What is better to pair with CSR? CSP or FU?

[Anonymous]

Long story short: I’m AU in my wife’s CSR and we use that card for pretty much all our joint expenses (including all the traveling and dinning).

Taking into account that regardless if I open the FU or the CSP id like to share my points with her (in the end it’s all for both of us), does it make a difference if I get the FU or CSP? Would I be wasting $95 in AF for a lot of benefits I already enjoy thanks to being AU in the CSR?

Thank you!

[Shadowfactor]

Besides the 50K bonus you would get from the CSP , which is a good enough reason in itself. There’s not much benefit from having your own CSP. You would be loosing out on points and wasting money on the CSR AU fee and the CSP AF.

If your not after the bonus, get the freedom for its 5X points. The FU isn’t anything special.

[Revelate]

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@Shadowfactor wrote:
Besides the 50K bonus you would get from the CSP , which is a good enough reason in itself. There’s not much benefit from having your own CSP. You would be loosing out on points and wasting money on the CSR AU fee and the CSP AF.

If your not after the bonus, get the freedom for its 5X points. The FU isn’t anything special.

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A lot more of my cash outflow falls under default than it does Freedom 5X rotating categories.  

At even 1.5 (not including the CSR pairing = 2.25x) I still pull in around 20k UR annually on the FU, sometimes 30k:  HOA and tax payments add up fast.  I don't get anywhere close to that on my Freedom but I also don't go out of my way to meet the $1500 / quarter unless it's something I would've spent anyway in that category.  Actually this year I've barely swiped the Freedom come to think of it.

[Anonymous]

Outside of the signup bonus, the CSP is a complete waste for you. Why would you want a card that earns 2x back and has less benefits than the card you already have that earns 3x back and has more benefits?

[Anonymous]

Sign up bonuses aside - the FU is a much better fit w/ an existing CSR. And once you got the sign up bonus for the CSP - the card becomes completely useless to you. You would not use it. The CSR is out performs it in every way. And after sign up bonus - you will have a $95AF after 1 year. FU is $0AF and as someone else stated above - don't underestimated the "other" category. 1.5 % is 50% more UR points than CSR on "other" purchases and that adds up fast. 

I think the FU is a no brainer. But I would triple check to make sure you can transfer your FU points to her CSR. I have never looked into it. 

[UpperNwGuy]

Get the FU.  The CSP is like a junior version of the CSR, so it adds nothing to your earning power apart from the signup bonus.  By the way, the Freedom's 5% quarterly categories are not that great aside from the grocery quarter.  The FU gives you the equivalent of 2.25% on everything when you pair it with the CSR.  For most people, noncategory spending dominates our monthly budgets.

[imaximous]

Or... you could still get the CSP since there's no annual fee the first year, and then PC to the FU later on. You get a much higher SUB. But that's just my evil churning side speaking. I'm really not a churner -- pinky promise

[wasCB14]

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@imaximous wrote:
Or... you could still get the CSP since there's no annual fee the first year, and then PC to the FU later on. You get a much higher SUB. But that's just my evil churning side speaking. I'm really not a churner -- pinky promise

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Similar to what I did...I had the CSP for ~35 months, then downgraded to CFU (a card I wanted, anyway) and added CSR.

[K-in-Boston]

Yes, you can transfer UR points between your own accounts, or those of another household member.  DW has the FU (and a CSP), while I have the F and the CSR.

I'd totally say go for the CSP for the SUB, then PC it to FU after a year.  With the standard 50k bonus and waived AF of the CSP, and the FU usually having a $150 (or 15k URs) SUB, and assuming that NONE of the spend on the CSP was 2x travel/dining, you would need to put more than $70,000 of non-category spend on the CFU to come out ahead in the first year!

$70,000 non-category spend:

CFU = 105,000 URs earned + 15,000 SUB = 120,000 URs

CSP = 70,000 URs earned + 50,000 URs = 120,000 URs

$20,000 non-category spend:

CFU = 30,000 URs earned + 15,000 SUB = 45,000 URs ($450 or $675 portal)

CSP = 20,000 URs earned + 50,000 URs = 70,000 URs ($700 or $1050 portal)

Edited to add example for more realistic $20k non-category spend.

[NRB525]

Random question. With the Chase rule “only one Sapphire card at a time”, does the OP AU CSR preclude getting a CSP?