Reconsidering Chase MP Cards due to 2020 FF Changes
Oct 25, 2019, 5:21 pm
#106
Join Date: Dec 1999
Programs: UA 1K/1MM, AC 25K, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 436
- 3x miles on UA purchases
- 2x miles on Star Alliance purchases
- 2x miles on dining/gas/groceries
- 1.5x miles on everything else
- United Club access
What am I missing here?
Oct 25, 2019, 6:43 pm
#107
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,421
I have both the UA Club Card and the UA Select Card. Between them, I get:
What am I missing here?
- 3x miles on UA purchases
- 2x miles on Star Alliance purchases
- 2x miles on dining/gas/groceries
- 1.5x miles on everything else
- United Club access
What am I missing here?
- 3x miles on UA purchases
- 3x miles on Star Alliance purchases
- 3x miles on non-Star Alliance airline purchases
- 3x miles on hotels
- 3x miles on Uber, taxis, transit, and anything else "travel"
- 3x miles on dining
- 1.5x miles on everything else
- If I don't feel like earning United miles I can, after the fact, instead "earn" Avios, VS miles, SQ miles, or WN miles. Or 1.5 cents per mile as cash to buy a ticket. I don't have to pick which one until I spend my points.
- Also, 5x miles on quarterly categories if you throw in the Chase Freedom (another zero annual fee card)
The only "gap" is gas and groceries, but there are plenty of 0AF (zero annual fee) options that earn 3 cents or better on these categories, which by any rational valuation these days should be worth more than 2 UA miles.
The net annual fee for this portfolio is $150 and the marginal gains over the Club Card are significant if your spend is anything other than tiny. You should not be putting spend on a Chase UA card unless you were getting a status boost from it.... using it as a $450 UC membership is completely fine if you value the membership.
Oct 25, 2019, 6:58 pm
#108
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,680
I have both the UA Club Card and the UA Select Card. Between them, I get:
What am I missing here?
- 3x miles on UA purchases
- 2x miles on Star Alliance purchases
- 2x miles on dining/gas/groceries
- 1.5x miles on everything else
- United Club access
What am I missing here?
You should never, ever, ever, be spending money on a United card unless it is to get a PQD waiver, but since you are 1K, that doesn't apply to you, and in any case, it doesn't apply next year.
Oct 26, 2019, 11:15 am
#109
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 282
I've been wanting to get the card for a while for the sign up bonus and I don't think that has really changed anything. The one thing I am curious about is if the business cards offer the same 25% bonus on MileagePlus X purchases? If it does I'll likely get it and see if I can qualify again next year for status. Otherwise I think I'll put it on the backburner until I figure out what my travel schedule looks like.
Oct 26, 2019, 11:22 am
#110
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,174
so to wag a finger “never never” at others is off the mark.
For 2020 things obviously change.
Also, depending on portfolio, the Select gives 2mi/$ on grocery and home improvement. If those can be redeemed at 1.5x that beats CFU and swamps CSR.
Oct 26, 2019, 11:24 am
#111
Join Date: Dec 1999
Programs: UA 1K/1MM, AC 25K, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 436
findark and STS-134 . - thanks for your replies. When I ran the numbers to compare CSR with Club+Select for my spending patterns, the Club+Select came out ahead, mostly because of the 1.5x miles on the "everything else" category. However, I hadn't considered the CSR/CFU combination, which I now see adds the 1.5x earnings on "everything else" as well. The UA cards have two other benefits, however: Choices (admittedly poor value at $0.01, but occasionally useful) and PQPs (especially for Select, since they can be applied up to 1K). Decisions, decisions...
Oct 26, 2019, 11:31 am
#112
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,174
Exactly Howard. If Select still gives 5k RDM yearly, that is probably enough to keep it (and if so, use it on grocery and Home Depot purchases).
The Club would need to provide 2x in general spend for me to consider renew it. I anticipate fewer UA trips and therefore Club membership not being as useful.
The Club would need to provide 2x in general spend for me to consider renew it. I anticipate fewer UA trips and therefore Club membership not being as useful.
Oct 26, 2019, 1:32 pm
#113
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Silicon wasteland
Programs: UA 1KMM
Posts: 1,381
Have a Chase Select also and facing the same decision, although 99% sure I'm going to cancel it when the annual fee comes due. It doesn't give you the ability to CPU on award flights, which is a meaningful missing benefit - which wasn't added per the notice I received today. I still miss the 25% premium wine purchase discount on the Club Card (which I cancelled after the lounge entrance changes). In any event, it seems benefits are being watered down and these cards are no longer competitive with the other ones out there.
Is 1,000 PQP helpful to some? Probably. But for many, is accumulating 24,000 MP miles vs the flexibility of Chase Sapphire points worth it? That's for each of us to figure out, and it's unfortunately a moving target these days with all the continued program changes. Frustrating to say the least.
Is 1,000 PQP helpful to some? Probably. But for many, is accumulating 24,000 MP miles vs the flexibility of Chase Sapphire points worth it? That's for each of us to figure out, and it's unfortunately a moving target these days with all the continued program changes. Frustrating to say the least.
I will still cancel the card.
Oct 26, 2019, 3:47 pm
#114
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 5,000
findark and STS-134 . - thanks for your replies. When I ran the numbers to compare CSR with Club+Select for my spending patterns, the Club+Select came out ahead, mostly because of the 1.5x miles on the "everything else" category. However, I hadn't considered the CSR/CFU combination, which I now see adds the 1.5x earnings on "everything else" as well. The UA cards have two other benefits, however: Choices (admittedly poor value at $0.01, but occasionally useful) and PQPs (especially for Select, since they can be applied up to 1K). Decisions, decisions...
Oct 26, 2019, 3:53 pm
#115
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,857
Oct 26, 2019, 4:22 pm
#116
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 5,000
So is Chase buying the miles for $.01 each? What does it mean if dynamic pricing results in a ticket that would cost 50,000 miles, but is available for $250- cash? Does Chase have recourse against UA then?
Oct 26, 2019, 4:35 pm
#117
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,514
Up through this year the Select offers 5k PQM on UA purchases up to $5k, which can make diff between Silver, Gold, Plat and even 1K, though the latter requires $15k PQD no waiver.
so to wag a finger “never never” at others is off the mark.
For 2020 things obviously change.
Also, depending on portfolio, the Select gives 2mi/$ on grocery and home improvement. If those can be redeemed at 1.5x that beats CFU and swamps CSR.
so to wag a finger “never never” at others is off the mark.
For 2020 things obviously change.
Also, depending on portfolio, the Select gives 2mi/$ on grocery and home improvement. If those can be redeemed at 1.5x that beats CFU and swamps CSR.
Even the Citi Double Cash would get you $100 cash back on $5K worth of everyday spend (more on other cards with targeted bonuses up to 5%, and sometimes more). 5K UA miles is not worth $100 in my books, even less with dynamic pricing.
I have never considered co-branded airline credit card, and will never consider it. Why? it locks you into the program.
Oct 26, 2019, 4:46 pm
#119
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,680
Doing SAUA you can still get values of over 5 cents per mile consistently. Heck, even MileagePlus upgrade awards on UA metal can get you 3-5 cents per mile, but a lot of people are turned off by the co-pays. And as long as there's a large contingent of people who for some reason seem to be opposed to spending ANY cash on flights, hopefully it will continue to be this way for some time to come (at least until I can burn off my UA RDM).
Last edited by STS-134; Oct 26, 2019 at 4:57 pm
Oct 26, 2019, 4:49 pm
#120
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA Plat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
Posts: 16,856
I don't know. 5K PQM is transcon round-trip, which you can grab for around $250.
Even the Citi Double Cash would get you $100 cash back on $5K worth of everyday spend (more on other cards with targeted bonuses up to 5%, and sometimes more). 5K UA miles is not worth $100 in my books, even less with dynamic pricing.
Even the Citi Double Cash would get you $100 cash back on $5K worth of everyday spend (more on other cards with targeted bonuses up to 5%, and sometimes more). 5K UA miles is not worth $100 in my books, even less with dynamic pricing.
It would have to be UA spend to earn EQMs, and those earn 3X, so 15,000 UA miles. I think they were worth more than $100. Back in the day when the Select card came out, 3X on United spend was a good deal, and the 5K EQM were useful to me to reach 1K. It’s no surprise many here had and perhaps still have that card. There were no CSR 3X and Amex Plat 5X alternatives. Nowadays however...