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)
Jun 7, 2017, 5:38 am
#481
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEL
Posts: 1,054
Does the card balance have to be 0 in order to PC?
My situation is this: I have a CSP with a balance over $6K. I paid it in full online today, so it should go to 0 tomorrow. However, I have a charge to make tomorrow that's going to be about $4.5K. I'd like to get 1.5x on that. Can I secure message for a PC today? Should I wait until morning when the balance is at $0? The CSP has been open for years. If they make me first PC to Sapphire, can I go CSP-->Sapphire-->FU in one day? Or am I outta luck on 1.5x tomorrow? Any thoughts?
My situation is this: I have a CSP with a balance over $6K. I paid it in full online today, so it should go to 0 tomorrow. However, I have a charge to make tomorrow that's going to be about $4.5K. I'd like to get 1.5x on that. Can I secure message for a PC today? Should I wait until morning when the balance is at $0? The CSP has been open for years. If they make me first PC to Sapphire, can I go CSP-->Sapphire-->FU in one day? Or am I outta luck on 1.5x tomorrow? Any thoughts?
You should be able just to call right now and switch it.
Jun 10, 2017, 8:01 pm
#482
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: NYC
Programs: BA Gold, HH Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,256
I just got a CIP in May during small biz week for 100k. Met the 5K spend, annual fee has posted but statement hasn't closed yet. Is it safe to convert to Ink Cash once I get the 100K(and I move them to CSR) to avoid the fee? Any DP's on this?
Jun 16, 2017, 1:49 pm
#483
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: USA
Posts: 1,084
Currently I'm enjoying the UA club card at grandfathered $395 AF. should my fee go up, does it make sense to downgrade my card to Explorer until next summer when I need the benefits again and then upgrade back to club.
Any risks I'm not aware of ?
Thanks
Any risks I'm not aware of ?
Thanks
Jun 20, 2017, 3:22 pm
#484
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 244
Has anyone upgraded from the Ink Cash to Ink Preferred?
I have the Ink Plus now and the AF just hit. I'm thinking about downgrading to the Ink Cash to avoid the annual fee and I don't spend more than 25K on cellular, etc.
I have the CSR, so transferring points is not a problem.
However, I'm not sure I'll keep the CSR and may want to upgrade the Cash to the Preferred next year.
Has anyone ever upgraded the Ink Cash to the Ink Preferred?
I have the Ink Plus now and the AF just hit. I'm thinking about downgrading to the Ink Cash to avoid the annual fee and I don't spend more than 25K on cellular, etc.
I have the CSR, so transferring points is not a problem.
However, I'm not sure I'll keep the CSR and may want to upgrade the Cash to the Preferred next year.
Has anyone ever upgraded the Ink Cash to the Ink Preferred?
Last edited by maxmnx; Jun 21, 2017 at 1:18 pm
Jun 27, 2017, 11:07 pm
#485
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: LAX
Programs: UA, AA, BA
Posts: 162
I called to downgrade my Ink Bold to Ink Cash, and the rep said that was not an option. Tonight sent SM, will see what they say. I thought it would have been a no brainer.
Jul 5, 2017, 6:51 am
#487
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Dallas, TX, USA, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, AA Platinum
Posts: 38
Chase Sapphire Preferred to Chase Ink Cash
Anyone aware of any potential issues in downgrading from Chase Sapphire Preferred to Chase Ink Cash? The Ink Cash also earns 5x UR points...correct? I have CSR so I'm covered with transferring to travel partners.
Jul 5, 2017, 7:10 am
#488
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
Jul 5, 2017, 4:02 pm
#489
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: PHL
Posts: 226
My wife received a notice regarding a Slate account that Chase wanted to close due to lack of use. We wanted to PC to Freedom via SM, but the reply was that that is not an option. We haven't tried calling yet.
Are we stuck?
Are we stuck?
Jul 5, 2017, 8:48 pm
#490
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 258
I did a PC from Slate to Freedom Unlimited. I would try again.
Jul 6, 2017, 11:05 am
#492
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, Raddison Platinum, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 5,263
I've had the UA MPE card for a few years. I originally got it because I booked an award flight and wanted to be upgrade eligible. Each year, the card has essentially been free. As a UA 1K, I received $60 and calling in to chase I'll be able to get a $50-$60 credit. UA has devalued their program and discontinued the $60 credit. I can probably still get a $50-$60 credit from chase. So now I'm wondering if it is worth the $35.
I barely make the mileage requirement each year to maintain UA status so I use award miles very rarely, infact, I have over a million miles in the bank so earning more miles is not that valuable. I already have 2% cash back credit cards (fidelity, priceline) so the only advantage with using the MPE card in terms of miles is when purchasing UA flights.
I'm already 1K so I don't benefit from the free bags or priority boarding benefit.
I use to benefit from the no intl transaction fee but my 2% priceline card started offering this.
The only benefit left I can think of is the award upgrades. However I figure I can always reapply for the card down the road.
Am I missing any other potential benefits to the card?
I don't like canceling cards because I don't want my credit utilization ratio to go up, so I would probably end up converting it.
I barely make the mileage requirement each year to maintain UA status so I use award miles very rarely, infact, I have over a million miles in the bank so earning more miles is not that valuable. I already have 2% cash back credit cards (fidelity, priceline) so the only advantage with using the MPE card in terms of miles is when purchasing UA flights.
I'm already 1K so I don't benefit from the free bags or priority boarding benefit.
I use to benefit from the no intl transaction fee but my 2% priceline card started offering this.
The only benefit left I can think of is the award upgrades. However I figure I can always reapply for the card down the road.
Am I missing any other potential benefits to the card?
I don't like canceling cards because I don't want my credit utilization ratio to go up, so I would probably end up converting it.
Jul 6, 2017, 2:13 pm
#493
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: USA
Posts: 1,084
I've had the UA MPE card for a few years. I originally got it because I booked an award flight and wanted to be upgrade eligible. Each year, the card has essentially been free. As a UA 1K, I received $60 and calling in to chase I'll be able to get a $50-$60 credit. UA has devalued their program and discontinued the $60 credit. I can probably still get a $50-$60 credit from chase. So now I'm wondering if it is worth the $35.
I barely make the mileage requirement each year to maintain UA status so I use award miles very rarely, infact, I have over a million miles in the bank so earning more miles is not that valuable. I already have 2% cash back credit cards (fidelity, priceline) so the only advantage with using the MPE card in terms of miles is when purchasing UA flights.
I'm already 1K so I don't benefit from the free bags or priority boarding benefit.
I use to benefit from the no intl transaction fee but my 2% priceline card started offering this.
The only benefit left I can think of is the award upgrades. However I figure I can always reapply for the card down the road.
Am I missing any other potential benefits to the card?
I don't like canceling cards because I don't want my credit utilization ratio to go up, so I would probably end up converting it.
I barely make the mileage requirement each year to maintain UA status so I use award miles very rarely, infact, I have over a million miles in the bank so earning more miles is not that valuable. I already have 2% cash back credit cards (fidelity, priceline) so the only advantage with using the MPE card in terms of miles is when purchasing UA flights.
I'm already 1K so I don't benefit from the free bags or priority boarding benefit.
I use to benefit from the no intl transaction fee but my 2% priceline card started offering this.
The only benefit left I can think of is the award upgrades. However I figure I can always reapply for the card down the road.
Am I missing any other potential benefits to the card?
I don't like canceling cards because I don't want my credit utilization ratio to go up, so I would probably end up converting it.
Also if you do want to get rid of this card you can downgrade to the mileageplus card. Not advertised but it's a no fee (with fx fees) card that earns 1 mile per $2 spent. Good place to Park old UA credit cards you wish to keep open
Jul 6, 2017, 2:19 pm
#494
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, Raddison Platinum, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 5,263
Increased saver inventory when booking award flights?
Also if you do want to get rid of this card you can downgrade to the mileageplus card. Not advertised but it's a no fee (with fx fees) card that earns 1 mile per $2 spent. Good place to Park old UA credit cards you wish to keep open
Also if you do want to get rid of this card you can downgrade to the mileageplus card. Not advertised but it's a no fee (with fx fees) card that earns 1 mile per $2 spent. Good place to Park old UA credit cards you wish to keep open
Now that I think of it, I may just cancel the card and take the hit on my credit. In the future, when I may want the MPE again, I imagine I'll have to cancel the plus card and apply for the MPE if I want to benefit from a signup bonus.
Jul 6, 2017, 3:12 pm
#495
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: USA
Posts: 1,084
I think I get the increased inventory as 1K as well, I'll have to look into it.
Now that I think of it, I may just cancel the card and take the hit on my credit. In the future, when I may want the MPE again, I imagine I'll have to cancel the plus card and apply for the MPE if I want to benefit from a signup bonus.
Now that I think of it, I may just cancel the card and take the hit on my credit. In the future, when I may want the MPE again, I imagine I'll have to cancel the plus card and apply for the MPE if I want to benefit from a signup bonus.
