Feb 12, 2016, 8:56 am
Last edit by: beltway
This is the general 2016-2019 thread for weighing the relative merits
of keeping, downgrading, or canceling Chase-issued credit cards.
Post-2019 discussion continues in this thread.
of keeping, downgrading, or canceling Chase-issued credit cards.
Post-2019 discussion continues in this thread.
What's the main reason people product change (PC)?
The benefits offered by a particular card, might suit you better than the card you are holding. Many people, unable to qualify for a new Chase Sapphire Reserve application, upgraded from the Sapphire Preferred to the Sapphire Reserve, because the benefits of the CSR's cash reimbursements made the annual fee a nominal difference the first year. And vice versa- the onerous $450 yearly fee of the CSR makes an appealing case to downgrade to the Sapphire Preferred, and eventually to the no-fee Sapphire or a Freedom card.
Many people product change to avoid the annual fees on the premium versions of the card. Keeping the card open, via a product change, keeps the account open. This allows you to retain the seasoned account, and the banking relationship that the older card has established with Chase.
Why not just cancel the card and be done with it?
This may be the right choice for you, but others want some of the card benefits without having to reapply. Also, Chase has become very restrictive for new card applicants. For Chase cards, you must wait 24- 48 months since the last time you received a bonus before reapplying. Please see the threads on the individual cards for updated overlay rules.
An additional (and more stringent) overlay is the infamous 5/24 rule, which Chase instituted in May 2016 as a counter-measure against churning, or, as they refer to it, "Serial Starters." The 5/24 rule is that you won't be eligible for most Chase card products if you've opened more than 5 credit cards in 24 months. For more on this and other application-related issues, see the current "Applying for Chase Credit Cards " Master thread.
Finally, canceling certain cards--those earning Chase Ultimate Rewards--may deprive you of the ability to exchange UR for miles/points in air & hotel programs. See Ultimate Rewards transfer partners, times & rules.
Is there any way I can keep a card without paying the annual fee?
See Chase Retention Bonuses: June 2015-Present
Are there any restrictions on product changes?
Product changes are only allowed within the same card "family," and are not permitted between business and personal cards. Also, Chase cites the federal CARD Act to deny product changes on any account less that one year old.
Will a product change count as a new card?
No, you will keep your same card number, "opened on" date, credit line, automatic payment arrangements, etc. A product change does not count against Chase's 5/24 limitations on new cards.
Will I get a signup bonus when I change?
No, product changes do not result in point bonuses. Signup bonuses are reserved for new applicants only. For the complete list of public sign up offers, check the Chase sitemap here: https://creditcards.chase.com/sitemap
Is there a place I can look to compare cards?
Go here: https://creditcards.chase.com/credit...D=177087865887
Click: All cards
Place a checkmark in the Compare box for up to three cards.
Click: Compare cards...and you should see a side-by-side display.
I've figured out what I want to switch to. How do I product change my card?
Call the number on the back of your card.
Product changes for the Ultimate Reward Business and Personal Card Family
The UR family of cards includes the Chase Ink business cards, the Freedom Unlimited, the Freedom Card, and the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Reserve and Sapphire.
The Slate (personal) card is also available to downgrade to. It has no annual fee and does not earn any type of reward points. It offers a low fee (currently 0% for the first 60 days) balance transfers and APR.
Personal Cards
- Freedom: 5X points in rotating quarterly categories up to $1500 spend per quarter. If you max out the $1500 every quarter, it totals 7500 UR per quarter, or 30,000 UR per year.
- Freedom Unlimited: 1.5X for all spending, no bonus categories. $20,000 in spend would net 30,000 UR per year.
- Sapphire Reserve: $450 annual fee, $300 annual travel credit, 3X points for travel and dining. Books travel through the UR portal for 1.5 per dollar. Lounge access and other goodies. See the thread here for details.
- Sapphire Preferred: $95 annual fee, 2X points for travel & dining
- For discussion specific to the Sapphire Preferred Card, see Chase Sapphire Preferred - Keep, Downgrade, or Cancel?
- Sapphire: Not available to new applicants. Available as a product downgrade/change only, must tier down from the Sapphire Reserve to Sapphire Preferred to Sapphire or Freedom cards. No annual fee. Some Customer Service Reps are citing that the original product (i.e., the CSR), must be held for one year before downgrading. Please provide data points in the thread if this happens to you.
Business Cards
- Ink Plus: $95 annual fee, 5X office supplies, 5X cellular/landline/cable; 2X gas and hotels
- Ink Preferred: 3x on travel, shipping, internet/phone/cable, & some online advertising.
- Ink Cash: No annual fee, 5X office supplies, 5X cellular/landline/cable; 2X gas and restaurants
If you still have a legacy Ink Classic or Ink Bold business card, neither of which is available for new signups, you can product change to one of the other Ink cards.
Considerations for downgrading/upgrading:
Can I combine my UR points?
Yes, UR can be combined freely across the cardholder's own personal and business accounts.
What about transfering my UR to another person's Chase UR account? To their air/hotel partner account?
With restrictions, UR from a personal card can be transferred to a person living at the same address. Business cards allow transfer to owners of the company listed as authorized users.
However, be warned that there are transfer restrictions. Unauthorized transfers have resulted in shut-downs. Review the Chase T&C for details before planning a transfer. For discussion, see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chase...-accounts.html.
The Freedom cards, no-fee Ink Cash, and no-fee Sapphire cards do not allow UR transfer to airline/hotel partners. If you are downgrading from a premium UR card and will only have no-fee cards left, it may be prudent to transfer your points to the partner of your choice beforehand.
I know I can use UR to pay for travel directly (as opposed to transfering points into a travel partner program). Do the Chase UR cards differ on this?
Only the Sapphire Reserve books travel on the UR portal for 1.5. So you can stack your card bonus opportunities when your UR points are combined into your CSR account and used for booking travel. If, for instance, you earned 5x on your Ink Plus on your phone bill, and combine those 5x Ink earned points into your CSR's UR account, you'll now get an additional .5 in value when you redeem them on the travel portal.
Product Changes for United Airlines Cards
There are options to downgrade or upgrade UA cards.
- United Mileage Plus Card- no annual fee, 1 UA mile per $2 in spend
- United Mileage Plus Explorer Card- $95 annual fee, 1 mile per dollar earning, additional award inventory on UA, free checked bag, 25% bonus on the shopping portal.
- United Plus Club Card- $450 annual fee, 1.5 miles per $1, many additional premium card benefits
- Business Cards for the Mileage Plus and Club Card give you a choice to upgrade or downgrade between those two.
Southwest Airlines Cards
The difference here is a nominal $30/3000 points per year.
Personal cards
- Plus Card- $69 annual fee, 3000 bonus points upon renewal
- Premiere Card- $99 annual fee, 6000 bonus points upon renewal
Chase Product Change/Card Conversion: Downgrade, Upgrade, Keep or Cancel? (2016-2019)
Jul 29, 2018, 10:03 am
#811
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: New York, NY, USA
Programs: UA 1K - 2.1MM, HH LT Diamond, IHG Diamond, Bonvoy LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 766
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...orer-card.html
You also get a 25% statement credit for onboard F&B using the TravelBank card.
Jul 29, 2018, 10:11 am
#812
Join Date: May 2009
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 452
I applied for the Sapphire Preferred just over a year ago, and already had the Reserve, which I'm keeping, so I'd like to downgrade the Preferred to a Freedom card. The annual fee hasn't posted yet, but the card has been open for over a year - can I downgrade yet or do I need to wait for the fee to post?
Jul 29, 2018, 3:52 pm
#813
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: RDU
Programs: DL(PM), UA(Silver), AA(EXP) Marriott(Ti), HH(Gold), Hertz(PC)
Posts: 2,669
A couple of random notes on my Freedom -> CSR conversion.
I called Chase on July 25th in the early afternoon, and within 5-10 minutes I was all set. The rep told me to keep using the plastic card until the new card arrived in the mail.
Later on the 25th, I returned a rental car that I had picked up with the Freedom card, and the card was charged for the rental at the time of the return, $720 for the three weeks. Looking at the online activity now, it shows the $720 charge, and then the $300 travel credit.
In the morning of the 25th I had stopped by a Walgreens, and spent about $12 there, the points earned according to the online activity report were considered in the bonus category. Dinner on the same day was also considered a bonus category since I had already converted to the CSR (albeit at the 3x earning rate, of course).
During the call, I was told that the card couldn't be expedited, but later that same afternoon I sent a secure message to Chase asking to be expedited, they replied within 30 minutes saying that it had been. The following morning I got an email from Chase with a UPS tracking number, indicating it would be delivered the day after that (i.e., the 27th, Friday).
So far, a very smooth experience.
I called Chase on July 25th in the early afternoon, and within 5-10 minutes I was all set. The rep told me to keep using the plastic card until the new card arrived in the mail.
Later on the 25th, I returned a rental car that I had picked up with the Freedom card, and the card was charged for the rental at the time of the return, $720 for the three weeks. Looking at the online activity now, it shows the $720 charge, and then the $300 travel credit.
In the morning of the 25th I had stopped by a Walgreens, and spent about $12 there, the points earned according to the online activity report were considered in the bonus category. Dinner on the same day was also considered a bonus category since I had already converted to the CSR (albeit at the 3x earning rate, of course).
During the call, I was told that the card couldn't be expedited, but later that same afternoon I sent a secure message to Chase asking to be expedited, they replied within 30 minutes saying that it had been. The following morning I got an email from Chase with a UPS tracking number, indicating it would be delivered the day after that (i.e., the 27th, Friday).
So far, a very smooth experience.
Jul 29, 2018, 7:06 pm
#814
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Gold, Club Carlson Gold, National EE, *G
Posts: 470
I applied for the Sapphire Preferred just over a year ago, and already had the Reserve, which I'm keeping, so I'd like to downgrade the Preferred to a Freedom card. The annual fee hasn't posted yet, but the card has been open for over a year - can I downgrade yet or do I need to wait for the fee to post?
Jul 30, 2018, 8:16 am
#815
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: USA
Programs: AA Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 310
AFAIK, it’s EWR as noted here:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...orer-card.html
You also get a 25% statement credit for onboard F&B using the TravelBank card.
Jul 30, 2018, 12:26 pm
#816
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Prague, CZ
Posts: 25
Do you know if it is still possible to product change to Ritz-Carlton card from Marriott Plus?
What would happen if I only have $5000 Marriott Plus CL? Would they allow the PC and would it be without HP? I believe that R-C has $10.000 minimum CL.
I have $16000 CSR, so I can move the limit if that would help me avoid HP.
What would happen if I only have $5000 Marriott Plus CL? Would they allow the PC and would it be without HP? I believe that R-C has $10.000 minimum CL.
I have $16000 CSR, so I can move the limit if that would help me avoid HP.
Aug 1, 2018, 7:59 am
#817
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Houston, TX
Programs: Delta Silver, AA, United Silver, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 70
Upgrade to CSP/CSR?
Okay, so I currently have a Chase Freedom Unlimited card and am 5/24. I had wanted to get a CSP or CSR (though that annual fee!!), and applied for a CSP but was denied because of 5/24. But I was wondering if it was possible to upgrade my Freedom to the CSP? I know people have downgraded their CSP/CSR to Freedom, but has anyone upgraded? (The Freedom right now doesn't do much for me since I can't transfer UR to anything). If it is possible, is it possible to get some kind of bonus (probably not as much as a welcome new card bonus, but like a retention bonus)? Just wondering about any data before actually calling Chase. Thanks.
Aug 1, 2018, 10:42 pm
#818
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: BAY AREA
Posts: 1,125
Okay, so I currently have a Chase Freedom Unlimited card and am 5/24. I had wanted to get a CSP or CSR (though that annual fee!!), and applied for a CSP but was denied because of 5/24. But I was wondering if it was possible to upgrade my Freedom to the CSP? I know people have downgraded their CSP/CSR to Freedom, but has anyone upgraded? (The Freedom right now doesn't do much for me since I can't transfer UR to anything). If it is possible, is it possible to get some kind of bonus (probably not as much as a welcome new card bonus, but like a retention bonus)? Just wondering about any data before actually calling Chase. Thanks.
Aug 1, 2018, 11:52 pm
#819
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,794
Okay, so I currently have a Chase Freedom Unlimited card and am 5/24. I had wanted to get a CSP or CSR (though that annual fee!!), and applied for a CSP but was denied because of 5/24. But I was wondering if it was possible to upgrade my Freedom to the CSP? I know people have downgraded their CSP/CSR to Freedom, but has anyone upgraded? (The Freedom right now doesn't do much for me since I can't transfer UR to anything). If it is possible, is it possible to get some kind of bonus (probably not as much as a welcome new card bonus, but like a retention bonus)? Just wondering about any data before actually calling Chase. Thanks.
Aug 6, 2018, 10:10 am
#820
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: CHS
Programs: Delta, AA, BA, United, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Honors Diamond, SPG Marriott Gold, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 1,142
Can we swing both ways?
I PC’ed from Chase Ink Plus to Chase Ink Preferred. If after a year or so, the Ink Preferred loses its luster, can I PC back to the origional card?
Aug 10, 2018, 7:09 am
#822
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 4
Can't upgrade CSP to CSR without Chase offer?
A recent call to Chase has left me a bit confused, and I'm hoping to get some DPs on whether anyone else has had a similar experience. I just called Chase to upgrade my CSP to CSR and was told that it is not possible to do a product change unless the new product is displayed in Chase's "Your Offers" section for your online account. Instead, I was told that I would have to apply for the CSR from scratch and, if approved, open a new account, such that I would have the CSP and the CSR at the same time. The rep told me that there was no restriction on holding both cards simultaneously, but that I would not receive the new sign-up bonus on the CSR if approved. My credit limit on the CSP is well over 10K, so that is not the issue here.
Any other similar stories? Did I just get a misinformed rep?
Any other similar stories? Did I just get a misinformed rep?
Aug 10, 2018, 7:39 am
#823
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Welcome to Flyertalk.
You will not be approved for a Sapphire card if you currently hold any Sapphire product. It's in the terms of the card application. See this thread:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chas...hire-card.html
How recently did you open your Sapphire Preferred card account? In general, you cannot upgrade in the first 12 months.
You will not be approved for a Sapphire card if you currently hold any Sapphire product. It's in the terms of the card application. See this thread:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chas...hire-card.html
How recently did you open your Sapphire Preferred card account? In general, you cannot upgrade in the first 12 months.
Aug 10, 2018, 7:51 am
#824
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 4
Yes, I am approaching the one year mark (2 weeks from now/it's been over 11 full billing cycles) and would like my account to be upgraded at the one year mark. I explained that to the rep, but was told that the timing was not the issue. He claimed that you cannot product change unless the new product is displayed in your offers when you log into your Chase account online.
Aug 10, 2018, 7:56 am
#825
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 66
Seem you had a misinformed rep because you are restricted from holding more than one card in the Sapphire family - although applying for more than one on the same day can potentially get around this. Earlier this year, I upgraded my CSP to CSR with no problem so unless you card is less than a year old, you should be able to do it.
I would call again and hope you get a more knowledgable rep.
ETA: Just seen your post above - you can't call and ask for an upgrade in advance - the rep will not be able to see the upgrade option on their screen. Wait until your next billing cycle closes and then try again - you should have more success. There is no requirement for it to be showing in your offers that I am aware of.
I would call again and hope you get a more knowledgable rep.
ETA: Just seen your post above - you can't call and ask for an upgrade in advance - the rep will not be able to see the upgrade option on their screen. Wait until your next billing cycle closes and then try again - you should have more success. There is no requirement for it to be showing in your offers that I am aware of.