Looking for advice on Chase Stack vs Capital One Stack

[Anonymous]

Hello all!

I'm looking to add one more higher end card to my portfolio in the next 3 months, and I'm struggling to decide which direction I should go. Currently my cards include the AmEx Gold card (4x restaurants and groceries),  the Citi Custom card (5x gasoline), the Capital One SavorOne card (WAS my old dining card, now just 3x entertainment and streaming services), the old Chase Freedom (rotating 5% categories), the Discover It card (roatating 5% categories, also my oldest card).   The 2 cards that I'm deciding between are the new Capital One Venture X and the Chase Sapphire Preferred.  The CS Reserved has gotten too expensive and I'm not sure I'll get my money's worth out of is after the first year.

Based on my spend for 2021, the Capital One stack would get 42,000 points with AmEx and 39,000 points between the 2 CO cards.

Based on my spend for 2021, the Chase stack would get 42,000 points with AmEx and 27,500 points between the 2 Chase cards.

The CSP can cash in at 1.25x points, so that could be upgraded at just under 34,500 points.  A measly difference of about 4,500 points.  My concern is if instead of wanting to go through each card's rewards booking site,  I could use the points for domestic flight and hotel transfer partners.  The problem is the only big domestic flight transfer partner I would get if I went with the Capital One route is... Delta through the Amex partnership .  If I go with the Chase route... I then get Delta, Southwest, United, and JetBlue as domestic transfer partners. But if I go that route, I'd be trading points at a 1:1 and the Chase would only be worth the original 27,500.

Other big concerns are the difference in promotional bonus (100,000 COVX vs 60,000 CSP).  Also the effective yearly fee on both.  +$500 Y1 on Venture, and break even $0 from Y2 onward.  With the CSP.... it would only be about +$45 in Y1 and -$55 from Y2 onward.  So the CSP would start costing me money long term.  The Venture X also get Priority Pass and TSA Precheck, the CSP does not. 

So my question to eveybody is.... is the CSP's lack of perks and lower point accrual potential WORTH MORE because of Chase's rewards program with the 1.25x multiplier, and the 3 extra domestic flight transfer partners???  Or should I go for the Venture X with more points potential and more perks?

[wasCB14]

Do you have a preferred airline? What's your home airport?

[Anonymous]

Not necissarily.  I guess I like Delta while the fiance likes Southwest if we had to choose. 

We're Port Columbus Int'l - CMH

[dangerously_caffeinated]

I think the VX is a good card for those that don't want to take the time to punch every penny out of every category. The VX plus the SavorOne nets a really good 2 cars combo in my opinion for essentially $5 paid to you each year using the cards. 

I will say, I think chase has the upper hand on redemption rates here through their portal and I cannot speak to C1s. I do know C1 doesn't offer JetBlue or southwest flights through their portal. I know of no one who uses JetBlue though, it's a weird airline to me. If you really wanted to use southwest you could always buy a flight then use the purchase eraser. 

Capita one has some very good transfer partners that I think people sleep on. Turkish would be a good example, you have to work a little harder on redemption but domestic flights are available with the partners. 

Capital one's VX is also a brand new card and I think they'll make some changes to it this year - they already just added a $300 Gravity Haus credit to the VX( if that's your thing). 

Chase is a great card offering and has a more to the point redemption for certain airlines, it's just whether or not you don't mind paying some more $$$ for that.

[jcooks]

Adding another card from a different points system may be difficult to redeem.  If you're spreading daily spend on each of the ecosystems, it would take longer to have enough points to redeem.  Unless you would transfer points from each ecosystem to a transfer partner that all ecosystems are partners with.  If that is the case, go with a credit card that you currently don't have a decent mulitplier for.  

[Hoben02]

So my question to eveybody is.... is the CSP's lack of perks and lower point accrual potential WORTH MORE because of Chase's rewards program with the 1.25x multiplier, and the 3 extra domestic flight transfer partners???  Or should I go for the Venture X with more points potential and more perks?

>> I had wanted the venture x just for the lounge access not for anything else. I will say that I fly swa a lot and book tickets thru them mainly for the ability to cancel without penalty something that other airlines don't offer unless you have status. The venture x is marketed to go against the CSR and frankly swa reward system and ticket price go hand in hand. 

[notmyrealname23]

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@Anonymous wrote:

My concern is if instead of wanting to go through each card's rewards booking site,  I could use the points for domestic flight and hotel transfer partners.  The problem is the only big domestic flight transfer partner I would get if I went with the Capital One route is... Delta through the Amex partnership .  If I go with the Chase route... I then get Delta, Southwest, United, and JetBlue as domestic transfer partners. But if I go that route, I'd be trading points at a 1:1 and the Chase would only be worth the original 27,500.

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You have a huge misconception that "oh noes, only way I can fly United on miles is transferring to United".

What you need are *alliance partners*.

https://www.theglobetrottingteacher.com/how-to-book-domestic-award-flights-using-partner-miles/

Air Canada, Avianca, Singapore Air can all book United.

British Airways and Cathay Pacific can book American and Alaska.

Virgin Atlantic and Air France can book Delta.

All are Capital One partners. Some of them have unique value propositions that make using their program BETTER for particular redemptions than United/Delta/American. 

Southwest is unique to Chase but AMEX has some unique partners as well.

Unless booking on Southwest is a HUGE part of your redemption strategy you're passing up a lot of miles from a SUB and benefits for no good reason.

[wasCB14]

Keep in mind that it can take a while to learn how to book with certain alliance partners, and the codeshare booking process (as well as any availability rules and the award chart) changes now and then. Sometimes just going for an occasional big SUB is a better strategy than trying to keep track of numerous alliance FF accounts, especially since OP will travel on a mix of Delta and Southwest (and possibly American which has a large presence there).

[Anonymous]

Aha!  See that's good information that is not really known to a travel card noob like me!  Or even apparent when looking at cards face value. That link was really good information, thanks!

Southwest is not that important in the grand scheme of things.  The fiance likes to fly it for her work trips, I can always get her to change if I need to...