatt. The value of the Reserve is highly dependent on your ability to use Chase points. The United Club provides Premiere Access and free bags, both of which are valuable if you fly United without status. The Hyatt card offers great value if you like Hyatt. All 3 cards offered very usable limits.


I like Hyatt but it's too small a chain and tends not to cover some of my destinations. Maybe the Sapphire Reserve...


The Amex Marriott card appears excellent. If you spend $75k per year, not necessarily at Marriott, you get a useful status.


It's an interesting suggestion, but after doing the math it doesn't really make sense:
- I don't value Bonvoy Platinum Elite status so much. While I do stay with Bonvoy properties quite a bit, I am not particularly loyal to a chain over another. I prefer to always choose the best price/value hotel for each trip. I have Bonvoy Gold status through the Amex platinum card. $75,000 is most my card spend per (non-Covid) year, but channeling it all on one card would cost quite a bit in missed rewards/cashback in categories where this card is not too competitive.

- The net annual fee of $150 ($450 minus the $300 statement credit) is not the best of deals compared to other premium cards. The card would probably lose me money.
- I also already have plenty of Amex cards. I would rather add a visa or mastercard: a lot of my travel is around Europe (Romania, Hungary, Poland, Italy) where Amex is not as widely accepted as in the US.

 

Right now I am leaning towards just cancelling the City National Crystal and waiting until next year to figure out whether a good replacement exists.
Maybe the US Bank Altitude Reserve: the net annual fee is $75 ($400 minus $325 travel credit), and the rewards are pretty solid. Works out to 4.5% equivalent cashback on mobile wallet spending and hotels, which beats most of my existing cards: it would be easy to make up for the $75 in annual fees and be in the black. Assuming, of course, no cut in rewards in the next program year (that 3x on mobile wallet spending does not look durable).
I could maybe start by applying for the US Bank Altitude Go Visa later this year: it has no annual fee, good rewards, and it would save me the trouble of opening a checking account if I later want to apply for the Reserve card.
 


US Bank Altitude Reserve does look like a very good travel card honestly might even be better then the Chase Sapphire Reserve $550 AF, but I would suggest looking at both of them I feel the difference in which travel card is better is based on of course how the points are spent what rewards you get back. Since Chase gives you 50% extra of the value back from using your points to book a trip i'm not sure what US Bank does if when you use your points to book a trip do you still get the 3x points extra or not. 

 

Does the US Bank credit cards require a banking account with them?


The Reserve credit card requires an existing relationship, which I believe could be a banking account, another credit card, or a CD.

Chase Sapphire Reserve has a $550 annual fee, minus $300 travel credit. Unlike the US Bank Reserve card, with CSR the travel credit is only for ancillary purchases, so a little harder to actually use. US Bank Reserve has a $400 annual fee and $325 statement credit that can be used for any travel purchase (correct me if I'm wrong on this one). For both products I can value points $0.015 each.

The way I look at it is this: how would I use the card efficiently?
- Airfare: I currently use Amex platinum for 5% equivalent cash back. CSR and US Bank can't beat that.
- Hotels: (without the Crystal Visa) I will fall back onto the Wells Fargo Propel or Uber Visa: 3% equivalent cash back. Both US Bank and CSR can beat that with 4.5%. Marginal cashback: 1.5%.
- Mobile Wallet: assuming no special category, I currently use a 2% cashback card. With US bank I gain an extra 2.5%. That can be a considerable gain as I already use my cards with a mobile wallet as often as possible.
- Dining: WF Propel for a 3% equivalent cashback. CSR beats that with 4.5% for a 1.5% improvement on the margin.

The net difference in annual fee between US Bank Reserve and CSR is $175. The way the cards are set up today, the US Bank card is significantly better for me than the CSR. Only if US Bank were to remove the Mobile Wallet benefit (as I expect) will the CSR become somewhat competitive: in that case, I would amortize that $175 annual fee over $11,667 of annual dining, which I do generally exceed. But I would still have to get over the fact that the $300 Chase travel statement credit is harder to redeem than the US Bank one.

Message 13 of 17
notmyrealname23
Established Contributor

Re: How would you replace high limit travel card?


@sammydavidjr wrote:

@MisterWives wrote:

@sammydavidjr wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

@sammydavidjr wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

I've been quite pleased with my combination of Chase Sapphire Reserve (AU on wife's), United Club (now Explorer until we start flying again), and Hyatt. The value of the Reserve is highly dependent on your ability to use Chase points. The United Club provides Premiere Access and free bags, both of which are valuable if you fly United without status. The Hyatt card offers great value if you like Hyatt. All 3 cards offered very usable limits.


I like Hyatt but it's too small a chain and tends not to cover some of my destinations. Maybe the Sapphire Reserve...


The Amex Marriott card appears excellent. If you spend $75k per year, not necessarily at Marriott, you get a useful status.


It's an interesting suggestion, but after doing the math it doesn't really make sense:
- I don't value Bonvoy Platinum Elite status so much. While I do stay with Bonvoy properties quite a bit, I am not particularly loyal to a chain over another. I prefer to always choose the best price/value hotel for each trip. I have Bonvoy Gold status through the Amex platinum card. $75,000 is most my card spend per (non-Covid) year, but channeling it all on one card would cost quite a bit in missed rewards/cashback in categories where this card is not too competitive.

- The net annual fee of $150 ($450 minus the $300 statement credit) is not the best of deals compared to other premium cards. The card would probably lose me money.
- I also already have plenty of Amex cards. I would rather add a visa or mastercard: a lot of my travel is around Europe (Romania, Hungary, Poland, Italy) where Amex is not as widely accepted as in the US.

 

Right now I am leaning towards just cancelling the City National Crystal and waiting until next year to figure out whether a good replacement exists.
Maybe the US Bank Altitude Reserve: the net annual fee is $75 ($400 minus $325 travel credit), and the rewards are pretty solid. Works out to 4.5% equivalent cashback on mobile wallet spending and hotels, which beats most of my existing cards: it would be easy to make up for the $75 in annual fees and be in the black. Assuming, of course, no cut in rewards in the next program year (that 3x on mobile wallet spending does not look durable).
I could maybe start by applying for the US Bank Altitude Go Visa later this year: it has no annual fee, good rewards, and it would save me the trouble of opening a checking account if I later want to apply for the Reserve card.
 


US Bank Altitude Reserve does look like a very good travel card honestly might even be better then the Chase Sapphire Reserve $550 AF, but I would suggest looking at both of them I feel the difference in which travel card is better is based on of course how the points are spent what rewards you get back. Since Chase gives you 50% extra of the value back from using your points to book a trip i'm not sure what US Bank does if when you use your points to book a trip do you still get the 3x points extra or not. 

 

Does the US Bank credit cards require a banking account with them?


The Reserve credit card requires an existing relationship, which I believe could be a banking account, another credit card, or a CD.

Chase Sapphire Reserve has a $550 annual fee, minus $300 travel credit. Unlike the US Bank Reserve card, with CSR the travel credit is only for ancillary purchases, so a little harder to actually use. US Bank Reserve has a $400 annual fee and $325 statement credit that can be used for any travel purchase (correct me if I'm wrong on this one). For both products I can value points $0.015 each.

The way I look at it is this: how would I use the card efficiently?
- Airfare: I currently use Amex platinum for 5% equivalent cash back. CSR and US Bank can't beat that.
- Hotels: (without the Crystal Visa) I will fall back onto the Wells Fargo Propel or Uber Visa: 3% equivalent cash back. Both US Bank and CSR can beat that with 4.5%. Marginal cashback: 1.5%.
- Mobile Wallet: assuming no special category, I currently use a 2% cashback card. With US bank I gain an extra 2.5%. That can be a considerable gain as I already use my cards with a mobile wallet as often as possible.
- Dining: WF Propel for a 3% equivalent cashback. CSR beats that with 4.5% for a 1.5% improvement on the margin.

The net difference in annual fee between US Bank Reserve and CSR is $175. The way the cards are set up today, the US Bank card is significantly better for me than the CSR. Only if US Bank were to remove the Mobile Wallet benefit (as I expect) will the CSR become somewhat competitive: in that case, I would amortize that $175 annual fee over $11,667 of annual dining, which I do generally exceed. But I would still have to get over the fact that the $300 Chase travel statement credit is harder to redeem than the US Bank one.


You're quite wrong on the CSR credit.

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/chase-sapphire-reserve-travel-credit/

"The Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s travel credit is one of the most flexible offered by a rewards card – encompassing all kinds of travel purchases. Not only will traditional transactions like airfare qualify for a statement credit, but purchases such as parking garage tickets are also eligible. Here’s a quick look at a few qualifying purchases:

  • Hotel stays
  • Parking garages
  • Toll booths
  • Pedicab rides
  • Taxi rides (including ride-share services)
  • Public transportation"

Also... are you holding a Schwab or Morgan Stanley Platinum cobrand card? Because if you're redeeming Amex Platinum (non-Schwab/Morgan Stanley) for cash as a "5%" card it's .7 cents per point- so it's really a 3.5% card (5x times .7).

5x doesn't mean 5% when it comes to AMEX because of the crummy cashback rate (an AMEX point isn't a penny in cash like it is for other cards).

If you're using for AMEX transfers to airline/hotel partners, then 5x really is 5x and their ratio beats CSR's 3x...

 

And while I am mentioning it, I think the Fidelity Visa is still 1% FTF. It was last year when I got it.

https://www.fidelity.com/cash-management/visa-signature-card

First Tech FCU Choice Rewards World MC 35k | AMEX Hilton Aspire 17.5k | Chase Southwest Priority Visa 15.5k | AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant 15k | Bilt Rewards MC 14k | Capital One Venture X 13k | Fidelity VISA Signature 11.5k | Citi AA Platinum Select 11.9k | Charles Schwab AMEX Platinum NPSL | Amex Platinum (I know) NPSL | Amex Gold NPSL | Citi Premier 8.9k | Chase Fredom Unlimited 9k | SoFi MC World Elite 8k | Capital One SavorOne 7.5k | PayPal Synchrony MC 6.4k | Citi Custom Cash 6.9k | DiscoverIt Cashback 5k | Amazon/Synchrony 5k | Hotels.com 5k | AMEX Delta Gold 3k | Apple Card 3k | Target 800 | Ch 13 filed 12/13 discharged as paid 1/19
Message 14 of 17
sammydavidjr
Regular Contributor

Re: How would you replace high limit travel card?


You're quite wrong on the CSR credit.

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/chase-sapphire-reserve-travel-credit/

"The Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s travel credit is one of the most flexible offered by a rewards card – encompassing all kinds of travel purchases. Not only will traditional transactions like airfare qualify for a statement credit, but purchases such as parking garage tickets are also eligible. Here’s a quick look at a few qualifying purchases:
  • Hotel stays
  • Parking garages
  • Toll booths
  • Pedicab rides
  • Taxi rides (including ride-share services)
  • Public transportation"

Also... are you holding a Schwab or Morgan Stanley Platinum cobrand card? Because if you're redeeming Amex Platinum (non-Schwab/Morgan Stanley) for cash as a "5%" card it's .7 cents per point- so it's really a 3.5% card (5x times .7).

5x doesn't mean 5% when it comes to AMEX because of the crummy cashback rate (an AMEX point isn't a penny in cash like it is for other cards).

If you're using for AMEX transfers to airline/hotel partners, then 5x really is 5x and their ratio beats CSR's 3x...

 

And while I am mentioning it, I think the Fidelity Visa is still 1% FTF. It was last year when I got it.

https://www.fidelity.com/cash-management/visa-signature-card


Thanks for the corrections. Though the math still holds up: unless US Bank slashes the mobile wallet 3x category (or increases the annual fee) that card would probably still be better for me. The newly announced Lyft benefit might carry some value for me that I need to calculate.

Message 15 of 17
notmyrealname23
Established Contributor

Re: How would you replace high limit travel card?

Gotcha. So CSR is 3% cashback as cash, 4.5% as as cashback on the travel portal. Right now it's 4.5% back on darn  near anything (dining and some other categories).

 

Out of curiosity, why AMEX Platinum over CSR if you are inclined to go with cashback over miles and points transfer? I would consider the CSR superior in many respects as a cashback earner unless you have the Schwab or Morgan Stanley cashout variant. (The 4.5% on travel is pretty good and pretty easy to use if you are buying a lot of airfare.) I can see some reasons (hotel status, FHR) but I am curious...

First Tech FCU Choice Rewards World MC 35k | AMEX Hilton Aspire 17.5k | Chase Southwest Priority Visa 15.5k | AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant 15k | Bilt Rewards MC 14k | Capital One Venture X 13k | Fidelity VISA Signature 11.5k | Citi AA Platinum Select 11.9k | Charles Schwab AMEX Platinum NPSL | Amex Platinum (I know) NPSL | Amex Gold NPSL | Citi Premier 8.9k | Chase Fredom Unlimited 9k | SoFi MC World Elite 8k | Capital One SavorOne 7.5k | PayPal Synchrony MC 6.4k | Citi Custom Cash 6.9k | DiscoverIt Cashback 5k | Amazon/Synchrony 5k | Hotels.com 5k | AMEX Delta Gold 3k | Apple Card 3k | Target 800 | Ch 13 filed 12/13 discharged as paid 1/19
Message 16 of 17
sammydavidjr
Regular Contributor

Re: How would you replace high limit travel card?


@notmyrealname23 wrote:

Gotcha. So CSR is 3% cashback as cash, 4.5% as as cashback on the travel portal. Right now it's 4.5% back on darn  near anything (dining and some other categories).

 

Out of curiosity, why AMEX Platinum over CSR if you are inclined to go with cashback over miles and points transfer? I would consider the CSR superior in many respects as a cashback earner unless you have the Schwab or Morgan Stanley cashout variant. (The 4.5% on travel is pretty good and pretty easy to use if you are buying a lot of airfare.) I can see some reasons (hotel status, FHR) but I am curious...


I look at everything as equivalent cashback: the Amex platinum gives me 5 points per $1 spent on airfare. I can easily redeem those points for flights at a $0.01 each -- hence the 5% equivalent cashback which beats Chase. I don't usually do points transfer, though in some cases that would further increase the value of tickets.
I also trust Amex over Chase, especially when it comes to booking plane tickets: Amex has had my back every single time I needed to dispute a charge from an airline (3 for 3) -- Chase has gone 0 for 1 in a case that should have been a no-brainer (bought full fare refundable ticket, cancelled a few days before flight, airline never refunded, Chase rejected the dispute).

Message 17 of 17
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