I have both those cards and they both have their strengths. It just depends on your lifestyle, spend, and preferences. Before I got CSR, Citi Costco card got my travel and dining out spend (which is considerable.) For someone who is a less frequent traveler, it can be much easier and more simple to stick to a no-AF cash-back card for travel like Citi Costco or WF Propel that pays 3% in categories.
On the other hand, CSR and other premium cards give you many other benefits and potentially higher redemption value, but that depends on your lifestyle and travel patterns. For example, CSR has much greater travel protections than those no-AF options, but you may find little value in them if you don't travel often. You will potentially earn 50% or more in value with CSR than a 3% card but you need to factor in the annual fee and other offsets. Would you use the Global Entry credit? Would you get much if any use out of the Priority Pass lounges? Would you use the roadside assistance to defer AAA coverage? Would you benefit very often from having primary CDW coverage on rental cars? Would you add CF or CFU or an INK card to further magnify your UR point credits since you can combine points between cards? Also, consider that there are rumors of a future AF increase on CSR to $550 with possible other credits, still to-be-determined. Would that be a deal-breaker for you?
@Anonymous wrote:
Looking at the CSR as I can use up the $300 annual travel credit for annual fee balance. But a thought popped up. I use Costco Citi and Amex BP because most of my spend is Costco, gas and groceries with restaurants following up. I will get about $900 cash back this year off those two card. Maybe a bit more. I want the most back so I can start to apply it to pleasure travel. Would sticking with the above cards serve me better than the CSR based on my main spend or would the CSR or a Business CC (I will have to get one sooner than later though spent will be low on it for quite some time), get me more?
Thank you and Happy Holidays :-)
If you aren't using the CSR travel benefits (lounge access etc) then I would be hard pressed to recommend anyone pay that AF. You need to do your own math. What works for one person may not work for you. My favorite business card is the amex blue business plus card. Earn 2pts per every dollar spent on the first 50k of spend. No AF and you can still transfer points to travel partners. I use this card for my non-bonus spend. For grocceries and restaurant spend I use the amex gold card 4x points on restaurants and grocery spend, 3 points for flights booked directly with airlines. $250 AF on it but I get $10 a month credit ($120 total) towards things like seamless/grubhub/shake shack etc.
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