Originally Posted by
Caspavio
i mostly redeem for flights between US-asia, so the most frequent programs i use are AC, SQ, BR and QR. they may not be the best value, but i have found it easier to find availability. i also use AA, but that isnt your interest here. all of the programs you mentioned are transfer partner to most of the stated ffps, so it boils down to the multipliers and how much i value each card
citi: my wife and i hold a few citi custom cash (we also have a double cash but put more spend on VX), which we spend on our lunches and groceries (the natural spend is usually within the $500 cap so quite convenient). it is useful because they earn at 5x, and they are the only transfer partner to BR at 1:1. the downside is the 5x is capped at $500 for each card, but it works for us because we still have quite a significant amount of credit card points accumulated in our overseas issued credit cards that can be transferred to BR, so we can take our time earning TYPs. in your case, you may have to put spend through citi strata premier or double cash. what could be interesting is citi may become a transfer partner for AA, so that maybe useful to us although it may hasten any devaluations
chase: we have a CSR and CFF, so this is where we put most of our travel and dining spend and whatever is applicable for the 5x rotating category. this works out better for us than amex plat because we take quite a few road trips, national parks trips and ski trips every year and spend more on hotels, airbnbs, car rental, etc than flights. another reason is because we usually redeem our most expensive flights. i have to reevaluate this though because the new CSR's credits doesnt fit our spending habits
C1: the VX is just a catch all. not much difference to citi double cash but we use it more because it has no foreign transaction fee and we have significant overseas spend. there isnt really a concern about the incremental value because the $300 credits and 10k points kind of paid off the AF
amex: we dont hold any amex card atm, but im always interested because ana is a transfer partner, especially now that you can redeem one way award
others: we have bilt because we rent. but it could be useful as bilt is the only transfer partner to AS (amex will soon be removed) outside of co-branded cards and 3x dining is not bad
i currently hold status with SQ and QR, but this is more exception than the norm; my wife and i made a few extra trips back to singapore due to family matters and to attend our close friend wedding. but i am technically a free agent and dont pursue any status because my normal flying pattern dont support it. i also dont really care about lounges, and try to turn up at the airport as late as possible. my wife prefers C1
Awesome breakdown - thanks! I see where the CSR and VX can be a good tandem. Combined, you have bonus categories everywhere and a minimum of 2x/dollar spent. If committing to two of the three long-term (AmEx, Chase, C1), I could see the case for AmEx being left out. It offers 1 PPD better than VX on flights, but that's the only enticing category. In hindsight, I wish I started with C1 or Chase over AmEx due to the diversified earning categories, but I started this exercise due to missed opportunity cost on so many flights on non-OW carriers that I perhaps had tunnel-vision. Regardless, I'll look forward to the SUB, trying out a fairly robust ecosystem and their lounge network.
Going to try either CSR or VX by year's end, just trying to decide which. We're remodeling our kitchen this fall, so C1 might get the edge for the 2x earn.
Originally Posted by
TTT103
You have the airline mileage secure with your business travel and Executive AAdvantage card. My suggestion would be to focus on hotel earnings if you have a hotel chain you are loyal to. Chase is a great ecosystem to be part of, as they partner with Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG. AmEx might be the way to go if Hilton is your hotel chain of choice.
Similar to you, I prefer AA miles, as well as AAdmirals Clubs. The challenge with many of the credit card clubs (Am Ex Centurion, Chase Sapphire Club, and Capital One Lounges) is that they tend to be overcrowded. Yes, they are a notch up from the AAdmirals Club, but they don't do me any good if I can't access them due to a waiting list. My preferred hotel chains are Hyatt and Hilton, so I carry both cards. I actually prefer the Surpass card over the Aspire Hilton Card.
I've absolutely considered this - again, with so much work travel. It's a worthwhile suggestion that I keep coming back to. However, I'm usually finding myself booking hotels based on location and comfort above all else, so never tend to limit myself to one system. I'll also use Airbnb, small boutique brands, etc. Since most of the travel cards come with low or mid-level status, late check-out, etc., I don't tend to place as much value on upper-tier status, and am unlikely to achieve it due to minimum night requirements within one system. I also find that transferring to airline miles for premium cabins (we avoid economy on longhauls, but are disinclined to shell out $5k++) holds better value for us than redeeming for hotel stays.
I've definitely experienced the crowding issue - I've accessed the Centurion lounge twice now, both at DFW but hung out in the Terminal D AC while I waited - about 30 minutes each time.