Cancelling CSR- But What's Next? (RC, SPG Lux, or Amex Plat?)
Thinking to cancel my CSR next month before the renewal hits in September but not sure what to replace it with. I am looking at these 3 possibilities...
SPG Amex LuxuryPros-
- $300 credit at Marriot/SPG hotels- Probably the easiest credit for me to use out of the cards I'm considering.
- Marriott/SPG gold status- Don't use Marriott/SPG too much (2-3 times a year?) but I like having some type of hotel status, even if its the lower tier.
- Annual free night- nice little bonus
- 2 Marriot points per $ on every day spend- Not sure if this is a pro, but definitely better than the 1 point per dollar from the CSR (when transferred to Marriott)
Cons-
- Probably no signup bonus- I currently hold the SPG Amex, if Amex goes the Chase route of not giving signup bonuses to people who have had the old card, then I definitely won't be able to get the signup bonus (whatever it may be).
Amex Platinum
Pros-
- Centurion Lounge access- Tired of getting turn away at Priority Pass lounges because of overcrowding. Most of my domestic travel is between SFO, LAS, and DFW so this is one benefit I look forward to the most.
- SPG/Hilton Gold- See above for my thoughts on Marriott/SPG status. I never use Hilton, and generally, avoid the chain.
- Merchant credits- $200 Uber credit is nice, I use Uber eats a lot. The new $100 credit at Saks is a nice addition.
Cons-
- 1 point per $ for everything that's not hotels or airlines- Don't need explaination
- $200 airline credit- Really not sure how to utilize this benefit as I rarely pay any incidental fees while traveling. Buying and storing up AA gift cards seems like a hassle (can you use 10 $50 gift cards to pay for a $500 flight?). Also read somewhere that AA is coding their gift card purchases as gift cards now, so not sure if this trick is going to last?
- Low interest in MR transfer partners- Not interested in any of the airline transfer partners. Transfer to SPG is like getting 1/3 point per dollar spent.
Ritz Carlton Card
Pros-
- 2 night sign up bonus- Never stayed at a RC, so this could be interesting.
- $100 companion discount- Won't use this to often, but can see myself getting $100-200 of benefit from it.
- annual free night- New benefit coming end of Aug. Same as the SPG Luxury card.
- Gold status
- 4 points for gas, phone, cable and dining- Nice to get a higher bonus just for paying my Tmobile bill. Coming end of Aug.
- 2 Marriot points per dollar spend- Coming end of Aug.
Cons-
- $300 travel credit- seems even more of a hassle to use than the Amex credit. Looking through all the restrictions, I would be lucky to get $50/year back on this.
- Chase- I know the card is not subject to 5/24, but I believe I am at the limit of total credit Chase can give me, which means no instant approval and I will have to call them and explain why I need yet another Chase card. Not hard, but just another hassle.
- Limited time- most people seem to think this card is going away after Aug 1, coincidentally, the same time the Amex Lux card will be available (probably). As I only want to get 1 premium credit card, either I get the RC by end of this month or wait to see signup bonuses from Amex and risk missing out on the RC card....
Realizing as I type this out, this exercise was really good for me to organize my thoughts on these 3 cards, but there are vast pros and cons to each. The CSR is still one of my favorite cards, but with the improved benefits from the branded cards, it's losing some of its luster. I am interested in hearing your thoughts and what you liked about each of these cards. Thanks in advance!
Last edited by festriaqua; Jul 11, 2018 at 11:43 am