We've had a couple of CSR conversations so that's got me thinking about what everyone is using and why.
Are you a points person or team cash back? Do you use multiple cards? And if so, which ones and why?
As for myself, I was all in on Chase points cards, spearheaded by a Chase Sapphire Preferred and then a Chase Sapphire Reserve, for over a decade. I 4 or 5 different cards in the ecosystem and would spend based on which one gave me the best category multiplier. I used the points for Hyatt transfers, Southwest transfers (when I had a companion pass), and for 1.5x portal redemptions for cruises and car rentals. But when Chase devalued CSR portal redemptions and increased the annual fee, I lost over 30% of the value and the whole thing seemed less worth it so I switched.
These days, the bulk of my base spend goes on a single Robinhood Gold card. I still have the CSR to max out the coupon book with my last lower annual fee, but I'll likely downgrade back Sapphire Preferred or cancel entirely and just cash outs the points for Hyatt. I was thinking of keeping it until I realized how few purchases I put on it anymore. I'm barely racking up 15k points per year so there's no way the annual fee will justify it anymore.
I also do a LOT of churning when I can. I sign up for new cards based on future plans or sometimes I just find a good opportunity like an elevated offer or a low spend requirement. We're currently churning just one card - a CSR for my wife. We have no plan to keep it.
As for cards we hold but don't spend on, we have many of them. Either they're no-fee cards we've acquired over the years that sit in a drawer or they have an annual fee but also an annual benefit like elevated hotel/airline status, annual "free" hotel stay, or fee points. We're going to close a few of these, though, to reduce our overall annual fees.
And lastly, I've got my eyes on a couple of Citi cards. We already have a Double Cash (2% back) which we don't use because we have Robinhood Gold (3% back), but I'm considering the Citi Strata Premier to allow us to convert points to AA miles. That could make the Double Cash worth using, but it's really hard to give up straight 3% back once you have it.
Are you a points person or team cash back? Do you use multiple cards? And if so, which ones and why?
As for myself, I was all in on Chase points cards, spearheaded by a Chase Sapphire Preferred and then a Chase Sapphire Reserve, for over a decade. I 4 or 5 different cards in the ecosystem and would spend based on which one gave me the best category multiplier. I used the points for Hyatt transfers, Southwest transfers (when I had a companion pass), and for 1.5x portal redemptions for cruises and car rentals. But when Chase devalued CSR portal redemptions and increased the annual fee, I lost over 30% of the value and the whole thing seemed less worth it so I switched.
These days, the bulk of my base spend goes on a single Robinhood Gold card. I still have the CSR to max out the coupon book with my last lower annual fee, but I'll likely downgrade back Sapphire Preferred or cancel entirely and just cash outs the points for Hyatt. I was thinking of keeping it until I realized how few purchases I put on it anymore. I'm barely racking up 15k points per year so there's no way the annual fee will justify it anymore.
I also do a LOT of churning when I can. I sign up for new cards based on future plans or sometimes I just find a good opportunity like an elevated offer or a low spend requirement. We're currently churning just one card - a CSR for my wife. We have no plan to keep it.
As for cards we hold but don't spend on, we have many of them. Either they're no-fee cards we've acquired over the years that sit in a drawer or they have an annual fee but also an annual benefit like elevated hotel/airline status, annual "free" hotel stay, or fee points. We're going to close a few of these, though, to reduce our overall annual fees.
And lastly, I've got my eyes on a couple of Citi cards. We already have a Double Cash (2% back) which we don't use because we have Robinhood Gold (3% back), but I'm considering the Citi Strata Premier to allow us to convert points to AA miles. That could make the Double Cash worth using, but it's really hard to give up straight 3% back once you have it.
