EDIT: It appears Capital One is making the Hertz President's Circle status on ongoing benefit on the Venture X, so that's a plus! 🎥 Before getting any of these cards to help you travel for “free”, watch this video to see why “free travel” isn’t as free as we tend to think: ruclips.net/video/DpVeBa4g27g/видео.html
@@gregw.2049 Yes it did! I saw an article was posted a little over a week ago talking about how the expiration date is no longer anywhere on Capital One's website.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial well, I guess I’ll apply after all. I was going to do the VX first, then the Savor One after 6 months. Might even look into the Citi Custom Cash to help me out with gas after that.
I think the VX is the best card for the money however if you can handle the coupon book that comes with it the AMEX Platinum an argument could be made that it’s the most powerful luxury travel card with the travel protections, all of the lounge options it gives you and automatic statuses for just holding a single card
Absolutely! As always, it all depends on personal preference. The Amex Plat is still the king of benefits, but whether or not they're worth it for you is the real question.
Your rec is correct: Pick the lounge nearest you. Luxury travel cards are for LUXURY travel. That is best exemplified in the lounges available. VX for me! Perfectly happy.
I've been in airport lounges before and I don't understand what is everyone's admiration for them. Through flying dozens of times I'm in the airport and out last thing I want to do is sit around at the airport The longest layover I've ever had was 2 hours and that was simply because of a delay. So again I'm definitely not showing up early to an airport or spending any more time at an airport than I have to
Excellent comparison-contrast Spencer! My only exception is all points are not created equal. I struggle to compare the value of Cap 1 points with either UR or MR points. I just don't see the flexibility, $$ value, or partner alliances with C1. Perhaps if they mature beyond a portal-only issuer, added some transfer partners, etc., then maybe. Btw: I have all three for the lounges, insurances, etc. If Amex or Chase manages to produce a basic 2x multiplier, I would drop VX straight way😀 Thanks man👍🏾
Thank you so much! And I agree with you. I listed the average cpp values as a way to explain that it's possible to use them all for the same value, but the ease of doing this is where the difference lies. To get rid of your VX, you could go for the Amex Blue Business Plus though! That's a 2x card for you right there. Or if you consider your Chase points worth a minimum of 1.5cpp with your CSR, the CFU is a minimum 2.25x card, granted it's still not a flat 2x normally.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial yea man, great points, and I've considered each. The only pblm with my Amex BBP is that it's 2x is useless overseas🙃 I use VX - a much more expensive catch-all
The VX is and was my first luxury card and the travel credit is easy to use and a flat 2x on everything is just good compared to the other catch all cards. Travel partners are meh for domestic travel, but it's possible just more loops. Pair it with the SavorOne and it's a pretty good option.
Great video, and very timely for me. My Amex Platinum comes up for renewal in a week. Atlanta is my hub airport, though, so I'll bit my lip and keep it. I'm a total lounge addict and actually book slightly longer layovers to (1) lessen concern about missing a connecting flight, and (2) give me plenty of time to slip over to Terminal E for the Centurion Lounge. Thanks for the recap.
Ahhh yeah if I lived in an area with a Centurion lounge, it'd be hard to move away from the Platinum. If you're getting positive value from it, that's what matters the most! Thank you for the comment today!
i prefer the amx business platinum. easier credits to use and mostly the same perks as the personal version. i couple that with my amx Green or CSP for general travel or use abroad.
I still think platinum works the best for me. I just value the fact I have high status on 3 car rental companies. Gold status on both Marriott and hilton, I can't tell you how good it is to have gold status overseas such as in Asian countries.
That makes a lot of sense! I think it's cool how all of these cards make sense for someone. I look forward to trying out the Platinum card benefits one day for sure. The Gold status with Marriott and Hilton is one I'm most looking forward to.
Hey Spencer, great vid! I’m 2/3 of the way to complete the Chase trifecta and just need the CFF to complete it. I am under 5/24 and wish to add it to my set up soon. Would you recommend to wait to complete this trifecta as the CFF got a great limited time offer earlier this year with 5x on gas and/or groceries year round and I’m hoping it’ll be offered again during Q1 2025. Keep up the great work ! 🥇
Thank you so much for watching! I'd say it all depends on how bad you need the CFF. If it's not a card you'll use much, you can just wait it out or not get it at all. But if it's one you desperately need for some reason, jumping on it now isn't a bad idea. Especially because you can get the bonus on it again in a couple years.
I think you'd really have to value lounge access in that case since you'd have so many overlapping benefits other than that. It's not necessarily overkill, but I imagine you'd be better off focusing on just one or two of them that suit you best.
I definitely love my CSR, but I can see the appeal of all 3 of these cards depending on what lounges/benefits you want access to. I'm glad you like your CSR too though!
CSR is hands down the best overall card, great travel credit and 3x multiplier, travel protection, 3x dining and 50% point boost! CSR pays you to have it if you can take advantage of the new doordash credit. Pair it with other chase cards and the average person will see the most benefit. Platinum is only a lifestyle improvement card if you have the money to pay to win. I used to pull out the platinum for dinner because of the 6mo resy 10x, they should make that a standard feature! venture x is garbage, terrible travel credit, terrible redemption rate and you have to deal with capital one... no thanks.
The CSR is definitely my favorite option out of the list right now! Of course, I believe every one of these cards are worth it for someone out there, it just depends on how you value all their perks/benefits.
I have both the Amex Plat and CSR. Just carrying the Plat and offsetting the AF, but all the other perks and benefits are excellent. The CSR is running the trifecta and all that comes with it. Worth to keep both if you travel even just a hand full of times a year. However if someone was to put a ultimatum and I can only have one, I'd just go with the CSR.
I think CSR is by far the best one offering 50% boost on portal bookings which is by far the most convenient way to book flights and hotels/rentals. Combined with CSP from P2 it also covers groceries.
For the VX, my wife just got a targeted 90k offer. We went with my referral and 75k, since her 75k and my 25k points were better than the 90k C1 was going to give her
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial true. But the CSP has online groceries I’ve been able to maximize a lot. I guess having a player 2 hold the CSP while you hold the CSR only way around it
Thank you. Great video. I have Chase UR points. Is it possible to transfer my UR points from British Airways to Qantas to fly on Japan Airlines? How to do the transfer to Qantas?
One of the tricks to find those elevated offers that make the "buy in" for any of those cards worth it. VX with base 75k offer + 2x pts on all spend while meeting the min spend nets u 83k pts when the bonus hits. Best practices for tracking down elevated offers above that? Im all ears!
There's always a chance of someone using their cards for offers, but I was speaking about people who specifically don't know how to use their high annual fee cards. There's more of those folks than you'd think!
Woah, I think you're right! I just saw an article talking about them silently extending it which is a big plus. Thanks for the heads up! I'll update the pinned comment.
I stuck around and indeed learned something new! Love all 3 cards, though I don't have the CSR since I get transfer partner access through the Ink Preferred and I tend to be ok paying cash for domestic flights (in favor of using UR points for Hyatt or if there's a strong deal with an airline transfer partner). Great comparison Spencer.
That's great to hear man! I completely get where you're coming from with the CSR. Cash bookings for domestic flights isn't a bad move at all if you prefer to save your UR points. Thanks for being here for this one!
Great video Spencer. Holding the AMEX Plat and C1VX, I get a ton of value from both, but that would change if I didn’t travel often. Only reason I don’t have the CSR is because of the Ritz! Love the breakdown - appreciate it!
Thank you Beau! I can definitely see the value in holding both of those. I wish the Ritz gave me access to the Sapphire lounge in Austin... thanks for watching brotha!
What are your thoughts on having both the VX and CSR? I currently have the VX and CSP but am considering upgrading since my home airport is PHL, and they’re opening a Sapphire Lounge there.
I talked about that exact predicament in this video! That's what I'm currently rocking. If you can get positive value from both of the cards and like to have them both, then that's really all that matters. It just depends on preferences.
Even though I fly out of Boston and having access to the sapphire lounge would be great, I can’t really justify that high annual fee when I don’t use Lyft that often. Amex platinum is also too much of a coupon book that I would struggle to make use of the credits. I’m leaning toward venture X
To each their own. However, it's impossible to make a blanket statement saying it's bad for everyone. Case in point, the CSR has the lowest EAF out of all of these cards for me, therefore it is not "hot garbage".
Minor point, but a lot of people (including myself currently, how I know) will also have the Quicksilver as a downgrade option to the Venture X. 1.5x cash is better than 1.25 miles if you're tired of transferring.
Great note! I've read that the Quicksilver is the only option outside of the Venture family you can downgrade the VX to. Thanks for pointing that out Robert.
I think capitol one works the best because Amex is not accepted In a lot of places so if you are an international traveler good luck. Very few places in Japan China and Eastern Europe accept Amex.
Unfortunately it doesn't get me into the one Sapphire lounge I care about the most, the Chase Sapphire Terrace lounge in the Austin airport. If it did, I'd downgrade the CSR to CSP and upgrade my Boundless to the Ritz. But since that's the one lounge it doesn't give you access too, I'm gonna wait on the PC for now.
Technically yes, if you upgrade or downgrade to any Amex card you make yourself ineligible for the welcome offer on it. You may be able to get around this, but in general, that's the unfortunate case.
I remember our convo trying to figure this out for me last week! I’ve decided imma hit up an Amex Gold card offer for 100k MRPs, I’ll get the Venture X right after that tho. Reason being: I don’t have to pay annual fees as Active military, and Amex gold is a really useless card right now tbh, so I’ll get that now for the 100k and use the useful venture x later when I’m already out.
Yessir! I like where your head is at there. Without having to worry about annual fees, a lot of cards start to make sense where they otherwise may not. Might as well take advantage of that! Thank you again for your service brotha 👊🏼
Great video as always Spencer! I currently carry the VX because it’s so simple to justify as well as the CSP. I choose not to carry the platinum because the coupon approach is more trouble than it’s worth to me. Since your mention of utilizing the CSR 50% boost in a prior video I’ve been seriously considering upgrading my CSP to CSR at the 1 year mark. I know many people are “anti-portal” but if I’m honest with myself I’ve utilized some form of portal for most of my traveling prior to getting into the points game. Also, I’m rarely finding flight redemptions greater than 1.5 CPP as someone who primarily flies economy. I have above average income but prefer allocating my money to other aspects of traveling than the flight. Have you run into any issues utilizing the Chase Portal for the CSR boost? I’d love to hear you elaborate on it since it goes against the common theme of avoiding portals!
Thank you so much! The VX is definitely the simplest of the bunch and that can be a super power in a weird way! As for upgrading to the CSR and using the portal, I've found a lot of value in that. Every once in a while the prices through the portal are a bit inflated, but that's more specific to hotels than domestic flights from what I've seen. As long as you check every time, you should be fine! And you'll be able to get much higher values through the portal than directly with certain airlines and hotels so I've enjoyed using it personally. I should definitely make a full video about it down the line!
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial thanks for the reply! I definitely think a video would be beneficial for all those people who aren’t only focused on international business/first class flights. I rarely find anything even close to 1.5cpp on economy even more so domestically. For me, the simplicity and value far outweighs any of the “dreaded” potential issues with portal booking.
I have the CSR and have enjoyed it but it’s a little frustrating the CSR doesn’t directly give you any kind of status/airline lounge access just from having the card like the VX/Plat does. I’d love if it came with United Club access but even any kind of Hyatt, Marriot or IHG status would be nice. The DD credits are nice though
You'll take the total cash price, subtract the taxes and fees if you booked in points, divide by total points cost, and multiply by 100. There are calculators online too!
I am planning to get the AmEx Platinum in early 2025. I am not excited about all the credits you need to keep track of to lower the effective annual fee, but the lounge benefits outweigh the headache of chasing the credits.
My 2 cents. It’s really easy once you get it set up. I never think about it. It’s also nice to use it directly with the airline or hotel and get 5x vs having to use a portal.
The CFU is one of my favorite beginner credit cards for many reasons, but the fact alone that it's a catch-all credit card earning Chase UR points is huge. Especially if you want to eventually travel with your credit card points down the line. Which card you go with now is up to you, but I'd definitely consider the CFU as one of the options! Thanks for being here early btw 🥉
I've got the Platinum and tried to charge a $22K trip to Australia/NZ on it this past week. Unfortunately, the travel agency does not take Amex! I guess it's time to apply for a MC or V travel card with a great SUB.
I'd look at using them with Capital One's transfer partners to get the most value. Which one you use completely depends on what trips you want to take, but using them for business or first-class flights is generally where you get the most value from your points.
EDIT: It appears Capital One is making the Hertz President's Circle status on ongoing benefit on the Venture X, so that's a plus!
🎥 Before getting any of these cards to help you travel for “free”, watch this video to see why “free travel” isn’t as free as we tend to think: ruclips.net/video/DpVeBa4g27g/видео.html
I have a question how tall are you
@@JohnFernandes-lo1ul 6'0"!
Did this just happen? They are extending it past the end of 2024?
@@gregw.2049 Yes it did! I saw an article was posted a little over a week ago talking about how the expiration date is no longer anywhere on Capital One's website.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial well, I guess I’ll apply after all. I was going to do the VX first, then the Savor One after 6 months. Might even look into the Citi Custom Cash to help me out with gas after that.
I think the VX is the best card for the money however if you can handle the coupon book that comes with it the AMEX Platinum an argument could be made that it’s the most powerful luxury travel card with the travel protections, all of the lounge options it gives you and automatic statuses for just holding a single card
Absolutely! As always, it all depends on personal preference. The Amex Plat is still the king of benefits, but whether or not they're worth it for you is the real question.
For me, the Amex fee is waived because I have the one via a broker.
@@TOhara-eb2lp I assume it’s the Morgan Stanley edition, aren’t you taxed on the AF refund though?
@@DaIton- No. You need to keep a minimum balance in a separate account.
Venture X and savor one combo is by far the best bang for your buck. Easy 70K+ points a year on just those two.
Definitely a solid duo!
I just got the Venture X and next one the list is CSP. Being on both ecosystems and lounge access will come in clutch jeje
Those are a solid combo in my opinion!
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial Yessir, 490 annually as well 😁
Your rec is correct: Pick the lounge nearest you. Luxury travel cards are for LUXURY travel. That is best exemplified in the lounges available. VX for me! Perfectly happy.
I'm glad you resonated with that! In my experience, that's the best proxy for which luxury travel card is best for you.
I've been in airport lounges before and I don't understand what is everyone's admiration for them. Through flying dozens of times I'm in the airport and out last thing I want to do is sit around at the airport
The longest layover I've ever had was 2 hours and that was simply because of a delay. So again I'm definitely not showing up early to an airport or spending any more time at an airport than I have to
I get where you're coming from! This video and these cards are not for you then and that's okay!
I would like to here more about the Chase "Edit" collection. Yes, please make a video on this.
That's great to hear! Thank you for the input!
VX for beginners/one card only types
CSR for power users/multi card setup
AmEx for the true frequent flyer lifestyle
🤝
All are great travel cards! Thanks for the info + video!
Yes they are! Anytime brotha. Thanks for watching!
Excellent comparison-contrast Spencer! My only exception is all points are not created equal. I struggle to compare the value of Cap 1 points with either UR or MR points. I just don't see the flexibility, $$ value, or partner alliances with C1. Perhaps if they mature beyond a portal-only issuer, added some transfer partners, etc., then maybe. Btw: I have all three for the lounges, insurances, etc. If Amex or Chase manages to produce a basic 2x multiplier, I would drop VX straight way😀 Thanks man👍🏾
Thank you so much! And I agree with you. I listed the average cpp values as a way to explain that it's possible to use them all for the same value, but the ease of doing this is where the difference lies. To get rid of your VX, you could go for the Amex Blue Business Plus though! That's a 2x card for you right there. Or if you consider your Chase points worth a minimum of 1.5cpp with your CSR, the CFU is a minimum 2.25x card, granted it's still not a flat 2x normally.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial yea man, great points, and I've considered each. The only pblm with my Amex BBP is that it's 2x is useless overseas🙃 I use VX - a much more expensive catch-all
The VX is and was my first luxury card and the travel credit is easy to use and a flat 2x on everything is just good compared to the other catch all cards. Travel partners are meh for domestic travel, but it's possible just more loops. Pair it with the SavorOne and it's a pretty good option.
The VX and Savor One duo are amazing for a lot of folks for sure. I get where you're coming from!
I use the Amex Plat to buy $100 United Travel Bank Cash twice each year. Amex reimburses within three days.
Thanks for the data point here!
Great video, and very timely for me. My Amex Platinum comes up for renewal in a week. Atlanta is my hub airport, though, so I'll bit my lip and keep it. I'm a total lounge addict and actually book slightly longer layovers to (1) lessen concern about missing a connecting flight, and (2) give me plenty of time to slip over to Terminal E for the Centurion Lounge. Thanks for the recap.
Ahhh yeah if I lived in an area with a Centurion lounge, it'd be hard to move away from the Platinum. If you're getting positive value from it, that's what matters the most! Thank you for the comment today!
i prefer the amx business platinum. easier credits to use and mostly the same perks as the personal version. i couple that with my amx Green or CSP for general travel or use abroad.
That's a sleeper! I'll be talking more about it in a few weeks actually.
I still think platinum works the best for me. I just value the fact I have high status on 3 car rental companies. Gold status on both Marriott and hilton, I can't tell you how good it is to have gold status overseas such as in Asian countries.
That makes a lot of sense! I think it's cool how all of these cards make sense for someone. I look forward to trying out the Platinum card benefits one day for sure. The Gold status with Marriott and Hilton is one I'm most looking forward to.
Hey Spencer, great vid! I’m 2/3 of the way to complete the Chase trifecta and just need the CFF to complete it. I am under 5/24 and wish to add it to my set up soon. Would you recommend to wait to complete this trifecta as the CFF got a great limited time offer earlier this year with 5x on gas and/or groceries year round and I’m hoping it’ll be offered again during Q1 2025. Keep up the great work ! 🥇
Thank you so much for watching! I'd say it all depends on how bad you need the CFF. If it's not a card you'll use much, you can just wait it out or not get it at all. But if it's one you desperately need for some reason, jumping on it now isn't a bad idea. Especially because you can get the bonus on it again in a couple years.
Is it worth having all 3 or just overkill? I have VX and platinum but adding a sapphire soon. Not sure if CSP benefits me as much as reserve
I think you'd really have to value lounge access in that case since you'd have so many overlapping benefits other than that. It's not necessarily overkill, but I imagine you'd be better off focusing on just one or two of them that suit you best.
It is simple. Want 3x, 2x, or 1x when traveling? Also, do you want your credit card to be rejected overseas? CSR always.
I definitely love my CSR, but I can see the appeal of all 3 of these cards depending on what lounges/benefits you want access to. I'm glad you like your CSR too though!
CSR is hands down the best overall card, great travel credit and 3x multiplier, travel protection, 3x dining and 50% point boost! CSR pays you to have it if you can take advantage of the new doordash credit. Pair it with other chase cards and the average person will see the most benefit. Platinum is only a lifestyle improvement card if you have the money to pay to win. I used to pull out the platinum for dinner because of the 6mo resy 10x, they should make that a standard feature! venture x is garbage, terrible travel credit, terrible redemption rate and you have to deal with capital one... no thanks.
The CSR is definitely my favorite option out of the list right now! Of course, I believe every one of these cards are worth it for someone out there, it just depends on how you value all their perks/benefits.
I have both the Amex Plat and CSR. Just carrying the Plat and offsetting the AF, but all the other perks and benefits are excellent.
The CSR is running the trifecta and all that comes with it.
Worth to keep both if you travel even just a hand full of times a year.
However if someone was to put a ultimatum and I can only have one, I'd just go with the CSR.
That's great to hear!! I could definitely see reason to have both. I'll likely do that with the Charles Schwab Platinum and CSR.
I think CSR is by far the best one offering 50% boost on portal bookings which is by far the most convenient way to book flights and hotels/rentals. Combined with CSP from P2 it also covers groceries.
I definitely enjoy mine! I can understand why someone may get more value from the Platinum, but the CSR has provided me a ton of value personally.
Would love a video on your stay in NOLA!
Thank you so much for the input!!
For the VX, my wife just got a targeted 90k offer. We went with my referral and 75k, since her 75k and my 25k points were better than the 90k C1 was going to give her
That's great! That 2 player game is super rewarding.
Clever!
The CSR with no 3x back on online grocery is kind of trash
Well out of these 3 cards, none give any on online grocery, so it's not necessarily a negative in this case.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial true. But the CSP has online groceries I’ve been able to maximize a lot. I guess having a player 2 hold the CSP while you hold the CSR only way around it
Thank you. Great video. I have Chase UR points. Is it possible to transfer my UR points from British Airways to Qantas to fly on Japan Airlines? How to do the transfer to Qantas?
LAX has no Priority Pass Lounges so VX and CSR are useless if you’re ❤to experience lounges here.
The Platinum is definitely powerful in LAX from what I hear.
One of the tricks to find those elevated offers that make the "buy in" for any of those cards worth it. VX with base 75k offer + 2x pts on all spend while meeting the min spend nets u 83k pts when the bonus hits. Best practices for tracking down elevated offers above that? Im all ears!
There's a chance they are using the Platty at dinner because of some Resy tie in that makes sense
There is no RESY dining credit on the American Express Platinum Card, YET. Only the Gold Card and Delta Reserve and Delta Platinum cards.
There's always a chance of someone using their cards for offers, but I was speaking about people who specifically don't know how to use their high annual fee cards. There's more of those folks than you'd think!
Or because they’re trying to meet spend requirements for sign up bonuses or retention offers.
I think Capital One Vx extended the hertz PC status.
Woah, I think you're right! I just saw an article talking about them silently extending it which is a big plus. Thanks for the heads up! I'll update the pinned comment.
Choose the Amex card because it has a lounge at my home airport
Got my GF/Wife subsrcibed too
That's awesome to hear! Thanks so much!
I stuck around and indeed learned something new! Love all 3 cards, though I don't have the CSR since I get transfer partner access through the Ink Preferred and I tend to be ok paying cash for domestic flights (in favor of using UR points for Hyatt or if there's a strong deal with an airline transfer partner). Great comparison Spencer.
That's great to hear man! I completely get where you're coming from with the CSR. Cash bookings for domestic flights isn't a bad move at all if you prefer to save your UR points. Thanks for being here for this one!
Edit Chase video!
Thank you for the input!
Great video Spencer. Holding the AMEX Plat and C1VX, I get a ton of value from both, but that would change if I didn’t travel often. Only reason I don’t have the CSR is because of the Ritz!
Love the breakdown - appreciate it!
Thank you Beau! I can definitely see the value in holding both of those. I wish the Ritz gave me access to the Sapphire lounge in Austin... thanks for watching brotha!
🤣🤣🤣🤣 bro said he'd cancel the venture X instead of the platinum amex 🤣🤣🤣🤣
🤣🤣🤣 Idk what you're talking about but I like to laugh too 🤣🤣🤣
What are your thoughts on having both the VX and CSR? I currently have the VX and CSP but am considering upgrading since my home airport is PHL, and they’re opening a Sapphire Lounge there.
I talked about that exact predicament in this video! That's what I'm currently rocking. If you can get positive value from both of the cards and like to have them both, then that's really all that matters. It just depends on preferences.
Even though I fly out of Boston and having access to the sapphire lounge would be great, I can’t really justify that high annual fee when I don’t use Lyft that often. Amex platinum is also too much of a coupon book that I would struggle to make use of the credits. I’m leaning toward venture X
That's fair! It depends on how highly you value the perks on each of the cards, that's for sure. All are solid options for someone out there!
I think CSR is hot garbage. CSP is by fsr the eay to go. For $95 yiu have virtually all the same benefits as yiu do with reserve..
To each their own. However, it's impossible to make a blanket statement saying it's bad for everyone. Case in point, the CSR has the lowest EAF out of all of these cards for me, therefore it is not "hot garbage".
Minor point, but a lot of people (including myself currently, how I know) will also have the Quicksilver as a downgrade option to the Venture X. 1.5x cash is better than 1.25 miles if you're tired of transferring.
Great note! I've read that the Quicksilver is the only option outside of the Venture family you can downgrade the VX to. Thanks for pointing that out Robert.
I think capitol one works the best because Amex is not accepted In a lot of places so if you are an international traveler good luck. Very few places in Japan China and Eastern Europe accept Amex.
I'll be talking more about that next week!
@spencer do a video on the creator meet up and the process you went through to book all of your accommodations. Thanks man, keep up the great work!
Thank you for the recommendation man! And thank you for all the chats in Joe's live earlier!
While I am writing this the Amex Platinum only allows you to use your flight benefits on one airline, that you choose every year.
Correct!
Still planning to upgrade to the Ritz card? That’s a cheaper way to get into Chase lounges and with unlimited guests.
Unfortunately it doesn't get me into the one Sapphire lounge I care about the most, the Chase Sapphire Terrace lounge in the Austin airport. If it did, I'd downgrade the CSR to CSP and upgrade my Boundless to the Ritz. But since that's the one lounge it doesn't give you access too, I'm gonna wait on the PC for now.
I would be interested in learning more about the Edit collection benefit of the CSR :)
Thank you for sharing!! I'll definitely consider it.
I had the GOLD card (and received the bonus) and upgraded to the PLAT card a year later. Am I out of getting a PLAT bonus?
Technically yes, if you upgrade or downgrade to any Amex card you make yourself ineligible for the welcome offer on it. You may be able to get around this, but in general, that's the unfortunate case.
I believe C1 has extended the Prez status with hertz for VX card
Correct! The pinned comment is updated to reflect that.
I remember our convo trying to figure this out for me last week! I’ve decided imma hit up an Amex Gold card offer for 100k MRPs, I’ll get the Venture X right after that tho.
Reason being: I don’t have to pay annual fees as Active military, and Amex gold is a really useless card right now tbh, so I’ll get that now for the 100k and use the useful venture x later when I’m already out.
Yessir! I like where your head is at there. Without having to worry about annual fees, a lot of cards start to make sense where they otherwise may not. Might as well take advantage of that! Thank you again for your service brotha 👊🏼
Great video as always Spencer! I currently carry the VX because it’s so simple to justify as well as the CSP. I choose not to carry the platinum because the coupon approach is more trouble than it’s worth to me. Since your mention of utilizing the CSR 50% boost in a prior video I’ve been seriously considering upgrading my CSP to CSR at the 1 year mark. I know many people are “anti-portal” but if I’m honest with myself I’ve utilized some form of portal for most of my traveling prior to getting into the points game. Also, I’m rarely finding flight redemptions greater than 1.5 CPP as someone who primarily flies economy. I have above average income but prefer allocating my money to other aspects of traveling than the flight. Have you run into any issues utilizing the Chase Portal for the CSR boost? I’d love to hear you elaborate on it since it goes against the common theme of avoiding portals!
Thank you so much! The VX is definitely the simplest of the bunch and that can be a super power in a weird way! As for upgrading to the CSR and using the portal, I've found a lot of value in that. Every once in a while the prices through the portal are a bit inflated, but that's more specific to hotels than domestic flights from what I've seen. As long as you check every time, you should be fine! And you'll be able to get much higher values through the portal than directly with certain airlines and hotels so I've enjoyed using it personally. I should definitely make a full video about it down the line!
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial thanks for the reply! I definitely think a video would be beneficial for all those people who aren’t only focused on international business/first class flights. I rarely find anything even close to 1.5cpp on economy even more so domestically. For me, the simplicity and value far outweighs any of the “dreaded” potential issues with portal booking.
I have the CSR and have enjoyed it but it’s a little frustrating the CSR doesn’t directly give you any kind of status/airline lounge access just from having the card like the VX/Plat does. I’d love if it came with United Club access but even any kind of Hyatt, Marriot or IHG status would be nice. The DD credits are nice though
I definitely agree with you. I'd love to see them add some base level hotel status or something.
The United Club Infinite gives you United Club access and IHG Platinum Elite (second highest status).
I do have the AU vx but I still use my CSP often
That's great! The 2x back on the VX is definitely nice to have.
Ya I agree
What’s the formula for calculating cents per point
You'll take the total cash price, subtract the taxes and fees if you booked in points, divide by total points cost, and multiply by 100. There are calculators online too!
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficialthanks
I am planning to get the AmEx Platinum in early 2025. I am not excited about all the credits you need to keep track of to lower the effective annual fee, but the lounge benefits outweigh the headache of chasing the credits.
I completely get where you're coming from! Their lounges are highly sought after for a reason.
My 2 cents. It’s really easy once you get it set up. I never think about it. It’s also nice to use it directly with the airline or hotel and get 5x vs having to use a portal.
I would have liked to have seen the Cit top of the line compared too
not opened to new applicants. and not able to product change into. we will have to wait on that. as well as wells version
@@DiamondRyce the Citi Strada Premier isn’t open to new applicants?
Since Citi doesn't have a premium card offering yet I didn't include it. Hopefully they'll release one soon!
Great job on RUclips ♥️
Thank you Vicki! Great seeing you here!
Should I get the CFU as my second card?
The CFU is one of my favorite beginner credit cards for many reasons, but the fact alone that it's a catch-all credit card earning Chase UR points is huge. Especially if you want to eventually travel with your credit card points down the line. Which card you go with now is up to you, but I'd definitely consider the CFU as one of the options! Thanks for being here early btw 🥉
I was deciding between the CFU & CFF but I wouldn’t really use most of the quarterly categories so I think the 1.5% flat is better. Thanks!
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You're the man! 👑
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What's up!! 🥈
I've got the Platinum and tried to charge a $22K trip to Australia/NZ on it this past week. Unfortunately, the travel agency does not take Amex! I guess it's time to apply for a MC or V travel card with a great SUB.
Wow, that's really unfortunate to hear. I'll be talking more about Amex's acceptance in next week's video!
I got 100K capital one points but don’t know how to use them any ideas?
I'd look at using them with Capital One's transfer partners to get the most value. Which one you use completely depends on what trips you want to take, but using them for business or first-class flights is generally where you get the most value from your points.
High value cards explained by a High Value Man.
Says you Bob! You're the man.