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)
Jan 17, 2018, 3:01 pm
#661
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: DFW
Programs: AA 1M
Posts: 31,474
No fee United credit card
I used to have a UA no fee card that gave 1 mile per $2 in spend. It got closed due to inactivity and so I'm thinking of downgrading my current regular UA card to a no fee card. When I emailed chase I was told that only a card that earns travel bank funds is available. Is this true?
Jan 17, 2018, 7:21 pm
#662
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,790
Have you tried calling them?
Jan 17, 2018, 11:04 pm
#663
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Truth or Consequences, NM
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, UA Silver, Mobile Passport Unobtanium
Posts: 6,192
I used to have a UA no fee card that gave 1 mile per $2 in spend. It got closed due to inactivity and so I'm thinking of downgrading my current regular UA card to a no fee card. When I emailed chase I was told that only a card that earns travel bank funds is available. Is this true?
Jan 17, 2018, 11:52 pm
#664
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,790
But there has always been the no annual fee card that the OP is referring to (I should know, I've had it for the past 5-6 years). It's never been advertised because you can't apply for it, it's only available to downgrade to. So the question is... is this downgrade path dead.
Jan 19, 2018, 3:07 pm
#666
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Posts: 1,277
Hi All,
If I convert my CSP to CSR in the middle of my CSP membership year, how does chase calculate the annual fee for the new card?
Is it going to be (0.5 CSR AF - 0.5 CSP AF), and the renewal date would be 6months from the conversion date? OR is it going to be the (full CSR AF - 0.5 CSP AF) and renewal would be a year from the conversion date? If it is the former, will I have $150 travel credit for the first 6 months, then $300 at the renewal?
Thanks.
If I convert my CSP to CSR in the middle of my CSP membership year, how does chase calculate the annual fee for the new card?
Is it going to be (0.5 CSR AF - 0.5 CSP AF), and the renewal date would be 6months from the conversion date? OR is it going to be the (full CSR AF - 0.5 CSP AF) and renewal would be a year from the conversion date? If it is the former, will I have $150 travel credit for the first 6 months, then $300 at the renewal?
Thanks.
I just asked a friend who upgraded his. Said he upgraded in March, but didn't get charged the CSR annual fee until September when his CSP fee would have been due. YMMV. Since he did it in March (before it switched from calendar year to cardmember year), he got 2 $300 travel credits out of it. I'm guessing your first $300 travel credit would be available immediately, but don't know for sure.
Last edited by penner42; Jan 19, 2018 at 3:19 pm
Jan 20, 2018, 10:22 am
#668
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: JZRO
Posts: 9,169
How does OP apply for a CSR while also being a CSR cardholder? Or are you scrying that OP can close the converted CSR, then turnabout and reapply for it without so much as a by your leave? If so, does that presuppose that OP should presume Chase won't look askance at that gambit?
Jan 20, 2018, 11:00 am
#669
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Posts: 1,277
How does OP apply for a CSR while also being a CSR cardholder? Or are you scrying that OP can close the converted CSR, then turnabout and reapply for it without so much as a by your leave? If so, does that presuppose that OP should presume Chase won't look askance at that gambit?
Jan 20, 2018, 11:00 am
#670
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 779
I just asked a friend who upgraded his. Said he upgraded in March, but didn't get charged the CSR annual fee until September when his CSP fee would have been due. YMMV. Since he did it in March (before it switched from calendar year to cardmember year), he got 2 $300 travel credits out of it. I'm guessing your first $300 travel credit would be available immediately, but don't know for sure.
That is my plan as well. Thanks.
Jan 20, 2018, 2:49 pm
#671
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: DEN
Programs: Hilton Diamond Hyatt Globalist Marriott Gold AA EXP
Posts: 1,012
CP plans: I currently have 1 Freedom with my wife as an AU. I also have a CSR that I will downgrade next month and she has a CSP we need to downgrade this month to avoid the annual fee.
What is the best strategy for additional free cards to CP target to get the most points between us? Should we each get the CFU card with our CP or should one of us get the CFU for the 1.5 points on everyday spend and the other get a 2nd Freedom for those quarters when we actually exceed the $1500 in category spend?
For us Gas comes close. Walmart will do it in 1.5 months, and Restaurants are easy to hit the spend. ALso, I'm hesitant to get new AU cards for each account (unless we get them for the kids) since it seems to foul up auto-approval during new applications as it seems to make you falsely exceed 5/24.
What is the best strategy for additional free cards to CP target to get the most points between us? Should we each get the CFU card with our CP or should one of us get the CFU for the 1.5 points on everyday spend and the other get a 2nd Freedom for those quarters when we actually exceed the $1500 in category spend?
For us Gas comes close. Walmart will do it in 1.5 months, and Restaurants are easy to hit the spend. ALso, I'm hesitant to get new AU cards for each account (unless we get them for the kids) since it seems to foul up auto-approval during new applications as it seems to make you falsely exceed 5/24.
Jan 21, 2018, 7:19 am
#673
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,857
How does OP apply for a CSR while also being a CSR cardholder? Or are you scrying that OP can close the converted CSR, then turnabout and reapply for it without so much as a by your leave? If so, does that presuppose that OP should presume Chase won't look askance at that gambit?
- PC CSP to CSR
- Happily use CSR until eligible for bonus
- PC CSR to Freedom
- Wait 1 more week
- Apply for CSR
- Happily use CSR again and enjoy 50k bonus
Now, if the 5th bullet point read: "Apply for both CSR and CSP to take advantage of the same-day loophole", that would introduce a little bit of gaming.
Jan 21, 2018, 6:13 pm
#674
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Truth or Consequences, NM
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, UA Silver, Mobile Passport Unobtanium
Posts: 6,192
Jan 26, 2018, 10:57 am
#675
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 107
If you downgrade the CSR mid-year (or > 60 days from AF) and you have an authorized user, do you get a prorated refund of the $75 AU fee?