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Best Airline Rewards Credit Cards

hm, this has me looking into the Sapphire Reserve card too. I've never used travel rewards before - I have a Chase Freedom and just get my points cashed out into a check or use it to buy things on Amazon. I've always kind of figured that I'd rather have the cash back to use however I want, instead of having it tied to travel, but this 100,000 points offer is worth a lot more than 1-5% reward from my normal spending. But like I really have no idea how travel rewards work. Those Jennifer Garner commercials make it sound like it's really hard to redeem them. But $450 fee... ouch.
 
hm, this has me looking into the Sapphire Reserve card too. I've never used travel rewards before - I have a Chase Freedom and just get my points cashed out into a check or use it to buy things on Amazon. I've always kind of figured that I'd rather have the cash back to use however I want, instead of having it tied to travel, but this 100,000 points offer is worth a lot more than 1-5% reward from my normal spending. But like I really have no idea how travel rewards work. Those Jennifer Garner commercials make it sound like it's really hard to redeem them. But $450 fee... ouch.

okay wait so 100,000 points can be redeemed for $1000 cash even if I can't figure out how to use them for $1500 of travel. so $4000 in spending over 3 months (pretty easy) and I earn $1000 minus $450 fee = net $550 just for funsies... sounds like a no-brainer.

I've never had a credit card fee.
 
hm, this has me looking into the Sapphire Reserve card too. I've never used travel rewards before - I have a Chase Freedom and just get my points cashed out into a check or use it to buy things on Amazon. I've always kind of figured that I'd rather have the cash back to use however I want, instead of having it tied to travel, but this 100,000 points offer is worth a lot more than 1-5% reward from my normal spending. But like I really have no idea how travel rewards work. Those Jennifer Garner commercials make it sound like it's really hard to redeem them. But $450 fee... ouch.

a. It's really easy to redeem them through chase.
b. $450, but it's effectively only $150 because the card provides you a $300 travel credit every year. Purchases on transportation (uber, parking, taxis) count as 'travel' as do the obvious plane tickets and hotels. It's almost impossible not to get this $300 credit, so already your annual fee is bumped down.
c. You can have the points be cash or redeem them for travel on the Chase site, but it is more valuable to use them as travel. Example: 1000 points is $10 cash, but $15 in travel if you book through them (which is very easy).
d. If you exclusively use the card for your purchases, it's easy to rack up points - especially since restaurants and travel expenses net 3 points per dollar. If you shop through their portal (also really easy), you can earn bonus points per dollar, too.
 
In the optimal situation, best value is transferring them for sure(if one of the chase partners obviously). But if your dates aren't flexible and can't get a saver award seat or whatever, it could be better to use the chase system in certain circumstances I think. Simpler for most people too.

I've always just used the Chase website to book, as the $ prices are generally the same as search engines like kayak.com (although it seems like sometimes not all of the same flights are available), and you get the savings from redeeming points. I just checked and it doesn't look like they have too many airline partners - at least for me... I usually fly Delta.

Am I missing something? The only relevant ones to me look like United and Southwest:

British Airways
Air France
Korean Air
Singapore Airlines
Southwest
United
Virgin Atlantic
 
okay wait so 100,000 points can be redeemed for $1000 cash even if I can't figure out how to use them for $1500 of travel. so $4000 in spending over 3 months (pretty easy) and I earn $1000 minus $450 fee = net $550 just for funsies... sounds like a no-brainer.

I've never had a credit card fee.

Pretty sure you can figure this out, but yeah. $1000 cash.

Note that the fee is annual... but again, it's ultimately only $150 after the travel credit.
If you use the card for normal spending and pay it off, it is exceptionally easy to get $150 benefit from it over the course of a year and then some.
 
Pretty sure you can figure this out, but yeah. $1000 cash.

Note that the fee is annual... but again, it's ultimately only $150 after the travel credit.
If you use the card for normal spending and pay it off, it is exceptionally easy to get $150 benefit from it over the course of a year and then some.

It's really the first year that'd be the big perk here with the bonus points. I already easily get $150+ from my normal cash back rewards.

guess I should apply for this.
 
It's really the first year that'd be the big perk here with the bonus points. I already easily get $150+ from my normal cash back rewards.

guess I should apply for this.

Make your $ work for you!
 
Also, it makes sense why they are putting this deadline in to get the bonus now rather than last year. Not only are they saving from giving out 50,000 less points, but people that cancel before year 2 won't get the double $300 in travel credit.
 
Make your $ work for you!

[FONT=&quot]You have been approved for the Chase Sapphire Reserve. You will receive your new card, a paper copy of your Cardmember Agreement and other important disclosures in 7-10 business days.[/FONT]
 
[FONT="]You have been approved for the Chase Sapphire Reserve. You will receive your new card, a paper copy of your Cardmember Agreement and other important disclosures in 7-10 business days.[/FONT]

Yay! I guess. I mean, I don't really care what people do one way or another... but I do think this is a good deal, and if you're a responsible cardholder there's no reason you can't make out really well with this.
 
Also, it makes sense why they are putting this deadline in to get the bonus now rather than last year. Not only are they saving from giving out 50,000 less points, but people that cancel before year 2 won't get the double $300 in travel credit.

Huh?
 
Yay! I guess. I mean, I don't really care what people do one way or another... but I do think this is a good deal, and if you're a responsible cardholder there's no reason you can't make out really well with this.

yeah I already do my best to earn as many rewards as possible. so much free money. I'm still skeptical (perhaps that overstates it) regarding travel rewards but this will give me a reason to figure them out. Good to have when I'm itching to travel anyway.

I'd been flipping through Kiplinger recently and thinking about applying for another card anyway that was 2% on all purchases, to use instead of my other cards that are 1% on normal (and only use those others when they are 5% on special categories). Now I'll get 3% on restaurants, which is one of my more frequent expenses. Not meals costing hundreds of dollars, but lots of $8-20 charges. It's not a ton but I'll take any little extra. same way I'll pick a penny off the ground.
 

I think he's talking about people who got it for the bonus last year but didn't intend to keep it... the card came out later last year, so if they "quit" now they don't get a Year 2 $300 credit because they never made it to year 2. Separate thing all together from the people who would only be getting 50k instead of 100k, but with those two factors lining up Chase is probably hoping to save themselves some $ by not shelling out rewards and credits.
 
I'm super happy with my Southwest card, but this is almost stupid not to apply. When is the $450 charged? Is that an immediate thing, or is the first year waived, or what?

I wonder if I can get the wife to sign up for it, too, to double up on the benefits.
 
I'm super happy with my Southwest card, but this is almost stupid not to apply. When is the $450 charged? Is that an immediate thing, or is the first year waived, or what?

I wonder if I can get the wife to sign up for it, too, to double up on the benefits.

You get 5k points if you add her to the same Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Spending $8k in 3 months if you got 2 would be too much for me, but you do you.
 
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The second year travel credit started after the december statement posted. I believe. I got the card back in september, paid the first year annual fee, got the travel credit, then got it again in december on a hotel room purchase. I wasn't expecting it until the new calendar year.
 
The second year travel credit started after the december statement posted. I believe. I got the card back in september, paid the first year annual fee, got the travel credit, then got it again in december on a hotel room purchase. I wasn't expecting it until the new calendar year.

did that december hotel room post on your Jan 1 (or Jan whatever) statement?
 
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