Questions and Answers

hey guys so I’ve been using the Chase Sapphire preferred for a week now and I wanted to add either the freedom or freedom unlimited to my wallet so I can get an additional bonus UR points where the CSP lacks. So I know the freedom unlimited offers 1.5% cash back on everything (aka 1.5x UR points/$) since I have the CSP card. The freedom offers 1% back on everything yes but it also has certain bonus categories that change every now and then but they offer 5% cash back meaning 5x UR points/$ in these categories. So did a little research and found out that for this season, gas stations have that 5x bonus and next season, grocery stores (discluding Walmart and target) have those 5x points. So Which is more worth? The freedom unlimited with 1.5x points on everything? Or the freedom with 5x points on changing categories and 1x on everything else. And also are you allowed to have both the freedom and freedom unlimited? If so I might add both some time down the line. But just one for now. And also I won’t be affected by 5/24 if you were thinking about that as a factor. And I do spend a lot at Trader Joe’s in the US if that helps. And gas is just gas. Thanks again for your help. I look forward to hearing from you all soon!

The answer is really both. The sign up bonuses don’t usually vary a lot so I’d get them if you are 5/24 eligible. International purchases, travel and dining would go to your CSP, rotating categories on your Freedom (and get gift cards if you are not going to max them for the quarter) and everything else on the Freedom Unlimited. If you can get to a branch before 3/12 I might get try to get the CSR first (with the 100k bonus). You can then downgrade one of them to the Freedom or Freedom Unlimited in a few months.

Agreed – get both (if you can) and used different cards based on the promotions and bonuses

[QUOTE=”Gaurav, post: 27902, member: 79″]The answer is really both. The sign up bonuses don’t usually vary a lot so I’d get them if you are 5/24 eligible. International purchases, travel and dining would go to your CSP, rotating categories on your Freedom (and get gift cards if you are not going to max them for the quarter) and everything else on the Freedom Unlimited. If you have can get to a branch before 3/12 I might get try to get the CSR first (with the 100k bonus). You can then downgrade one of them to the Freedom or Freedom Unlimited in a few months.[/QUOTE]
So I probably misunderstood this but freedom cash back can be turned into UR points if I have the CSP right? Also I’ll look at the CSR and see that deal as well

Yep!

Chase’s Basic UR points can pretty much only be redeemed for cash back. Those cards are the Freedom, Freedom Unlimited and Ink Cash.

Premium UR cards are the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve and Ink Preferred cards. As long as you have [I]one[/I] of these Premium UR points cards, points earned with Basic UR points cards can be transferred over.

The Ink cards are Chase’s business cards with a great award earning structure. The personal cards all have different earning structures, and therefore it makes sense to have several of them in order to maximize earnings.

[QUOTE=”David W, post: 27910, member: 29″]Yep!

Chase’s Basic UR points can pretty much only be redeemed for cash back. Those cards are the Freedom, Freedom Unlimited and Ink Cash.

Premium UR cards are the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve and Ink Preferred cards. As long as you have [I]one[/I] of these Premium UR points cards, points earned with Basic UR points cards can be transferred over.

The Ink cards are Chase’s business cards with a great award earning structure. The personal cards all have different earning structures, and therefore it makes sense to have several of them in order to maximize earnings.[/QUOTE]
Alright thank you sir for that thorough response. So basically we shop a lot at Trader Joe’s and this one middle eastern supermarket. A LOT. So the next cycle, starting mid march, the freedom’s bonus 5% back category switches to grocery stores disclosing Walmart and target so I will apply for freedom normal ASAP to max out that value. I already have the Chase Sapphire preferred so I will get 5x points from that. Thanks for your help. Any other suggestions?

[QUOTE=”Gaurav, post: 27902, member: 79″]The answer is really both. The sign up bonuses don’t usually vary a lot so I’d get them if you are 5/24 eligible. International purchases, travel and dining would go to your CSP, rotating categories on your Freedom (and get gift cards if you are not going to max them for the quarter) and everything else on the Freedom Unlimited. If you have can get to a branch before 3/12 I might get try to get the CSR first (with the 100k bonus). You can then downgrade one of them to the Freedom or Freedom Unlimited in a few months.[/QUOTE]
Hey Gaurav, I was going to take upon your idea of getting the CSR, getting the 100K bonus, then cancelling, but i was going to ask, if i get the csr and then cancel, will it count towards my 5/24 limit? because I wanted to get all 3 basic UR cards (freedom, freedom unlimited, and ink cash back) since i have a CSP i normally use. And i already have a chase Marriot rewards credit card, so If i did get the CSR, then i couldnt get the other 3 cards anyways for a while. Also, each of the freedom cards offer a cash back bonus after spending around $500 in the first few months. Can this cashback bonus be turned into UR points since i have the CSP? Thanks!

Yes, the CSR will count towards your 5/24, even after you cancel it.

Also, keep in mind that it’s any 5 new credit cards in the last 24 months, from any card issuer, not just Chase.

Also, yes the points from the freedom and the freedom unlimited can be transferred to the CSP/CSR

[QUOTE=”David W, post: 27954, member: 29″]Yes, the CSR will count towards your 5/24, even after you cancel it.

Also, keep in mind that it’s any 5 new credit cards in the last 24 months, from any card issuer, not just Chase.

Also, yes the points from the freedom and the freedom unlimited can be transferred to the CSP/CSR[/QUOTE]
Thank you very much David and one last question I promise haha. So we have 3 authorized users on the CSP. I know you get a 5k bonus after an authorized user uses the card for a purchase within months after being issued the card. For the primary cardholder, do we only earn the bonus once? Or can we possibly earn 15k UR points because we have 3 authorized users? Thanks.

Dont worry about the questions! Always glad to answer what I can 🙂

The AU bonus is only applicable to the [I]first[/I] AU you add on the card. If it was for each AU, I’d be adding so many more!:D

[QUOTE=”David W, post: 27966, member: 29″]Dont worry about the questions! Always glad to answer what I can 🙂

The AU bonus is only applicable to the [I]first[/I] AU you add on the card. If it was for each AU, I’d be adding so many more!:D[/QUOTE]
Dangit! But that’s fine. So I’m going to add the freedom card first because the next category bonus from April through June is grocery stores so I will max that out. But I eventually want to add the freedom unlimited and the ink cash back card. Now after the ink cash back card I will be under the hold of 5/24 for another 6-7 months but that is fine. The thing that I was wondering was that for each of the cards I add, I wanted to use that card only until I meet the spend requirement for the bonus. Then get the next card, meet the bonus, and repeat for the ink. Then after the ink bonus, then use all 4 cards in conjunction of course using a particular card for particular purchases based on bonus categories. Is this the best strat? Or is there a better way to use all 4

That’s totally fine!

If you have access to a Chase branch the best option is still to get the Reserve with the 100,000 bonus. It’s unlikely to come back any time soon. Even if you max out the Freedom bonus next quarter, you’ll only get 7500 points. You could get the Reserve now and the Freedom in early June and max it out with organic expenses and gift cards to grocery stores that you can use in the future.

[QUOTE=”Gaurav, post: 27979, member: 79″]If you have access to a Chase branch the best option is still to get the Reserve with the 100,000 bonus. It’s unlikely to come back any time soon. Even if you max out the Freedom bonus next quarter, you’ll only get 7500 points. You could get the Reserve now and the Freedom in early June and max it out with organic expenses and gift cards to grocery stores that you can use in the future.[/QUOTE]
There is a chase branch about a 5 min drive from my house, so I could do that but I have 2 questions then. Would I have to pay the $450 or can I get the spend bonus then drop the card no extra charges? Also wouldn’t this count towards my 5/24 limit?

Yes, it will count towards 5/24 and you will be billed the $450 AF on your first statement. However you will get $300 in travel credits this year and next ($600) and 100,000 UR points after you spend $4000 in the first three months. That equals $1600 in benefits at the very least in your first year. I would make sure that everyone in your family who can get one go and do it before 3/12.

[QUOTE=”Gaurav, post: 27985, member: 79″]Yes, it will count towards 5/24 and you will be billed the $450 AF on your first statement. However you will get $300 in travel credits this year and next ($600) and 100,000 UR points after you spend $4000 in the first three months. That equals $1600 in benefits at the very least in your first year. I would make sure that everyone in your family who can get one go and do it before 3/12.[/QUOTE]
Ahh screw it, the ink cash back can wait. Sapphire reserve it is!! Also what’s the policy on reapplying for the sapphire reserve? Because even before you suggested to get it now temporarily, I was actually going to get rid of my CSP for the CSR in about a year and a half as I will be traveling in and out of the country for work, A LOT. So the global entry and priority pass will be of great utility during that time. Can I get the bonus again? How long until re applying is allowed? Etc? Thanks again Gaurav!

The bonus will probably go down to the 50-60k level after the 100,000 offer disappears. For Chase the usual rule is that you cannot get the bonus again if you have received it in the last two years. The second layer on whether you can even get approved is the 5/24 rule.

[QUOTE=”Gaurav, post: 27991, member: 79″]The bonus will probably go down to the 50-60k level after the 100,000 offer disappears. For Chase the usual rule is that you cannot get the bonus again if you have received it in the last two years. The second layer on whether you can even get approved is the 5/24 rule.[/QUOTE]
As of now, 5/24 won’t be an issue for me, and will I also have to pay the additional (I think $175 or something like that) for adding authorized users if I will be dropping the card later and reapplying in a few years

Yes. I believe it is $75. Like I said above, other folks should ideally get their own cards.

[USER=2645]@Rohit Deshpande[/USER] I’d recommend that whoever was going to be added as an AU to your card get their own card instead, especially for the bonus, even if only for the first year. the 100k bonus is well worth it.

Note that the annual fee posts [B]*fast* [/B]- I applied for the reserve in-branch on Tuesday and the fee posted the [I]next day[/I] and I didnt get my card in the mail until that Friday.

Sort of unrelated – no nice packaging materials like there were in the very beginning. Just a plain (but thick) white envelope. 🙁

[QUOTE=”David W, post: 28008, member: 29″][USER=2645]@Rohit Deshpande[/USER] I’d recommend that whoever was going to be added as an AU to your card get their own card instead, especially for the bonus, even if only for the first year. the 100k bonus is well worth it.

Note that the annual fee posts [B]*fast* [/B]- I applied for the reserve in-branch on Tuesday and the fee posted the [I]next day[/I] and I didnt get my card in the mail until that Friday.

Sort of unrelated – no nice packaging materials like there were in the very beginning. Just a plain (but thick) white envelope. :([/QUOTE]
So basically if each gets their own card, (there are 4 in my household), we could pool a total of 400K bonus points? Also what is the age restriction on each having their own card? I have one 23 year old daughter in medical school and one 17 year old son in high school. And would each getting their own card mean that each would have to meet $X within Y months on their own card?

Yeah. Pooling into one account might be somewhat difficult. I haven’t done it before.

And yes, if each of your family members applies for their own cars, they each need to spend $4k in 3 months to receive the bonus. I’m not sure that your son or daughter would be approved though. It’ll depend on their credit history.

Might be a good idea to get the sapphire preferred for the daughter and the freedom/freedom unlimited for the son. When they have a more established credit history, add on the premium cards.

There shouldn’t be any restriction on pooling as long as everyone is part of the same household (uses the same address when they apply). Personally I’d have everyone apply for the card except for your son. One credit pull won’t hurt them and the bonus is currently high enough that it’s worth it IMO as long as you can meet the minimum spend.

[QUOTE=”David W, post: 28008, member: 29″][USER=2645]@Rohit Deshpande[/USER] I’d recommend that whoever was going to be added as an AU to your card get their own card instead, especially for the bonus, even if only for the first year. the 100k bonus is well worth it.

Note that the annual fee posts [B]*fast* [/B]- I applied for the reserve in-branch on Tuesday and the fee posted the [I]next day[/I] and I didnt get my card in the mail until that Friday.

Sort of unrelated – no nice packaging materials like there were in the very beginning. Just a plain (but thick) white envelope. :([/QUOTE]

[USER=29]@David W[/USER], how long did your in branch appplication process take? Will be going later this week.

I’d say about 10 minutes to get all your information into the system. The decision itself was pretty quick but the guy on the approval department wanted to talk to me on the phone to congratulate me…

Didn’t take long at all, especially since I already have other Chase cards. [USER=79]@Gaurav[/USER]’s 10 minute estimate is about right. But that’s once you’ve sat down with a banker. The day I ended up applying, the branch was pretty much empty. I had gone a couple of days before that and there was quite a wait to see a banker.