Originally Posted by
ESpen36
It appears that the real question remains: where do we put NON-category, NON-bonus, everyday basic spend, once the SPG Amex is devalued? I haven't seen a good answer to this question. Like many here, I currently put ALL spend (except airfare) on my SPG Amex cards.
Unless you want to give up and go Citi Double Cash, I think the answer is probably Chase Freedom Unlimited (in combination with holding a premium UR card).
If you have a lot of non-bonus spend or prefer MR over UR you could also go for the Amex Everyday Preferred, but I don't know if I would reliably make 30 purchases a month on it unless I diverted some spend from the CSR, which likely wouldn't make sense. Freedom Unlimited doesn't give the grocery & gas bonus but it also doesn't require any shenanigans to get 1.5 cents per dollar.
Another other option is airline cards, particularly for those who might get some value out of things like the Delta MQM bonus & MQD waiver or the United PQD waiver. Though people who value those are likely already claiming those as a higher priority than using the SPG Amex. I guess people who are claiming a Delta MQD waiver could consider going deeper on Delta and getting a second MQM bonus, as underwhelming as earning SkyMiles is.
I guess the new Barclays card with transferable points could also be worth considering, since IIRC it gives the same return on everything, so if you can squeeze some interesting opportunities out of their transfer partners, it's at least no worse a card for non-bonus spend than it would be for any other category. If you happened to like using SPG points for JAL transfers, the new Barclays card seems like about the only game in town, as underwhelming as it is.
If you value hotel redemptions, I think there's a chance the Marriott cards could continue to be worth considering. (I am not one of those who thinks the new Marriott award chart is going to be a massive devaluation, but that is to be seen.) For those who value airline miles, clearly not.