Maybe Upgrade to the CSR?

[TSlop]

Hello all. My wife recently changed jobs and now she is traveling (mostly by flights) weekly. Flights are paid by the company, but she uses her own cards for everything else.

Quick background: she has an old SPG Amex card (now Marriott) for Marriott hotels and uses my Hilton Surpass for Hilton ones. She only has that Amex and a Discover card. She is an AU on my CSP and BoA PR.

She's not big into the points game like me, and we were just talking and she was wondering if she should start using one of my cards for points. I'm like, hell ya! I'm not sure what I didn't think of it back in January...

Anyway, I have the CSP, but I'm wondering if her weekly travel will "qualify" us for the CSR. I'd imagine that travel credit will get eaten up in a month with the non Hilton/Marriott stays. She will start putting all her food and taxis and parking on it now. I'm thinking it will be worth it, it just is daunting seeing a $550 AF plus another $75 for an AU.

Anyone have any thoughts or things I might be missing? Would she get the lounge access as an AU? I haven't opened a new card in years, so I'm also wondering if Chase has upgrade offers, or if I should close it and open a new one if I want a "SUB". I don't really want any inquiries (how searching soon), so I'm heavily leaning towards a PC, even without an offer, if I end of doing this.

[unsungivy]

Yes, she would get lounge access as an AU. The 10x points on Lyft is also pretty nice. The $300 travel credit offsets the AF greatly.

I will point out that the Ritz card may be something to consider, since she's using an old AmEx SPG. The Ritz card has fantastic value, is a lower AF, AUs are not an additional fee, also has primary car insurance, and gives access to the same lounges that the CSR does... but they treat you as more special 😁

[TSlop]

Thanks, I'll check out the Ritz card, I don't know much about it.

She left today on her first trip where she'll utilize my CSP card (AU), so I told her to keep track of how often she'd want to get into lounges from now on to see if the perk is worth it. I believe she noticed the Lyft benefit on her own but I'll have to check which taxi service she likes and/or uses the most and have her utilize them.

[CreditCuriosity]

Would have to do Marriott first for a year then PC to Ritz card though if you went that route.  I personally prefer the CSP > CSR for me personally also have the RITZ which imho is a better value over the CSR but can't really be compared directly although RITZ gives me much better value over the CSR that is why I use CSP for food and transfer points to Hyatt through Chase eco system and use the RITZ for Flight benefits and free 85k Hotel Stay at any Marriott property per year and club level upgrades etc.