Just Got Rid of Two Chase Annual Fee Travel Cards

[UpperNwGuy]

I just called Chase and downgraded my Sapphire Reserve to a Freedom Unlimited and my United Explorer to a United MileagePlus.  That wipes out $545 of annual fees that would have been wasted in this pandemic year of no travel and no dining.  For the next 12 months all my credit card rewards will be cash back.  No points and no miles.

Lots of good memories associated with both of those cards.  I applied for the CSR in the first three minutes when the online applications went live in August 2016.  The signup bonus was 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points, and I got two $300 travel credits in the first five months I had the card (and back then the travel credit spending also earned 3x points).  I kept the card for four years and got good value from it every year.

My United Airlines card started life as a United Club card in early 2012 right after Chase revamped the United card lineup to reflect the United-Continental merger.  In those days I was a 1K because of my frequent business travel, so I got a preapproval letter in the snail mail.  As a signup bonus, the $395 fee was waived for the first year.  I kept the Club card for four years (despite losing money on it in the second and third years), downgraded it to the Explorer in 2016, and then kept it for four more years.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations on giving Chase some AA. 

Of course, its in order to better serve them, and to be a better customer to Chase. I hope you thanked them for being a valued issuer.

It doesn't seem like their travel cards are worth as much with limited travel at this time and better no-fee cards that they offer now.

[M_Smart007]

Congrats!!  ... Probably a very Smart move at this time!

[Aim_High]

Congrats on eliminating some unnecessary annual fees, @UpperNwGuy.   While my situation and take on things is different, I completely understand those who want to move away from travel cards.   For myself, I've continued to travel for business and even personal reasons.  Unfortunately, I had two recent funerals to attend which led to travel, but DW and I also traveled on my scheduled vacation to see family earlier this summer.    And in the past few months, we've returned to regular dining out, with cautions of masks until seated and socially-distanced tables.   So I still find value in my travel cards and points. 

Just wondering.  Do you plan to upgrade your cards back to the original versions once Covid-19 is behind us and travel opportunities have returned? 

[Anonymous]

If it weren't for the constant mask wearing I'd consider traveling more, I just can't wear it for very long. So I only go out long enough to get food etc. and come right back home, with being bale to take it off once back in the car. I couldn't possibly imagine wearing one for a full 2 hour+ flight somewhere! 

I wasn't even able to wear one back in my old construction days and working with insulation and fine dust. 

Once everything settles down I plan to go back to certain AF cards i've downgraded/PC'd if possible. If things continue much longer I'm possibly even looking at closing my Gold card, all the credits this year were great but next year is a different story with not knowing.

[UpperNwGuy]

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@Aim_High wrote:

Congrats on eliminating some unnecessary annual fees, @UpperNwGuy.   While my situation and take on things is different, I completely understand those who want to move away from travel cards.   For myself, I've continued to travel for business and even personal reasons.  Unfortunately, I had two recent funerals to attend which led to travel, but DW and I also traveled on my scheduled vacation to see family earlier this summer.    And in the past few months, we've returned to regular dining out, with cautions of masks until seated and socially-distanced tables.   So I still find value in my travel cards and points. 

Just wondering.  Do you plan to upgrade your cards back to the original versions once Covid-19 is behind us and travel opportunities have returned? 

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Once I feel safe to travel, probably in late 2021 or early 2022, I will upgrade the United MileagePlus back to the United Explorer.  Although another option would be to cancel the United MileagePlus so I can apply for a new United Explorer and get a new signup bonus.  Similarly, I won't upgrade the Freedom Unlimited back to a Sapphire.  Instead I'll apply for a new Sapphire and get a new signup bonus.  If I play my cards right, and Chase cooperates, I could end up with 60,000 United miles and 60,000 UR points to jump start my post-Covid travel adventures.

We, too, had a significant family funeral last month.  My father was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.  Nevertheless, none of my out of town family members (his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews) were willing to take the risk of a flight to DC.  Those who came from out of town drove their cars to DC from PA, MD, VA, NC, and SC.  Family members who lived further away stayed home, so we had a much, much smaller funeral than we had for my mother at the same location seven years ago.  As you say, my family's take on things is different than yours.

I've eaten at a restaurant only once since early March, and that was with my out-of-town brother after Dad's funeral.  I doubt I'll eat at a restaurant again for the rest of 2020.  I just don't think it is worth the risk.  I'll take my risks at the grocery store and the pharmacy, not at restaurants.

[Remedios]

@UpperNwGuy  I'm sorry about your loss. 

[Aim_High]

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@UpperNwGuy wrote:   ... We, too, had a significant family funeral last month.  My father was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.  Nevertheless, none of my out of town family members (his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews) were willing to take the risk of a flight to DC.  Those who came from out of town drove their cars to DC from PA, MD, VA, NC, and SC.  Family members who lived further away stayed home, so we had a much, much smaller funeral than we had for my mother at the same location seven years ago.  As you say, my family's take on things is different than yours.

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Thanks for the reply and comments.  Hopefully, this will all be over soon and we can return to some semblance of our previous normal lives.  

My condolences for the loss of your father.  As a fellow veteran, I salute him for his service.  Our funerals were also much smaller and different due to circumstances but I'm glad we were able to pay respects.  

[Jetiquette]

I would not have downgraded the CSR. You can still get a lot of value out of the card and many have had success getting extra points for renewals. I would not be surprised to see them increase the perks of the CSR and CSP now that the Freedom line is 3x on dining. Travel will be back in 2021 as well. The best time to earn points is right now as cards and companies are giving out great benefits to entice spending. I am racking up the points this year so that I will be prepared for when travel returns to normal next year. 

[rooeez]

I just downgraded my CSR, also, to a Freedom. If/when my family begins to travel again I figure I can always apply for a new card and get another bonus. When they kept the AF at $450 for this year I was a bit on the fence, but I just don't see the value since I was mostly just spending for dining.