sdsearch

There is no such thing as final merits (until the card is discontinued). As mentioned, the Citi TYP Prestige has had benefits changed several times so far, and it's not clear whether even the latest change is the "final" one. So unless the Chase Reserve has a short life, it'd expect multiple changes over its lifetime too, with no one ever knowing which is the "final" change.

There's a thread with a silly title in another forum, with a title that starts "now that the dust has settled" and it discusses things which have changed a lot since the thread was started. So the dust hadn't settled after all when that thread was started, and the dust never stays settled for long in the miles/points world.

jediwho

I don't expect significant benefit reduction for Reserve. Prestige has been the biggest culprit starting with the companion program -- which was nothing great to begin with.

With Reserve, the benefits are OK at best and I have been very surprised at how much almost every blogger has been pushing this product. Anyone who is into optimizing CC for points/miles/benefits, probably the best combo is Amex Platinum Business (FHR/Centurion/Gogo), Prestige (3x on flights/hotels, excellent warranty and travel insurance, Citi Rewind, Priority Pass), and City National Crystal (Primary car rental coverage, $250 reimbursement of travel credit per user, $100 visa airfare discount for 2-5 domestic tickets, 12 GoGo passes per AU, Infinite Hotel Program). Throw in EDP for grocery spending and gas and if you are high spender or MSer, the PGR and BGR are also awesome.

Besides 3x points on dining (1x extra point than Prestige), I don't know what else Reserve offers. It is a great card if you Sapphire Prefered as your primary card as it is only $55 more and you also get PP plus a few of the Infinite benefits, or if you love Ultimate Rewards and don't want anything to do with Thankyou points. So, there is clearly a room for this card. But it is not as good as bloggers make it out to be.

krazykanuck

The bloggers are busting a nut over it because of the *cough*affiliate commissions*cough*

The biggest reason I got the CSR was for the bonus, and second, it will be my only premium Chase card to transfer to partners. Citi Thank You points aren't super useful to me because they have such bizarre partners with as far as I've found, limited value. Beyond Etihad and 1.6cpp redemptions on AA (which is going away) I haven't found much.

I find it kind of funny that this thread continues to roll on. There some people who have posted over and over that Chase and UR is clearly the best, people who say Citi and TYP are the best, etc. It all depends on your travel patterns and where you live. Also I feel like I'm one of the only people that likes having healthy balances in all programs because each one has its sweet spots and unique benefits.

edealinfo12345

And when do you expect that downgrade to take place?

I seriously doubt that because then more people would likely cancel in year 2. Chase's only hope of a sizeable % of people retaining the card in year 2 onwards is those people will see that the $450 fee is offset by the $300 credit, so the net fee is relatively not much of an expense given the Priority Pass benefit.

The 2-year extra warranty is provided by the card issuer, and has nothing to do with the merchant, so I fail to see your point. In fact, why would Best Buy or other merchants' ever advertise an extra warranty when they are busy trying to sell customers the Square Trade Warranty for which they get a commission?

edealinfo12345

The greatest % of those applying for the Chase Sapphire Reserve are "the millenniums". Chase, perhaps inadvertently, but what now appears to be "pure genius", has attracted a new set of people to the premium card category -- those that realize that the $450 AF is EASILY offset by the $300 travel credit, and the $150 net annual fee is a relatively small price to pay to be in the premium crowd (sitting in airport lounges). New techies, graduates with a few year's experience, etc., drawing middle-class salaries, suddenly feel they have "upgraded status" - getting benefits (such as lounge access) that was previously mainly available to those who had plenty of money to spare. Chase is thereby attracting a whole new generation and Amex is losing that ship.

Chase already drew a huge following with the Chase Sapphire Preferred (with the 50K point bonus and no annual fee in Year 1) [a strategy that clearly worked], and is now topping it off with an even better deal (for only $55 more over the Chase Sapphire Preferred), folk can get even more benefits to move to the "Top Tier" of premium cards.

Totally brilliant in my opinion!

jediwho

Same here WRT balances in multiple programs. Usually, I get best bang for the buck i.e. spend the fewest amounts of miles/points for airline and hotels because of healthy balances across multiple programs.

Regarding Chase, my two main cards are Freedom and INK. The sign up bonus on CSR is too tough to pass. I would have applied but pretty much know that they will reject my application because of 5/24 rule.

edealinfo12345

Chase Sapphire Reserve Guest Previliges -- so much superior to that of AMEX and Citi:

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...ounge-benefit/

edealinfo12345

In what way? - the Prestige only allows two guests with PP, with CSR it is unlimited.

mia

I was responding to your assertion that it would be easy for Chase to mimic American Express' Offers.

Chase has done nothing that American Express and Citi have not already done. They have done less, they have done it crudely, and they have left profit dollars on the table. In 2014 Chase tested a Sapphire Preferred offer with a $149 annual fee. This is their attempt to implement it. They have taken Sapphire Preferred, added one extra point per dollar in the identical categories, a Priority Pass membership, and changed the name.

Which Priority Pass lounges do you use, and what annual dollar value does unlimited guests have for you? I think this will benefit some people, but I would like to read specifics.

RedPanda5

i canceled my amex plat after 8 years and switched over the the CSR.

i really wasn't even putting any spend on the plat other than big items that i wanted their superior customer service on. over the years the associated benefits of the plat got worse and worse.

eajusa

Unless someone says that for $55 more, I receive an extra 50K UR points.

Totally agree ...I'm not giving up my Club card, so I would not want to keep a second Chase card at $150 AF ($450-$300 travel credit) long term unless I really needed 3 UR points per dollar. I would probably downgrade to CSP after a year or two, because I need MR points as well and need to put some spend there as well. Those who value UR points more than me may have a different strategy to meet their needs. I often read posts where UR points are best gotten with Freedom's 5X categories, for example.

edealinfo12345

You forgot the 100K bonus and the $300 travel reimbursement and the.... In any case, if it was merely "old wine in a new bottle" do you think there would actually be such a run on the card --- so much so that Chase has even run out of their metal CSR cards?

Chase is handing out huge bonus points and making cards more attractive and betting that they will hold on to a substantial % of card holders that will be profitable to them in the long run. Both the CSP, and now the CSR are proving to be spectacular successes. I just read an article yesterday that Chase has overtaken Amex in the total number of cards issued (all types of cards). So, respectfully, you may not think Chase did something different, but the results prove otherwise.


I have not used Priority Pass before because I could not afford it. Now that the CSR will just cost me $150 (after $300 travel reimbursment), I can sit in lounges just like the rich guys (how about that!). And I will be travelling to Taipei and Manila with my family and all of us will be able to use the lounges at ZILCH, NADA cost. How's that! The CSR is EXACTLY what I was looking for in a card (I only wish it had +2 years extended warranty and ShopRunner so I can instantly dump my Citi and Amex card -- who likes carrying extra cards, anyway?)

edealinfo12345

You did the right thing! AMEX takes its customers for granted. How else can you explain their 1x point on their premier Platinum card, when Chase offers 3X on Travel and Dining on CSR.

Heck, Amex even offers more points on some their no-fee cards than on their Platinum card (a slap in the face for their fee paying customers). AMEX thinks that "we were great in the past" will take then into the future......unfortunately, they do not see the writing on the wall.

krazykanuck

Priority Pass... just like the rich guys. lol. Enjoy on that trip. Some PP lounges are nice, some suck.

You're comparing a card that has existed for a couple decades with one that has existed for ~3 weeks. Lets see how the CSR evolves over time, especially since we've seen Chase slowly take away benefits on the Freedom and CSP over the past couple years.

mhdena

Freedom's 5x and Ink's 5x are the best way to earn UR points IMO.