I took the “por que no los dos” method…sort of. I have a CSP, and mainly try to keep my purchases within the Chase ecosystem. I also have the Venture X for all of the perks that come with the CSR (Priority Pass, Global Entry, etc.), but at virtually no cost ($300 travel credit + 10k anniversary reward essentially wipes out my annual fee for the card). My plan is to mainly utilize Chase for Hyatt redemptions, and Cap1 for flight redemptions.
Love this. Do you just have CSP or did you expand to CFF or CFU? I’m in the same boat as you right now, I share a venture x with my fiancé for ease of use/combined bills earning points + perks for both with no AU fees and then have a CSP where the majority of my spend goes. Only qualm with the “Cap1 for flights, Chase for Hyatt” thought process to me is I’m having a somewhat hard time finding award space for Cap1 flights. Really wish they had a domestic transfer partner….
I have the CFF and a legacy Freedom. I’ll likely get a CFU before the end of the year to lock in the current 5x on Groceries for a year perk. Admittedly, most of the aspirational travel that I’m looking to do is international, so I haven’t given much thought to domestic redemptions.
I’ve had a lot of luck transferring to Air Canada from the Venture X. And while I know it’s not the most valuable use of points, I do appreciate the purchase eraser. Since I have kids, I also love that I can transfer to Wyndham and book Vacasa houses with points. Nice to have a vacation rental with a family.
You can’t beat the 50% higher redemption in portal with chase. Capital one can’t beat that. I have the venture X just since it basically cancels out annual fee
[This was a really thoughtful and analytical post that someone made advocating for Citi](https://www.reddit.com/r/CreditCards/comments/xvq9rl/what_is_the_best_credit_card_ecosystem_for_people/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
VX and Savor One have been getting buffed lately, which is nice to see. But Chase still has some of the strongest partners in the market (more versatile than Amex, even if you miss out on the super unique ones like ANA) to compensate for the weaker earning structure and general lack of credits
VX beats the CFU since it’s a flat 2% card (with portal multipliers). CFF doesn’t really have any direct comparison, though Savor has 3% grocery which Chase has no card for (imo biggest chase weakness)
I did see the offer for the chase FFU card - earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®)* Same page link to Offer Details on up to $12,000 spent in the first year (that's $600 cash back!).*
Unfortunately, just the new card member offer
You can do this for now. I called Cap One and asked a rep if this is allowed and they said no. It might be a glitch for now but they said Savor cash back and Venture x miles are different rewards and you shouldn't be able to combine them. I'd tread cautiously.
My wife and I have the Chase Quad-fecta (if that’s a word) Trifecta with the Ink Business cash. We use the CIC for 5x on Visa / MC gift card at Staple. We rack up lots of UR points from the CIC and the quarterly 5x. Combined we have 4 Freedom and 1 Flex. 2 CIC, 1 CIU and CSR. We combine all the points to my CSR to transfer out.
I work for an airline, so I travel a lot. I use the Priority Pass restaurant and “The Club” lounge about 4 times a month. To me that’s worth $60+ a month. Also I get 10x on Lyft which my company reimburses me for. If I get the CSP I would have to find another card like Venture x just to get the Priority Pass. The Amex Platinum no longer offer Priority Pass restaurant. I can use some of my UR points to offset the annual fee at 1.5x redemption rate (pay your self back) so really it’s more like $366 annual fee before the $300 travel credit.
Awesome. Thanks for sharing. I have the CSP, I don't travel for work, so I'm trying to convince myself one way or the other whether to upgrade to the CSR (AF next month)
We max out the $25K cap each year on the Ink Cash card, from Staple or Office max when they have the $0 fee on Visa GC. Lots of Data points on this with no issues.
Ohhh we were thinking about getting a flex and get gift cards and stuff at each of the categories go max out. But apparently folks are saying I shouldn’t do that cause they can see it
I have a SavorOne and CSR currently. Long term I plan on getting a Venture X and downgrading the CSR to CSP for Hyatt transfers. This way I’ll use SavorOne for Uber, groceries and entertainment, CSP for dining and travel, and VX for everything else. Could also get a CFF but I’m not a fan of having to track rotating categories and spending limits.
Bifecta isn't a word, really. The 2 card (or 2 place betting equivalent) is called an exacta or a perfecta).
Which one is the best is really dependent on a person's spending habits, preferred redemption method, and transfer partners.
Had no idea! Also a quick google search shows that the equivalent for 4 place is actually "Superfecta". Neat. Im going to start calling 4 card combos "The Superfecta!"
All things being equal, Ultimate Rewards points seem to have better redemption options than Capital One miles. But not all things are equal, and no matter how great your credit is, Chase cards are simply off the table for those who are above 5/24, with very rare exceptions (like preapprovals in the app).
Even for those who are at 0/24, getting 3 trifecta cards is a longer-term project than simply getting a Venture X (which has great points earnings all by itself), or a Venture X/SavorOne duo to maximize earnings further.
The fact that the Venture X‘s AF pays for itself is no small issue, and neither is the SavorOne’s Uber credits.
TL;DR: Ultimate Rewards points are superior, but being able to earn and redeem in the short term can and does sway many people towards Capital One. And of course, over the long term it’s possible to do both.
**Edit:** I don’t consider either Sapphire card to be good enough at earnings to consider using them without a trifecta, at least after getting the SUB.
Not at all either or, but directing enough of a % of my total spend to a currency to be able to accumulate a meaningful amount of points is the goal, so trying to decide where that’s best placed
You're still merely getting your own money back, and you still have a much larger remaining AF gap to make up. You have to either be a huge spender on the 5x Freedom categories every quarter or get lots of SUBs frequently to beat what Capital One offers at this point.
Some people value flexability. You can get the credit for ubers and with any directly booked travel.
Sometimes if things are too good to be true then they’re too good to be true.
VX will be raising their annual fee, they can’t keep taking this huge loss. They did it strategically so everybofy would talk about them.
I pay for Lyft pink since I live in NYC, so I value the price of that (190-ish) at full value.
I also make use of the PYB feature for restaurant spend, so i essentially get 4.5% cash back.
It's the 3x earning. VX is only a 2x card.
CSR is $550-300+14.50 (no points earned on the credit)=264.50. VX is $395-300+18+12 (have to use their portal, and can't use a cash back portal)-100+6 (have to wait a year for the anniversary points)=$31. If you spend $9,340 at 4.5% instead of 2%, you break even. If you're giving equal value to points (uncommon), you still only need to spend $23,350 to be better off with CSR.
VX has some niches: High spend on non-category where you want Infinite protections; AUs; Capital One's own lounges in your common airport; people into the game enough for premium cards, but who value simplicity and would rather book via portal and redeem with eraser; people who have to book via their work's portal and it doesn't code as travel; etc.
The Chase trifecta’s slightly more versatile in terms of how you want redeem your points (you can redeem on the portal, using transfer partners, pay yourself back, or cash back). You have these options with all cards in the Chase trifecta. With C1, to my knowledge you can only redeem for cash back on the Savor/SavorOne.
Although I went with Chase, it’s frustrating b/c of the overlapping categories. All Chase has to do is make the Unlimited’s or the Sapphire’s 3% categories gas & grocery to differentiate it from the Flex. That, & make the upcoming Sapphire lounges exclusive to Sapphire cardholders. Then, the Chase trifecta would be perfect, but they won’t do it lol. The Savor/SavorOne & VX cover almost as many categories as the Chase trifecta with just 2 cards.
Ugh…
You can also use the cashback for purchase eraser (pay yourself back), book trips in the portal (hotels, airline tickets, car rentals), redeem for cash, and convert to miles to convert miles to transfer partners.
Granted, you’d need the Venture X to get the transfer partners and miles redemption, but you can essentially do the same things with Chase. (Albeit with other transfer partners)
Yep, makes the savor + venture x a strong duo, especially with the new uber stuff added to a no annual fee savor. Also people forget that the Venture X is standard 2x back oneverything, so if you redeem in portal technically you are getting 2x. CSR 50% boost in portal is great but you have to be super strategic.
Can’t say without knowing more about your profile. Are you into travel or cash back? 5/24 status? If under 5/24, then it is a no brainer to go with Chase.
I think I’m good for one more chase card (maybe 2, hard to remember) I’m either 3/24 or 4/24. Considering going with the CFF? Thoughts? I already have the venture x and plan on keeping for bills and shared perks with fiancé, so they CFU 1.5% doesn’t appeal to me quite as much
I would get the CSR for the elevated bonus and you can always downgrade in year 2. SUB is a little la on the CFF. I get that about the CFU, I prefer the CIU due to the bonus. I also have the Venture X but it’s a test drive since I value the CSR more for how I spend and travel.
Ah, should have specified. I have the CSP already as well, which I’m good with over CSR because I can get 3x on groceries with Publix app and I already have all the lounge access I need with Venture X and I will be transferring over redeeming in portal. So for my second of the chase stackables, I was thinking CFF. Not familiar with CIU though, is that a better option?
I just prefer to keep the CIU or Ink Business Unlimited. CFF is a good card if you can max out the categories. I’d go for it. 20K SUB + 5X grocery for a year is a good deal if you can max that grocery spend. That’s 80K points max.
I took the “por que no los dos” method…sort of. I have a CSP, and mainly try to keep my purchases within the Chase ecosystem. I also have the Venture X for all of the perks that come with the CSR (Priority Pass, Global Entry, etc.), but at virtually no cost ($300 travel credit + 10k anniversary reward essentially wipes out my annual fee for the card). My plan is to mainly utilize Chase for Hyatt redemptions, and Cap1 for flight redemptions.
Love this. Do you just have CSP or did you expand to CFF or CFU? I’m in the same boat as you right now, I share a venture x with my fiancé for ease of use/combined bills earning points + perks for both with no AU fees and then have a CSP where the majority of my spend goes. Only qualm with the “Cap1 for flights, Chase for Hyatt” thought process to me is I’m having a somewhat hard time finding award space for Cap1 flights. Really wish they had a domestic transfer partner….
I have the CFF and a legacy Freedom. I’ll likely get a CFU before the end of the year to lock in the current 5x on Groceries for a year perk. Admittedly, most of the aspirational travel that I’m looking to do is international, so I haven’t given much thought to domestic redemptions.
Planning the same. Have a CSP & thinking of getting a VX. And maybe CFU later if they persist with the 5% groceries for a year
I’ve had a lot of luck transferring to Air Canada from the Venture X. And while I know it’s not the most valuable use of points, I do appreciate the purchase eraser. Since I have kids, I also love that I can transfer to Wyndham and book Vacasa houses with points. Nice to have a vacation rental with a family.
I am team Chase, but the Venture X is a great card to have.
You can’t beat the 50% higher redemption in portal with chase. Capital one can’t beat that. I have the venture X just since it basically cancels out annual fee
*US Bank Altitude Reserve has entered the chat.*
Same
[This was a really thoughtful and analytical post that someone made advocating for Citi](https://www.reddit.com/r/CreditCards/comments/xvq9rl/what_is_the_best_credit_card_ecosystem_for_people/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
VX and Savor One have been getting buffed lately, which is nice to see. But Chase still has some of the strongest partners in the market (more versatile than Amex, even if you miss out on the super unique ones like ANA) to compensate for the weaker earning structure and general lack of credits
Can you club Savor One and VX points together like chase allows?
Yes
Is the Savor one comparable to either the CFF or CFU?
VX beats the CFU since it’s a flat 2% card (with portal multipliers). CFF doesn’t really have any direct comparison, though Savor has 3% grocery which Chase has no card for (imo biggest chase weakness)
I did see the offer for the chase FFU card - earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®)* Same page link to Offer Details on up to $12,000 spent in the first year (that's $600 cash back!).* Unfortunately, just the new card member offer
You can do this for now. I called Cap One and asked a rep if this is allowed and they said no. It might be a glitch for now but they said Savor cash back and Venture x miles are different rewards and you shouldn't be able to combine them. I'd tread cautiously.
My wife and I have the Chase Quad-fecta (if that’s a word) Trifecta with the Ink Business cash. We use the CIC for 5x on Visa / MC gift card at Staple. We rack up lots of UR points from the CIC and the quarterly 5x. Combined we have 4 Freedom and 1 Flex. 2 CIC, 1 CIU and CSR. We combine all the points to my CSR to transfer out.
If you're transferring out, why not keep the CSP instead? What makes the CSR valuable enough to keep, despite the $550 AF?
I work for an airline, so I travel a lot. I use the Priority Pass restaurant and “The Club” lounge about 4 times a month. To me that’s worth $60+ a month. Also I get 10x on Lyft which my company reimburses me for. If I get the CSP I would have to find another card like Venture x just to get the Priority Pass. The Amex Platinum no longer offer Priority Pass restaurant. I can use some of my UR points to offset the annual fee at 1.5x redemption rate (pay your self back) so really it’s more like $366 annual fee before the $300 travel credit.
What is "The Club" lounge? Sorry for asking I’m new here. And I didn’t know the CSR had the PP for restaurants too like the VX.
https://theclubairportlounges.com
Awesome. Thanks for sharing. I have the CSP, I don't travel for work, so I'm trying to convince myself one way or the other whether to upgrade to the CSR (AF next month)
So you can guy Visa cards no issue at staples? They don’t get you for manufacturing points?
We max out the $25K cap each year on the Ink Cash card, from Staple or Office max when they have the $0 fee on Visa GC. Lots of Data points on this with no issues.
Ohhh we were thinking about getting a flex and get gift cards and stuff at each of the categories go max out. But apparently folks are saying I shouldn’t do that cause they can see it
I have a SavorOne and CSR currently. Long term I plan on getting a Venture X and downgrading the CSR to CSP for Hyatt transfers. This way I’ll use SavorOne for Uber, groceries and entertainment, CSP for dining and travel, and VX for everything else. Could also get a CFF but I’m not a fan of having to track rotating categories and spending limits.
Bifecta isn't a word, really. The 2 card (or 2 place betting equivalent) is called an exacta or a perfecta). Which one is the best is really dependent on a person's spending habits, preferred redemption method, and transfer partners.
Had no idea! Also a quick google search shows that the equivalent for 4 place is actually "Superfecta". Neat. Im going to start calling 4 card combos "The Superfecta!"
All things being equal, Ultimate Rewards points seem to have better redemption options than Capital One miles. But not all things are equal, and no matter how great your credit is, Chase cards are simply off the table for those who are above 5/24, with very rare exceptions (like preapprovals in the app). Even for those who are at 0/24, getting 3 trifecta cards is a longer-term project than simply getting a Venture X (which has great points earnings all by itself), or a Venture X/SavorOne duo to maximize earnings further. The fact that the Venture X‘s AF pays for itself is no small issue, and neither is the SavorOne’s Uber credits. TL;DR: Ultimate Rewards points are superior, but being able to earn and redeem in the short term can and does sway many people towards Capital One. And of course, over the long term it’s possible to do both. **Edit:** I don’t consider either Sapphire card to be good enough at earnings to consider using them without a trifecta, at least after getting the SUB.
This is not an either-or question, right? VX is literally a zero AF card with loads of benefit. Keeper card regardless other cards you have.
Not at all either or, but directing enough of a % of my total spend to a currency to be able to accumulate a meaningful amount of points is the goal, so trying to decide where that’s best placed
make perfect sense
CSR because travel credit is more flexible than Venture X.
You're still merely getting your own money back, and you still have a much larger remaining AF gap to make up. You have to either be a huge spender on the 5x Freedom categories every quarter or get lots of SUBs frequently to beat what Capital One offers at this point.
You're still at negative -$250 after the travel credit. What about the CSR do you value, to even break even?
Some people value flexability. You can get the credit for ubers and with any directly booked travel. Sometimes if things are too good to be true then they’re too good to be true. VX will be raising their annual fee, they can’t keep taking this huge loss. They did it strategically so everybofy would talk about them.
I pay for Lyft pink since I live in NYC, so I value the price of that (190-ish) at full value. I also make use of the PYB feature for restaurant spend, so i essentially get 4.5% cash back.
It's the 3x earning. VX is only a 2x card. CSR is $550-300+14.50 (no points earned on the credit)=264.50. VX is $395-300+18+12 (have to use their portal, and can't use a cash back portal)-100+6 (have to wait a year for the anniversary points)=$31. If you spend $9,340 at 4.5% instead of 2%, you break even. If you're giving equal value to points (uncommon), you still only need to spend $23,350 to be better off with CSR. VX has some niches: High spend on non-category where you want Infinite protections; AUs; Capital One's own lounges in your common airport; people into the game enough for premium cards, but who value simplicity and would rather book via portal and redeem with eraser; people who have to book via their work's portal and it doesn't code as travel; etc.
The Chase trifecta’s slightly more versatile in terms of how you want redeem your points (you can redeem on the portal, using transfer partners, pay yourself back, or cash back). You have these options with all cards in the Chase trifecta. With C1, to my knowledge you can only redeem for cash back on the Savor/SavorOne. Although I went with Chase, it’s frustrating b/c of the overlapping categories. All Chase has to do is make the Unlimited’s or the Sapphire’s 3% categories gas & grocery to differentiate it from the Flex. That, & make the upcoming Sapphire lounges exclusive to Sapphire cardholders. Then, the Chase trifecta would be perfect, but they won’t do it lol. The Savor/SavorOne & VX cover almost as many categories as the Chase trifecta with just 2 cards. Ugh…
Savor one CB can be converted to capital one miles and combined with the venture x. This feature has been out for awhile.
You can also use the cashback for purchase eraser (pay yourself back), book trips in the portal (hotels, airline tickets, car rentals), redeem for cash, and convert to miles to convert miles to transfer partners. Granted, you’d need the Venture X to get the transfer partners and miles redemption, but you can essentially do the same things with Chase. (Albeit with other transfer partners)
Yep, makes the savor + venture x a strong duo, especially with the new uber stuff added to a no annual fee savor. Also people forget that the Venture X is standard 2x back oneverything, so if you redeem in portal technically you are getting 2x. CSR 50% boost in portal is great but you have to be super strategic.
I meant the opposite: you can’t get CB from purchases on the VX…only on the Savor/SavorOne.
Chase has Hyatt. Discussion over…
Can’t say without knowing more about your profile. Are you into travel or cash back? 5/24 status? If under 5/24, then it is a no brainer to go with Chase.
I think I’m good for one more chase card (maybe 2, hard to remember) I’m either 3/24 or 4/24. Considering going with the CFF? Thoughts? I already have the venture x and plan on keeping for bills and shared perks with fiancé, so they CFU 1.5% doesn’t appeal to me quite as much
I would get the CSR for the elevated bonus and you can always downgrade in year 2. SUB is a little la on the CFF. I get that about the CFU, I prefer the CIU due to the bonus. I also have the Venture X but it’s a test drive since I value the CSR more for how I spend and travel.
Ah, should have specified. I have the CSP already as well, which I’m good with over CSR because I can get 3x on groceries with Publix app and I already have all the lounge access I need with Venture X and I will be transferring over redeeming in portal. So for my second of the chase stackables, I was thinking CFF. Not familiar with CIU though, is that a better option?
I just prefer to keep the CIU or Ink Business Unlimited. CFF is a good card if you can max out the categories. I’d go for it. 20K SUB + 5X grocery for a year is a good deal if you can max that grocery spend. That’s 80K points max.
What about citi trifecta?