Keeper card
 

I am looking for a keeper card (pls correct my terminology here) or card that I can keep not necessarily use much. But would give some decent benefits or perks. I don't mind having little annual fees (<$100), if the benefits or perks compensates it.
What I am looking for is a card that by having it or using it will give you a good discount on purchases/access to lounges / get a free or upgraded stay an hotel or in flight. A card that I can only use once a while to keep it active.
I know about the Chase IHG / Marriott or Hyatt cards., which give a free night on the anniversary. Are these the only keeper cards or are there more like these.
Any suggestions?

Note: I already have CSP.

Depending on your destinations and hotel preferences, the US Bank Club Carlson card, and the Barclays Choice Hotels card might be keepers.

I am not necessarily looking only for hotel cards, any other card worth mentioning please suggest.

Chase Sapphire Reserve has a list price of $450, but $300 of that is refunded. It is substantially similar to Sapphire Preferred, but the 2X categories earn 3X, and it is bundled with a Priority Pass lounge membership. You should study prioritypass.com before deciding if the lounge access is valuable to you. They boast 1,000+ locations, but only a couple dozen are in the USA.

Welcome to FlyerTalk, YoVikings.

The Chase cards you listed are the best ones for a free stay at a hotel. No card will automatically give an upgraded stay, a free flight, or an upgraded flight. At best the Amex Hilton Surpass card, which gives you automatic Hilton Honors Gold [mid-level] status may give you a chance at some upgrades (while definitely giving you free breakfast). But you need top status at a hotel for a better chance, and no card gives top status just for holding it. (Very high annual spend on a few cards might, perhaps, but you don't sound interested in that anyway.) And no card gives free flights outright or free airline upgrades outright; in fact, most airline cards don't even give you the first level of elite status, and even at that level of elite status upgrades are generally few and far between.

Hotels just seem to "feel" they have more "excess capacity" than airlines, and that's why it's easier to get something (of the kinds of things you mentioned) for very little spend from a hotel card while near impossible for an airline card. (Airline cards' benefits are typically things like free checked domestic bag, which doesn't help if you carry-on only or don't fly that airline domestically, ie, they're useful only at the margins for people who fly that airline enough, but not enough to have real elite status.)

Be careful paying too much for a card that gives you lounge access. You can pay for several lounge day passes for less than some cards' annual fees. (Cards that give lounge access typically have multi-hundred-dollar annual fees.) And you can buy those day lounge passes from many more lounges than the card might give you free entry for.

(Unfortunately, one of the few cards that gives decent lounge access for just $95/year is unavailable for new applications, and it's unclear if/when it'll ever starting taking applications again: Diners Club USA from BMO/Harris.)

Thank you sdsearch, your explanation is certainly helpful.
I just want to replace my existing card that seats in my drawer, which has no benefits at all but has annual fees. I intend to keep the new card in the drawer as well and may use it occasionally.
So looks like Hotel cards are a better option in this case.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred already has decent benefits and perks, while the AF is under your threshold of $100/year.

You get 2x on travel and dining, 1x on everything else through Chase Ultimate Rewards - you get primary rental auto insurance, baggage and trip delay insurance, and then you get a direct representative without having to go through an automated system. What other benefits do you need?

The Starwood Preferred Guest card would be a great alternative for you, except you'd need to spend to transfer your points and take advantage of the high value of each point. The Hyatt card provides one free night per year with an annual fee of $75. You get automatic Discoverist status which means a dedicated check in line, late checkout upon request, etc. I never cared for Hyatt much until Mia (I think) and another poster (I think George Lopez) talked me into looking at Chase ultimate rewards and their partners.

Hyatt Discoverist Status Includes:

- Free bottled water per day.
- Stay at 5 Hyatt brands a year, get a free night.
- Free premium internet.
- 10% bonus points on all eligible purchases.
- Upgrade to preferred room at check-in (based on availability).
- Expedited check-in
- Late checkout at 2:00 P.M.
- Waived resort fees on free night awards.
- Receive "pearl" status with M Life Rewards program.

Sounds like the OP does not want to spend much on the card, so bonus categories are not relevant. Truthfully, having a rewards card to NOT use it does not make much sense to me. Anyway...

Do not close your existing card. Call and ask to downgrade to a no annual fee card and buy a cup of coffee every six months to keep it alive. Your credit score will thank you.

Amex Offers often have good rebates, but are often targeted. Check the thread in the Amex forum to see if there are any that you would be interested in. I think my most profitable were the $20 back on $100 at Walmart/Target (several times per card) that got used for gift cards for places I actually shop at. There are a few no annual fee cards that would work including a Hilton card that would let you double dip.

Chase IHG is worth keeping if you can use at least one free night a year. I also keep the Club Carlson card post devaluation since the 40K points a year end up getting used for a slight profit eventually - fewer hotels to redeem than IHG though.

City National Crystal Visa Infinite. If you can add enough AUs (up to 3), you can come out positive over the AF, as each AU receives $250 airline reimbursement. Unlimited PP access, and some other nice perks. Categories are 3x on gas, groceries, restaurants and travel. Each point is between 0.95 and 1.2 cents, depends on how you spend it.

Huh? This thread is about a long-term "keeper" card. The Starwood program is scheduled to evaporate within the next year or two. So how in the world can a Starwood card be a long-term "keeper" card? :confused: We don't even know if it will continue to exist at all with Amex after the new program (combining Marriott and Starwood) is announced.

Hence, why I said the OP would need to spend money, and then I went on to mention the Hyatt card for the rest of the post.

But didn't you notice the OP was asking about cards to keep in a drawer most of the year? Ie, exactly the opposite of spending money!

Which is why I was implying he should get the Hyatt card over the SPG.

FWIW - a keeper card does not usually associated with a brand (i.e. co-branded cards).

So you should look for general purpose reward cards.

Chase's CSP/CSR, Citi Prestige, AMEX PRG/Platinum are some good choices depending on your spending.

The OP said clearly that this is a card they don't want to do spend on, just keep in a drawer, and yet still get benefits from it. That's why the example of Chase hotel cards which give a free night of some sort for nothing more than paying the annual once a year, and otherwise keeping the card in a drawer doesn't diminish that benefit.

The OP was looking for specific benefits like free nights (or totally free flights, but those are pretty impossible), without spend, and that requires a co-branded card, doesn't it? :confused:

What OP really wants:

would be a card that requires a significant AF.

Bottom line - OP's keeper card does not exist.

It does. I mentioned it.

The card is not available in all states. Per CNB:

List of keeper cards and why.

Crystal Visa - if you get the three authorized users, you and the three free AU each get $250, easily offsetting the AF. Priority pass for TWO holders that allows unlimited guests.

Chase Hyatt, IHG, Marriot; Club Carlson - free nights/status/or points

JetBlue Barclays Plus - free checked bags, 50% discount food purchased in flight and bonus points each year, etc; plus a ton of points for using it to buy JetBlue flights

Amex Bus Platinum - doubles (and in a year, increases by 50%) value of MR points, Marriot/SPG and Hilton status, Centurion lounge access, etc.

Citi Prestige - generous $300 travel credit that works on airplane tickets, one of the best travel insurance of all the cards, 4th night free benefit. Used to be even better before this month :(

Chase Reserve/Preferred - someone above already explained why.

Any of the multitude of Amex cards, preferably the ones with no AF - I know it's a broad category, but the Amex cards generally give you the Amex offers, which can save you a ton of money, so any one is a keeper in my mind.

BofAML Alaska Air - besides the normal free checked bag, etc., this has a great annual companion fare where you get a companion ticket for $99 plus taxes, potentially saving you a ton.

Chase Unlimited (good all around), Chase Ink Preferred (good for buying gift cards, paying for cell phones, etc.) and Chase Freedom (good for quarterly category) - keepers for ways to earn high number of UR that are worth a great amount.

You can visit one of the states and get the card in a branch.

Citi Prestige has $250 per year reimbursement, and PP access + 2 guests.
I'd say Ink Cash is better than Ink Preferred.
Amex Business Platinum doesn't double the value of points anymore, it's now adds 54% to the value.
I'd also add Amex BBP to the list.