How will Amex counter the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card?
Aug 25, 2016, 1:19 pm
#61
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: Delta Diamond, Bonvoy something good; sometimes other things too
Posts: 5,050
Hm, good idea. I had been thinking that didn't make sense because I'm not sure I would use an Everyday card enough to get the 20% bonus points, but could still be worth it just for the 2 points per dollar on groceries.
Aug 25, 2016, 1:21 pm
#62
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,957
Aug 25, 2016, 2:20 pm
#63
Join Date: May 2015
Location: LAX, BUR
Programs: AS,AA,JB, HH Gold, Starriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Explorist, Global Entry
Posts: 1,933
I suppose the CSR could also make the Citi Premier redundant without a retention offer to offset its $95 fee, which I did get this year.
Aug 25, 2016, 2:28 pm
#64
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SFO
Posts: 108
This is a good point. Ultimately, the Platinum has benefits I'll pay to keep even with a CSR. However, I no longer have to pay for both the Platinum and the PRG now that CSR has those 3x bonus categories. I wonder if the CSR will end up hurting the PRG more than the Platinum for this reason.
Aug 25, 2016, 2:35 pm
#65
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: Delta Diamond, Bonvoy something good; sometimes other things too
Posts: 5,050
A small MR balance could still come in handy from time to time to top up other accounts, but it would be a long time before I'd have enough MR points earned from grocery spend to be able to transfer into a program where I have a zero balance and book a ticket, even in domestic coach.
If SPG were sticking around, there could be occasions when I might transfer 10K in grocery-earned MR points to Aeroplan, for example, and then top up the rest of the way to a long-haul J award with SPG points, but who knows whether that will continue to be an appealing (or available) option after the Marriott merger.
Last edited by bgriff; Aug 25, 2016 at 2:41 pm
Aug 25, 2016, 2:39 pm
#66
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: Delta Diamond, Bonvoy something good; sometimes other things too
Posts: 5,050
Personally I never got on board the TYP train but I have an especially hard time seeing any reason to go with Citi now. CSR's set of transfer partners has always been far superior to the the TYP options, unless AA joins TYP. So the only reason to use the Citi cards was for the higher earning rates per dollar spent, which CSR has matched (or bettered, in the case of dining spend), except for entertainment spend and gas.
Aug 25, 2016, 4:37 pm
#67
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,028
Thinking more about it, I guess the only downside to this is simply that with grocery spend alone, I'll never have all that many MR points, so it's questionable whether it's even worth continuing trying to accrue them vs. accepting 1x point per dollar in a UR account or other account where the overall balance would be bigger. 3x on airfare has always been the main way I've accrued large MR balances.
A small MR balance could still come in handy from time to time to top up other accounts, but it would be a long time before I'd have enough MR points earned from grocery spend to be able to transfer into a program where I have a zero balance and book a ticket, even in domestic coach.
If SPG were sticking around, there could be occasions when I might transfer 10K in grocery-earned MR points to Aeroplan, for example, and then top up the rest of the way to a long-haul J award with SPG points, but who knows whether that will continue to be an appealing (or available) option after the Marriott merger.
A small MR balance could still come in handy from time to time to top up other accounts, but it would be a long time before I'd have enough MR points earned from grocery spend to be able to transfer into a program where I have a zero balance and book a ticket, even in domestic coach.
If SPG were sticking around, there could be occasions when I might transfer 10K in grocery-earned MR points to Aeroplan, for example, and then top up the rest of the way to a long-haul J award with SPG points, but who knows whether that will continue to be an appealing (or available) option after the Marriott merger.
Personally my ranking is UR > MR > TYP due to UR’s Hyatt transfers.
Aug 25, 2016, 5:23 pm
#69
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 13
Personally I am excited about the CSR but it doesn't really change my views around the Amex Platinum, other than giving me another option for Priority Pass membership -- but as others have said, I place a pretty small value on PP membership.
Amex Platinum still uniquely valuable to me for Delta SkyClub access, FHR, and especially Centurion lounge access. (I debate periodically whether I actually value those things at $250 a year, but thus far the math has worked out "yes" and the CSR doesn't really change the calculation on any of them.)
But where I am really torn with the CSR is on my Premier Rewards Gold card. I spend a fair amount on airfare each year so have been using the CSP card for non-airfare travel, plus the PRG for airfare and groceries, with dining split randomly between the two, which seemed like a reasonable, if somewhat expensive, combination. (I live in NYC without a car so gas spend is negligible for me.)
But now the CSR is just as good on airfare, and I don't spend enough on groceries to really justify the PRG annual fee. The only reason I can come up with to keep the PRG is to keep up a decent MR account balance in order to have options to book things with MR-unique transfer partners, which I have certainly gotten big value out of in the past (including transfers to Aeroplan, ANA, Delta, Virgin America, and a useful top-off transfer to Hilton). But I also only got a CSP fairly recently and didn't have any UR points when I made those MR transfers, so it's entirely possible that if I'd had UR points in the past I might have found different but equally good options through UR.
(I also think Chase made a strategic error with the CSR making the CSP entirely redundant -- there is no reason to hold the CSP if you're going to keep a CSR, and I'm planning to cancel my CSP soon. Whereas Amex has structured its cards so there is reason to have both a Plat and a PRG, with all the annual fee income that entails. No idea how many people have both, but if it is a lot, I am sure Amex will take that into consideration before adding any Plat card bonus earning categories.)
Amex Platinum still uniquely valuable to me for Delta SkyClub access, FHR, and especially Centurion lounge access. (I debate periodically whether I actually value those things at $250 a year, but thus far the math has worked out "yes" and the CSR doesn't really change the calculation on any of them.)
But where I am really torn with the CSR is on my Premier Rewards Gold card. I spend a fair amount on airfare each year so have been using the CSP card for non-airfare travel, plus the PRG for airfare and groceries, with dining split randomly between the two, which seemed like a reasonable, if somewhat expensive, combination. (I live in NYC without a car so gas spend is negligible for me.)
But now the CSR is just as good on airfare, and I don't spend enough on groceries to really justify the PRG annual fee. The only reason I can come up with to keep the PRG is to keep up a decent MR account balance in order to have options to book things with MR-unique transfer partners, which I have certainly gotten big value out of in the past (including transfers to Aeroplan, ANA, Delta, Virgin America, and a useful top-off transfer to Hilton). But I also only got a CSP fairly recently and didn't have any UR points when I made those MR transfers, so it's entirely possible that if I'd had UR points in the past I might have found different but equally good options through UR.
(I also think Chase made a strategic error with the CSR making the CSP entirely redundant -- there is no reason to hold the CSP if you're going to keep a CSR, and I'm planning to cancel my CSP soon. Whereas Amex has structured its cards so there is reason to have both a Plat and a PRG, with all the annual fee income that entails. No idea how many people have both, but if it is a lot, I am sure Amex will take that into consideration before adding any Plat card bonus earning categories.)
With the CSR, considering that the 3x dining is something I can take advantage of way more than I do the 2x groceries and gas on the PRG, I wonder if keeping the PRG is even worth it and if the CSR and Platinum are in fact the best combination. I'm trying to keep in mind that the $300 credit on the CSR is very easy to hit, and while Delta is my main airline right now, I can still transfer both MR and UR points to BA for AA flights (I normally live in Philly, where AA would be my primary option). Some of the other partners overlap, too, and perhaps I can use some combination of the CSR and Amex EveryDay (which I already have) to make up for the category changes. I really just want to cut down and focus on having 2-3 primary cards. I have a Citi Prestige but with I'm going to turn it into a Preferred or something with no AF due to it being gutted.
Sorry if my thoughts aren't in perfect order here.
Aug 25, 2016, 5:49 pm
#70
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,028
I'm in a very similar situation -- I'm an Amex Platinum cardholder and really like having Delta lounge access since it's my main airline at this point in time, and right now I'm flying to visit family at least 5-7 times a year alone. I also have a CSP and PRG. The CSP was primarily used to take advantage of the bonus because the PRG has better categories overall. I kept the CSP around for occasional use.
With the CSR, considering that the 3x dining is something I can take advantage of way more than I do the 2x groceries and gas on the PRG, I wonder if keeping the PRG is even worth it and if the CSR and Platinum are in fact the best combination. I'm trying to keep in mind that the $300 credit on the CSR is very easy to hit, and while Delta is my main airline right now, I can still transfer both MR and UR points to BA for AA flights (I normally live in Philly, where AA would be my primary option). Some of the other partners overlap, too, and perhaps I can use some combination of the CSR and Amex EveryDay (which I already have) to make up for the category changes. I really just want to cut down and focus on having 2-3 primary cards. I have a Citi Prestige but with I'm going to turn it into a Preferred or something with no AF due to it being gutted.
Sorry if my thoughts aren't in perfect order here.
With the CSR, considering that the 3x dining is something I can take advantage of way more than I do the 2x groceries and gas on the PRG, I wonder if keeping the PRG is even worth it and if the CSR and Platinum are in fact the best combination. I'm trying to keep in mind that the $300 credit on the CSR is very easy to hit, and while Delta is my main airline right now, I can still transfer both MR and UR points to BA for AA flights (I normally live in Philly, where AA would be my primary option). Some of the other partners overlap, too, and perhaps I can use some combination of the CSR and Amex EveryDay (which I already have) to make up for the category changes. I really just want to cut down and focus on having 2-3 primary cards. I have a Citi Prestige but with I'm going to turn it into a Preferred or something with no AF due to it being gutted.
Sorry if my thoughts aren't in perfect order here.
Personally my arsenal once I start cancelling some of these cards will be
CSR
Platinum
Everyday
Freedom x2
Ritz (if I can get the AF waived again)
Prestige ($350 annual - $250 travel = $100 annual fee)
Aug 25, 2016, 5:58 pm
#71
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 13
Keep in mind that without a Prestige or Premier you can't transfer points to airlines.
Personally my arsenal once I start cancelling some of these cards will be
CSR
Platinum
Everyday
Freedom x2
Ritz (if I can get the AF waived again)
Prestige ($350 annual - $250 travel = $100 annual fee)
Personally my arsenal once I start cancelling some of these cards will be
CSR
Platinum
Everyday
Freedom x2
Ritz (if I can get the AF waived again)
Prestige ($350 annual - $250 travel = $100 annual fee)
Aug 25, 2016, 6:12 pm
#72
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: Delta Diamond, Bonvoy something good; sometimes other things too
Posts: 5,050
Keep in mind that without a Prestige or Premier you can't transfer points to airlines.
Personally my arsenal once I start cancelling some of these cards will be
CSR
Platinum
Everyday
Freedom x2
Ritz (if I can get the AF waived again)
Prestige ($350 annual - $250 travel = $100 annual fee)
Personally my arsenal once I start cancelling some of these cards will be
CSR
Platinum
Everyday
Freedom x2
Ritz (if I can get the AF waived again)
Prestige ($350 annual - $250 travel = $100 annual fee)
Aug 25, 2016, 7:41 pm
#73
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,790
I'm probably going to cancel both my Premier and Prestige when the fees come up. No point keeping them with the CSR, and might as well reset the 24 month clock that Citi has added.
Aug 26, 2016, 10:06 am
#74
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,028
I'm pretty much done with using Citi/TY at the moment since the impending AA devaluation removed a lot of my use for the points, and beyond that their backend systems just aren't that great. I'll probably keep the line for my credit and overall utilization, but just change it to something without a fee like I said. Already did that with my AA Exec. The Ritz seems nice for the $100 credit but I'm not sure about it against the CSR; the latter probably still wins out due to the points and easy to use travel credit, though. I am leaning towards the CSR/Plat/ED combo, and I do have a Freedom I can throw into the mix, too.
If you stay at Ritz properties, the 3 club upgrades you get a year are well worth that $100. Otherwise, ya it's not worth it for anything else.