What is the chase trifecta?

[Anonymous]

I have read DoCs write up about it and the points guy and his write up about it 

I know I sound like a complete idiot but what is so great about the trifecta? 

here's my understanding you use a freedom card to earn cash back which you can then transfer to points and by utilizing a sapphire card you can redeem the points for 1.5x value if you use the sapphire card for travel through the ultimate rewards portal, but the base value of the freedom rewards cards can be beaten by other cards

For someone that has been holding in the garden for a while 15 months out on personal cards at this point and I'm still over 5/24 until September/October if store cards count is it really worth holding on to get this combo going on, the hp cli is a turn off from them, although I admit the csp SUB is stellar, especially if you can get the in branch fee waiver, also do you need 3 cards, since the p2 has the flex I could just get the csp and pool the points to the same effect

i know that I sound uneducated and silly , but I guess I struggle to see why this setup is so coveted

[K-in-Boston]

Short answer is that with a CSR you can get worst case 4.5% back on travel/dining with CSR with no FTFs, 7.5% back in Freedom/Freedom Flex's 5x categories, and 2.25% back on all other purchases with Freedom Unlimited (plus the new categories like elevated earnings for drug stores and purchases in Chase Travel) with zero effort and a fairly low net annual fee after the travel credit when redeeming for travel though Chase Travel.  Or for partners like United, it is an easy way to amass a lot of miles that can be far more valuable.

[805orbust]

Good Lord @K-in-Boston I salute y'all who can keep up with that stuff. I get lost. As long as I can get plane tickets /hotels for the family a few times a year with no out of pocket I'm good. My brain hurts tryna compute otherwise... respect 😉

[wasCB14]

Keep in mind that "the Chase trifecta" is a term that has been around for many years. When I got into CCs in 2014, the "trifecta" was CSP, Freedom, and Ink Cash. Now with CSR, Freedom and Ink Unlimited, Freedom Flex, etc...there's not even agreement on what cards should make up the trifecta!

Not only was Chase's card lineup a lot simpler a few years ago (at least as far as UR cards go), but some UR partners gave better point values. Hyatt now has 8 award categories, but not so long ago they had 5 or 6. United allowed people to book exotic itineraries with brief stops all over the world as part of a single ticket.

[Anonymous]

it sounds like it's kinda nerfed? So it's only useful for the boost on travel only? And by travel that means hotel rooms flights rental cars etc?

[tcbofade]

Essentially, yes.

If you travel enough, it's worth it.

If you already live in green, green grass of Gods country and don't travel much, it's not worth it for you.

[Anonymous]

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@tcbofade wrote:

Essentially, yes.

If you travel enough, it's worth it.

If you already live in green, green grass of Gods country and don't travel much, it's not worth it for you.

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Well, with Pay Yourself Back, you can get the enhanced values redeeming on other types of spend, e.g. currently dining and groceries, but it is unclear whether this feature will stay and, if so, how useful future categories will be.

And while Pay yourself back doesn't allow the potential great cpp values you can (potententially!) get by transferring to partners, it is very useful.

[MrDisco99]

It's always been a travel oriented setup.  As with most rewards programs that's where the real value is.

If you're just looking to maximize cash back, there are probably better setups out there.

[notmyrealname23]

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@MrDisco99 wrote:

It's always been a travel oriented setup.  As with most rewards programs that's where the real value is.

If you're just looking to maximize cash back, there are probably better setups out there.

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For instance, if you can get 100k in managed assets with Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, you're Platinum Honors in Premium Rewards, and you have a category card that's earning 5.25% cashback in a single category, 3.5% on groceries/warehouse stores for up to $2.5k a quarter, no annual fee. Or you have a $95 annual fee card that's 2.625% cashback on all purchases that gives you $100 back on miscellaneous travel fees.

Other banks have other cashback angles as well...

[Curious_George2]

Thanks for asking the question, @Anonymous. I have long wondered the same thing. In fact, one of the reasons I got into this hobby was I wanted to learn the secret knowledge that seems embedded within terms like that, and the even more mysterious "quadfecta."  🙄

A year and a half later, I still can't seem to learn it in a way that sticks. I attribute that to not having lived it, since I don't have any of the relevant cards. Every time I study the UR ecosystem, including the high barriers to entry and growth with Chase (5/24, frequent double pulls and HP CLI's), I decide that for me the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

And then I forget it all and need a thread like this one to re-educate me. 😂