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Sapphire Reserve-no brainer?
Just read they are pulling the online application for the Reserve card with bonus of 100k next week. Will have to apply in branch for same bonus after that. Been hesitant to get this card & pushing it out only because I have Preferred (my first cc with longest history) & Amex Platinum. Didn’t want to pay annual fee of both Platinum & Reserve. Having said that, should I just do it?
Any suggestions as to what to do with my Preferred so I don’t lose credit history? And what about Platinum? Downgrade or try asking for retention bonus (never asked for retention bonus in the 3 years I’ve had card)? Thanks!
I was in similar situation a couple months back and pulled the trigger on the Reserve.
I’m keeping my Preferred open for only a few more weeks (have a vacation booked on it from pre-Reserve time), because I can’t claim the trip insurance on a closed card. Once I return home, I plan to downgrade.
As for AMEX Platinum, I struggled with paying both fees. I ended up crunching the numbers, and thanks to the money I saved on AMEX offers, my annual fee was essentially nothing. That didn’t even factor in points earned, which obviously have value. Unfortunately, you do have to pay the fee and then gradually you see it balances out.
So, I vote go for it.
I agree that the Reserve is a no-brainer for the first year. You can downgrade your SP to the basic Sapphire, Freedom or Freedom unlimited to have more flexibility in earning points and maintain your credit history.
Re: the AmEx platinum, I agree that the Offers help a lot. In addition I would call and say that you are thinking about canceling the card because of the annual fee now that you have the Reserve (you don’t have to have the Reserve to say this). I think they have a pretty standard offer of $200 statement credit or 20k MR points with 3k in spend to keep the card open.
BTW, [USER=1977]@MMM[/USER] where did you read about Chase pulling the bonus?
Nevermind answering that, plenty of posts popping up about it 🙂
Will be applying for the Chase Reserve before they pull the online bonus next week. Does anyone know if Chase can give me a referral code for bonus points over the phone if I want to refer my friend to sign up for the same card right after I get approved? I’ve never got a friend to sign up before I even got my new card in the mail but we both want to do it before they pull the 100k offer.
Also, this is assuming they have been offering people bonuses for referring friends to sign up for this card?
They haven’t been offering referral bonuses on this card at all, sadly.
[QUOTE=”Tiffany, post: 24759, member: 7″]They haven’t been offering referral bonuses on this card at all, sadly.[/QUOTE]
Does Ben still get credit if we just use one of his links for the card? Thanks!
I don’t think Chase is giving any referral credit for the Reserve for individual referrals or blogs.
I’d like to sign up for the SP reserve before the bonus goes away. 2 questions:
1. Would it be possible to go back to the SP preferred if I felt the need?
2. In Chase’s Offer terms for the bonus they say that “checks that access your account” do not count. Would this include sending a rent check? I know there’s a hefty fee but it’s a really quick way for me to meet the minimum.
Thanks
Yes, you can downgrade the card to the CSP but you’re paying the first year’s fee up front so it makes sense to keep it for the benefits for at least a year.
The checks language usually refers to cash advance checks that Chase will send out from time to time. Those will not count. If you are using a service like Plastiq you should be OK.
[QUOTE=”Gaurav, post: 24812, member: 79″]Yes, you can downgrade the card to the CSP but you’re paying the first year’s fee up front so it makes sense to keep it for the benefits for at least a year.
The checks language usually refers to cash advance checks that Chase will send out from time to time. Those will not count. If you are using a service like Plastiq you should be OK.[/QUOTE]
If the fee is upfront and I’m signing up for the card now, do I only get $300 travel credit this year Vs. if I had signed up late last year I would have gotten $600 travel credit before my second annual fee was due?
well if you sign up now you’ll get $300 now and another $300 right at the beginning of next year.
To slightly modify what David says: You’ll get $300 now and $300 more after your December statement closes.
[QUOTE=”Gaurav, post: 24836, member: 79″]To slightly modify what David says: You’ll get $300 now and $300 more after your December statement closes.[/QUOTE]
I’m sorry but I’m a newbie at this & don’t usually pay attention to statement closing dates. So it doesn’t seem like from what you’ve said someone who signs up now will ‘miss out’ on an extra $300 credit their first year of having the card Vs. someone who signs up later in the year. I’ll just have very little time to use the $300 I get after my Dec statement closes before the end of the calendar year? Thanks again!
Correct. Chase will usually notify you after your statement closes either by mailing you a statement or via email. At that point you can just buy an airline gift card to trigger the credit or just use it for any other travel expense. Shouldn’t be too hard.
CSR 100,000 miles bonus IS STILL AVAILABLE until March 17- but ONLY if you go into a branch office and open it there.
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