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@coreysw12 wrote:
@wasCB14 wrote:I paid the full $99 for an annual membership a few weeks ago, after a few months on and off at $9.99. I downgraded CSR to Freedom about 8 months ago. With the $300 travel credit but very little travel spend, I guess I'd have just about broken even if I'd kept CSR.
We'll have to see what Chase adds to the Sapphire cards for post-September.
I suspect a lot of people have done the same, so it definitely seems like Chase will want to do something to entice people to PC back into their AF cards again. That is, unless their AF cards aren't really big moneymakers (or even money-losers as some have speculated in the past) and possibly they're trying to get people out of them for now, but the recent CSP SUB update suggests otherwise.
Are people outside of myFico types and bloggers really PC'ing out of annual fee cards in mass though? It seems well understand our kind is a minority. Chase is huge. The average Sapphire customer probably isn't even aware of the Freedom cards.
@coreysw12 I would love to see the CSP have the same structure as the Thank You Premier and the CSR to have the same structure as the NFCU Flagship 2x points on all purchases and 3x points on travel and dining. I think if Chase did that I would certainly have to get the card. I am considering getting the CFU but way over 5/24. So unless I get a preapproval then I will not be applying for anything.
I don't think all of these would be feasible at once but they all seem minor (except maybe the gas).
@SecretAzure wrote:
- Annual membership/subscription to a delivery provider of your choice (Instacart, Uber Eats, PostMates, DoorDash, etc.).
- Doesn't seem farfetched as they already are able to provide similar logic to the CSR travel perks (including tolls as well as flights, cabs, etc.)
- Increased value of UR by one point per dollar spent on travel
- A lesser amount of UR per dollar on gas. Perhaps, 2 UR per dollar
- Flexible/fixed financing options on a large purchase at a lower APR
- Think Amex Plan it/Pay
I don't think all of these would be feasible at once but they all seem minor (except maybe the gas).
Your wish has already been granted on that last one. They introduced this recently.
Raise travel to 5x/6x, dining to 3x/4x, add gas, groceries or entertainment at 2x or 3x and include at least a $50-$75 travel or dining credit. Very possible that they could raise the AF on the CSP to $125-$150 if they up the multipliers and add a category or two.
To get me to carry a CSP again, Chase would have to either beat Costco (4x on Gas, 3x on Dining and Travel) or match those categories and add a long term grocery spend at even 2X before I would consider going back. As it stands now I get 2X on my AMEX Everyday for groceries. If I do decide to get the BBVA Clearpoints I can get 3X on groceries in a no AF card. Groceries I have a feeling is going to be a big spend category through 2021 if not longer.
Combing through the whole Chase portfolio what seems to be missing yet I guess is the question.
10% Ride Sharing on Lyft (CSR)
5% Portal Travel Purchases (CFU)
5% Rotator: Gas/Grocery/Streaming/Amazon/Paypal (CFF)
3% Dining (CFU/CFF/CSR)
3% Travel/Transit (CSR)
3% Drugstore (CFU/CFF)
Redemption Bonuses 1.5/1/25 (CSR/CSP)
Doordash Subscription (CSR/CSP)
Transfer Partners (CSR/CSP)
Mastercard Benefits (CFF)
I like the addition of more 10% niche categories. Doordash should be 10%/5% CSR/CSP considering you have to tip. Instacart is 5%/3% with a $50 credit on annual membership is an offer I never decided to take up since I had 5% on Whole Foods this quarter with the CF. With the Whole Foods 5% I was motivated to pick up items I would usally buy at a drug store like birthday cards.
If they add a 10%/5% partner like Home Depot or Lowe's that is where you'd want to go for all your cleaning supplies.
10% on Lyft was supposed to be a game changer for the CSR. A $100 monthly Lyft spend with a 20% RTR coming back is $120 a year. But that fell through. I've only taken a couple of rideshare during COVID-19 and those were paid by my mechanic. There was no pick me up from the airport Lyft rides that I'd usually find myself taking. Times when I considered a Lyft ride I was outvoted and had to walk.
@marcforza1 wrote:Raise travel to 5x/6x, dining to 3x/4x, add gas, groceries or entertainment at 2x or 3x and include at least a $50-$75 travel or dining credit. Very possible that they could raise the AF on the CSP to $125-$150 if they up the multipliers and add a category or two.
Some of the Chase revamps just don't make a difference.
For example the 3x dining on the CFU. That makes a difference for me because I only had 2x dine on my CSP. But if you have a CSR you already have that perk. Running 5% on the CF for Whole Foods while 5% on Instacart is another example of a perk that didn't make a difference for people. That may be the whole logic as to moving up the Freedom cars to 3% dine. The big spenders already had 3% dine with the CSR.
Something as simple as moving the CSP up to to 2x Grocery/ 2x Gas would make it the default card to use when you don't have a 5% category bonus in grocery or gas. Then go 3x Grocery/ 3x Gas on the CSR. Anymore the distinction between dining and grocery has blended with all the ready to go meals served at grocery stores.
CSR doesn't have dine advantage over the Freedom lineup and travel spend can fragment with hotel and flight cards. Grocery and Gas are categories in other credit card ecosystems they are losing customers over.
Continuation of Lyft Pink for CSR and elevated earnings would be a good start. To stay competitive with their competitors, I do think 3x for CSP and 4x on CSR would be great for dining and travel. If CSR went to 5x on those, I feel they could also justify increasing the AF; $750 would still probably work out well for the target demographic. On the other hand, it's Chase and with its travel partners and marketing these would both remain extremely popular cards as is. Many of the comparisons on dining for example fail to take into account that there are no foreign transaction fees to completely negate any dining earnings as is the case on the lower tier cards. They are after all travel cards.
@Citylights18 wrote:10% on Lyft was supposed to be a game changer for the CSR. A $100 monthly Lyft spend with a 20% RTR coming back is $120 a year. But that fell through. I've only taken a couple of rideshare during COVID-19 and those were paid by my mechanic. There was no pick me up from the airport Lyft rides that I'd usually find myself taking. Times when I considered a Lyft ride I was outvoted and had to walk.
Ya, it was a great idea that just came at a really bad time. Sure would've been nice back when I had a $350 Lyft ride in NYC last fall! Hopefully that promo stays for a while longer, it seems like they've worked something out with Lyft through at least 2021 though.