Need Help With My Card Choice
 

Hi all,

So I currently have a Chase Sapphire Preferred and am really starting to ponder whether or not it's worth it for my goals/habits, especially since the annual fee is coming due soon. I have no clue where to start, which is why I'm turning to this forum for help.

After doing some calculations, I get the sense that the people who tout the benefits of these cards are those looking to travel in style vs people who want the experience. For most of the places I want to fly with using United/SW miles, I'm only getting 1.4-1.6 (1.6 is rare) even with super discounted fares, which is a far cry from the people saying that United Miles, for example, could be considered to be worth 1.8 cents. I get a bit more value from hotels, but hotels are not something I particularly care about. My philosophy is that I am paying this money to see the city/area that I'm in, so if I want to sit in a fancy room, I may as well stay at home.

Maybe it's a combination of me not being the intended demographic and the fact that hotels/airlines have severely devalued their currencies, but I get the sense that the people who see the main benefit from these cards are those who love flying first class or staying at nice resorts they couldn't otherwise afford. I on the other hand mostly look at travel/accommodations as overhead for the main experience and mostly just want to get there as cheaply and stay in a place that's reasonably comfortable so I don't dread heading back. These points are also worthless for cruises, which are something I like to do when I do want to travel in style, so to speak.

Therefore, my question is for someone like me, which card makes the most sense. Here are some quick hits about me:

1. I spend most of my money on essentials (rent, groceries, gas/other auto related expenses) and only eat out 1-2x a week max at hole-in-the wall type places.

2. As you can tell, I don't care about traveling fancy and I'm also not a big sight-seer. If I take a vacation, I usually prefer to go nature tripping/camping or doing something outdoors-oriented. I do like cities as well, but more for culture (i.e. seeing a soccer game in Europe, going to museums, seeing shows, understanding the history of the city, etc.) than just sight-seeing and eating at restaurants. I really like cruises because, depending on where it's going, I can usually end up doing a bit of both.

3. In case it matters for optimizing points, I currently live on the west coast, but may move to the southeast (ether Denver or Austin). If there is a card that is optimal for each given my habits,

Thanks in advance for any help! Also, if I'm doing this whole mileage thing wrong (since most people swear by them), please let me know how I can get more burn from the chase transfer partners!

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

How much do you charge in a year, on average?

If you don't charge all that much per year, and if you're getting less than 2 cents/point on redemptions, then you might be better off with the no-fee Fidelity Amex, which earns a straight 2% cash back on everything. You would need to open a Fidelity account, though.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

And welcome to FT!

A high-level philosophy:

If you care more about quantity of travel than quality - especially if it's domestic US travel - mile valuations in the 1.3-1.5 range are much more typical.

In your case, it's important to separate signup bonuses from daily spend. Example:

If you value UA miles at 1.5 cents and the offer is 50k miles for $2000 spend, you're earning $780 for $2000 spend, or a return of 39%.

Going beyond that initial spend, you'll earn 1 UA mile/$, or 1.5% back. At that point, just spend on a 2% cashback card.

Need Help With My Card Choice
 

How about Southwest cards ( personal & business & some extra spend = companion pass )?

If your interest is cruises, accommodations, hikes and "things to do" and don't have a preferred airline, I'd suggest looking at the underrated Expedia+ Voyager Citi card.

Here's the jist:
Earn 25,000 Expedia+ rewards bonus points after $2,000 in purchases within 3 months of account opening

• 4x Points for every $1 you spend on eligible Expedia purchases, including flights, hotels, activities, and vacation packages
• 2x Points for every $1 spent on dining at restaurants and entertainment
• 1x Point for every $1 spent on other purchases
• Automatic +gold status
• $100 Statement credit can be used toward airline incidentals on qualified airlines, like Wifi.
• Earn an anniversary bonus of 5,000 Expedia+ bonus points after you spend $10,000 in the prior cardmembership year
• No foreign transaction fees on purchases
• $95 annual fee after first year

Gold benefits are here: https://www.expedia.com/rewards/howitworks

• Earn points 30% faster
• 250 extra points for +VIP Hotels
• Free room upgrades

They also have a no-fee card available as well.

*Also*
Look at the Capital One VentureOne, it offers 2x points on everything. The points are best redeemed if used for travel expenses (10,000pts=$100). There's also a no annual fee version which gets you 1.5x points on everything.