Where to put my spend

[red259]

So I have my two new cards the Venture 5k and Chase freedom 3k. My goal is to garden for at least 6 months and then reapply for CSP & Bold along with some sort of amex (maybe a charge card if I dont have the stats to be sure of a revolver at that time) to get my foot in the door there [I really want to get in the door with Amex]. My understanding is that both chase and cap 1 are not very likely to do auto CLIs. It seems to me that (outside of the quarterly categories of the freedom card) that the venture card with 2 points for every $1 seems like a much better rewards value. That being said I really want to obtain the CSP with a decent CL in six months and I am wondering what percentage of my spend should I put on it. What type of usage would Chase look at and see me as a valued customer? Would the amount I  use on the Freedom on a monthly basis be a factor in either my CSP approval or CL for a new CSP? I'm just looking to maximize my chances with chase the next time around as I am not super optimistic that the venture card will grow with me overtime. To be clear this spend would just be things that I have to pay anyway and the balance would be PIF each month with optimial utilization (not looking to run myself into debt as I have been there and have no desire to go back!)

[Anonymous]

As you suggest, obviously the most important thing is to keep a clean history with the Freedom, so no late payments etc, and PIF will be fine.   I don't think there is a strong correlation between "I spent $4K per month on Freedom so I will get an $8K CSP (or whatever)"   How useful are the 5% categories to you at the moment?  If you can use a reasonable amount on those, I would think it's fine to put everything else on the Venture to get the extra benefits.   Which just leaves the definition of "reasonable"!

As a made up rule, 5-10% of your CL, so $150-300 or so a month?

[Anonymous]

---

@red259 wrote:

So I have my two new cards the Venture 5k and Chase freedom 3k. My goal is to garden for at least 6 months and then reapply for CSP & Bold along with some sort of amex (maybe a charge card if I dont have the stats to be sure of a revolver at that time) to get my foot in the door there [I really want to get in the door with Amex]. My understanding is that both chase and cap 1 are not very likely to do auto CLIs. It seems to me that (outside of the quarterly categories of the freedom card) that the venture card with 2 points for every $1 seems like a much better rewards value. That being said I really want to obtain the CSP with a decent CL in six months and I am wondering what percentage of my spend should I put on it. What type of usage would Chase look at and see me as a valued customer? Would the amount I  use on the Freedom on a monthly basis be a factor in either my CSP approval or CL for a new CSP? I'm just looking to maximize my chances with chase the next time around as I am not super optimistic that the venture card will grow with me overtime. To be clear this spend would just be things that I have to pay anyway and the balance would be PIF each month with optimial utilization (not looking to run myself into debt as I have been there and have no desire to go back!)

---

It really depends on what you want. There's no right or wrong answer.

From my limited knowledge of Cap1, their subprime cards hardly, if ever, get any auto CLI. Venture is considered their prime card however, and they do seem to give out CLIs. I'm not sure if that's a rare or common occurance however.

Chase likes heavy usage. Using that card a lot and paying it down is going to help increase your chances of auto CLI and potentially help you get a higher CL in the future. You have to set your priorities straight. Do you want more rewards, or do you want a higher CL? However, using that card a lot is NOT going to guarantee a higher CL as well. Your income and CR play a big part in determining your CL.

Overall your usage of Freedom will affect your chances of approval for CSP and the CL you get, but it's not really worth jumping through all kinds of unncessary hoops just for this small increase in chance. A big part of the approval process still depends on whatever is in your CR and your income. Worry about the forest, not the trees.

For me personally I'd go with more rewards. CL will come by on its own. But like I said, it's entirely up to you.

[LS2982]

---

@red259 wrote:

So I have my two new cards the Venture 5k and Chase freedom 3k. My goal is to garden for at least 6 months and then reapply for CSP & Bold along with some sort of amex (maybe a charge card if I dont have the stats to be sure of a revolver at that time) to get my foot in the door there [I really want to get in the door with Amex]. My understanding is that both chase and cap 1 are not very likely to do auto CLIs. It seems to me that (outside of the quarterly categories of the freedom card) that the venture card with 2 points for every $1 seems like a much better rewards value. That being said I really want to obtain the CSP with a decent CL in six months and I am wondering what percentage of my spend should I put on it. What type of usage would Chase look at and see me as a valued customer? Would the amount I  use on the Freedom on a monthly basis be a factor in either my CSP approval or CL for a new CSP? I'm just looking to maximize my chances with chase the next time around as I am not super optimistic that the venture card will grow with me overtime. To be clear this spend would just be things that I have to pay anyway and the balance would be PIF each month with optimial utilization (not looking to run myself into debt as I have been there and have no desire to go back!)

---

You may want to consider gardening for a year and then apping for CSP. Chase does give auto luv.

[Anonymous]

And the other thing is how much money do you spend on the cards anyway?   It's very easy to get caught up in the differences in rewards, but if you spend say $2K a month on the cards, all on non-bonus spend say, with the freedom you would get $20 back, with the Venture $40.   The difference will not change your life!

[LS2982]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

And the other thing is how much money do you spend on the cards anyway?   It's very easy to get caught up in the differences in rewards, but if you spend say $2K a month on the cards, all on non-bonus spend say, with the freedom you would get $20 back, with the Venture $40.   The difference will not change your life!

---

I agree with this, go with what makes more sense and doesn't require too much confusion to manage.

[Anonymous]

And (hopefully!) my last point:  what are your goals for the CSP?   Do you want to use it to transfer miles to partner programs?   If so, when you use your Freedom, you can keep the points until you get the CSP, and transfer them to that account, as the best way of maximizing the value.

Now different people put different values on UR points.  You will hear values from 1.25 - 5 or more cents per point, depending on whether you use them for premium cabin international travel/high tier hotels at peak season etc or just buy a flight through the UR portal.  Your potential use will help you decide if this is better than the 2c per point from the Venture.

Edit: to clarify,not 2c per point from venture, 1c per point, but you get 2 points for each $ spent.

[red259]

I did wonder if my freedom points could later be moved over to the account of a new CSP. I'm thinking maybe going with my freedom is the way to go, because I eventually will want to get the chase bold or ink for my business as well (due to the points value on a number of business expenses I have so its an ideal card for me), so it may be better to accumulate all my points into one large account. I wish to use my points for travel rewards.

[Anonymous]

---

@red259 wrote:

I did wonder if my freedom points could later be moved over to the account of a new CSP. I'm thinking maybe going with my freedom is the way to go, because I eventually will want to get the chase bold or ink for my business as well (due to the points value on a number of business expenses I have so its an ideal card for me), so it may be better to accumulate all my points into one large account. I wish to use my points for travel rewards.

---

if you think it's easier and better to consolidate points onto 1 card, use the freedom more then.

The CSP can be an excellent travel card, but it honestly also depends on where you're flying to, what class are you flying and where you're staying. Generally people get best ccp for international first class tickets, but it can vary depending on seasonal variances and availability as well. For some people the venture is a better travel card than the CSP. If your trips are more budget conscious, the CSP might not be as good as what it could be.