Hi, new here. Sorry if this has been asked before. Tried to search, but no luck.

I'm brand new to travel hacking. I just got the Barclay Arrival Plus card and am now weighing the benefits of adding the chase sapphire preferred card to the mix, once I reach my 3k spend.

I am thinking my strategy would be to use Chase strictly for purchasing flights and Barclay for travel expenses, since I can redeem my points for many more things, such as AirBnB stays and train tickets. After reaching my Barclay spend, I'll primarily use the Chase card. I'm thinking this strategy would save me the most money as a beginner who really doesn't understand credit cards and travel hacking very much.

Planning my first trip for Europe next year.
Any suggestions are welcome. I Thanks!

Welcome to FT!! Besides the very good Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) card Chase just introduced a soupped up version called the Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR). Read about the CSR here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chase...22-2016-a.html Good info in the WIKI. Even though it has a $450 fee you receive 100K UR pts and can get $600 in travel credits the first 12 months ($300 in 2016 & 2017) and other good benefits. CSP & CSR earn points called Ultimate Rewards (UR) which can be used to purchase airfare, hotels, rental cars, etc. Good luck!

Since you have a goal, it may be best to have a rough plan.

A rough plan can in fact help you better planning on cards.

Instead of the Sapphire Preferred, you may want to look at the Chase Reserve. It will yield more points and the travel credits for 2016 & 2017 can offset the annual fee (you actually come out ahead since you get $600) and annual fee is only $450.

Unfortunately I don't make nearly enough money to afford a $450 annual fee.

Really, I'm just trying to figure out if this strategy is a good one, or if I should just stick with the Barclay card to rack up points. I have a hard time understanding miles vs points. Trying to figure what will get me the cheapest travel. I appreciate other card recommendations, but can't afford anything more than a $95 annual fee and that's pushing it for now.

Aside from the signup bonus, I'm not at all fond of the Arrival+card. You're better served by a simple 2% cashback card like Fidelity Visa or Citi Double Cash.

CSP in combination with the Chase Freedom cards is a great combination for everyday spend and best travel rewards.

reserve is effectively $150 annual fee, not $450... (after $300 annual travel credit)

this catches a lot of people. You definitely come ahead during the first year (double the travel credits plus global entry plus lounge access, even before you count the signup bonus). tossup if you want to continue secon dyear



unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Barclay Arrival+ offers trip delay. This might be a useful feature if you travel enough (business or pleasure)

agree with other people, straight 2% card like double cash probably works better (if you ignore signup bonus), you'll need to match it with another card that offers 0% FTF though (if travelling internationally)

Agreed.

There is very little compelling argument to pay $89 a year for an Arrival+ at this point, given the other options out there.

Unless your foreign spend is truly huge you will be better served getting a 2% card, or if you really need no FTF, you can get a Capital One Quicksilver. Slightly lower 1.5% rewards, but cold hard cash, no annual fee, no FTF.