I have CSP and am debating between CSP and CitiAA.

Take the flight-related benefits of the AA card out of it. The free checked baggage and priority boarding are tied to the AA account of the cardholder, not the card itself. You should be receiving them no matter which card you use.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...-benefits.html

Right, it's tied to your AAdvantage number, so you should get the benefits as long as your AAdvantage number is on your reservation, no matter what card you use to purchase your ticket.

I would use the CSP as well. It has the 7% annual dividend, plus the built in travel benefits. But those aren't particularly significant, and I would base my decision on whether you prefer UA miles or AA miles. If you have no preference whatsoever, then I would use the CSP, since it has the slight earning edge.

I am using AA and UA equally. The fare for the AA ticket is about $1500 through a local agent so I am not getting more points through the mall. If I use CitiAA now, I get 2x miles+750 for spending at least $750 in a month. Haven't checked carefully how many points I will get from UA but I expect to get 2x points as well. hmmmm....

Just make a decision already.

Yep! Went with the CSP since, for AA, it has to be purchased through aa.com or on the phone to get 2x miles, whereas CSP, I can buy from any travel agent.

I'm proud of you.

Don't forget sites like hotels.com and others for you accomodation(through the portals again to get bonus bucks).

And use your CSP overseas, it has no foreign fee unlike the AA card

I thought using portals don't give 100% of your miles for a flight. Am I wrong? I had always thought if you don't pay directly through the airline's site that they there is a large chance you get no miles earned or at best 75%.

Never heard of this.

Hotels on the other hand, this is standard practice.

I once called Korean Airlines regarding purchasing a ticket via flychina.com (a form of ctrip.com) and they told me depending on the airline code, the miles awarded for the flight could be 75% etc. So maybe maybe just Korean Air.

There is something to be said for this perhaps on deeply discounted fare codes, but the fare code bought on a site like expedia, travelocity etc is pretty much the same, prices are close too, so sometimes its not worth booking through the third party, sometimes it is.