The CSR is a solid card that's provided EASY, consistent positive value since day one. On the other hand, in 2024 every Amex card will have a $2000 AF offset by a $10 daily credit split across 5 different subscriptions for kale smoothies.
I remember when the Chase Sapphire Reserve was all the rage back in 2016 and at the time, this is when I came across your YT channel. Back then, my credit was in the dumps but always had it at the top of my list as one of the cards to get. I finally have it and love it, thanks to watching your channel and learning the pros and cons about credit and how to use it wisely. It's the best BF I could have ever imagined lol! 💎
I feel like Chase is really suffering from a product segmentation problem. Capital One really crippled Chase on the "Value Flagship" with the Venture X. It's really hard to compete when your closest functional competitor at the flagship level is $150 less (Venture X) and your product is not as premium as the other premium flagship (Amex Platinum). I feel like the CSR is sitting in the weird territory where the product is too expensive for value and not premium enough to command the higher price. Additionally, the "mid-tier" product (CSP) is already pretty solid with some key features (transfer partners) that the flagship already has. So it's really difficult to make "try before you buy" downgrade arguments with the CSR. Especially with the Chase's "One Sapphire" rule and the CSP usually having a better signup bonus than the CSR, I tend to recommend the CSP for friends and family who are looking to step into the travel points game. They can always upgrade to the CSR later and usually come out better in the long run because of the better bonus. Don't get me wrong. I love the CSR. It way my first premium credit card and I have some good memories. But the game has changed. That house is showing some age and is in need of some repairs.
The venture x is incredibly similar, and at the end of the day there’s effectively a -$5 annual fee when this card has an effective annual fee of $250. It’s not underrated, it’s simply not worth $255 more than the venture X. Capital one released a no bullshit incredible product.
The one thing that makes me have a hard time wanting the CSR is the fact that the CSP gives you 80% of the value the CSR does for a fraction of the annual fee (just $95). To me, the fact that you can transfer out to travel partners with the CSP is really the main perk you're looking for in a travel card, so the CSR isn't any different in that regard. Of course, the CSR comes with more travel benefits/credits, but at the same time, it all depends on how much you value those. As of right now, the CSR isn't much better than the CSP, so I can't justify the $550 AF. I hope they add some more value to it in the future though because Chase is my top lender! Thanks for this video though Sebby. The CSR is definitely getting some heat.
Add in that basically every freedom product except the original gives you 3x on restaurants, so don’t need the reserve for that anymore( which us bank altitude for does better at 4x).
There is an amount of spend that once you cross CSR -> CSP. If you're not spending that much then you should have Venture X anyway. That last 20% is money in your pocket. There is only a $200 AF difference between CSR and CSP. Less if you count TSA benefit, door dash credit, etc.
Thank you for making this video, completely agree. The CSR is my all time favorite card and I feel the thing that gets overlooked is the ease of use. Chase really beat Amex on this front and is what stopped me from getting the Amex Gold for so long. For the CSR the credits and the BROAD travel category that codes as 3x make it perfect. Recently traveling I used my Amex Gold to pay at a restaurant but since it was somehow supposedly connected to a hotel it coded as Travel and I got 1x for Amex vs 3x if I would have just used my CSR, I also had to think of this every time eating at a restaurant in a hotel I found myself just using the CSR to avoid running the risk of it not coding as dinning. With 3x on travel which usually are larger expenditures it racks up faster and makes the CSR an overall just great card to use for all your charges when traveling so you don't have to worry about losing out. I would much rather get at least 3x than run the risk fo getting 1x while chasing 4x. Parking garage charges even code as travel. Not having to jump through hoops to get credits and having a broad code for the multipliers makes it a great all over card, separate from all the perks that come with it. (also if you value DoorDash credits it reduces the AF to effectively $70 and $0 in a TSA Precheck renewal year). The 50% increase in pay yourself back is a great fall back at anytime you want to still get a great value at a decent rate if you aren't able to find a good airline or hotel redemption for a particular trip especially now that they are all dynamic point pricing. I do hope they refresh it soon with better multipliers since the non-AF cards now earn 3x on dinning which feels insulting to be paying the premium AF and have the same earn rate in that category.
The CSR adding a 4% back on groceries (to compete with Amex Gold) and adding hotel statuses (like the Platinum does with Hilton, etc) would make it a much more compelling card. There currently is just not enough added value from the CSP to the CSR to justify upgrading. Better to do the CSP which is much cheaper.
Just got approved for the CSR card on Sep 4 after spending months comparing it to the AMEX Platinum. So far, so good, as it fits my spending habit and lifestyle way better than the AMEX Platinum does. Thank you for the very informative video.
💎 Sapphire Reserve is fantastic! Great vase value of 1.5 cents per point and combines well with my Freedom, Freedom Flex, Freedom Unlimited, and all 3 Ink cards for a really powerful UR set up. The 10x on Lyft makes this card a big time keeper
💎 I’ve had the CSR for a few years, and I’m completely satisfied with it. Absent an exclusive lounge network (hurry up, Chase), it adequately addresses travelers’ needs. I like not having to worry about trip cancellation, rental car coverage, etc. I receive a lot of offers for the Amex Platinum, but I’m not ready to switch yet. I’m tied to the Chase eco system for now and have no complaints.
My biggest issue with the CSR is that for me at least it doesn't make sense as long-term hold with the $250.00 effective annual fee, and I don't like to get a card unless I'm going to keep it long-term. I feel like I get enough of the benefits from the CSP with a $45.00 effective annual fee that the CSR is not really worth it for me, which I suspect may be the case with a lot of people for whom the multipliers on the CSR don't really move the needle very much (if you get a lot of use out of the 10X multipliers, then the CSR could very well be worth it for you). Plus, I just absolutely do not care about lounge access or any of the other airport perks, but that's just a personal thing. If you're someone for whom those things are valuable, it could be worth it to you. To me, no matter how you slice it, I just want to spend as little time in airports as possible. The only time when I may feel differently is during a long flight delay, but the cost of that perk is just not worth it for me when I typically only take one major trip per year. Anyway, just my thoughts.
I picked up the Amex Platinum so decided to downgrade CSR to CSP this year. Chase increased the annual fee on the CSR without really adding any significant benefits to the card, yet they kept the annual fee the same for the CSP and added a few benefits that definitely made it a better card.
Definitely the CSR has more value for me as it’s my main card for all my travels. I live in NYC and frequently take Lyft rides to commute to work or running errands. That 10 pts for each Lyft ride has easily been my deriving engine to my chase trifecta along CFF & CFU which all together has massively boosts my Chase Ultimate Rewards. I definitely love my CSR!
Know how to get a CSR if one already has a CSP? I also have 11 total cards-but very good credit. My CSP has a high credit line which might be a problem.
@@superseiyan If you have CSP for a year and credit line over 10K, you can call Chase and have it product change to CSR as you can only have 1 Sapphire card at a time. In addition, does no hard pull doing does. The only downside is that you won't get the signup bonus.
That would be nice, as of now they just added the ability to refer other people to receive 10k bonus points. But who knows what else they're working on behind the scenes. Hopefully something good since the Sapphire lounges are in the works.
Still holding my CSR. If you’re in the city it’s a no brainer. What people aren’t mentioning as well is the $15 monthly instacart credit. That’s $180/yr to grocery shop. The CSR is the Golden State Warriors of the credit card world. Largely hated on, no thunderous dunks or 6’8 superstars running around, but they play well together, get buckets, and over time keep winning chips
💎 I which you would discuss the travel insurance benefits more. The CSR offers trip cancelation for $10,000 per person/$20,000 per trip. This is compared to only $2000 for the Capitol One Venture X.
Totally agree. I use my CSR to fund my long distance relationship which involves flying between two cities where I can never beat 1.5cpp through travel partners. I had to get over feeling like I was “losing value” and admit that CSR was simply the right move for me this year. #YMMV
I was able to get a retention offer in the form of a 250.00 statement credit. With that in mind the 300 dollar travel credit brings my annual fee to zero 😅 Yet I’m still thinking about down grading to a CSP.
Underrated, and yes, "boring is better"💎 This includes their Luxury Hotels & Resorts perk... easily comparable to the Amex FHR or Hotel Coll imo. The 10x rental cars with prim CDW, and especially the bene of not having to use their travel portal for earnings. I'd like to see better lounge access, and a basic 2x and gas multiplier🤞🏾
This continues to be a great card.for us. That is mostly because the points transfer from our chase freedom unlimited (1.5% earn) and 50% bonus on pay yourself back essentially nets 2.25% as a worst case scenario for earn and redemption, even before using some of the higher earn / redemption categories on the CSR.
OMG, I laughed out loud when you mentioned viewers being triggered and getting angry when the numbers do not quite align and demanding that you fix and remake the video. As a fellow creator, I empathize with you on this one! Some people do not understand how taking down and "remaking" a video can completely ruin channel stats!
My plan is to get a CSP when there is an elevated bonus. Gotta get biggest bang for the buck especially since you can only have one Sapphire product at a time. I had the original Sapphire and downgraded it to another Freedom so I would be ready for it
Csr is my work horse card. I stack the 10x back with lyft and, buy lyft gc from the mpx ap. I accumulate delta sky miles through Lyft. Accumulate United miles through MileagePlus X. The 10 X back with the lift Sapfire Reserve perk and 25% bonus for having a United cc helps me get 12.25% per $1 each take I time I take Lyft. Currently have the Chase hexfecter to accrue points.
I ended up getting the CSR after watching numerous videos and research. while all the subscriptions on the Amex sound good, I would most likely not going to be using any of them. personally, i spend the most money on food and I wanted to convert that into travel points at 150%. In addition, the 10x points through the chase portal sounded a whole lot better in addition to all the travel insurance
For the welcome bonus. Do the purchases need to be posted or just purchased in pending status by the three month window? I have a couple of purchases that are pending and I am three days until the date I need to spend X amount to get the welcome bonus.
I'm personally struggling with the CSR compared to the CSP. With the same earning rate for dining, and an effective fee of $50, trying to squeeze the value out of the CSR with its effective fee of 250 is just rough. I could maybe see it with the doordash credits and if I could use priority pass but, for some reason all last year and this year I have yet to be able to successfully use the priority pass in my travels. The fact that the CSP has the 10% annual bonus reward and the CSR doesn't isn't helping either haha.
It’s still my favorite card despite the annual fee. Its DoorDash pass and monthly credit and Lyft bonus points are easily worth $150/year for me in the city. It’s also a no-brained card when traveling overseas and booking hotels/airbnbs, rental cars, restaurants, etc., all without FX fee.
Ty just got the Sapphire. I wouldn’t get all the new enrollment credits if I just ordered my freedom so I had to apply for a few card. Note what to do with all my freedom points. I don’t think they transfer to sapphire. I’ll look to redeem via gift cards in sale. Those just don’t redeem for much besides that it seems. This makes me rethink my Amex platinum. Why would I need both when I feel this is so much better. That being said that card is good for digital credit,200/year airline credit, Uber but that’s ending that’s kinda about it. Their hotels are getting priced out too expensive to use it.
Solid take Sebby. As you can see by the comments people still don't get it. If you travel "enough" CSR -> VentureX -> CSP. People still think that extra $250 is hard to recoup!? As long as Chase has PYB CSR will remain the best card according to my spreadsheets. Not even counting $5/month Door Dash credit. I have Vx and CSR. given an equal choice I use CSR for the superior insurances and better points. Really want to keep Vx but they need to add more benefits. As soon as I spend my $300 I shift to using CSR...
The issue was back then, it truly was the best option and had amazing benefits that put it far ahead of the competition. However like when the Citi Prestige card massively stripped away many of the benefits in September 2019 that made it amazing in comparison to the others, they became lame and a shadow of themselves. Until that happened, the Citi Prestige and Chase Sapphire Reserve were the best and their annual fee was lower to similar premium cards such as Amex Platinum and even had travel/evacuation insurance God forbid
The 💎 reserve is a earner card with lounge access. The core issue is that you need to spend enough on travel not via the portal to make the card make sense. If you travel all of the time then you may get better value from the Amex plat. If you travel 4x a year as in Sebby’s example unless the trips are really long I think the Venture X is a lot easier to get value from. You can always add the CSP and the effective AF is still less than the CSR
I have a Sapphire Reserve credit card and am looking for a credit card for my wife. We recently realized her BOA points don’t go as far when planning travels. Hoping we can utilize points better for travels next year with my CSR and her new card. Any recommendations as a “player 2 card” paired with CSR? Thanks 🙏 😊
I have a question about the Chase freedom flex: so this quarter is getting 5x on groceries. So let’s say I’m having a hard time spending 1,500 in that quarter. Can I supplement my spending by buying gifts from the grocery store to reach that goal of 1,500 in the quarter would that work?
Great talk Seb - I agree and it's how I've been selling it to anyone who asks me about "the game". "it just works" and you nailed it with the "all arounder". One perk I stress to anyone and everyone is the Primary CDW. Yes the CSP gets it as well, but I just can't bring myself to settle for 2x on the "elevated" categories. Anyway - good stuff. Cheers!
@@FreeGraceNotes Course - at the time they only offered 2x on the elevated categories (travel, etc). Nowadays its quite a bit 3x (dining, online grocery and streaming), but still 2x on travel. Even today, the 2x on travel and 1.25 redemption vs 3x (travel/restaurants), 1.5 redemption on points and 10x on hotels through the portal but I also travel a ton so its a personal thing. The 50% redemption makes the CFU over 2% back so works for now. The CSR is due for a total makeover one day soon I hope! Hope this helps!
💎 Got the CSR in the beginning with the 100K SUB and had it ever since... "trifecta'd" up with the CFU & CFF ... by far my fastest points earning engine.
The CSR is properly rated. It has its use cases, but it's in an awkward position where it's neither the cheapest/best value premium lounge access travel card (Venture X) nor the highest end/most inclusive lounge access travel card (Amex Plat). It's kinda an alternative coupon-book card for people who already use doordash, lyft, instacart but don't use Walmart+, Equinox, Uber, Saks. If you're committed to spending UR points, then the 1.5x redemption through the portal is a useful option too.
💎 As always, great content! I have the Sapphire Preferred (along with the CFU and CFF) card. I plan to step up to a "tier 4" travel card in 2023. Weighing the differences between upgrading to the Sapphire Reserve or getting the AMEX Platinum card, the Platinum card seems to have the better benefits over the CSR. Plus, I agree with some of the other commenters that Chase seems to have neglected the CSR for a while now.
If I am on month 48 of my CSR and my annual fee just hit + $300 credit used this week on car rental, can I downgrade to freedom and then reapply? Will I get full $550 or prorated? Should I wait a certain amount of time after downgrade to apply?
💎 you know I'll always drop a thumbs up Sebby! I just applied for the Aspire card and got approved...150k for 4k spend in 3 months. Now I need to downgrade my Surpass when it's almost time for the annual fee to hit.
Last year I got CSP with 80k SUB, annual fee waived and $50 grocery credit so I just upgraded it to CSR with an assumed annual fee of 550-(300+95+50) =$105. It worths it for other benefits!
I’ve had the Preferred for 4 years now so if I downgrade that to be eligible for the reserve bonus, what happens to the UR points during the period you don’t have a sapphire card?
💎 I love my CSR card, the Hyatt transfer partnership is so worth it if you travel frequently. I’m getting a $3k stay from points at Hyatt. I saved up the points during the pandemic so paying three years of annual fees even when I wasn’t traveling was worth it just for that.
Enjoy your videos. As military person stationed in Europe this is my primary spend card. No foreign transaction fees, it’s accepted everywhere, unlike my Platinum card. I get 3x on dining in addition to everything else you mentioned. I’m contemplating adding the Bonvoy or IHG premium cards to the mix at some point. The travel benefits are nice and suit my family well. I plan to change the strategy upon return to the US to an an AMEX trifecta.
💎 I still use and love my CSR card. My EZ Pass auto-debits this card. I just use it for dining and travel. If I don’t go somewhere one or two years in a row, I use the travel credit through EZ Pass and Metrocard refills and bank the points until I do plan to go somewhere.
And the reserve isn’t the same LOL? Once you get past the more flexible $300 credit on the reserve you still have to use the portal to achieve the higher multipliers.
@@jameshorton3692 lol you can get 3x on dining and drug store on a card that doesn’t cost $550 and chase doesn’t even offer 2x on everything! Lmao! This card is so behind for a premium travel card it’s laughable.
@@JB-pk1jx no shit? You can get it on the sapphire preferred which Is only 95. Also you are clearly a simp or a bot if you travel and think the reserve costs 550.
Thank you for the video!! I am thinking about getting one Sapphire Reserve but I already paid yearly Lyft Pink for my CITI Bike membership.... not sure how to get the membership reimbursed with the new card? Thanks!
The issue I have with AMEX is that if you travel a lot or live temporarily outside of the US there’s a lot of countries where businesses will not accept AMEX… no point in having a card that is not accepted everywhere. That’s key for US military members because they could be moving anywhere in the world at any time, plus they don’t pay the monthly fee…so in that sense I think Chase makes much more sense to that specific group of people.
I live in Mexico and have 4 AMEX Cards, 2 Chase and 2 Capital One. AMEX is widely accepted in Mexico. By the way, AMEX Plat waives the AF for active miltary.
@@johnwoodham3263 unfortunately is not widely accepted in Europe, most local restaurants will not take AMEX due to being expensive for them. Some places won’t even take any cards, you will have to pay in cash. So is very limiting if you only rely on the AMEX, is a no brainer if you don’t pay the AF fee but at this time I don’t see a point in getting it when there’s other options. Maybe I’ll consider it if I move to the US.
I love my csr, mainly not having to wait a whole year to have the travel credit verses hotel cards making you wait a year to redeem your annual free night. Also the multipliers are decent compared to a card like the platinum
YMMV depending on spend and how you value the other perks (i.e., primary CDW). Handy calculator if you're on the fence: www.asksebby.com/credit-card-reviews/chase-sapphire-reserve-calculator
💎 I still evaluate if I should keep this card every year and even though it’s not the most “exciting” anymore the numbers always just make sense and it’s turned into a keeper card for me.
I find Southwest to be a great transfer partner as well. It's a minimum of 1.5 cpp and can easily be 3 cpp when you throw in the companion pass...which is super easy to get.
It's only 1.5 cpp w/ CSR *if* you redeem URs by getting Southwest tickets with points on the Chase portal. If you transfer the Chase points to Southwest directly, it is 1:1 ratio both with CSR *and* CSP, and the CSP is so much cheaper so. Not much value there unless you redeem CSR pts directly through Chase portal (which is almost never a good idea as you get much higher cpp by transferring out to partners)
@@LaBoricuaOG I wasn't trying to point out the difference between CSR & CSP, rather, trying to point out that Hyatt isn't the only way to get "outsized" value from UR. My example being Southwest with a Companion Pass effectively gives you 3 cpp, versus Hyatt's 2 cpp.
Can you do a video on what to do with Citi Premier card after first year? I currently thinking of downgrading it but I heard that it will affect my qualification on getting other citi card bonuses.
I would just run the numbers for your situation: www.asksebby.com/credit-card-reviews/csp-vs-csr Reminder, you can upgrade / downgrade after the first 12 months.
The Venture X has already vanquished the CSR. The better lounge benefits, better and free authorized users, lower annual fee, annual retention offer make the VX the new king of the hill.
Applied for this yesterday and was denied because they said I earned new member Sapphire bonus within the last 48 months, which is untrue. I have been unable to get it resolved because card member services only see a bonus in Feb 2019 and they cannot contact Chase support, who confirms that I actually received the bonus in Aug 2018. Any suggestions from the community?! Thanks
I considered downgrading my CCR to CCP but I got my first taste of airport lounges this year and I'm hooked. I want to stay in the Chase ecosystem so the Venture X is not an option. 💎💎💎💎
💳 Sebby's Card Picks: www.asksebby.com/credit-cards
CSR Calculator: www.asksebby.com/credit-card-reviews/chase-sapphire-reserve-calculator
The CSR is a solid card that's provided EASY, consistent positive value since day one.
On the other hand, in 2024 every Amex card will have a $2000 AF offset by a $10 daily credit split across 5 different subscriptions for kale smoothies.
😂
I laughed. Then I realized this isn’t a joke
😂😂😂
I just signed up for the Amex Plat based on your comment, just for the kale smoothies. I hope you weren't kidding.
😂😂😂😂🎉
Still rocking the CSP. To me its not enough of a difference to upgrade to CSR. Honestly id rather keep my CSP & get the VX.
VX is quietly getting nerfed in the travel portal. Shame.
I remember when the Chase Sapphire Reserve was all the rage back in 2016 and at the time, this is when I came across your YT channel. Back then, my credit was in the dumps but always had it at the top of my list as one of the cards to get. I finally have it and love it, thanks to watching your channel and learning the pros and cons about credit and how to use it wisely. It's the best BF I could have ever imagined lol! 💎
I feel like Chase is really suffering from a product segmentation problem. Capital One really crippled Chase on the "Value Flagship" with the Venture X. It's really hard to compete when your closest functional competitor at the flagship level is $150 less (Venture X) and your product is not as premium as the other premium flagship (Amex Platinum). I feel like the CSR is sitting in the weird territory where the product is too expensive for value and not premium enough to command the higher price.
Additionally, the "mid-tier" product (CSP) is already pretty solid with some key features (transfer partners) that the flagship already has. So it's really difficult to make "try before you buy" downgrade arguments with the CSR. Especially with the Chase's "One Sapphire" rule and the CSP usually having a better signup bonus than the CSR, I tend to recommend the CSP for friends and family who are looking to step into the travel points game. They can always upgrade to the CSR later and usually come out better in the long run because of the better bonus.
Don't get me wrong. I love the CSR. It way my first premium credit card and I have some good memories. But the game has changed. That house is showing some age and is in need of some repairs.
The venture x is incredibly similar, and at the end of the day there’s effectively a -$5 annual fee when this card has an effective annual fee of $250. It’s not underrated, it’s simply not worth $255 more than the venture X. Capital one released a no bullshit incredible product.
The far better transfer partners and 1.5x redemption through the Chase portal are absolutely worth that much
The one thing that makes me have a hard time wanting the CSR is the fact that the CSP gives you 80% of the value the CSR does for a fraction of the annual fee (just $95). To me, the fact that you can transfer out to travel partners with the CSP is really the main perk you're looking for in a travel card, so the CSR isn't any different in that regard. Of course, the CSR comes with more travel benefits/credits, but at the same time, it all depends on how much you value those. As of right now, the CSR isn't much better than the CSP, so I can't justify the $550 AF. I hope they add some more value to it in the future though because Chase is my top lender! Thanks for this video though Sebby. The CSR is definitely getting some heat.
Add in that basically every freedom product except the original gives you 3x on restaurants, so don’t need the reserve for that anymore( which us bank altitude for does better at 4x).
Yeah, this is why I decided to pair the CSP with the VentureX.
I was coming to write this but you already did. Totally agree.
@@ericcc172 Same
There is an amount of spend that once you cross CSR -> CSP. If you're not spending that much then you should have Venture X anyway. That last 20% is money in your pocket. There is only a $200 AF difference between CSR and CSP. Less if you count TSA benefit, door dash credit, etc.
Thank you for making this video, completely agree. The CSR is my all time favorite card and I feel the thing that gets overlooked is the ease of use. Chase really beat Amex on this front and is what stopped me from getting the Amex Gold for so long. For the CSR the credits and the BROAD travel category that codes as 3x make it perfect. Recently traveling I used my Amex Gold to pay at a restaurant but since it was somehow supposedly connected to a hotel it coded as Travel and I got 1x for Amex vs 3x if I would have just used my CSR, I also had to think of this every time eating at a restaurant in a hotel I found myself just using the CSR to avoid running the risk of it not coding as dinning. With 3x on travel which usually are larger expenditures it racks up faster and makes the CSR an overall just great card to use for all your charges when traveling so you don't have to worry about losing out. I would much rather get at least 3x than run the risk fo getting 1x while chasing 4x. Parking garage charges even code as travel. Not having to jump through hoops to get credits and having a broad code for the multipliers makes it a great all over card, separate from all the perks that come with it. (also if you value DoorDash credits it reduces the AF to effectively $70 and $0 in a TSA Precheck renewal year). The 50% increase in pay yourself back is a great fall back at anytime you want to still get a great value at a decent rate if you aren't able to find a good airline or hotel redemption for a particular trip especially now that they are all dynamic point pricing. I do hope they refresh it soon with better multipliers since the non-AF cards now earn 3x on dinning which feels insulting to be paying the premium AF and have the same earn rate in that category.
The CSR adding a 4% back on groceries (to compete with Amex Gold) and adding hotel statuses (like the Platinum does with Hilton, etc) would make it a much more compelling card.
There currently is just not enough added value from the CSP to the CSR to justify upgrading. Better to do the CSP which is much cheaper.
Wait they did? Online grocery or any?
totally agree, will never get the csr unless they up the ante. happy with my csp
Just got approved for the CSR card on Sep 4 after spending months comparing it to the AMEX Platinum. So far, so good, as it fits my spending habit and lifestyle way better than the AMEX Platinum does. Thank you for the very informative video.
💎 Sapphire Reserve is fantastic! Great vase value of 1.5 cents per point and combines well with my Freedom, Freedom Flex, Freedom Unlimited, and all 3 Ink cards for a really powerful UR set up. The 10x on Lyft makes this card a big time keeper
💎 I’ve had the CSR for a few years, and I’m completely satisfied with it. Absent an exclusive lounge network (hurry up, Chase), it adequately addresses travelers’ needs. I like not having to worry about trip cancellation, rental car coverage, etc. I receive a lot of offers for the Amex Platinum, but I’m not ready to switch yet. I’m tied to the Chase eco system for now and have no complaints.
My biggest issue with the CSR is that for me at least it doesn't make sense as long-term hold with the $250.00 effective annual fee, and I don't like to get a card unless I'm going to keep it long-term. I feel like I get enough of the benefits from the CSP with a $45.00 effective annual fee that the CSR is not really worth it for me, which I suspect may be the case with a lot of people for whom the multipliers on the CSR don't really move the needle very much (if you get a lot of use out of the 10X multipliers, then the CSR could very well be worth it for you). Plus, I just absolutely do not care about lounge access or any of the other airport perks, but that's just a personal thing. If you're someone for whom those things are valuable, it could be worth it to you. To me, no matter how you slice it, I just want to spend as little time in airports as possible. The only time when I may feel differently is during a long flight delay, but the cost of that perk is just not worth it for me when I typically only take one major trip per year. Anyway, just my thoughts.
I picked up the Amex Platinum so decided to downgrade CSR to CSP this year. Chase increased the annual fee on the CSR without really adding any significant benefits to the card, yet they kept the annual fee the same for the CSP and added a few benefits that definitely made it a better card.
Definitely the CSR has more value for me as it’s my main card for all my travels. I live in NYC and frequently take Lyft rides to commute to work or running errands. That 10 pts for each Lyft ride has easily been my deriving engine to my chase trifecta along CFF & CFU which all together has massively boosts my Chase Ultimate Rewards. I definitely love my CSR!
Know how to get a CSR if one already has a CSP? I also have 11 total cards-but very good credit. My CSP has a high credit line which might be a problem.
@@superseiyan If you have CSP for a year and credit line over 10K, you can call Chase and have it product change to CSR as you can only have 1 Sapphire card at a time. In addition, does no hard pull doing does. The only downside is that you won't get the signup bonus.
Sticking with mine because it’s got everything I need. It benefits me the most compared to other cards.
I think if they added something like the Venture X’s bonus miles at the end of the cardmember year, it would help💎
That would be nice, as of now they just added the ability to refer other people to receive 10k bonus points. But who knows what else they're working on behind the scenes. Hopefully something good since the Sapphire lounges are in the works.
The CSP got that feature last year. 10% anniversary points bonus on all points earned during the card membership year.
Hey, thanks for the cameo! 😁
hope you’re doing well! 😃
Still holding my CSR. If you’re in the city it’s a no brainer. What people aren’t mentioning as well is the $15 monthly instacart credit. That’s $180/yr to grocery shop.
The CSR is the Golden State Warriors of the credit card world. Largely hated on, no thunderous dunks or 6’8 superstars running around, but they play well together, get buckets, and over time keep winning chips
I love this
💎 I which you would discuss the travel insurance benefits more. The CSR offers trip cancelation for $10,000 per person/$20,000 per trip. This is compared to only $2000 for the Capitol One Venture X.
Totally agree. I use my CSR to fund my long distance relationship which involves flying between two cities where I can never beat 1.5cpp through travel partners. I had to get over feeling like I was “losing value” and admit that CSR was simply the right move for me this year. #YMMV
I was able to get a retention offer in the form of a 250.00 statement credit. With that in mind the 300 dollar travel credit brings my annual fee to zero 😅 Yet I’m still thinking about down grading to a CSP.
💎 and thank you for this vid! I have the CSR and it would be great if it had 5x on air w/o portal like the Amex card
Hi Sebby,
Would I still get points by booking flights on Google flights instead of the portal?
Underrated, and yes, "boring is better"💎 This includes their Luxury Hotels & Resorts perk... easily comparable to the Amex FHR or Hotel Coll imo. The 10x rental cars with prim CDW, and especially the bene of not having to use their travel portal for earnings. I'd like to see better lounge access, and a basic 2x and gas multiplier🤞🏾
This continues to be a great card.for us. That is mostly because the points transfer from our chase freedom unlimited (1.5% earn) and 50% bonus on pay yourself back essentially nets 2.25% as a worst case scenario for earn and redemption, even before using some of the higher earn / redemption categories on the CSR.
OMG, I laughed out loud when you mentioned viewers being triggered and getting angry when the numbers do not quite align and demanding that you fix and remake the video. As a fellow creator, I empathize with you on this one! Some people do not understand how taking down and "remaking" a video can completely ruin channel stats!
My plan is to get a CSP when there is an elevated bonus. Gotta get biggest bang for the buck especially since you can only have one Sapphire product at a time. I had the original Sapphire and downgraded it to another Freedom so I would be ready for it
After watching your TH-cam video, now I’m considering upgrading my CSP back to the CSR. Thank you
Don't forget the VISA infinite privileges! 12 month added warranty, 90 day returns, trip interruptions etc etc.
CSR is truly the ultimate safe significant other, and my significant other has the CSR as well 💎
Csr is my work horse card. I stack the 10x back with lyft and, buy lyft gc from the mpx ap. I accumulate delta sky miles through Lyft. Accumulate United miles through MileagePlus X. The 10 X back with the lift Sapfire Reserve perk and 25% bonus for having a United cc helps me get 12.25% per $1 each take I time I take Lyft. Currently have the Chase hexfecter to accrue points.
I ended up getting the CSR after watching numerous videos and research. while all the subscriptions on the Amex sound good, I would most likely not going to be using any of them. personally, i spend the most money on food and I wanted to convert that into travel points at 150%. In addition, the 10x points through the chase portal sounded a whole lot better in addition to all the travel insurance
For the welcome bonus. Do the purchases need to be posted or just purchased in pending status by the three month window? I have a couple of purchases that are pending and I am three days until the date I need to spend X amount to get the welcome bonus.
I'm personally struggling with the CSR compared to the CSP. With the same earning rate for dining, and an effective fee of $50, trying to squeeze the value out of the CSR with its effective fee of 250 is just rough. I could maybe see it with the doordash credits and if I could use priority pass but, for some reason all last year and this year I have yet to be able to successfully use the priority pass in my travels. The fact that the CSP has the 10% annual bonus reward and the CSR doesn't isn't helping either haha.
Priority pass is WAY oversubscribed in the US on domestic travel
It’s still my favorite card despite the annual fee. Its DoorDash pass and monthly credit and Lyft bonus points are easily worth $150/year for me in the city. It’s also a no-brained card when traveling overseas and booking hotels/airbnbs, rental cars, restaurants, etc., all without FX fee.
beside the amex centurion black card which card is the hardest to get? thanks
Ty just got the Sapphire. I wouldn’t get all the new enrollment credits if I just ordered my freedom so I had to apply for a few card. Note what to do with all my freedom points. I don’t think they transfer to sapphire. I’ll look to redeem via gift cards in sale. Those just don’t redeem for much besides that it seems. This makes me rethink my Amex platinum. Why would I need both when I feel this is so much better. That being said that card is good for digital credit,200/year airline credit, Uber but that’s ending that’s kinda about it. Their hotels are getting priced out too expensive to use it.
When will you do an updated "whats in my wallet" video? maybe for Q4 2022?
💎 I’ve had the CSR since early 2017 and use it with CFF and CFU. Currently keeping an eye on the CSP SUB to see if it goes up…
Solid take Sebby. As you can see by the comments people still don't get it. If you travel "enough" CSR -> VentureX -> CSP.
People still think that extra $250 is hard to recoup!? As long as Chase has PYB CSR will remain the best card according to my spreadsheets. Not even counting $5/month Door Dash credit.
I have Vx and CSR. given an equal choice I use CSR for the superior insurances and better points. Really want to keep Vx but they need to add more benefits. As soon as I spend my $300 I shift to using CSR...
Looking at moving my CSP to CSR just based on the travel insurance
I miss 2016 when I was genuinely excited about this card 😬💳
The issue was back then, it truly was the best option and had amazing benefits that put it far ahead of the competition. However like when the Citi Prestige card massively stripped away many of the benefits in September 2019 that made it amazing in comparison to the others, they became lame and a shadow of themselves. Until that happened, the Citi Prestige and Chase Sapphire Reserve were the best and their annual fee was lower to similar premium cards such as Amex Platinum and even had travel/evacuation insurance God forbid
The 💎 reserve is a earner card with lounge access. The core issue is that you need to spend enough on travel not via the portal to make the card make sense. If you travel all of the time then you may get better value from the Amex plat. If you travel 4x a year as in Sebby’s example unless the trips are really long I think the Venture X is a lot easier to get value from. You can always add the CSP and the effective AF is still less than the CSR
I have a Sapphire Reserve credit card and am looking for a credit card for my wife. We recently realized her BOA points don’t go as far when planning travels. Hoping we can utilize points better for travels next year with my CSR and her new card. Any recommendations as a “player 2 card” paired with CSR? Thanks 🙏 😊
I'm "ask (ing) Sebby"! Do the Chase business cards have airport lounge access?
I have a question about the Chase freedom flex: so this quarter is getting 5x on groceries. So let’s say I’m having a hard time spending 1,500 in that quarter. Can I supplement my spending by buying gifts from the grocery store to reach that goal of 1,500 in the quarter would that work?
Great talk Seb - I agree and it's how I've been selling it to anyone who asks me about "the game". "it just works" and you nailed it with the "all arounder". One perk I stress to anyone and everyone is the Primary CDW. Yes the CSP gets it as well, but I just can't bring myself to settle for 2x on the "elevated" categories.
Anyway - good stuff.
Cheers!
can you explain the 2x on elevated categories part?
@@FreeGraceNotes Course - at the time they only offered 2x on the elevated categories (travel, etc). Nowadays its quite a bit 3x (dining, online grocery and streaming), but still 2x on travel. Even today, the 2x on travel and 1.25 redemption vs 3x (travel/restaurants), 1.5 redemption on points and 10x on hotels through the portal but I also travel a ton so its a personal thing. The 50% redemption makes the CFU over 2% back so works for now. The CSR is due for a total makeover one day soon I hope! Hope this helps!
💎 Got the CSR in the beginning with the 100K SUB and had it ever since... "trifecta'd" up with the CFU & CFF ... by far my fastest points earning engine.
The CSR is properly rated. It has its use cases, but it's in an awkward position where it's neither the cheapest/best value premium lounge access travel card (Venture X) nor the highest end/most inclusive lounge access travel card (Amex Plat). It's kinda an alternative coupon-book card for people who already use doordash, lyft, instacart but don't use Walmart+, Equinox, Uber, Saks. If you're committed to spending UR points, then the 1.5x redemption through the portal is a useful option too.
Did chase discontinue the IHG premier? I can't find the application on their website anymore. Maybe foreshadowing?
💎 As always, great content! I have the Sapphire Preferred (along with the CFU and CFF) card. I plan to step up to a "tier 4" travel card in 2023. Weighing the differences between upgrading to the Sapphire Reserve or getting the AMEX Platinum card, the Platinum card seems to have the better benefits over the CSR. Plus, I agree with some of the other commenters that Chase seems to have neglected the CSR for a while now.
Make sense to have csr & platinun?💎
What can I say about the Chase Sapphire Reserve that hasn’t already been said about James Madison?
If I am on month 48 of my CSR and my annual fee just hit + $300 credit used this week on car rental, can I downgrade to freedom and then reapply? Will I get full $550 or prorated? Should I wait a certain amount of time after downgrade to apply?
doordash credit, dashpass, instacart +, instacart credit makes that $250 fee a lot lower
So I use the CSP and I think in year 4 I will downgrade and then reapply for CSR for the bonus. Is this a good plan? 💎
Yup, good plan!
Yes, that's what I will do too., I joined Jan of 2018
💎 you know I'll always drop a thumbs up Sebby! I just applied for the Aspire card and got approved...150k for 4k spend in 3 months. Now I need to downgrade my Surpass when it's almost time for the annual fee to hit.
My wife works for Chase and she just told me to get a CSR, that became my only active card from that point on
I still have and use Chase Sapphire Reserve daily on dining and travel. Chase provide primary car rental insurance which I use often during travel. 💎
💎 “boring is better”. As one who’s had a chaotic life I agree. I think this is going to be my next card. Thanks Sebby!
I have a CSP and grabbed the venture X for the free AU. But hoping chase will add something to shake up the premium card scene again. 💎
Would you do a video on just travel insurance? CC and private companies.
Just call the number on the back and tell them you need to make a travel insurance claim. They will help you.
Last year I got CSP with 80k SUB, annual fee waived and $50 grocery credit so I just upgraded it to CSR with an assumed annual fee of 550-(300+95+50) =$105. It worths it for other benefits!
Have you done a video on the Wells Fargo Autograph Visa Card? Your thoughts?
I'm upgrading to this card at the end of the year.
I like the 10X on Lyft and Primary CDW. I wish the 💎 CSR would add a hotel status maybe Hyatt discoverist
High Hyatt status would be LIFE CHANGING for the CSR!!!
Chase really needs a premium S-tier Hyatt card. Hyatt evidences no interest in one, however.
Nice to a see a vid on a card you’ve had for a while
I’ve had the Preferred for 4 years now so if I downgrade that to be eligible for the reserve bonus, what happens to the UR points during the period you don’t have a sapphire card?
💎 I love my CSR card, the Hyatt transfer partnership is so worth it if you travel frequently. I’m getting a $3k stay from points at Hyatt. I saved up the points during the pandemic so paying three years of annual fees even when I wasn’t traveling was worth it just for that.
is the chase sapphire preffered still good?
Still a solid pickup, especially if you're eligible for Chase cards.
I heard a new intro bonus of $90k is coming to one of the Sapphire cards next week.
Enjoy your videos. As military person stationed in Europe this is my primary spend card. No foreign transaction fees, it’s accepted everywhere, unlike my Platinum card. I get 3x on dining in addition to everything else you mentioned. I’m contemplating adding the Bonvoy or IHG premium cards to the mix at some point. The travel benefits are nice and suit my family well. I plan to change the strategy upon return to the US to an an AMEX trifecta.
How does this compare to the venture x whith the authorized users also getting airport lounge access?💎
💎 I still use and love my CSR card. My EZ Pass auto-debits this card. I just use it for dining and travel. If I don’t go somewhere one or two years in a row, I use the travel credit through EZ Pass and Metrocard refills and bank the points until I do plan to go somewhere.
I love the CSR because it makes my CFU and CF 2.25% and 7.5% cash back cards
an overlooked fact, including making the dining credit 4.5%. CSR needs to do a base 2x and gas multiplier imo
@@nubianpwr I got the USAA 5% all the time for that
The Venture X only makes sense if you love travel portals.
And the reserve isn’t the same LOL? Once you get past the more flexible $300 credit on the reserve you still have to use the portal to achieve the higher multipliers.
@@JB-pk1jx 3 points on travel and dining and drug stores plus 5 x on categories bears anything capital one offers for non portal spending.
@@jameshorton3692 lol you can get 3x on dining and drug store on a card that doesn’t cost $550 and chase doesn’t even offer 2x on everything! Lmao! This card is so behind for a premium travel card it’s laughable.
@@JB-pk1jx no shit? You can get it on the sapphire preferred which Is only 95. Also you are clearly a simp or a bot if you travel and think the reserve costs 550.
LMAO😄
💎 thank you! This is the only card I use exactly cuz if the all around features. Do they ever offer loyalty points?
Csr isnt worth it for me. Downgraded to a flex. Will apply for the csp when the 48 month rules ends for me
Thank you for the video!! I am thinking about getting one Sapphire Reserve but I already paid yearly Lyft Pink for my CITI Bike membership.... not sure how to get the membership reimbursed with the new card? Thanks!
The issue I have with AMEX is that if you travel a lot or live temporarily outside of the US there’s a lot of countries where businesses will not accept AMEX… no point in having a card that is not accepted everywhere. That’s key for US military members because they could be moving anywhere in the world at any time, plus they don’t pay the monthly fee…so in that sense I think Chase makes much more sense to that specific group of people.
I live in Mexico and have 4 AMEX Cards, 2 Chase and 2 Capital One. AMEX is widely accepted in Mexico. By the way, AMEX Plat waives the AF for active miltary.
@@johnwoodham3263 unfortunately is not widely accepted in Europe, most local restaurants will not take AMEX due to being expensive for them. Some places won’t even take any cards, you will have to pay in cash. So is very limiting if you only rely on the AMEX, is a no brainer if you don’t pay the AF fee but at this time I don’t see a point in getting it when there’s other options. Maybe I’ll consider it if I move to the US.
I love my csr, mainly not having to wait a whole year to have the travel credit verses hotel cards making you wait a year to redeem your annual free night. Also the multipliers are decent compared to a card like the platinum
💎💎I still have the CSR after all these years - it suits my lifestyle perfectly.
Idk but did you discuss the annual fee? I don’t think you’re really getting enough value to offset the annual fee
YMMV depending on spend and how you value the other perks (i.e., primary CDW). Handy calculator if you're on the fence: www.asksebby.com/credit-card-reviews/chase-sapphire-reserve-calculator
Sebby, any idea why the IHG cards are not on chase credit card website?
AFAIK: techcrunch.com/2022/09/07/ihg-hotels-outage-cyberattack/
💎 I still evaluate if I should keep this card every year and even though it’s not the most “exciting” anymore the numbers always just make sense and it’s turned into a keeper card for me.
💎 Not boring for me at all. It's been my workhorse sonce 2018 and I still get value from this card.
I find Southwest to be a great transfer partner as well. It's a minimum of 1.5 cpp and can easily be 3 cpp when you throw in the companion pass...which is super easy to get.
It's only 1.5 cpp w/ CSR *if* you redeem URs by getting Southwest tickets with points on the Chase portal. If you transfer the Chase points to Southwest directly, it is 1:1 ratio both with CSR *and* CSP, and the CSP is so much cheaper so. Not much value there unless you redeem CSR pts directly through Chase portal (which is almost never a good idea as you get much higher cpp by transferring out to partners)
@@LaBoricuaOG I wasn't trying to point out the difference between CSR & CSP, rather, trying to point out that Hyatt isn't the only way to get "outsized" value from UR. My example being Southwest with a Companion Pass effectively gives you 3 cpp, versus Hyatt's 2 cpp.
Great video and I hope that you continue coverage on the CSR. 💎
Can you do a video on what to do with Citi Premier card after first year? I currently thinking of downgrading it but I heard that it will affect my qualification on getting other citi card bonuses.
Downgrade to a Citi Custom Cash
💎 I have the CSP but am 👁️ CSR multipliers at the moment. 🤔 Thanks Sebby!
💎I like having the 1.5x via the portal when I can’t transfer to partners for outsized value.
I'm thinking about getting the CSP as my first travel card; but does this mean I'm locking myself out of a bonus on the CSR for 4 years if I do?
I would just run the numbers for your situation: www.asksebby.com/credit-card-reviews/csp-vs-csr
Reminder, you can upgrade / downgrade after the first 12 months.
My significant other is a Platinum Card. Amazing ROI, but there’s work involved in getting out that value.
And she’d be pissed to read that.
The Venture X has already vanquished the CSR. The better lounge benefits, better and free authorized users, lower annual fee, annual retention offer make the VX the new king of the hill.
Doesn’t the citi premier have 3x on travel? (Flights and hotels)
Applied for this yesterday and was denied because they said I earned new member Sapphire bonus within the last 48 months, which is untrue. I have been unable to get it resolved because card member services only see a bonus in Feb 2019 and they cannot contact Chase support, who confirms that I actually received the bonus in Aug 2018. Any suggestions from the community?! Thanks
💎Thanks for the vid Sebby!
I considered downgrading my CCR to CCP but I got my first taste of airport lounges this year and I'm hooked. I want to stay in the Chase ecosystem so the Venture X is not an option. 💎💎💎💎
I'm actually considering the Synovus Travel Rewards Visa for cruising.
How is that card a good benefit when cruising?