driftless + other csr/prg owners

[bourgogne]

drift + others, I would like to know exactly why you keep your prg active, what exactly does it do for you and an instance of where it is better than a csr.  also curious why a venture, same deal what benefit do you derive from it.  totally serious question, not meant to start a this is better than that card ordeal.  thank you.  oh, I also enjoyed the 5 and under thread from what i read of it, good work there.  I don't  know if you mentioned it but did you share your 3B#s?  will you?  just asking lol.  take care

[wasCB14]

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@bourgogne wrote:

drift + others, I would like to know exactly why you keep your prg active, what exactly does it do for you and an instance of where it is better than a csr.  also curious why a venture, same deal what benefit do you derive from it.  totally serious question, not meant to start a this is better than that card ordeal.  thank you.  oh, I also enjoyed the 5 and under thread from what i read of it, good work there.  I don't  know if you mentioned it but did you share your 3B#s?  will you?  just asking lol.  take care

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I used to have a PRG. I got a 50k bonus, 2 x $100 airfare extras credits, lots of offers, and paid one $175 AF. I got a lot of value from it, but closed it when I had another AF coming up. I hadn't spent enough to bother seeking retention, and didn't think I'd get an additional $195 of value from it over the next 12 months.

PRG is good for a lot of things, but not that great at any one thing. By the time I closed it, I'd gotten a Platinum for perks. My CSP rivaled PRG for airfare and dining rewards. I had several gas and grocery cards. Lots of success with Citi Price Rewind had also diminished the value I got from many of Amex's offers.

On a standalone basis, I think it's still a decent card. For me, it just became superfluous.

[rlx01]

The PRG competes with the CSP since it nets out at $95AF.

It still has better purchase protection than any Chase card (in practice, not theory).

If I had the choice between a PRG and a CSR, I'd take the CSR every time.

As for the Venture... that card is basically a 2% CB card. Those are now a dime a dozen, but they didn't always used to be.

[bourgogne]

@wasCB14, thx for the response.  You had me @ superfluous, pretty much nails it

@rlx01, thx as well, I view the csr as a $ 150 af card as I get the $ 300 back in parking meters alone.  What happened when I got the prg is ax stopped approving charges when I got near the $5K mark – this is back in 4/16, so I lost confidence in using it to some extent.  I went to Europe for a month in sept and discovered that it was basically unless it was a museum or boat tour purchase and that nobody wanted to take the card. 

Fast-forward to present although I have low cl I like the csr a lot, like the prg it partners to air france which is who I like to fly.  Via the branch it seems like I can get almost anything so I have my eye on that nice looking 80pt inc for next year.  I want to shift to a card that does not report + I think chase has the best customer support out there – us based.  ax seems completely outsourced, I don’t really care for that.

Sounds like they will have to just give me the prg, get an AED or transfer out.  Probably will just take the points and run.  Now with the amazon card being gone there is no way to make the af work

[driftless]

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@bourgogne wrote:

drift + others, I would like to know exactly why you keep your prg active, what exactly does it do for you and an instance of where it is better than a csr.  also curious why a venture, same deal what benefit do you derive from it.  totally serious question, not meant to start a this is better than that card ordeal.  thank you.  oh, I also enjoyed the 5 and under thread from what i read of it, good work there.  I don't  know if you mentioned it but did you share your 3B#s?  will you?  just asking lol.  take care

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Hi Bourgogne,

As to the 3B's I am in the low 800's, as in barely over 800.

I primarily have PRG to have a second bank's cc.   My wallet has two cards in it generally, CSR and PRG.  While I also have a Cap One card I think that Cap One keeps their fraud algorithim too tight.  I have been routinely denied transactions on Cap One that I consider mundane.  For the last several years I have frequently travelled to Atlanta because of family health issues and Cap One rountinely denied charges,  even at a restaurant that I always eat at.  It is easy enough to get the block removed via their text system but that comes after a denial.  I have talked the Cap One CSR's about this several times and apparently if the vendor, like a restaurant, has had fraud issues that, and not the cardholder, will trigger the block.  

While I use CSR the most, I do like PRG.  We stayed at a nice hotel in Victoria B.C. through MR's.  While we will use Chase's UR's for airlines, etc., when we start to book hotels in the UK & Paris for our spring vacation but we will also see what is offered on Amex's site.

The Venture card was PC'd from a QS.  I fly fish, hike, take photographs, etc., in the Driftless Area, hence my username, and other parts of the Upper Midwest.  I stay in small hotels and cabins.  I am interested to see this coming year if I can use my Cap One "miles" to offset those cabin and hotel stays as they are small and completely under CSR's and PRG's radar.  If not, it will be PC'd back to a QS.  Truth be told, I don't use Freedom and Cap One much anymore.  I have split my recurring between them and Freedom comes out for specific categories.  CSR is used by far the most with PRG getting some spend.

So why keep PRG?  I could easily get by with CSR & Freedom and Cap One OR PRG.  If I were to go down from 4 cards to 3, I would close Cap One.  The reason that I don't close Cap One is that I am loyal to them, they helped with my rebuild.  Their high CL's and the ability to combine accounts, IMHO, made a difference getting good CL's with Chase.

I hope this is what you were looking for.

Happy New Year,

Driftless

[bourgogne]

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@driftless wrote:

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@bourgogne wrote:

drift + others, I would like to know exactly why you keep your prg active, what exactly does it do for you and an instance of where it is better than a csr.  also curious why a venture, same deal what benefit do you derive from it.  totally serious question, not meant to start a this is better than that card ordeal.  thank you.  oh, I also enjoyed the 5 and under thread from what i read of it, good work there.  I don't  know if you mentioned it but did you share your 3B#s?  will you?  just asking lol.  take care

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Hi Bourgogne,

As to the 3B's I am in the low 800's, as in barely over 800.

I primarily have PRG to have a second bank's cc.   My wallet has two cards in it generally, CSR and PRG.  While I also have a Cap One card I think that Cap One keeps their fraud algorithim too tight.  I have been routinely denied transactions on Cap One that I consider mundane.  For the last several years I have frequently travelled to Atlanta because of family health issues and Cap One rountinely denied charges,  even at a restaurant that I always eat at.  It is easy enough to get the block removed via their text system but that comes after a denial.  I have talked the Cap One CSR's about this several times and apparently if the vendor, like a restaurant, has had fraud issues that, and not the cardholder, will trigger the block.  

While I use CSR the most, I do like PRG.  We stayed at a nice hotel in Victoria B.C. through MR's.  While we will use Chase's UR's for airlines, etc., when we start to book hotels in the UK & Paris for our spring vacation but we will also see what is offered on Amex's site.

The Venture card was PC'd from a QS.  I fly fish, hike, take photographs, etc., in the Driftless Area, hence my username, and other parts of the Upper Midwest.  I stay in small hotels and cabins.  I am interested to see this coming year if I can use my Cap One "miles" to offset those cabin and hotel stays as they are small and completely under CSR's and PRG's radar.  If not, it will be PC'd back to a QS.  Truth be told, I don't use Freedom and Cap One much anymore.  I have split my recurring between them and Freedom comes out for specific categories.  CSR is used by far the most with PRG getting some spend.

So why keep PRG?  I could easily get by with CSR & Freedom and Cap One OR PRG.  If I were to go down from 4 cards to 3, I would close Cap One.  The reason that I don't close Cap One is that I am loyal to them, they helped with my rebuild.  Their high CL's and the ability to combine accounts, IMHO, made a difference getting good CL's with Chase.

I hope this is what you were looking for.

Happy New Year,

Driftless

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Hey Drift

Thank you.  You pretty much had me at 800, many with that sort of score would do their credit mix very different I would guess. I would.  This should all really go into a new post but I can’t think of a name.  I am a strong believer the less is more so I am trying to figure out how to not run over 6 cards and have what I want in my wallet and part of this is trying to come up with some reasons to stay with ax.  A decade ago I had your scores and the economy and divorce happened.  When I cct it says the below.  Installment bal comes only from a new penfed car loan, I never carry a balance.  I thought with getting the 2 CU cards and letting them age it would help the short credit / few account issues holding me back. My C1 was my rebuilder card.  The FU just because I wanted to be with chase. 

Interesting your comment on fraud,  I had 2 C1s and used both a zillion times and never once had that happen.  I am going to ponder what you have said.  I am also a latent churner, some people clip coupons I do this.  Suffice it to say that I was going to get a csp just for the branch 70pts/cl then pc to a cs to avoid the fee, then post year pc it to a new low % fu and roll mine into it and close it.  Also want an Ink for the 80pts and to have a htl.  That will actually be the main card that I will use with the CSR.  This is end of 2017 plan.  Might happen or might not lol.  Based in part what you have said I think I will just roll the churn csp into my csr and close it.  Roll my fu into my csr and close it.  Transfer the points and close the prg.  My 5 cards will be CSR, INK, C1, NFCU, PENFED.  As you loyal to C1,  will always have them.  expecting to double my PF in 2 weeks so will keep that as well.  

Anyhow I am rambling +  it seems like you have carved out a pretty neat life for yourself – good for you.   Many thanks again and a safe and prosperous new year to you as well

Short credit history        

Few current accounts    

Installment balances      

Collection item and/or PR