Use it as intended and use other cards, it will only make them understand they have to make some changes. It will come someday. I’m going to keep mine because I like IHG Hotels. Plus being in the military only makes it better for me. Don’t just use chase but also understand what you have gotten are still great cards!!!
You literally listed most of my gripes with the Chase ecosystem, my biggest one being the lack of the in-store grocery category. Very good honest video.
I agree with most of what you said here and I think a lot of people are feeling the same way about Chase lately. Just to chime in on the transfer partner argument though, depending on your redemption habits, 1.5x Chase points can be much more valuable than 2x Amex, Citi, Capital One, etc. points. I know a lot of folks who just use Chase points for Hyatt bookings and if they're consistently getting 2-5 cpp on those bookings then that 0.5x you lose out on doesn't matter at the end of the day. It all depends on what transfer partners you value. Granted I say all of this as someone who mainly uses the VX as my catch-all card now, but I still see a lot of value in the CFU and use it as a catch-all when I need more Chase points. Nice video Mark!
And then it's possible to redeem those Amex / Citi / C1 points for 6 cpp (or more) and beat Chase again. It's an endless circle, and a lot of it comes down to how much time & effort you're willing to spend putting itineraries together that maximize points values.
While that is mathematically true, that may not matter to people intrinsically. For example, if I can get 6 cpp with a transfer partner that I'd never use, how much value is that really? That's why I say it's more about which partners you value personally. The math will always work out to where 2x > 1.5x, but sometimes it isn't a math debate. Hopefully that makes sense. @@MarkReese
This is mostly it for me and why I use the Chase Trifecta for most of my spend. Lodging is often the biggest cost of trips I take and transferring to Hyatt consistently gives great points value and reduces the cost of trips. No matter how fancy of a flight I get, I still need somewhere to stay and I haven't found another system that has competitive earn rates and reliably great points redemption value for lodging in a lot of different places. With this said, my next cards after hopefully buying a house will be Venture X or Citi cards to fill in the gaps where the Chase Trifecta has admittedly pretty weak multipliers, and to diversify points currencies.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial - great counter points Spencer. I can earn MRs or TYs much faster than URs, but i value URs the most because of their flexibility. I think chase knows that & is why they are ok with their current multipliers.
Agreed that it's CRAZY that the Chase cards have so much huge overlapping categories. I can't believe CSR/CSP/any Chases have the 3% dining, and 3% travel outside the portal or w.e, it's nuts.
Yeah. I got it for the $200 bonus. I'm lost between closing the unlimited or keeping it open now that a year gone by got the reward or not. It isn't unique. I would prefer to have a 2% card across the board and some other categories on the card. (or 3%). Going to probably get Paypal as my long purpose card.
Agree 💯! Not having a real grocery category is a big flaw, 1.5x is outdated and overlapping categories make no sense for users like us with multiple cards. I also found that using points with Hyatt can be a pain if you are traveling during peak season of weekends. Great overview and information! ✌️
You hit the nail on the head regarding one of my complaints about the Chase ecosystem: You can’t transfer UR points to partners unless you have an annual fee card (CSP/CSR). Even the Venture One on its own lets you transfer to partners. I used to have CSR back when the annual fee was only $450. It’s harder to justify at $550. I’ll product change to CSP/CSR when I’m ready to transfer UR points to partners.
@@stephenwright133 the amex everyday lets you transfer with 0 af, as does the bbp. but yeah most issuers do make you get an af card to transfer. venture one and savor one combo is prob the best no af set up that lets you transfer to partners
I definitely agree that the Chase trifecta alone lacks in the permanent grocery and gas categories. However if you throw the ink cash in the setup, you can turn gas and groceries to 5X by buying gift cards at office supply stores. Also, if you have the CSR in the lineup, that 1.5X on the Freedom unlimited is actually a 2.25% base return when accounting for the 50% boost when booking travel via the travel portal. I love running both Chase and Amex trifectas.
@@junboo8730 Staples and Office Depot. With a little strategy, it’s super simple to turn all of those 1-2X categories to 5X. There is no other setup that compares in that regard.
office supply stories don't sell gift cards for the major grocery store chains in my area. But do agree it is a good way to purchase restaurant cards, stores like Target, Airbnb etc.to get the 5x and thankfully Chase doesn't care if you buy gift cards unlike Amex
@@junboo8730- also the chase ink cash has a 2x multipler on gas. If you redeem on the portal its 2.5x with the CSP or 3x with the CSR. No gift card necessary
@@412foto So the alternative would be to purchase Visa/MC gift cards and purchase groceries using these. They consistently run promotions where they waive the activation fee. Sometimes you even get a discount beyond that (like buy $300 for $295). Doing this is like 5X on everything instead of 1-2X. I just follow Doctor of Credit to be alerted of the promotions. FYI, Office Depot is running one now. :)
I still don't get why Chase would rather have you get both the freedom flex and freedom unlimited when they could just merge the cards and get more customer usage?
Ya its not perfect, but no single issuer has a perfect trifecta either. Case in point: American Express: hella expensive & not accepted everywhere Capital One: no gas category, so so on customer service. Citibank: No travel insurances or auto CDW. US Bank: can NOT combine points on their cards! Wells Fargo: no grocery category. No 5% card, (and history of scandal) Bank of America: not sure about BOA, since I don’t have any cards from them, but im sure they have limitations like the other banks. So basically “pick your poison” 😆
I have the BofA customized cash reward card and I love it. The 3% reward for the select categories is really nice and you can change it once a month. I use my 3% for my gas. Theres also a base 2% cash back for grocery and wholesale shopping, which I love since most of my grocery shopping is at wholesale. Most of the other cards aren’t worth in my opinion however. With that said, where the BofA credit cards shine is the preferred rewards which gives you additional cash back/points depending on your tier. The tiers are based on home much money you have with BofA and Merrill. I’m in the gold tier so I get an additional 25% cash back on top of the built in multipliers that come with using the card. If you have a lot of money with BofA and Merrill, the customer cash rewards card is (at minimum) a pretty good gas and wholesale card.
I never understood the hype over the Chase Trifecta. I'm currently able to redeem Hilton points for specific locations that make my points worth 1 cpp instead of the average .06 cpp. So this is my personal trifecta that works for me: Hilton Aspire - Venture X - Hilton Honors Hotel stays (hilton) = 34x Dining = 7x Flights = 7x Gas Stations = 5x Groceries = 5x Other = 2x I also have the Bilt for 1x rent but I literally only use it to pay rent and get the points. The only disadvantage to my set up is I need to be married to Hilton, but I love the brand and stay at one twice a month for work plus vacations so point stack up pretty quickly.
Excellent setup for a frequent Hilton user 🏆 I really like how Hilton/Amex included rewards categories that are useful both at home and while on the road.
I'm the same way. I hardly use my Unlimited anymore and have thought of canceling it. I use the AmEx trifecta as primary, Capital One duo as backup and then Citi as a backup to that. Chase was my first flight into travel rewards, but using DL and Hilton almost exclusively, Chase doesn't help time that much. Great content.
Im fairly new to the credit card game. I had just one credit card for 17 years, the navy federal go rewards, but i just added 4 new ones for a quadfecta. Im not yet a credit card warrior, but i aspire to be.
I have a quick question: on one side, the chase trifecta will have either $95 annual fee or $550 annual fee. On the other hand, your mix/match setup, you will probably have like $1,500+ annual fee? Does those fee and bonus you get from your mix setup actually justify? I mean I understand at certain threshold is probably will come out better for mix/match system but how high would that be for that threshold?
Depends on which cards you mix & match. You can certainly have a setup with high fees, but you don't have to. If you combine the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Freedom Flex, Citi Custom Cash, and Capital One SavorOne, you'd still be at $95.
Why have I not seen any of the credit card people I watch closely talk about the Freedom Unlimited giving 5% back on gas? I don't understand, I realize this is an older video but not one has mentioned it. Maybe I got lucky and applied at the right time....
Because it's not a permanent category. It may be offered for a limited time as part of the welcome offer in Year 1, and it may be a 5% category for a quarter of the year. Once those expire, the card only earns 1% on Gas going forward.
I think my strategy ended up in a similar place, and our card lists overlap a lot! Most categories have a dedicated 3% back card without annual fees, and having all those no-fee cards is nice for building up credit stats in the long-term. The one caveat, and the reason I currently have a Sapphire card, is sign-on bonuses. Getting tens of thousands of points turns that 1-2.25% into something way way way higher if you redeem it within a reasonable time frame (and then downgrade the Sapphire to a no-fee card). I generally agree that Sapphire is not a good *permanent* strategy anymore tho.
My favorite trifecta is Citi Prestige, AT&T Access More, and multiple Custom Cash cards. For Chase I use Ink Preferred, multiple Ink Cash cards and multiple Freedom Flex cards. I don't really have Amex trifecta, just BBP apart from Hilton cards. I also have Capital One duo: Venture X and Savor One.
I am on team "simplify my life" and these trifecta set ups, Chase, Citi, etc are just too much to follow. I utilize credit cards as a means of building my credit score (purchasing a home soon) and for cash back on gas and groceries. Who doesn't like a discount on purchases they already make.
I’m waiting until next year to get the freedom flex and as soon as I get it I will be going with CITI to do a Magnificent 5 that will take another 2-years to get in total. Thanks for these tips and tricks bro!!!
Hi Mark, Chase sent me the Guide to Benefits brochure. I got the Sapphire Preferred card solely for the Primary Auto Collision Protection plan, secondly for the other travel insurance protections not covered with the Prime card. After thinking about it on why Tesla isn't included. The price of Tesla repairs and so few auto shops that are authorised to do Tesla repairs the Model 3 is like renting a high end exotic sport's car. Nobody talks about all the cars you can't rent to use the Chase Auto Collision plan for. This guide is dated in 2021. With a Rivian S1 SUV being so new. It is not a rental vehicle yet. What will Chase do with Rivian in the future if Rivian can ever make enough of them for fleet sales? It's funny Corvettes are also excluded but the Mach E is. This video is more about all of the same point categories that are duplicated. The Sapphire Preferred card is the top show off card I own.
I agree I am canceling my saphire preferred. My Bilt card and autograph card are replacing it. The only drop is the online grocery and I don't use that. Plus I may get the reserve one day so I have to get rid of it soon anyway.
@MarkReese I suppose it's the wells fargo trifecta ha ha. I did get sofi instead of active cash as you have to wait 15 months between bonuses at wells fargo right?. Could you do a updated top airline cc video now that citi has stepped it up.
@@Notthecobracommander - I haven't seen that 15-month language in the terms of Wells Fargo cards lately. That used to be a rule with their prior lineup. Still worthwhile checking those terms before every application, though. How has Citi stepped up the airline card game?
@@MarkReese Depends on the topic and how we're defining best. Best based on opinions, sure. But with credit cards, as you and I stated, don't need the best to keep and just get enough value to keep. Not sure in who's world this is the best trifecta? Unless maybe it's the only one they had? Lol 😆
This is a major video of all credit card video on TH-cam. This is the video I have been really trying hard in my search to rewatch it. I don't need a category quarterly points card. My Prime and TD Bank cards is really all I care about the most. I use my Amazon points for Adidas apparel that I save money. On. I use the points on my TD Bank Cash for statement credits. Those 2 cards I want the most points on.
@@MarkReese I got approved the Citi Double Cash card today. I called Capital One in the afternoon to cancel my Platinum Card. Capital One sucks. My credit score will be all over the place for the next month. 2 Approvals, maybe a credit limit increase with 3 hard pulls all in 2 weeks. With a canceled card that changes my average credit history. Then I also plan on making sure that my statement balances will be much lower.
I have the Chase trifecta and love using UR points for Hyatt hotels. I have started to explore AMEX and got the gold a couple months back. My next card will be the BBP for the sweet 2x.
Im also done with the UR points system. Chase Travel Portal marks up flight costs more than bookijg direct so there's no point in airline transfer partners, the main lure.
@@alexdmrgs - Ah gotcha. Always worthwhile to compare prices in portal vs. out (or via other portals). Sometimes one can be higher, other times they can be identical, etc.
its huge for me cause I 99% fly on Southwest and stay at a Hyatt. The 1.5% on FU is nice for most of our bills and the quarterly for the FF is good too.
@@MarkReese Yeah. Once my kids get older and we take bigger further trips I will probably switch it up a little bit. But with Amex having a lot of one time bonus speaches I am waiting to jump to that side. All from what I have learned from your channel. So thanks!
I believe what this is about how you are using multiple cards from different banks rather than the same Chase bank. This video is how I'm working out my Credit Journey.
Howdy great sir! One thing I wanted to let you know from experience. I added a friend to help him on my Citi Custom Cash. He needed a higher limit card to secure rental. That rental thru Hertz coded as select transit 5% bonus category. So if you ever have a $500 or even $600 rental consider trying or researching for more data points from others about it coding in case you don't use Hertz. Yea I know capped at 500 in spend but still 1% over cap so $700 rental still gets $27 beating either 2x or 3x unless there are options other than cash back. Take care, sir. Best to you always! I only mention this since you said your gas has been primarily on other card.
Yep, Citi states that "car rentals" are included under Select Transit 👍 Here's the complete list: _"Includes car rentals, ferries, commuter railways, subways, taxis/limousines/car services, passenger railways, bridge and road tolls, parking lots/garages, bus lines, and motor home and recreational vehicle rentals. Excludes bike/scooter rentals, auto clubs and insurance companies."_ Thanks for the data point from the real-world to confirm! That said, just be aware that the Citi Custom Cash has no primary rental car insurance. Only an issue if you personally care about that. If not...then no problem, earning 5X rocks 💯
I wouldn’t call this a strategy. The points earned is so spread out, it will require so much more spending to accumulate enough points to use on flights.
There's great value in keeping things simple...totally agreed 👍 That said, you could still be spread out among 5 major programs (Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, Bilt) as there are a number of transfer partners that overlap. Translation: there are some nice indirect ways to combine those points for a single trip 🏆
A bifecta of Venture X/Savor One or possibly even the regular Venture/Savor One is better than Chase Trifecta with CSP/CFF/CFU. With CSR instead of CSP, I think the only benefit is getting restaurant access as part of priority-pass, but that is negated by much higher fees, especially as a couple or family.
1. The Bilt Mastercard requires making 5 transactions per month in order to earn rewards. I don't eat out often right now, and when I do, the transaction amount is small. So, I like to use some dining transactions to knock out the Bilt card's requirement because so little value is lost from earning 3X vs 4X (due to the small $ amount being spent). 2. I value cash back a lot, and I've chosen rideshares to be one of the categories in which I prioritize cash in my overall rewards mix instead of travel. It's another category in which is spend very little, so I wouldn't earn much on that spend even if going with a higher-return travel card. That said, Chase points vs. WF points have the same value for cash back, so in the end, I suppose it's just my way of keeping my WF card active. Additionally, I've since gotten rid of my Sapphire Preferred as of 3.10.2024.
Well done Mark! Traditional Chase trifecta has never been attractive to me for the same non-competitive and overlap reasons you detail here. Instead I use CSP & CIC, looking at CIP next month - but each earns independently. For me it's Amex Gold for food, Navy Federal is doing a 5% gas & transit (Aug-Oct) w/ Cash Rewards Visa and then Flagship is my 2x catch all.
I really like it😄 , I don't have time to think 2,3,4X this is just low expenses for us. Soon will cancel/downgrade a few cards to make room for more SUBs... We use AMEX business Plat for business invoices that don't fall in any special category (X1,5 over $5k). Venture for gas, utilities, other 2X. Prime for Amazon/whole foods X5. I don't care if I miss 1-2k points a month, I'd rather use my time elsewhere...
@@MarkReese hope they change the earning categories for sapphire preferred to make it more unique than flex/unlimited! thanks always for the great visual comparisons.
The overlapping categories just kill my desire to keep the CSR. I almost cancelled it this year, but for sure will next year without a real change in the trifecta. Almost all my spend goes on Amex cards because they have the more useful multiplier categories and offer the most in luxury travel. When/if I drop below 5/24, I may get a cpl business cards from Chase, which would incentivize me to keep the relationship. Excellent points Mark👍🏾
Chase Ink biz cards are notably absent from this segment. I can't imagine running a UR setup without a (no AF) Ink Cash, for 5x wireless/streaming and 2x gas (pre-boost). If you're largely UR, the CSR is a must for the points boost. Otherwise, if you're running a hybrid setup, the Ink Preferred becomes another potentially good option for those with ad spend. Also, the overlapping benefits compared by this segment are not the most compelling from the CSR/CIP. Primary CDW, rental car status, travel protections, best Priority Pass (not available from other cards), etc. should be considered.
Any reason you decide to use BILT card (3x) for Dining rather than AMEX Gold (4x). The only reasons I can think of is either the first day of the month (6x instead or 3x) or the transfer partners (typically Hyatt or AA) 🤔
Bilt credit card is one of the few credit cards with point transfer for American airlines. Also you need 5 transactions a month to get any points with Bilt.
I don't spend much on dining out. Since the Bilt Mastercard requires 5 transactions per month in order to earn points at all, I find using my infrequent & inexpensive dining purchases to satisfy that requirement (while still earning 3X) is an excellent way for me to satisfy that requirement and, in turn, earn transferrable rewards on rent 🏆
Nope. I don't have the Customized Cash Rewards Card and I don't have any use for the Premium Rewards Elite. It's not a good product without the Preferred Rewards program (and I'm not a member of it).
I have the trifecta but the CFU is dead to me because I have the VX. I use the CFF for the quarterly categories and the CSP for dining just so it gets some usage and also for the XFER partners. Waiting to get the Savor one for the 3X groceries.
I've always said the chase set up is overrated. Every time the CSP has an elevated bonus I'm tempted, but I know after hitting the sign of bonus I would not put any spend on that card. I can earn more with other cards I have
But could you earn even more by (a) getting the CSP with an elevated offer AND (b) use those other cards for ongoing spend for the remainder of the year? 😁
I dont bother with the Trfecta this quad that dining this gas that. With business cards in the mix I am always chasing a bonus and sometimes 2 and 3 bonuses. No category will ever come close to that.
Going to do that same set up with the duo. The only reason I’m probably going to still get the freedom unlimited is if an elevated rewards comes out for getting it to use on some grand vacation for easy point rack up and down ground the preferred every 4 years to get more points. Unfortunate thing is if I at least don’t get the preferred before other cards I probably never will playing the card game with that blasted 5/24 rule. Super smart on their part having that cuz otherwise I’d just gettem later
Credit overlap is a bigger deal than people realize. With a spouse having two global entry credits etc can help, but even then, unless you also have kids, that third card starts to look a lot less interesting.
My set-up is the csp trifecta + AmEx Gold for groceries and direct airlines purchases. I don't have a car and live in a city, this makes sense for me because I don't care about gas stations, only really care about domestic travel rewards, and can easily offset the AmEx fee with the uber/grubhub credits. I use the CSP for dining instead of the AmEx because I value Chase points higher/more flexible.
Because I don't eat out often, and when I do, I spend very little. Since the Bilt card requires 5 transactions per month to earn points at all, dining transactions are a great way for me to meet that requirement while still earning 3X points that are transferrable to great partners or worth 1.25¢ each toward travel via the portal.
totally agree it sucks that grocery is not covered with the Chase setup. I am lucky to have 5x on the Flex for their limited time offer through end of year, but it really should be permanent on at least one card for at least 3x. But why should Chase care or try to be competitive with that when they are the largest bank in the country?
Interesting video, Mark. Thanks. But how does your desire to “simplify your life,” align with a setup using 13 cards? And if “coupon books” annoy you, how does the most notorious Platinum coupon book remain in the lineup?
For someone who runs a TH-cam channel dedicated to credit cards, 13 cards = simple 😂 I value getting hands-on experience with many cards, their rewards & their benefits. If I only used Chase cards, it'd be a heck of a lot harder to make informative videos on other card ecosystems. Platinum Card remains because I put in the work to make it work, even if I don't like doing so.
I’m a beginner and have the Freedom Flex and Discover It Card. Thinking of either going forward with the Trifecta and getting the Freedom Unlimited, or, dipping my toe into the Amex Gold or the BLT Mastercard. I don’t spend a ton of money so I’m leaning more towards the Unlimited to just get 1.5x back on purchases the 5% categories Discover and the Freedom Flex don’t cover. Though points on rent, dining, and groceries are appealing. Thoughts?
I'd personally get them all. That way you can get the bonuses up front for some trips. Then long term I'd keep the cards that have the multipliers that make sense for my spend. With Chase, I'd get the CSP before the CFU. Way more points up front...sooner.
I don't eat out often, and when I do, I spend very little. Since the Bilt card requires 5 transactions per month to earn any points, dining was the perfect choice for me. Plus, I still earn 3X transferrable points.
I'm not sure if all card networks (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) or if all CVS-Target stores have it set up the same way nationwide. All I can say is for the CVS within Target that I shop at, it shows as a 'Target' transaction on my Discover it Cash Back credit card. Not sure about pharmacy benefits, but I've been able to use an Rx discount card with no issue.
@@MarkReese Meaning, since this is a video about Chase, the transaction doesn’t qualify as “drug stores” for 3x UR on the Freedom? So sad, I don’t know why in-store lessees choose to code their transactions like that. I think Subways inside a Walmart do the same thing. Are they forced to by the card networks?
@@headlibrarian1996 - I can't provide an answer for this as I don't know how "store within a store" transactions code until I actually do a transaction to find out.
@@MarkReeseI consider the CFF to be the new core of the trifecta with the current 5% gas and groceries for 1 year sign up offer. But you're right about the lack of a permanent redemption for those categories. Everyone should be hopping on that 10% gas right now.
I had a csr and their customer service is 👎. Got a amex platinum 2 yrs ago, gold last year and they put my in pop up jail when i wanted the everyday blue cash 😢. Ill try again later. I downgraded the csr in the mean time. This has been working great for us with our southwest visa for 0 overseas travel fees that does not accept amex. We are in the dallas area so its a hub card we get good value from. Now to step up our hotel card game.
I still like the chase trifecta cause I’ve been able to utilize the 5% grocery bonus for awhile thanks to 2 player mode. And I have the Hyatt card to supplement chase as well as the Cap1 duo to fill in everything else. But I agree the overlaps are awful. The unlimited is basically worthless besides the first year 5% bonus and SUB. Flex is still solid, preferred is ok, but the Cap1 duo honestly covers the main categories. I want to get into Amex but their annual fees are too much for me right now
Do you still hold the capitol one venture card? Did you get a welcome bonus when you opened the venture x (having already had the venture card and bonus)? I'm looking at both trying to decide between the two at the moment.
Yes, I still have the Venture Rewards card. Yes, I got the bonus on both. Here's a link to another video you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/ZF37kE21tJ4/w-d-xo.html
Great video! As someone who’s chase only at the moment I gotta say, it’s going to be hard to leave because of Hyatt. I swear every time I travel I find x4 redemption for points. If I had to pick between using my points for flights or a nice hotel I personally chose hotel since it makes more days comfortable as opposed to one 11 hour flight. Has anyone been in my shoes and moved on from chase/hyatt and not looked back? If so , what did it for you?
There's tremendous value in Hyatt's program! The main reason why people leave it include (a) the tiny footprint of hotels worldwide and (b) a rather uninteresting loyalty program unless you're at the top-tier Globalist level.
I am planning on getting the Altitude Reserve but jw how you justify the fee ? Its only 75 if you use it for restaurants/travel (when it likely wouldn't be the best choice out of your setup) and you already have Priority Pass + TSA Pre/Global entry from other cards. Are you just using mobile wallet when other cards don't have hire percentage frequently enough to cover it + difference in using it for travel/restaurants from other cards?
i currently have the freedom unlimited ive been eyeing the freedom flex and the discover it cashback for my next card application bc i want that rotating 5% category card i already have the citi custom cash. kinda unsure which one to go for since im currently on 4/24 with chase. hope to have the chase trifecta one day but the overlapping categories do kinda bother me so im not sure what i do now lol. id appreciate some advice
Excellent points great video. I too have the Chase trifecta. I’m using my Amex cards more consistently. I have the Platinum, plus gold . Will have Amex Trifecta soon. Deciding on which card to make it with ! I’m leading to BCP
Good video, thanks for making my indecisiveness worse 😄👍 the one thing I don't like about Amex is that Amex is still not accepted at a lot of places outside the US, so in my mind it's not a good travel card
Have you considered the Capital One Duo instead? That'd give you a Visa + Mastercard for great worldwide acceptance, plus no foreign transaction fees. Here's a link to a video about it: th-cam.com/video/u6KeBn6qtxY/w-d-xo.html
I hear ya, but I have adjusted to that with my heavier use of Amex in my travel prep and airport lounges entries. Back in 2019, hertz at the Frankfurt airport won't accept my CSR to rent a car because they say it didn't cover enough (weird???), but they took the AMEXP. So, I don't expect AMEX to work beyond foreign airports.
im not the biggest fan of the chase trifecta actually wants to cancel or downgrade my sapphire card probably cacel because I'm happy with my amex gold but I still want a no annual fee card with forgin transaction fees. Unfortunatly chase don't have that. If they wont come out with one until middle of next year ill probably ending up getting the apple card and get rid of my chase card
For someone starting off, building... if chase or amex were off the table (there are hundreds of those trifecta videos), how would you compare citi, capital one, and us bank trifectas? (Until we can develop a stack like what you use for each category!)
That'd require a separate video. That said, I'd only consider U.S. Bank for domestic travel or flights / hotels that don't have a major loyalty program. That's because U.S. Bank doesn't offer transfer partners and doesn't allow you to combine points on the Reserve side for 1.5¢ per point. Also, Citi doesn't currently offer any travel insurance protections.
I’d maybe consider using the Ven-X for rental cars? It’s 10x and the portal has great deals I’ve found. I paid $1427.00 a month for a brand new suburban which is close to a payment if you bought it. And it got me 14k+ points for it. Then again I don’t have much experience with US bank, am I missing a benefit there at the 3x?
For some people, absolutely! I'd consider it if I'm booking a rental car from a company that I didn't care about (i.e. no activity in their loyalty program). However, if I have status (e.g. National), I need to book direct in order to get my benefits (and I really value them). That said... (1) The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve earns 3X on travel (incl. rental cars) instead of 2X on the Venture X (booking directly, that is). (2) The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve still has primary rental car insurance like the Venture X. (3) I like earning Altitude points that have a flat value of 1.5¢ each so I can use them to offset certain travel purchases, including rental cars. This would be 1.0¢ on the Venture X.
Seems to me that this was entirely intentional. I believe chase wants customers to choose between the two freedoms and along with a sapphire card for the multiplier. Or, you can just have one sapphire card and be done with it since they all pretty much have the same category multipliers. Just my opinion.
I love the comparison charts, I was hoping I could download it. The only issues I see with your set is the same problem I am working out with my set-up, and that is "too many eco-systems", I think I see 8-eco systems in your set. There is something to be said about the conveniences of paring things down to at the most 4 eco-systems. I think it's worth sometimes getting a 2X in a bigger eco-system vs a 3X is a smaller/limit eco-system. I would get rid of the USBank Altitude Reserve and move your car rents to Chase. Get your Hertz Presidential circle match to Avis and enjoy the same primary Collison ins and system with your Chase SP or one of your INK cards. I got denied for the CAP1X, but the up side is one less eco-system to manage/portal to deal with, this frees up some much needed management for my AMEXP, AMEP-Bus, AMEX-gold, AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliance, and AMEX Hilton Aspire.
Excellent point. There's great value in simplifying things, especially among the 5 main transferrable point programs (Amex, Chase, Citi, C1, Bilt) as there are a number of transfer partners that overlap. Translation: there are some nice indirect ways to combine all points 🏆
For the last 15 years we've only had the Delta Skymiles Amex and an odd MasterCard, but recently I've been watching LOTS of YT videos on getting multiple cards primarily for SUBs. But, after getting the SUB, I don't want to worry about juggling different cards based on whether the purchase gets me 2x vs. 3x vs.5x points. I'm retired, but I don't have the for that! I'm not sure if the video helped or not, lol!
I hear ya! If I were in that situation, I'd likely get just 1 or 2 cards and call it a day. However, I'd make sure those cards earn rewards that can be used for nearly any airline, hotel, rental car, etc. that I wanted rather than earning air miles or hotel points in a singular program that only works with that program & its limited partners. In other words, keep the spend simple & the redemptions flexible.
Best Amex trifecta seems to be Platinum-Green-Everyday Preferred or BBP not all three charge cards. As for Chase, I could live with 1.5% for gas but no real grocery multiplier is a serious oversight on Chase.
I never was a chase trifecta fan. I had freedom and they converted my slate to freedom unlimited. For this quarter, they have added 5% cash back on grocery on both cards. What am I gonna do: Buy $3000 worth groceries? Point is, as you said, a lot of redundancy. I like Amex “fectas” better. Your method (the mish mash one) is the BEST, which I personally like and follow. Just maximize your rewards by using the best card out there regardless of the issuer. Another great video!
(1) The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve earns 3X on travel (incl. rental cars) instead of 2X on the Venture X. (2) The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve still has primary rental car insurance like the Venture X. (3) I like earning Altitude points that have a flat value of 1.5¢ each so I can use them to offset certain travel purchases, including rental cars. This would be 1.0¢ on the Venture X.
@@MarkReese Rental cars booked through the Capital One travel portal gets 10x. I guess from what you’re saying that you’re not using the Travel portal for Capital One.
@@Dwilsonmusic145 - Correct. I may consider using the C1 portal when renting a car from a company I don't have loyalty with. I typically rent from National. Since I have status with National, and booking direct is required to get the benefits (which I do care about), I book direct. I almost never use portals for any type of travel.
EXACTLY. And the only amazing thing they ever always highlight is the welcome bonus.....like OK but after I use the 60k welcome points, how will these cards benefit me??? It takes me forever to rack up Points on my freedom flex alone cuz the rotating 5% doesn't align with my spending habits
The setup is still good for the right people. It used to be my #1 setup for years, although that was back when the cards didn't have the partner credits and newer rewards categories. So, while I still like some of their cards in isolation and for certain purposes, the Chase Trifecta itself doesn't work for me any longer.
For some the fact that the bi/trifecta overlap might be beneficial..for example I have CSP and freedom flex I split my expenses between the two without sacrificing earned points(since it’s in the same ecosystem) so if I spend 2000 a month..I split it between the two…so that gives me more wiggle room to pay off each balance in full due to the fact that each card will have different due dates.
I've heard over the years that Chase isn't really fond of the trifecta many a forum and TH-cam members have boasted and bragged about. Cause got to think about the way chase is set up, having some one min maximizing like that isn't going very profitable for them. So the redundancy could be a way to combat in like saying you don't really to have all these cards together and just pick one or the pair you like lol. Also looking from afar I don't see why they don't just add the 1.5 cash back to the freedom flex and close the freedom unlimited. At this point they can be one card.
@@MarkReese Amex likes it. Cause to even do their trifecta it's going to cost you near 1000 dollars yearly. And they actually get paid a lot if you swipe a lot due to the higher percentages they charge 😂. Citi Bank encourages it as if they like you they will eventually send you mail offers for all their products and sometimes even for a card you have with a better offer or sub. There's a reason their product change and sub policy is so lax 😆
I saw two elevated signups recently on the Freedom Unlimited: 1 was a 1.5% boost on spend up to $20k in a year and the newest one is 5% Gas and grocery on $12k spend in a year. Both really good. But both are just covering up a still flawed card. When do you think Chase changes these cards up?
Solid offers. I have no way of knowing if / when Chase will make changes to its lineup. I'm still a fan of some of their cards on their own, I just no longer use the "Chase Trifecta" as my main setup like I used to in years past.
For some people who have a lot of non-category spend, adding the CFU for its 1.5X can be useful. If you don't have much spend there, then yep, a Chase Duo can be great for a travel setup. For straight cash back, even the CFF on its own can be great.
I downgraded my CSP to a CFU and actually make more in points than when I had the CSP… The CSP earning categories are way too restrictive with little value to me… I love CFU 3% drug store.
This is how I feel with the welcome bonuses, I can’t ever spend as much to make those bonuses but would like a card for travel 🤷🏼♀️😅😂 I completely understand you Mr Newtron 😩
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Me who just finished getting the Chase Trifecta 😭
- i still love my trifecta
Me not using it has nothing to do with you using / liking it 👍 Congrats on finishing the setup!
Use it as intended and use other cards, it will only make them understand they have to make some changes. It will come someday. I’m going to keep mine because I like IHG Hotels. Plus being in the military only makes it better for me.
Don’t just use chase but also understand what you have gotten are still great cards!!!
You literally listed most of my gripes with the Chase ecosystem, my biggest one being the lack of the in-store grocery category. Very good honest video.
The CFF/CFU has a 5% gas and groceries sign up bonus right now.
Exactly right! I'd like to use the CSP more, esp. for in-store grocery purchases. But...that just ain't gonna happen as it stands right now 😅
@@llstarksnot anymore sadly
agreed. amex has really made my life better as all of their benefits allign perfectly with my spending habits
How come there is no love for the AMEX Blue card preferred? 6X on groceries! C'mon, where you going to do better than that?
I agree with most of what you said here and I think a lot of people are feeling the same way about Chase lately. Just to chime in on the transfer partner argument though, depending on your redemption habits, 1.5x Chase points can be much more valuable than 2x Amex, Citi, Capital One, etc. points. I know a lot of folks who just use Chase points for Hyatt bookings and if they're consistently getting 2-5 cpp on those bookings then that 0.5x you lose out on doesn't matter at the end of the day. It all depends on what transfer partners you value.
Granted I say all of this as someone who mainly uses the VX as my catch-all card now, but I still see a lot of value in the CFU and use it as a catch-all when I need more Chase points. Nice video Mark!
And then it's possible to redeem those Amex / Citi / C1 points for 6 cpp (or more) and beat Chase again. It's an endless circle, and a lot of it comes down to how much time & effort you're willing to spend putting itineraries together that maximize points values.
While that is mathematically true, that may not matter to people intrinsically. For example, if I can get 6 cpp with a transfer partner that I'd never use, how much value is that really? That's why I say it's more about which partners you value personally. The math will always work out to where 2x > 1.5x, but sometimes it isn't a math debate. Hopefully that makes sense. @@MarkReese
This is mostly it for me and why I use the Chase Trifecta for most of my spend. Lodging is often the biggest cost of trips I take and transferring to Hyatt consistently gives great points value and reduces the cost of trips. No matter how fancy of a flight I get, I still need somewhere to stay and I haven't found another system that has competitive earn rates and reliably great points redemption value for lodging in a lot of different places.
With this said, my next cards after hopefully buying a house will be Venture X or Citi cards to fill in the gaps where the Chase Trifecta has admittedly pretty weak multipliers, and to diversify points currencies.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial - great counter points Spencer. I can earn MRs or TYs much faster than URs, but i value URs the most because of their flexibility. I think chase knows that & is why they are ok with their current multipliers.
@@ThePerfectElement555😊
Agreed that it's CRAZY that the Chase cards have so much huge overlapping categories. I can't believe CSR/CSP/any Chases have the 3% dining, and 3% travel outside the portal or w.e, it's nuts.
😬
Yeah. I got it for the $200 bonus. I'm lost between closing the unlimited or keeping it open now that a year gone by got the reward or not. It isn't unique. I would prefer to have a 2% card across the board and some other categories on the card. (or 3%). Going to probably get Paypal as my long purpose card.
Agree 💯! Not having a real grocery category is a big flaw, 1.5x is outdated and overlapping categories make no sense for users like us with multiple cards. I also found that using points with Hyatt can be a pain if you are traveling during peak season of weekends. Great overview and information! ✌️
👊💯
Looks like the points multipliers are pedestrian, I think the biggest value is from Hyatt as a transfer partner
👍
You hit the nail on the head regarding one of my complaints about the Chase ecosystem: You can’t transfer UR points to partners unless you have an annual fee card (CSP/CSR). Even the Venture One on its own lets you transfer to partners.
I used to have CSR back when the annual fee was only $450. It’s harder to justify at $550. I’ll product change to CSP/CSR when I’m ready to transfer UR points to partners.
Isn't this true of every credit card setup, or at least most of them? All the Amex cards have an AF, Citi $95 AF, Capital One Venture $95 AF, etc.
Ya thats why i keep the CSP, much easier to justify compared to CSR
@@stephenwright133AmEx does have a no fee card but citi doesn’t. Requires a $95 annual fee premier to use citi partners.
@@stephenwright133Amex BBP has no AF. Venture X effectively gives you money back on AF.
@@stephenwright133 the amex everyday lets you transfer with 0 af, as does the bbp. but yeah most issuers do make you get an af card to transfer. venture one and savor one combo is prob the best no af set up that lets you transfer to partners
Is the Capital One Duo (Savor one + Venture X) better than Chase Trifecta?
For some people, yes. For others, no. There's no single, objective answer that applies to everyone.
I definitely agree that the Chase trifecta alone lacks in the permanent grocery and gas categories. However if you throw the ink cash in the setup, you can turn gas and groceries to 5X by buying gift cards at office supply stores. Also, if you have the CSR in the lineup, that 1.5X on the Freedom unlimited is actually a 2.25% base return when accounting for the 50% boost when booking travel via the travel portal. I love running both Chase and Amex trifectas.
Question: which office supplies store you use? I’m really interested in your strategy.
@@junboo8730 Staples and Office Depot. With a little strategy, it’s super simple to turn all of those 1-2X categories to 5X. There is no other setup that compares in that regard.
office supply stories don't sell gift cards for the major grocery store chains in my area. But do agree it is a good way to purchase restaurant cards, stores like Target, Airbnb etc.to get the 5x and thankfully Chase doesn't care if you buy gift cards unlike Amex
@@junboo8730- also the chase ink cash has a 2x multipler on gas. If you redeem on the portal its 2.5x with the CSP or 3x with the CSR. No gift card necessary
@@412foto So the alternative would be to purchase Visa/MC gift cards and purchase groceries using these. They consistently run promotions where they waive the activation fee. Sometimes you even get a discount beyond that (like buy $300 for $295). Doing this is like 5X on everything instead of 1-2X. I just follow Doctor of Credit to be alerted of the promotions. FYI, Office Depot is running one now. :)
I still don't get why Chase would rather have you get both the freedom flex and freedom unlimited when they could just merge the cards and get more customer usage?
I'm sure they've got a data- and financial-driven answer 👍
Ya its not perfect, but no single issuer has a perfect trifecta either. Case in point:
American Express: hella expensive & not accepted everywhere
Capital One: no gas category, so so on customer service.
Citibank: No travel insurances or auto CDW.
US Bank: can NOT combine points on their cards!
Wells Fargo: no grocery category. No 5% card, (and history of scandal)
Bank of America: not sure about BOA, since I don’t have any cards from them, but im sure they have limitations like the other banks.
So basically “pick your poison” 😆
Well said 👍
I have the BofA customized cash reward card and I love it. The 3% reward for the select categories is really nice and you can change it once a month. I use my 3% for my gas. Theres also a base 2% cash back for grocery and wholesale shopping, which I love since most of my grocery shopping is at wholesale. Most of the other cards aren’t worth in my opinion however.
With that said, where the BofA credit cards shine is the preferred rewards which gives you additional cash back/points depending on your tier. The tiers are based on home much money you have with BofA and Merrill. I’m in the gold tier so I get an additional 25% cash back on top of the built in multipliers that come with using the card.
If you have a lot of money with BofA and Merrill, the customer cash rewards card is (at minimum) a pretty good gas and wholesale card.
My trifecta that I is with Bank of America, premium rewards, cash back and business cash back. I'm platinum, just a simple setting.
Great cards for a cash back setup! 💵
I never understood the hype over the Chase Trifecta. I'm currently able to redeem Hilton points for specific locations that make my points worth 1 cpp instead of the average .06 cpp. So this is my personal trifecta that works for me:
Hilton Aspire - Venture X - Hilton Honors
Hotel stays (hilton) = 34x
Dining = 7x
Flights = 7x
Gas Stations = 5x
Groceries = 5x
Other = 2x
I also have the Bilt for 1x rent but I literally only use it to pay rent and get the points. The only disadvantage to my set up is I need to be married to Hilton, but I love the brand and stay at one twice a month for work plus vacations so point stack up pretty quickly.
Excellent setup for a frequent Hilton user 🏆 I really like how Hilton/Amex included rewards categories that are useful both at home and while on the road.
I'm the same way. I hardly use my Unlimited anymore and have thought of canceling it. I use the AmEx trifecta as primary, Capital One duo as backup and then Citi as a backup to that. Chase was my first flight into travel rewards, but using DL and Hilton almost exclusively, Chase doesn't help time that much. Great content.
Why cancel a no AF card?
Great that you put thought into which cards work best for you 👊
Im fairly new to the credit card game. I had just one credit card for 17 years, the navy federal go rewards, but i just added 4 new ones for a quadfecta. Im not yet a credit card warrior, but i aspire to be.
Well done & congrats on those 4 new approvals!
I have a quick question: on one side, the chase trifecta will have either $95 annual fee or $550 annual fee. On the other hand, your mix/match setup, you will probably have like $1,500+ annual fee? Does those fee and bonus you get from your mix setup actually justify? I mean I understand at certain threshold is probably will come out better for mix/match system but how high would that be for that threshold?
Depends on which cards you mix & match. You can certainly have a setup with high fees, but you don't have to. If you combine the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Freedom Flex, Citi Custom Cash, and Capital One SavorOne, you'd still be at $95.
Very good points! One benefit missing was Cell phone insurance that the Freedom flex offers. But that would also be covered with the Venture X.
Yep, there are a number of cards that offer cell phone protection these days 👍
Why have I not seen any of the credit card people I watch closely talk about the Freedom Unlimited giving 5% back on gas? I don't understand, I realize this is an older video but not one has mentioned it. Maybe I got lucky and applied at the right time....
Because it's not a permanent category. It may be offered for a limited time as part of the welcome offer in Year 1, and it may be a 5% category for a quarter of the year. Once those expire, the card only earns 1% on Gas going forward.
Me who just got approved for the Chase Freedom Unlimited 😬
- its still a great all around card by itself
Solid card on its own! This video was just explaining why the 'trifecta' isn't for me 👊
I think my strategy ended up in a similar place, and our card lists overlap a lot! Most categories have a dedicated 3% back card without annual fees, and having all those no-fee cards is nice for building up credit stats in the long-term.
The one caveat, and the reason I currently have a Sapphire card, is sign-on bonuses. Getting tens of thousands of points turns that 1-2.25% into something way way way higher if you redeem it within a reasonable time frame (and then downgrade the Sapphire to a no-fee card). I generally agree that Sapphire is not a good *permanent* strategy anymore tho.
Indeed, a welcome offer will nearly always beat regular spend with standard multipliers!
My favorite trifecta is Citi Prestige, AT&T Access More, and multiple Custom Cash cards.
For Chase I use Ink Preferred, multiple Ink Cash cards and multiple Freedom Flex cards.
I don't really have Amex trifecta, just BBP apart from Hilton cards.
I also have Capital One duo: Venture X and Savor One.
Citi w/ multiple Custom Cash cards is legit! 💯
I am on team "simplify my life" and these trifecta set ups, Chase, Citi, etc are just too much to follow. I utilize credit cards as a means of building my credit score (purchasing a home soon) and for cash back on gas and groceries. Who doesn't like a discount on purchases they already make.
The simple approach can be a great way to go about it! Good luck on finding that home 🏡
You make good points! I'm not a fan of their products at all, except for maybe the Amazon card
I really like that Prime Visa 👊
I’m waiting until next year to get the freedom flex and as soon as I get it I will be going with CITI to do a Magnificent 5 that will take another 2-years to get in total.
Thanks for these tips and tricks bro!!!
Make it happen!
Hi Mark, Chase sent me the Guide to Benefits brochure. I got the Sapphire Preferred card solely for the Primary Auto Collision Protection plan, secondly for the other travel insurance protections not covered with the Prime card. After thinking about it on why Tesla isn't included. The price of Tesla repairs and so few auto shops that are authorised to do Tesla repairs the Model 3 is like renting a high end exotic sport's car. Nobody talks about all the cars you can't rent to use the Chase Auto Collision plan for.
This guide is dated in 2021. With a Rivian S1 SUV being so new. It is not a rental vehicle yet. What will Chase do with Rivian in the future if Rivian can ever make enough of them for fleet sales? It's funny Corvettes are also excluded but the Mach E is.
This video is more about all of the same point categories that are duplicated. The Sapphire Preferred card is the top show off card I own.
Correct. There are quite a few exclusions for rental car coverages when premium vehicles are in the picture.
I agree I am canceling my saphire preferred. My Bilt card and autograph card are replacing it. The only drop is the online grocery and I don't use that. Plus I may get the reserve one day so I have to get rid of it soon anyway.
Bilt = incredible with its 3X Dining + 2X Travel + 1:1 transfer to excellent partners. And of course...a $0 annual fee while earning rewards on rent!
@MarkReese I suppose it's the wells fargo trifecta ha ha. I did get sofi instead of active cash as you have to wait 15 months between bonuses at wells fargo right?. Could you do a updated top airline cc video now that citi has stepped it up.
@@Notthecobracommander - I haven't seen that 15-month language in the terms of Wells Fargo cards lately. That used to be a rule with their prior lineup. Still worthwhile checking those terms before every application, though.
How has Citi stepped up the airline card game?
@MarkReese Thanks, will try it out in a few months. The high end credit card now finally gives more than 2 miles and includes trip delay insurance.
@@Notthecobracommander - Which high-end credit card are you referring to?
Why doesn't Chase or Amex have any Entertainment bonus cards!? 😢 Thats my highest spend category.
Not sure. Capital One and Citi are my go-to issuers for that right now.
I agree with you Mark. Not the best setup, but since it is used enough might as well keep them open to have access to partners.
"Best" is subjective anyway 😄👊
@@MarkReese Depends on the topic and how we're defining best. Best based on opinions, sure. But with credit cards, as you and I stated, don't need the best to keep and just get enough value to keep.
Not sure in who's world this is the best trifecta? Unless maybe it's the only one they had? Lol 😆
This is a major video of all credit card video on TH-cam. This is the video I have been really trying hard in my search to rewatch it. I don't need a category quarterly points card. My Prime and TD Bank cards is really all I care about the most. I use my Amazon points for Adidas apparel that I save money. On. I use the points on my TD Bank Cash for statement credits. Those 2 cards I want the most points on.
Great that you found a 2-card setup that's rewarding for you!
@@MarkReese I got approved the Citi Double Cash card today. I called Capital One in the afternoon to cancel my Platinum Card. Capital One sucks.
My credit score will be all over the place for the next month. 2 Approvals, maybe a credit limit increase with 3 hard pulls all in 2 weeks. With a canceled card that changes my average credit history. Then I also plan on making sure that my statement balances will be much lower.
I have the Chase trifecta and love using UR points for Hyatt hotels. I have started to explore AMEX and got the gold a couple months back. My next card will be the BBP for the sweet 2x.
Great to hear!
Im also done with the UR points system. Chase Travel Portal marks up flight costs more than bookijg direct so there's no point in airline transfer partners, the main lure.
The Chase portal marking up prices has nothing to do with transfer partners, because with transfer partners, you don't book via the Chase portal.
@@MarkReese I meant getting the 5x points via the portal it's pointless because it's marked up in price
@@alexdmrgs - Ah gotcha. Always worthwhile to compare prices in portal vs. out (or via other portals). Sometimes one can be higher, other times they can be identical, etc.
its huge for me cause I 99% fly on Southwest and stay at a Hyatt. The 1.5% on FU is nice for most of our bills and the quarterly for the FF is good too.
Great to hear the setup works well for you!
@@MarkReese Yeah. Once my kids get older and we take bigger further trips I will probably switch it up a little bit. But with Amex having a lot of one time bonus speaches I am waiting to jump to that side. All from what I have learned from your channel. So thanks!
Great video! I know you have both, but if you had to choose between Amex Blue Business and Venture X, which would you choose?
I'd go with the Venture X.
@@MarkReese Thank you so much!
I believe what this is about how you are using multiple cards from different banks rather than the same Chase bank. This video is how I'm working out my Credit Journey.
Yep, at the time I found greater value for my situation in using a blended setup across different banks 👍
Howdy great sir! One thing I wanted to let you know from experience. I added a friend to help him on my Citi Custom Cash. He needed a higher limit card to secure rental. That rental thru Hertz coded as select transit 5% bonus category. So if you ever have a $500 or even $600 rental consider trying or researching for more data points from others about it coding in case you don't use Hertz. Yea I know capped at 500 in spend but still 1% over cap so $700 rental still gets $27 beating either 2x or 3x unless there are options other than cash back. Take care, sir. Best to you always! I only mention this since you said your gas has been primarily on other card.
Yep, Citi states that "car rentals" are included under Select Transit 👍 Here's the complete list: _"Includes car rentals, ferries, commuter railways, subways, taxis/limousines/car services, passenger railways, bridge and road tolls, parking lots/garages, bus lines, and motor home and recreational vehicle rentals. Excludes bike/scooter rentals, auto clubs and insurance companies."_
Thanks for the data point from the real-world to confirm!
That said, just be aware that the Citi Custom Cash has no primary rental car insurance. Only an issue if you personally care about that. If not...then no problem, earning 5X rocks 💯
I wouldn’t call this a strategy. The points earned is so spread out, it will require so much more spending to accumulate enough points to use on flights.
There's great value in keeping things simple...totally agreed 👍 That said, you could still be spread out among 5 major programs (Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, Bilt) as there are a number of transfer partners that overlap. Translation: there are some nice indirect ways to combine those points for a single trip 🏆
@@MarkReese thanks for sharing your knowledge.
A bifecta of Venture X/Savor One or possibly even the regular Venture/Savor One is better than Chase Trifecta with CSP/CFF/CFU. With CSR instead of CSP, I think the only benefit is getting restaurant access as part of priority-pass, but that is negated by much higher fees, especially as a couple or family.
The 'Capital One Duo' setup has become really compelling for a lot of people 🏆
Agreed. The only issue is how damn stingy Capital One is with credit limit increases.
Curious why BILT for dining vs Amex gold (4X)? And why Wells Fargo vs the preferred on ride sharing and streaming?
1. The Bilt Mastercard requires making 5 transactions per month in order to earn rewards. I don't eat out often right now, and when I do, the transaction amount is small. So, I like to use some dining transactions to knock out the Bilt card's requirement because so little value is lost from earning 3X vs 4X (due to the small $ amount being spent).
2. I value cash back a lot, and I've chosen rideshares to be one of the categories in which I prioritize cash in my overall rewards mix instead of travel. It's another category in which is spend very little, so I wouldn't earn much on that spend even if going with a higher-return travel card. That said, Chase points vs. WF points have the same value for cash back, so in the end, I suppose it's just my way of keeping my WF card active.
Additionally, I've since gotten rid of my Sapphire Preferred as of 3.10.2024.
Well done Mark! Traditional Chase trifecta has never been attractive to me for the same non-competitive and overlap reasons you detail here. Instead I use CSP & CIC, looking at CIP next month - but each earns independently. For me it's Amex Gold for food, Navy Federal is doing a 5% gas & transit (Aug-Oct) w/ Cash Rewards Visa and then Flagship is my 2x catch all.
Great that you found a set up that works for you!
I really like it😄 , I don't have time to think 2,3,4X this is just low expenses for us. Soon will cancel/downgrade a few cards to make room for more SUBs... We use AMEX business Plat for business invoices that don't fall in any special category (X1,5 over $5k).
Venture for gas, utilities, other 2X. Prime for Amazon/whole foods X5. I don't care if I miss 1-2k points a month, I'd rather use my time elsewhere...
Facts; you can’t buy “time”
Great that you found a setup that works for you! Excellent point about rewards maximization vs. time 👌
I agree, that is the reason why i didn't get the sapphire. all the other credit cards can cover those earning rewards. just not unique to me
No need for the Sapphire Preferred if the focus is cash back 💵
@@MarkReese hope they change the earning categories for sapphire preferred to make it more unique than flex/unlimited! thanks always for the great visual comparisons.
The overlapping categories just kill my desire to keep the CSR. I almost cancelled it this year, but for sure will next year without a real change in the trifecta. Almost all my spend goes on Amex cards because they have the more useful multiplier categories and offer the most in luxury travel. When/if I drop below 5/24, I may get a cpl business cards from Chase, which would incentivize me to keep the relationship. Excellent points Mark👍🏾
I too spend more on Amex!
Chase Ink biz cards are notably absent from this segment.
I can't imagine running a UR setup without a (no AF) Ink Cash, for 5x wireless/streaming and 2x gas (pre-boost).
If you're largely UR, the CSR is a must for the points boost. Otherwise, if you're running a hybrid setup, the Ink Preferred becomes another potentially good option for those with ad spend.
Also, the overlapping benefits compared by this segment are not the most compelling from the CSR/CIP. Primary CDW, rental car status, travel protections, best Priority Pass (not available from other cards), etc. should be considered.
The Ink Business Cards can be a fantastic addition 👊 This video was just focused on the personal side.
Any reason you decide to use BILT card (3x) for Dining rather than AMEX Gold (4x). The only reasons I can think of is either the first day of the month (6x instead or 3x) or the transfer partners (typically Hyatt or AA) 🤔
If you are a fan of AA - then Bilt has no alternative.
Bilt credit card is one of the few credit cards with point transfer for American airlines.
Also you need 5 transactions a month to get any points with Bilt.
I don't spend much on dining out. Since the Bilt Mastercard requires 5 transactions per month in order to earn points at all, I find using my infrequent & inexpensive dining purchases to satisfy that requirement (while still earning 3X) is an excellent way for me to satisfy that requirement and, in turn, earn transferrable rewards on rent 🏆
Mark, what about the BofA premium elite card? Did you just use that to get the sub offer ?
Only got it for the bonus & to better understand how it works.
Hey Mark, how about the Bank of America cash rewards and premier elite cards, you ever use those for anything?
Nope. I don't have the Customized Cash Rewards Card and I don't have any use for the Premium Rewards Elite. It's not a good product without the Preferred Rewards program (and I'm not a member of it).
I have the trifecta but the CFU is dead to me because I have the VX. I use the CFF for the quarterly categories and the CSP for dining just so it gets some usage and also for the XFER partners. Waiting to get the Savor one for the 3X groceries.
C1VX = great alternative 💯 Good luck on that C1SO application!
I've always said the chase set up is overrated. Every time the CSP has an elevated bonus I'm tempted, but I know after hitting the sign of bonus I would not put any spend on that card. I can earn more with other cards I have
But could you earn even more by (a) getting the CSP with an elevated offer AND (b) use those other cards for ongoing spend for the remainder of the year? 😁
@@MarkReese good point lol.
I dont bother with the Trfecta this quad that dining this gas that. With business cards in the mix I am always chasing a bonus and sometimes 2 and 3 bonuses. No category will ever come close to that.
Bonuses outweigh the multipliers 🏆
Is it bad to make a product change downgrading sapphire to freedom while having a balance on sapphire ?
Nope.
Going to do that same set up with the duo. The only reason I’m probably going to still get the freedom unlimited is if an elevated rewards comes out for getting it to use on some grand vacation for easy point rack up and down ground the preferred every 4 years to get more points. Unfortunate thing is if I at least don’t get the preferred before other cards I probably never will playing the card game with that blasted 5/24 rule. Super smart on their part having that cuz otherwise I’d just gettem later
Sounds good!
Does sapphire prefer need to have 4% dining and 5% gas and 8% streaming
That sounds better to me! Although that'd likely occur with an increase in the annual fee (and more partner credits that I wouldn't use) 😁
Credit overlap is a bigger deal than people realize. With a spouse having two global entry credits etc can help, but even then, unless you also have kids, that third card starts to look a lot less interesting.
Always smart to evaluate what you've got!
My set-up is the csp trifecta + AmEx Gold for groceries and direct airlines purchases. I don't have a car and live in a city, this makes sense for me because I don't care about gas stations, only really care about domestic travel rewards, and can easily offset the AmEx fee with the uber/grubhub credits. I use the CSP for dining instead of the AmEx because I value Chase points higher/more flexible.
Great that you found a setup that works for you!
Good stuff, but I am curious as to why you would use the Bilt for dining instead of the Amex Gold.
Because I don't eat out often, and when I do, I spend very little. Since the Bilt card requires 5 transactions per month to earn points at all, dining transactions are a great way for me to meet that requirement while still earning 3X points that are transferrable to great partners or worth 1.25¢ each toward travel via the portal.
totally agree it sucks that grocery is not covered with the Chase setup. I am lucky to have 5x on the Flex for their limited time offer through end of year, but it really should be permanent on at least one card for at least 3x. But why should Chase care or try to be competitive with that when they are the largest bank in the country?
And with their 5/24 rule everyone wants their cards anyway 😂
Chase seems to be doing fine without a gas category on its cards 😄
Interesting video, Mark. Thanks. But how does your desire to “simplify your life,” align with a setup using 13 cards? And if “coupon books” annoy you, how does the most notorious Platinum coupon book remain in the lineup?
For someone who runs a TH-cam channel dedicated to credit cards, 13 cards = simple 😂 I value getting hands-on experience with many cards, their rewards & their benefits. If I only used Chase cards, it'd be a heck of a lot harder to make informative videos on other card ecosystems.
Platinum Card remains because I put in the work to make it work, even if I don't like doing so.
@@MarkReese Thanks. I wasn’t suggesting that you use only three cards, but point understood. I was just trying to track consistency in the logic.
I’m a beginner and have the Freedom Flex and Discover It Card. Thinking of either going forward with the Trifecta and getting the Freedom Unlimited, or, dipping my toe into the Amex Gold or the BLT Mastercard. I don’t spend a ton of money so I’m leaning more towards the Unlimited to just get 1.5x back on purchases the 5% categories Discover and the Freedom Flex don’t cover. Though points on rent, dining, and groceries are appealing. Thoughts?
I'd personally get them all. That way you can get the bonuses up front for some trips. Then long term I'd keep the cards that have the multipliers that make sense for my spend.
With Chase, I'd get the CSP before the CFU. Way more points up front...sooner.
Nice colour coding 💯🖌🖌
Thanks! 🎨
I only have the freedom flex and sp cards from them, cus the 5x rotating and 3x on drug stores is nice
Good combo 👊
Wow super interesting. I need that 5x gas. I already have the Venture X. Will het to learn from those Hilton cards
Glad you found it insightful!
Mark im curious, how come for dining you use the Bilt instead of the Gold? No judging really. Just curious the reasoning and strategies there
I don't eat out often, and when I do, I spend very little. Since the Bilt card requires 5 transactions per month to earn any points, dining was the perfect choice for me. Plus, I still earn 3X transferrable points.
If you use the CVS Pharmacy inside a Target, how does it get coded? Do you get a pharmacy benefit?
I'm not sure if all card networks (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) or if all CVS-Target stores have it set up the same way nationwide. All I can say is for the CVS within Target that I shop at, it shows as a 'Target' transaction on my Discover it Cash Back credit card.
Not sure about pharmacy benefits, but I've been able to use an Rx discount card with no issue.
@@MarkReese Meaning, since this is a video about Chase, the transaction doesn’t qualify as “drug stores” for 3x UR on the Freedom? So sad, I don’t know why in-store lessees choose to code their transactions like that. I think Subways inside a Walmart do the same thing. Are they forced to by the card networks?
@@headlibrarian1996 - I can't provide an answer for this as I don't know how "store within a store" transactions code until I actually do a transaction to find out.
Venture X replaces CFU if you have a CFF.
It sure can!
@@MarkReeseI consider the CFF to be the new core of the trifecta with the current 5% gas and groceries for 1 year sign up offer. But you're right about the lack of a permanent redemption for those categories. Everyone should be hopping on that 10% gas right now.
I had a csr and their customer service is 👎. Got a amex platinum 2 yrs ago, gold last year and they put my in pop up jail when i wanted the everyday blue cash 😢. Ill try again later. I downgraded the csr in the mean time. This has been working great for us with our southwest visa for 0 overseas travel fees that does not accept amex. We are in the dallas area so its a hub card we get good value from. Now to step up our hotel card game.
💯✈
Also having the Trifecta myself... Not a fan of so many overlapping categories.
I hear ya 🤙
I still like the chase trifecta cause I’ve been able to utilize the 5% grocery bonus for awhile thanks to 2 player mode. And I have the Hyatt card to supplement chase as well as the Cap1 duo to fill in everything else. But I agree the overlaps are awful. The unlimited is basically worthless besides the first year 5% bonus and SUB. Flex is still solid, preferred is ok, but the Cap1 duo honestly covers the main categories. I want to get into Amex but their annual fees are too much for me right now
It's still a good setup! Looks like you also see the "need" to supplement it 😁
Do you still hold the capitol one venture card? Did you get a welcome bonus when you opened the venture x (having already had the venture card and bonus)? I'm looking at both trying to decide between the two at the moment.
Yes, I still have the Venture Rewards card.
Yes, I got the bonus on both.
Here's a link to another video you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/ZF37kE21tJ4/w-d-xo.html
Great video! As someone who’s chase only at the moment I gotta say, it’s going to be hard to leave because of Hyatt. I swear every time I travel I find x4 redemption for points. If I had to pick between using my points for flights or a nice hotel I personally chose hotel since it makes more days comfortable as opposed to one 11 hour flight.
Has anyone been in my shoes and moved on from chase/hyatt and not looked back? If so , what did it for you?
There's tremendous value in Hyatt's program!
The main reason why people leave it include (a) the tiny footprint of hotels worldwide and (b) a rather uninteresting loyalty program unless you're at the top-tier Globalist level.
I am planning on getting the Altitude Reserve but jw how you justify the fee ? Its only 75 if you use it for restaurants/travel (when it likely wouldn't be the best choice out of your setup) and you already have Priority Pass + TSA Pre/Global entry from other cards. Are you just using mobile wallet when other cards don't have hire percentage frequently enough to cover it + difference in using it for travel/restaurants from other cards?
I typically use the card for mobile wallet purchases, especially at stores like Target, Costco, and other retailers.
i currently have the freedom unlimited ive been eyeing the freedom flex and the discover it cashback for my next card application bc i want that rotating 5% category card i already have the citi custom cash. kinda unsure which one to go for since im currently on 4/24 with chase. hope to have the chase trifecta one day but the overlapping categories do kinda bother me so im not sure what i do now lol. id appreciate some advice
Do you currently value cash back over travel rewards?
Good stuff. Thanks for the clear explanation.
Sure thing!
Excellent points great video. I too have the Chase trifecta. I’m using my Amex cards more consistently. I have the Platinum, plus gold . Will have Amex Trifecta soon. Deciding on which card to make it with ! I’m leading to BCP
Have fun with the decision!
Good video, thanks for making my indecisiveness worse 😄👍 the one thing I don't like about Amex is that Amex is still not accepted at a lot of places outside the US, so in my mind it's not a good travel card
Heck, I couldn't use my Amex at the movie theater last week. (First the I've been to the movie theater in years.)
Have you considered the Capital One Duo instead? That'd give you a Visa + Mastercard for great worldwide acceptance, plus no foreign transaction fees. Here's a link to a video about it: th-cam.com/video/u6KeBn6qtxY/w-d-xo.html
I hear ya, but I have adjusted to that with my heavier use of Amex in my travel prep and airport lounges entries. Back in 2019, hertz at the Frankfurt airport won't accept my CSR to rent a car because they say it didn't cover enough (weird???), but they took the AMEXP. So, I don't expect AMEX to work beyond foreign airports.
@@MarkReese Definitely considering it now, thank you!
im not the biggest fan of the chase trifecta actually wants to cancel or downgrade my sapphire card probably cacel because I'm happy with my amex gold but I still want a no annual fee card with forgin transaction fees. Unfortunatly chase don't have that. If they wont come out with one until middle of next year ill probably ending up getting the apple card and get rid of my chase card
No no-AF + no-FTF card from Chase would be great to see 👍
@@MarkReese basically every single bank offers this except for chase
For someone starting off, building... if chase or amex were off the table (there are hundreds of those trifecta videos), how would you compare citi, capital one, and us bank trifectas? (Until we can develop a stack like what you use for each category!)
That'd require a separate video.
That said, I'd only consider U.S. Bank for domestic travel or flights / hotels that don't have a major loyalty program. That's because U.S. Bank doesn't offer transfer partners and doesn't allow you to combine points on the Reserve side for 1.5¢ per point.
Also, Citi doesn't currently offer any travel insurance protections.
I’d maybe consider using the Ven-X for rental cars? It’s 10x and the portal has great deals I’ve found. I paid $1427.00 a month for a brand new suburban which is close to a payment if you bought it. And it got me 14k+ points for it. Then again I don’t have much experience with US bank, am I missing a benefit there at the 3x?
For some people, absolutely! I'd consider it if I'm booking a rental car from a company that I didn't care about (i.e. no activity in their loyalty program). However, if I have status (e.g. National), I need to book direct in order to get my benefits (and I really value them).
That said...
(1) The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve earns 3X on travel (incl. rental cars) instead of 2X on the Venture X (booking directly, that is).
(2) The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve still has primary rental car insurance like the Venture X.
(3) I like earning Altitude points that have a flat value of 1.5¢ each so I can use them to offset certain travel purchases, including rental cars. This would be 1.0¢ on the Venture X.
@@MarkReese Cool, thank you for the response! Lots to consider, greatly appreciate the insights
Do u only book flights direct to earn 5X on your platinum?
Yes, nearly always direct w/ Platinum Card as the payment method ✈️
Never was a big fan anyway. I like the Cap One duo and the Amex trifecta better.
🏆🏆
Seems to me that this was entirely intentional. I believe chase wants customers to choose between the two freedoms and along with a sapphire card for the multiplier. Or, you can just have one sapphire card and be done with it since they all pretty much have the same category multipliers. Just my opinion.
It's completely intentional. Chase don't like cc churners so they created a lot of overlap to discourage gaming the system
I kept my original Freedom card that just has the 5X rotating categories. A little less overlap.
Could be!
I love the comparison charts, I was hoping I could download it. The only issues I see with your set is the same problem I am working out with my set-up, and that is "too many eco-systems", I think I see 8-eco systems in your set. There is something to be said about the conveniences of paring things down to at the most 4 eco-systems. I think it's worth sometimes getting a 2X in a bigger eco-system vs a 3X is a smaller/limit eco-system. I would get rid of the USBank Altitude Reserve and move your car rents to Chase. Get your Hertz Presidential circle match to Avis and enjoy the same primary Collison ins and system with your Chase SP or one of your INK cards. I got denied for the CAP1X, but the up side is one less eco-system to manage/portal to deal with, this frees up some much needed management for my AMEXP, AMEP-Bus, AMEX-gold, AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliance, and AMEX Hilton Aspire.
Excellent point. There's great value in simplifying things, especially among the 5 main transferrable point programs (Amex, Chase, Citi, C1, Bilt) as there are a number of transfer partners that overlap. Translation: there are some nice indirect ways to combine all points 🏆
using the app for your respective grocery store generally codes as online grocery. but its a pain to deal with
Yep 👍 I'm simply not into things that are a pain to use 😅
@@MarkReese oh I agree. I really don't see a reason to swipe chase cards outside of 5x and sign up bonuses
For the last 15 years we've only had the Delta Skymiles Amex and an odd MasterCard, but recently I've been watching LOTS of YT videos on getting multiple cards primarily for SUBs. But, after getting the SUB, I don't want to worry about juggling different cards based on whether the purchase gets me 2x vs. 3x vs.5x points. I'm retired, but I don't have the for that! I'm not sure if the video helped or not, lol!
I hear ya! If I were in that situation, I'd likely get just 1 or 2 cards and call it a day. However, I'd make sure those cards earn rewards that can be used for nearly any airline, hotel, rental car, etc. that I wanted rather than earning air miles or hotel points in a singular program that only works with that program & its limited partners. In other words, keep the spend simple & the redemptions flexible.
Best Amex trifecta seems to be Platinum-Green-Everyday Preferred or BBP not all three charge cards. As for Chase, I could live with 1.5% for gas but no real grocery multiplier is a serious oversight on Chase.
Those 3 cards definitely work well together provided you hit those 30 transactions per month on the EDP 👊
I never was a chase trifecta fan. I had freedom and they converted my slate to freedom unlimited. For this quarter, they have added 5% cash back on grocery on both cards. What am I gonna do: Buy $3000 worth groceries? Point is, as you said, a lot of redundancy. I like Amex “fectas” better. Your method (the mish mash one) is the BEST, which I personally like and follow. Just maximize your rewards by using the best card out there regardless of the issuer. Another great video!
Mish-mash w/ Amex can create a powerful setup! 🏆
@@MarkReese No denying that!
If I need UR points, I use Chase cards. If MR points, Amex cards and etc.
Sound logic right there 😁👊
Why don’t you use the Venture X for rental cars?
(1) The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve earns 3X on travel (incl. rental cars) instead of 2X on the Venture X.
(2) The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve still has primary rental car insurance like the Venture X.
(3) I like earning Altitude points that have a flat value of 1.5¢ each so I can use them to offset certain travel purchases, including rental cars. This would be 1.0¢ on the Venture X.
@@MarkReese Rental cars booked through the Capital One travel portal gets 10x. I guess from what you’re saying that you’re not using the Travel portal for Capital One.
@@Dwilsonmusic145 - Correct. I may consider using the C1 portal when renting a car from a company I don't have loyalty with. I typically rent from National. Since I have status with National, and booking direct is required to get the benefits (which I do care about), I book direct.
I almost never use portals for any type of travel.
@@MarkReese I gotcha now it makes sense
The chase freedom unlimited is worthless with the blue business plus. I have one OG freedom and one product changed freedom flex.
I like those 5% categories 💯
Chase trifecta is trash 🗑️ but many TH-camrs advertise it as the best credit cards 😂
Agree
Because it's how they make their referral $$$?
EXACTLY. And the only amazing thing they ever always highlight is the welcome bonus.....like OK but after I use the 60k welcome points, how will these cards benefit me??? It takes me forever to rack up Points on my freedom flex alone cuz the rotating 5% doesn't align with my spending habits
The setup is still good for the right people. It used to be my #1 setup for years, although that was back when the cards didn't have the partner credits and newer rewards categories. So, while I still like some of their cards in isolation and for certain purposes, the Chase Trifecta itself doesn't work for me any longer.
Like everything in life, it’s not for everyone.
For some the fact that the bi/trifecta overlap might be beneficial..for example I have CSP and freedom flex I split my expenses between the two without sacrificing earned points(since it’s in the same ecosystem) so if I spend 2000 a month..I split it between the two…so that gives me more wiggle room to pay off each balance in full due to the fact that each card will have different due dates.
For sure! Do realize you can change your due dates to whatever you like 👍
Great video! This is exactly why I’m going with the capital one duo. TH-camrs love to push Chase credit cards only because of Hyatt.
Enjoy the duo!
I've heard over the years that Chase isn't really fond of the trifecta many a forum and TH-cam members have boasted and bragged about. Cause got to think about the way chase is set up, having some one min maximizing like that isn't going very profitable for them. So the redundancy could be a way to combat in like saying you don't really to have all these cards together and just pick one or the pair you like lol. Also looking from afar I don't see why they don't just add the 1.5 cash back to the freedom flex and close the freedom unlimited. At this point they can be one card.
Could be! I don't think any bank likes "maximizers" or churners 😬
@@MarkReese Amex likes it. Cause to even do their trifecta it's going to cost you near 1000 dollars yearly. And they actually get paid a lot if you swipe a lot due to the higher percentages they charge 😂.
Citi Bank encourages it as if they like you they will eventually send you mail offers for all their products and sometimes even for a card you have with a better offer or sub. There's a reason their product change and sub policy is so lax 😆
I saw two elevated signups recently on the Freedom Unlimited: 1 was a 1.5% boost on spend up to $20k in a year and the newest one is 5% Gas and grocery on $12k spend in a year. Both really good. But both are just covering up a still flawed card. When do you think Chase changes these cards up?
I don’t think they will anytime soon.
Their cards are geared to the masses, not really us highly optimized credit card enthusiasts.
@@docsays they’re ceding soooo much ground.
Solid offers. I have no way of knowing if / when Chase will make changes to its lineup. I'm still a fan of some of their cards on their own, I just no longer use the "Chase Trifecta" as my main setup like I used to in years past.
So a good option is to just have a DUO: A Sapphire card and the Flex? Then get other cards with categories you want and need.
Yep that’s what I’m doing. Possibly going for the bbp as the catch all instead of cfu
For some people who have a lot of non-category spend, adding the CFU for its 1.5X can be useful. If you don't have much spend there, then yep, a Chase Duo can be great for a travel setup. For straight cash back, even the CFF on its own can be great.
You can't shop at Costco with American Express.
Correct.
Team Citi Trifecta Double Cash, Custom Cash, and Premier same $95 AF
Excellent setup right there 💯
Great video on the the card setup and the chase trifecta! I was wondering if you had any favorite hotel card? Hilton vs Marriott vs hyatt?
Thanks! No, I don't have a favorite hotel card.
I downgraded my CSP to a CFU and actually make more in points than when I had the CSP…
The CSP earning categories are way too restrictive with little value to me… I love CFU 3% drug store.
Well done! That's what this game is all about: getting the cards that give you the best value for YOU 👊
This is how I feel with the welcome bonuses, I can’t ever spend as much to make those bonuses but would like a card for travel 🤷🏼♀️😅😂
I completely understand you Mr Newtron 😩
You're smart to avoid the welcome offers if your normal spend habits cannot meet the requirement 👍 Financial responsibility always comes first.