what should my next step be?
 

I've just pretty much wiped out my Chase/United points by booking airfare to Kauai and a week at the Grand Hyatt over Christmas. I've never totally wiped myself out like this before and am considering next steps. I earn via combo of Sapphire Reserve/Freedom Unlimited/Freedom (not Flex, haven't switched yet, get very limited benefit from this third card.)

The main route I can see to a big influx of points is shutting down the Reserve after my trip (I want it for the 3x points while I am there and the car insurance, plus I already used it to hold the room, etc.) and then reapply. I've seen a *lot* of different advice on how to do this, but basically I think it boils down to transferring any points to the Freedom Unlimited, waiting 30 days, and then reapplying and getting a bonus? I am at 0 or 1 of 24 and have a very high credit score. The only push back I've ever had from Chase is that they didn't want to expand my total credit limit, but they've allowed me to move limits around before. Downside here is the annoyance and the slight risk that somehow I won't get the card back. (It has been years since I've been able to use a PP lounge, but I once got a lot of value out of this and generally think this card has been worth it, although it is more marginal since the fee increase).

Next idea is to switch from Freedom to Freedom Flex -- not a big change, but I will get some value out of the 3% drugstore points. I guess I could apply anew and get the bonus, but this seems like a waste of a credit pull and a 5/24 slot. Or - potentially switch Reserve to Freedom Flex once I decide what I am doing with the Reserve.

I am sometimes tempted by a Hyatt card, but generally doubt I would use it enough to make the annual fee worth it. I rarely stay at category 4 or lower hotels and I don't always stay at Hyatts.

I don't think adding an Amex makes sense - I don't do MS, I just do the best with my ordinary course spending, and I don't think I could use both systems enough to make it worth it. Chase transferring to United and Hyatt is ideal for me. My closest airport is ORD.

My only spend that doesn't go to Chase is that I use a Blue Cash Preferred ($95 fee) for grocery/streaming, and an Amazon store card for Amazon. I shop Whole Foods, so a free Amazon Prime Visa could get me all of these benefits but the streaming (1% less on groceries, but I guess the fee would easily wipe that out) but I did just give up a Hulu deal I had to take advantage of a really good offer Amex had on the Disney Bundle, so at most I could product change to a free Amex (also this account is probably 20 years old), which probably makes sense because it allows for the Disney Bundle, but then I would want to get the Amazon Visa, so again, 5/24.

My main question here is whether I should chance closing and re-opening the Reserve and whether there are any tips other than those I've noted that I should be aware of, but I am open to other suggestions! I guess I could also product change the Reserve to the Freedom Flex ... lots of choices. I'm also not sure if the current 60K bonus is really worth it. Also, if I do get a new Amazon Visa, would that hurt my ability to get the new Reserve?

Review this thread with particular attention to the possibility of downgrading, rather than closing, Sapphire Reserve:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chas...20-2022-a.html

Keep in mind Reserve has a 48 month bonus rather than 24 month.

Have you considered Ink business cards?

There are a lot of cards which earn 3x on hotels - Ink Preferred, Citi Premier, Altitude Reserve, Amex Green to name a few. Citi Custom Cash earns 5x in top category up to $500 per month, and hotels is one of them.

“My closest airport is ORD.” If you’re not married to Chase and UA, Bask Bank (depending on your financial situation) is a way to earn significant numbers of AA miles. Personally, I did almost all my flying (and mileage runs) on UA until I received lifetime status and now most of my flying is on AA or AA partners using miles I accumulated via BankDirect/Bask Bank.

Suggest strictly staying under 5/24 (Chase has many desirable cards) even more important if one is married to Chase/UA. There are many reports that Ink Business cards (and SUBs) are still churnable, those points can easily be transferred to UA as can be your personal UR points. Chase UA personal cards can theoretically be churned every 25 months.

“I am at 0 or 1 of 24 and have a very high credit score.” No apparent reason why you can’t get a UA Explorer card and a UA Quest card and a UA Club card and a UA Business card and a UA Club Business card. Might have to wait 7 or 30 days between some applications. Many have received biz cards (and SUBs) with only notional businesses.

Forget changing cards to get 3% at whatever bonus category. For many people the number of points earned in any specific category, or earned in total, via credit card SPEND pales in comparison to the number earned via CC SUBs. It’s all about the SUBs!

Good luck.

(SUB: sign up bonus)

I mostly switched to MS-ing 5x cards and making around 50-90k per month on them.

Congratulations, good that MS works for you. Be that as it may, many people report that they never did MS or have stopped MS or only do the low hanging fruit of MS. For many people MS is too time consuming, and/or too much effort, and/or too costly, and/or too risky (for shutdown). It’s unknowable how many people or the percentage of people who do aggressive MS, my estimation based on having done a fair amount of MS until several years ago and careful review of applicable threads here (and that I’d sooner gouge my own eyeballs out with a hot fire poker than voluntarily go to a Walmart Customer Service :eek:), is that it’s a relatively small percentage of overall frequent flyer aficionados. I maintain that (for the vast majority or FTers) it’s all about the SUB(s).

I estimate that of the over 20 million miles and points I’ve earned across all programs during that past 35 years, probably 35% have come from SUBs and maybe 10% from CC spend (even with 2x-5x bonuses) and much of that spend has been minimum spends. I’ve long maintained that that for a single individual (presuming excellent credit history and scores), like the OP perhaps, without a partner or family or business, it’s far easier to earn oodles of miles via SUBs than via spend.

Yes, but at some points banks start declining your apps, so you will not be able to earn via SUBs. Right now I do no more than 3-5 apps per year, and I only take cards which I want to keep long term. Last year I did apply for 3 cards (2 of them were business), this year I applied for 2 personal, and I'm planning to apply for 2 more.

You are correct, at some point one will be declined. However, that point is most likely well beyond 3-5 apps per year. After ~250 CC accounts over the past 35 years, including ~125 in the past 10 years most of which have been kept open for only ~12.5 months, I personally have not yet encountered that situation to a significant degree and certainly not to the extent that it impedes my earning many SUBs.

OP writes that MS has NOT been done, it’s probably doubtful he/she will start MS now. For someone trying to earn lots of points (and miles), I still submit that SUBs are the way to go and that aggressive SUBs are less risky than aggressive MS. There are MANY reports here of shutdowns due to MS, fewer reports of repetitive CC application declines. A MS shutdown is more virulent and longer lasting that a CC decline. MS shutdown precludes ALL further activity with said bank for at least several years, a CC decline precludes 1 credit card for who knows how long, often just a few months.