No worries!! 
To be quite honest, my decision to apply for CSP was not entirely rational. Having said that, I do want to learn how to maximize its benefits. I noticed that Southwest is one of its partners so I will look into that as an option. Thanks for the honest feedback. That is what I appreciate most about this forum. Such honesty helped me improve my credit score by 300 points--from a poor 450 to a current 757 Experian FICO score : )
@Anonymous wrote:No worries!!
No harm done! It was a mistake that put $400 in your pocket! If only all our mistakes in life could lead to a similar result.
@beautifulblaquepearl wrote:
Sorry OP for piggybacking on your post. I have no idea about points/miles either which is why I don't currently have a points/miles rewards card.
Questions: If I were looking for a points/miles card specifically for international travel, what would you all suggest? Is there a specific card you would suggest for domestic travel?
Specifics: domestic travel up to 3xs a year. International travel once every couple of years.
Thanks in advance for your help!
There is not one answer to this. What you should do is identify where you want to travel to and where you want to stay. Then the next step is to identify airlines/hotels brands that service that area. Then you look at the different credit card programs to see which programs will let you redeem with travel partners servicing the area you want to travel to. Then you look at those programs and see which ones offer the best value and which credit card products offer the best bonus in those specific programs. Also, when you are selecting credit card products it helps to look to see what categories they have for bonuses. If you spend a lot in those categories already it will help you build up your point balance faster. If you are not looking to travel international within the next two years then you probably don't need to worry about building up those point balances yet unless an amazing offer comes along. If you want to travel international within the next two years then you want to get started.
For domestic travel look at your hubs and what airlines service them. Unless you are going coast to coast I don't think first class is really worth it on domestic flying and coach is just fine. For domestic flights you may want to look at cash back cards with which you can choose any airline and look for bargain basement prices. However, you could look at something like the citi prestige card. Yes it has a $450 AF but you can get $250 airline credit each year which can be applied directly to flight purchases. Also if you are flying on AA you can redeem the signup bonus at a higher rate and get some free domestic flights that way. It will also give you AA lounge access when you fly them and PP lounge access. Hotel cards can also be of a value if you are travelling to expensive destinations. For example the chase hyatt card gives you two free nights and the citi hilton reserve gives you two free weekend nights as signup bonus. Not all that valuable if you are staying in budget accommodations, but it is a tremendous value if you are staying in expensive cities where rooms can go for a couple hundred a night or more (if it were me I would pair these hotel nights with international destinations but that is only personal preference). Again no point in going for such signups until you are closer in to the travel date as some of the free nights expire after a year or two.
;
@Anonymous wrote:No worries!!
I apologize again for coming across rather harshly. We all start somewhere and it terrific to see you progressing into the "Excellent" bucket 
As I live in Dallas, I frequently travel via Southwest and the redemption rate varies but overall it is pretty darn awesome. It brings a smile to my face when a $400 round trip flight can be purchased with reward points that have a value of only $150. The $400-equivalent sign-up bonus probably paid close to $1100 worth of flights.
I was at first intimidated by the whole transfer points situation, but I got over that quickly once I saw how large of a value they can have.
No problem. I live in Houston by the way Southwest flies out of here too so I'm glad that it is one of CSP's partners. I feel that I now have all the cards that I need. Time for me to garden for a while. My number one objective is to purchase a home late next year and I want to maximize my credit score as much as possible. For some reason, my EQ is still lagging gehind though I have zero late payments and zero collections on all three credit bureaus. Thanks again for your help!