I currently have the Venture X as my first travel card and I love it! I use it to pay for everything except food and groceries. I just used the $300 travel credit and it definitely helped lower my vacation for this year. I usually only take 1-2 trips and I already feel like this card has helped with one of them. Generally feel like you can’t go wrong with this card if you are an average person who goes to 1-2 vacations a year.
@@annafrancisco7973 probably the savor one. Or if you value Hyatt and other Chase partners, just keep a Saphire Preferred. Your annual fee across both becomes effectively $15. And if you use The Cultivist or the Prior service on the Venture X, you're back in the positive.
As someone that travels 11 months out of the year, the CSR is the best travel card. As a Visa I know it will be accepted in practically every place that accepts credit card…which is one of the knocks against the Amex Platinum. CSR has better transfer partners, better insurance coverage (it covered my Emergency room visit) and better earnings categories than the Venture X. Something you didn’t mention is at a valuation of 1.5 cents through the Chase travel portal, airfare purchases count as cash purchases which yield airlines miles and qualify for airline status. With that said, I think the CSR is the best travel card overall for international travel however instead of paying $75 for an additional CSR I opted to get the Venture X as it worked out to be positive $5 and now I have 5 Priority Pass accounts to gift to family and I can use the Venture X as my catch-all.
Thanks so much for this personal analysis, I've been on the fence between upgrading my Preferred to Reserve or getting a Venture X. Now I'm thinking since I was going to add my girlfriend as an AU for lounge access it probably just makes sense to hold both cards instead of giving Chase another $75.
@@RapidFireRetro For me it was the best option. This way not only do you get lounge access for your AU, but you will get access to Capital One lounges, Plaza Premiums, additional transfer partners, cell phone protection and another Global Entry credit. The CSR and Venture x pair well.
I think the main reason the AMEX Platinum doesn't have a middle category is to cross-sell folks on the Gold (I admit to having both). The Gold is a great points earner for day to day spend with 4x on US groceries and 4x on global restaurants. The Platinum is the card you carry for the perks such as the extra/elevated insurances, CLEAR, lounge access, the concierge, etc.
Good one on Lyft. I agree . LP reduced service fees. I use Lyft mainly on trips but those service fees reduced almost $2 each ride. To add probably for all three cards I'd guess have the use credits that pop up. A certain gas chain or resturant coffee house 10% off with card use. My use triggers $2 to $3 a month but has been up to $5. Lowering effective annual fees for all the cards presented.
This is all true! As much as I love my Amex Gold and Platinum, I wish the Amex Platinum card could raise the annual fee by $300 and add permanent x5 multipliers for grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations.That way, I can ditch the gold card that I'm paying 250/year for anyways and have less cards.
For the CSR 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 have the Venture X and it has become my everything card along with the Savor One (also by Capital One) for dinning. Wife and I only travel 1-2 times a year internationally and we are not the bougie kind of people so all the added fancy lounge perks and whatnot, are just not for us. A quite bite at any lounge will do, and the Venture does that. Plus, the essentially zero yearly fee is hard to argue against. And lastly, the ability to add authorized users for free is PRICELESS.
I have the Venture X (and the chase preferred) and i love it! The sign up bonus at the time i got it in 2022 was 75k and i used the card for tsa pre immediately. My biggest purpose of getting the card was for work. I fly about 1-3 times a year on average, and use hotels about 8x a year. Also, I use rentals and uber during these trips. Since My wife and I go together on all of these trips i figured after years of paying cash for these trips it would be nice to build credit and get points and so far its been great.
I have Venture X and definitely love it! Like you said it pays me $5 per year for having the card. INSANE!!! Amex is the worst, the benefits are worthless, very high annual fee and can't use it at Costco 😅
Before watching: The Amex Platinum provides the most upside value for frequent travelers if you know how to use it. The Chase Sapphire Reserve is for folks who travel a ton domestically and utilize the 1.5cpp value through Chase's travel portal. The Venture X is the easiest to get value from with just one booking per year. After watching: It sounds like we agree on each of them! I don't think there's an objective best card for everyone, but instead, that decision has to be made on an individual basis based on what you value the most. Great video John!
Just to provide more clarity... I have both CSR (primary) and Venture X (backup card). One of my friends use Amex Platinum. We compare our feedbacks. I would prioritize CSR first, Venture X second, AMEX last for the following reasons, starting on year 2: 1) Access to multiple airport lounges are nice, but you will ultimately settle with ONE 3 hours before your flight over time. CSR is the only card of the 3 to offer restaurant credits. 2) I don't think the video mentioned that AMEX Plat car rental insurance is secondary, not primary like CSR or VX 3) When travelling (within US), UBER (Amex) or Lyft (CSR) is usually more useful to me, which is 10x points, discounts, and get priority. VX is lacking. 4) VX is a good backup card if you use $400/year in travels. Also good to add members to Priority Pass (CSR is $75 each) 5) I see AMEX has too much "coupon" books. CSR is good for everyday use, VISA, and is more widely accepted than AMEX.
I think the biggest perk that we are missing here for CSR is the trifecta. Unlike AMEX or Venture X, pairing it with Flex and Unlimited make it worth it with all the points you can gather in the UP system. But just the card alone, Venture X definitely comes out on top.
The best 2 card combo is C1Vx+Savor. Then Amex Plat+Amex Gold. Chase trifecta requires 3 cards and the CFF can be difficult to use. Anyway, i have all 3 cards as each offers unique perks for me and I want to collect all the flexible points from different ecosystems
@@DrSarge37 not if you can use all the perks. Amex gold is effective $10/year after all the dining/Uber credit. Amex MR points are so valuable for flight redemption. If annual fee is a factor then C1VX+Savor is a better combo.
@@MysterioTGN yeah although the dining credits is only $10/month… so you end up spending way more to get a credit since you can’t just use it all at once, same with the Uber credit… so if I take multiple rides in a month that end up totaling that $120, I still only get $10 that month… it would be worth it for me if I could use the credits all at once… but when I had the Amex gold card in 2018-2020 it was only monthly.
I feel Iike the scam is it gets people to use that stuff who otherwise wouldn’t have and it seems free but it’s just wasted money because you paid for it 12 months ago
I have 2 of 3 (Amex Plt & Chase Sapp Reserve). The points on Lyft rides is awesome but I haven't found much use for it yet so I am just piling up points until I find an awesome travel opportunity to cash in on them. This is my go to card when vendors do not accept Amex; currently living overseas so having a strong Visa comes in handy. The Amex Platinum is King for travel and we utilize this card alot so it's king in my book. Also of note, the Hilton Aspire Card is an honorary mention as I tend to utilize that card alot as well.
I have the VX and love it. The travel portal is easy to use, and I love the simplicity of it. Although it doesn't have dining, or groceries, that's very easily fixed by picking up the SavorOne or Savor card. I also picked up the CSR for the welcome bonus, but plan on downgrading to the CSP. With the Cap One duo, there's no need for the CSR. I think I'll downgrade to the CSP, then pick up the freedom flex to get the 5X rotating categories. I know Chase has Hyatt, but my wife and I don't really care about hotels, we go with whatever is cheaper. We prefer to splurge on flights rather than hotels since wherever we travel we're not in the hotel that much anyway.
I am thinking between CSR and Savor One for a dining card. I currently have VX, so SavorOne makes sense, but VX has limited domestic airlines. Would love your input.
@@Stephan905bro does the venture x have JetBlue or united on capital portal to where I could buy my flight on there I got the quicksilver thinking about getting the savor next I don’t mind the 95 annual fee
I know a lot of people look at these cards for aspirational trips with one other person but I mostly travel as a family of four. Unless I want to violate my happy wife policy and leave her outside of the airport lounge I have to make her an authorized user which is $0 on the VX, $75 on the CSR and $175 on the Amex Platinum so I would automatically have to factor that into the annual fee. That and the VX having an effective annual fee of +$5, primary CDW (not on the Amex Platinum if I recall correctly) makes this an easy choice for me.
Adding at least one AU for airport lounge access is a must since most lounges I have been to allow the card holder plus two guests which is an issue when traveling as a family of 4 or 4+
I do love the Venture X card, it's been good so far. Priority lounges aren't super great, but beats paying for food at any airport. I am considering the Amex Plat, but yeah that yearly fee is a little scary.
The $300 travel credit on the Venture x only works by booking through Capital one travel portal. Because you have to use the travel portal in order to get the credit that credit should be discounted in your evaluation. In fact, you discounted 10x and 5x respectively on the cards because you only get that multiplier through their respective travel portals. So you need to do a re-evaluation on the venture x's score.
I had a similar thought. He downplayed the CSR’s multiplier for booking via Chase Portal, but is entirely thrilled by the C1VX $300 travel portal credit 🤷♂️
I have had all three and the only card I will be keeping for the foreseeable future will be the venture x. Capital one is just easy for me. Easy to use, no effective annual fee, and better reward system in my opinion
I definitely agree that the Venture X is the best out of these cards, but I would also say that the $200 Hotel credit and the $200 Airline "incidental" credit are both fairly easy to use, and for people that get gas at Exxon or Walmart gas stations, they could at least see some value in the Walmart Plus Membership as well.
@@Jiggy609 that's true, but they have partners in each of the alliances, so there is still potential to get good value for a domestic flight. Also, Amex charges a fee to transfer to domestic partners, so Chase and Bilt are generally the best choices for domestic anyway, in my opinion at least.
I wasn’t surprised that Venture X came up on top. I have the card and as you said, it’s great for the every day person using their every day credits. I also own the AMEX Gold card and Chase Sapphire Preferred and selected all three of these strategically. The AMEX Gold is my my food card, the Sapphire Preferred as part of my Chase trifecta set up and Capital One for the premium travel. This seems to have a been a solid set up for me at this point. In the future, I could see myself downgrading the X to the Venture and swapping my premium travel card to the AMEX Platinum or Sapphire Reserve if they offer new credits that meet more of my needs. Great review as always.
So for several weeks, I've been stuck on TH-cam trying to decide what is the best top-tier card for me and my family. There's so many videos that are very helpful, but this is one of the clearest and most entertaining video but help me make my decision. Love it and will definitely share it!
Gotta take into account the transfer partners and whether they are compatible with the airlines you fly. For us the airlines in Chase’s Ultimate rewards program are a better fit where we live and which airlines we fly. Therefore even though it needs a refresh, we’re likely closing our platinum and going back to the CSR.
@@cassishnn with airline alliances you can book pretty much most united, delta or American flights with capital one. For example you can book a united flight using turkish airlines miles. You just gotta see if a certain airline are in skyteam, one world or star alliance. Hotels I would say chase is better if you really like hyatt.
I have the Amex Platinum and Venture X. AMEX - I look at $200 Uber, $240 Streaming, $189 CLEAR, and $98 Walmart ($98 because that was my annual fee before I had to switch to monthly) for $727 easy credits. I do like small Saks purchases but never shopped there before, so I leave it out of the equation. This makes me feel I have a quick $32 positive before I consider airline and hotel credits, plus all the lounge and other benefits. For Uber, I use Uber Eats with a reminder late in the month, just in case, plus I almost always pick up the order. Love both cards, and I supplement the Venture X with a Savor One.
I think something almost no reviewer takes into account is the cost of priority pass itself, which I paid for fully by itself last year for around $490 a year. Literally with the 240 credit I got for Hulu+ Disney that I would have spent anyway + 200$ United credit, it’s already a net positive value to me
@@johnsfinancetipsbut it's not actually equal across the cards, John. The CSR, as you mentioned in the video, provides restaurant credits with Priority Pass but the AmEx version does not! (as of last year)
One thing I had to complain about Venture X is that you can’t booked flights with layovers. You can book them separately but won’t let you do a stop in between which is insane! Chase got to be the easiest to use.
I started with the Amex platinum, added the Vx and then upgraded a CFU to CSP. I think the Amex has been my favorite for delta lounge access and hertz car rentals. Vx was a shot in the dark but I was approved for it. I used it on my vacation for minimum spend and for the high credit limit. I might get the CSR since I like the benefits but for now I’m fine with the upgraded CSP
I like the amex because they always offer me a promotional no apr every year. I also use the equinox, hulu, disney, ubereats, clear, hotel credit, airline credit, lounges. So its all worth it for me.
Great assessment. One thing that would completely change your score is that if you are active duty military, Amex waives the annual fee, making the Amex Platinum the obvious choice
Assuming they are patriotic.. or are they offering free credit to take advantage of people. Making up the "free" with people with low government earnings getting in interest trouble.
I don’t think it’s a patriotic move at all. Military pay is reliable, and service members can face disciplinary action for getting into credit trouble, so they tend to default less. Also, military total compensation benefits for officers and senior NCOs may be the best it’s ever been. Don’t get me wrong, I have my own frustrations with the military, but the pay has never been one of them. It’s surprisingly lucrative.
Chase has Hyatt as a travel partner which is a big deal vs the other cards. Hyatts reward stays are awesome and probably best value in the game using your points.
100% agree, I definitely kept this comparison at the 101 level but totally agree with transfer partners in play it would change the scoping slightly. Thanks for the feedback!
Got approved for the Venture X a few weeks ago with a 90,000 mile sign on bonus. Requires 6k spend in 6 months, which I find easier than the usual 4k in 3. I live in the Philly area, so lounge access is not the most useful for me there even with priority pass, but the card itself and other benefits are great!!!
I have both the CSR and the Amex platinum and for the exact reasons you described I find the CSR a better card because of the 3x dining. The Chase dining portal with the extra points is somewhat useless though as there aren’t many options here in the SF Bay Area. The platinum is useless as an everyday card. It’s merely to impress the wait staff with how heavy it is.
I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and fully utilize the $15 instacart, $10 go puff and $5 DoorDash monthly credits. Luckily I have access to enough options nearby that offer pickup so I get the full amount credit and not wasting on fees etc. I’m coming out positive $110 for the year (with the $300 travel credit) and that’s before you factor in anything else like tsa pre check or the airport lounges/ restaurant credits and all the other benefits etc. I am not as frequent a traveler as most that have this card but its still worth it to me, considering I’m essentially getting paid $110 to use this card! I debated getting the Amex but when I was reminded that it is not as widely accepted overseas, that made my decision for me. I wanted a travel card that I could use everywhere I traveled, since I don’t travel enough to justify getting 2 cards.
From a past Hertz reservations agent here. Venture X does not give you cheaper rate when you book through the Venture X travel site. As much as $200 higher in some cases. It's great for Hertz because there making more money than if you booked it thru the AAA website. If your a gold member thats all you need. All your really wanting to do is pass the rental line and go right to your car and see your name on the board. The folks that actually are out there in the sun all day don't give a hoot there union. This goes towards any other car rental place not solely Hertz.
These are travel card so I think CSR is the winner here. From the transfer partners, travel protection (including some emergency medical/dental coverage, trip delay protection, etc) this takes the lead. I have a family and kids gets sick or flights gets cancelled or delayed. Just one event that CSR cover will save you thousands.
You forgot to mention that Sapphire Reserve also has a lot of VIP experiences with things like PGA, music festivals and F1. I’ve been using that a lot and it’s amazing. I actually built a Capital One trifecta before last minute getting the Sapphire Reserve. Couldn’t be happy!
CSR trifecta for the win. It’s not about the initial bonus or Amex and their deflated point value or overpacked lounges… it’s about living with the cards long term
Fwiw, I think you’re massively undervaluing the Venture’s 2x on everything. The majority of most people’s monthly spend is non-category, this adds up fast.
I’m all for the Amex. Concierge service for travel or events. VIP entrance at some events just for being a card holder. Without the equinox and soul cycle I’m claiming all those other benefits and I live it! Great video btw
Just got the Venture X. Finally got the sign up bonus. Loving it so far. Trying to figure out where we want to plan our next trip. Keep up the good work!
@@Andrio still have the card. Love the perks that come with the it, like travel credit and global entry. Simple 2x points on purchases and somewhat low annual fee compared to the Sapphire Reserve or Amex. I also paired it with the savor one. Great cards
@@darkness919 glad to hear it and thank you for the reply ! I’ve currently got a gold card for dining. Looking for a premium travel card. Would love access to the Centurion lounges as they have one in LAX and no priority pass lounges at LAX according to the Cap1 website. I travel either from SFO or LAX. My biggest concern is I’ve heard it’s hard to get into lounges with priority pass and lots get turned away if lounges are too full. Makes me think the lounges owned by the card companies are the most important lounges, of which Amex has the most compared to VX and CSR. But I wouldn’t use the other credits on the plat so it wouldn’t be worth it. How is the VX lounge access? Any luck with it? I’d say that’s the biggest perk of the card.
Have both the AMEX Platinum and Gold, and I love both. I'm not really eager to jump on Chase's products because they're notorious for all their rules (i.e., 5/24) and their pre-approval tool is down right now, and Capital One can be pretty stingy with their cards (the more cards you have the less likely they are to approve you) and credit limit increases.
Hey John, fantastic work, I really like your content. However ( Amex PLTM which I believe these credits, all types of category card users would be able to use for sure are:: 200$ travel airline incidentals, 240$ digital entertainment, 120$ Uber, and 189$ clear ) Which is a positive run back just like Venture X. I have both cards and I think they are absolutely great cards. Just saying that Amex gives value back too.
Personally in the Chase system I prefer the Chase ink preferred (3x travel, xfer partner) + freedom flex (3x dinning). The sapphires can be churned for their signup bonuses but provides minimal benefits beyond that.
I have the CSR and have only had it for about a year so for. Been a great card, but definitely going to keep reevaluating seeing if I want to switch it up or add some others to the arsenal! The VX looks more and more tempting
Hi John, I knew nothing about credit cards and how they work with points a few days and I feel like i’ve learned so much from you, so thank you! I was hoping you’d be able to make a video comparing the Bilt Mastercard vs Chase Sapphire Preferred! Do you think you could make this happen?
He forgot to mention. Insurance on your cell phones, Presidential status with Hertz which guarantees you frees upgrade on your rental, 4 hour grace period on your rental returns..rental car insurance coverage, bombass concierge service just for plat amex holders.. annual fee is worth it.
I have God tier credit and all these perks never meant much to me. My biggest focus was customer service. Chase has the absolute worst customer service. I had to file a complaint to corporate against a CSR at Chase. Capital One is horrendous too. Amex is to restricted for where I live, but I prefer Discover for great customer service overall.
I'm very suprised, especially someone such as yourself for not mentioning the travel insurance differences with the cards. Personally I think it's the reason for the extra $250 after the credits for the chase card b/c they would easy win that battle while captial one and Amex are on par.
CSR is the best for travel. VISA is 100% accepted worldwide. $300 Annual travel credit can be used anywhere travel related. 3x for dining is great! UR points are also easier to use. I still use the Platinum sometimes. I only use the Uber and Entertainment credits, the rest of the credits are useless.
The luxury hotel collection is easy to use. Those hotels give free breakfast. 100 food credit and free upgrade. I disagee...Amex benefits make it more beneficial.
AMEX Plat's Walmart + Credit , Clear Credit and Hotel Credit are also easily used and put me hundreds of dollars ahead on the annual fee. I would add AMEX Plat's access to Resy, The Hotel Collection, Fine Hotels & Resorts, International Airline Program, UBER VIP and Hertz President's Circle to your comparison. I pair my AMEX Plat with my US Bank Reserve Visa Infinite that I would add to your comparison given it's $75 effective annual fee and 4.5% effective return on Mobile Wallet and Travel spending.
Which one do I get this confusing? We familiy of 3 who travel Chicago ohare to mexico city who we live rural area no renting cars and no hotel and no restaurants as we do like bussiness or first class. We do like lounge and some extra as the problem we are retire so we do need to keep budget if the reward are good we may waste more money for it? As I got Chase freedom, ultimate and Amex blue cash and Discovery credit card.
Now if you pair amex gold and plat, when i got them both, i ended up getting 210k welcome offer for the both. These two combined works so well, i use the gold as my everyday use and the plat for my travels. I got these two cards last year, and on my points collection statement for this year it says "since jan 1, 2023 have collected 221k points", to me thats incredible for just only 7 months into this year. Not only that, the uber credit stacks too
One AXP benefit not mentioned that I really enjoy: Executive status for National car rental. I feel pretty much entitled to a Toyota Highlander or comparable while paying the mid-size base price. It also gets you elevated status with Avis, but I'm not familiar with their product so I don't know whether that benefit is as good as National's. For those who don't know, the Walmart+ credit gets you free Paramount+. I use the digital entertainment credit for Disney+ and Peacock, so AXP is a no-brainer solution for the too-many-streaming-services issue.
Hi John, for Venture X, I read online benefits which state car rental is primary insurance like Chase Sapphire Reserve? Not secondary to my personal car insurance.
Amex plat is only good for booking travel point wise, and crs is great for the 300 annual travel credits which is ridiculously easy to use. Was thinking about getting Amex gold for the 4x dining and grocery but I think I’m good with getting 3x points per dollar on the csr since I do most of my shopping at Costco which then I’ll just use the Costco citi card for 5% cash back 😊
I just got the CSR... If I'm not mistaken, it also has similar purchase and return protection in comparison to Amex Platinum being a Visa Infinite card. Least I could have sworn seeing that as a benefit.
That's what I read as well. I just signed up for thr CSR literally 2 hours before this video was uploaded. They mentioned Visa Infinity purchase protections.
@johnsfinancetips as soon as I move back to the states, I plan to add the BILT and the citi custom to my mix. Being overseas, I don't have the ability to really justify the BILT and I don't have a car for gas. Plus I get the AMEX free for being military
One thing I never hear reviewers talk about is the actual worth of points. It might not be current, but I remember seeing that Amex points are worth $0.02 where as Capital One points are $0.01 and Chase points are $0.125. So Yeah there may be higher points multipliers for certain purchases, but in the end, the actual value may be on par with Amex points value.
Capital One travel portal is not that great, if you were to ask me. I just got the Venture X card and the first thing I thought to use the card on, was for international to count towards the $4000 in 3 months. But the prices are quite higher compared to if you were to book on the airlines website directly, and the selection was limited. I called Venture X’s customer service and was told that yeah they may not have the same amount of flights. Ultimately, I booked my flight with a travel agency, and the difference between the price on the travel portal vs the travel agency was quite significant. It is still a good travel card, but the travel portal is nothing to write home about on my first go at it.
@@dennisvargas7719 while in theory this sounded pretty good, one of the qualification criteria is to have the exact match of the original itinerary that you made within the last 24 hours, so if you see another flight that’s cheaper, that’s from the airlines’ site, you won’t be qualified for the price match, as the C1 travel portal does not have that exact flight. That’s part of the problem.
What do you think of the Sapphire Lounge at Logan? I got in via my priority pass via Capital One lounge and then it completely won me over and I applied for the Reserve so that I can go every time lol. Also something I found out later was that the priority pass via chase is higher tiered than the pass via venture X. At DFW I was able to get a 30min massage chair experience w the Chase one but they said they didn’t accept the Capital one priority pass. 😮
I have the Amex Plat and use it quite a bit. Kind of wish it could use it for Spotify. Capital One declined my application for VentureX probably because of the recent cards. I am at 9/24 and more honestly I am at 9/12. I saw people being able to get the little Chase Sapphire being over 5/24. I did not have the funds to meet the SUB so I had to pass even trying. I did not want to risk getting approved. Lol
One very interesting thing about the Amex Platinum Equinox credit is ironically it becomes better when you hold multiple platinum cards. Single club membership is about $210/Month so if you hold 2 platinum cards then you can basically get 3 months of membership. Normally they don't let you cancel your contract **but** they should let you if you have any proof of international travel. Very specific use case but something I don't think I've seen anyone talk about
I would say the only knock capitol one should fix is being able to book directly with hertz. Good luck trying to resolve an issue 3rd party going through the portal then through hertz. And hertz usually charges an extra fee once you pick up your card
I got the venture x, but kinda regret it. I have family who lives in Austin and Chase has a little lounge in the airport there. Can’t get in with priority pass. Long story short, get the card that works best for YOU!
I have both CSR and Amex but downgraded my CSR to CSP recently. I love their primary CDW. Just got message from T-Mobile saying they will require a debit card or bank account for the Autopay discount starting end of July. Now I am torn between paying more or lose the Amex phone protection benefit. :(
1. Platinum since its a true travel card 2. CSR for being so simple to use credits 3. Vx is last cuz it steers u towards the travel portal to get most points and to use credits
The American Express Platinum had no annual fee for military members and retired veterans. Not sure if that would change your thoughts but is certainly effected mine
So I have the Venture X which initially i thought was a great deal considering they are essentially giving you $5 to use the card (after yearly credits and bonuses). I live in Tampa and my biggest issue is that the Priority Pass use to give me access to the restaurants so it thought nothing of it but when that was removed Priority Pass is meaningless in Tampa. The fact restaurants are off the table really limits you when you do travel to airports that do not have any lounges...I'm coming up on a decision on whether to keep this card or go with something else because my main hub is Tampa...
I have an American Express Platinum and I just do not think it is worth it. I wish United was a travel partner with them because the point thresholds for booking international flights are so low compared to Delta and American. I’m honestly not impressed with the Centurion lounge, it is overcrowded, and the food is mediocre at best. I think I will be switching next year.
I'm torn between CSR and the X. Both seem appealing after having the Gold and Plat for over a year now I'm just hesitant to get denied because I tried Venture X a while back with 740s and still got denied after a reconsideration 😢.
Theoretically. But just a heads up this year, many of the Priority Pass perks have been cut on rhe Venture X which from some reason they didn't mention in the video.
Problem with the platinum for the benefits is most people can't use most of them or even half of them and the purchase protection kind of shitty one too because in reality you don't want to buy an object with it because you're only going to by anything because it's only one times on points so it's kind of hard to justify using it
Have you ever looked into the Delta Amex cards? I travel 3-4 times a year nationally, usually Delta but stay with friends. I was leaning towards the Chase Reserve Card but wonder if the high tier Delta Amex card could be worth considering.
For someone who lives abroad and travels very often on vacation and eats our every meal, the chase sapphire reserve wins for me, and I get the fee waived for both the Amex and sapphire reserve
Capital one does not waive the annual fee under MLA for the venture. AMEX does not have a no annual fee downgrade path for the platinum card. The chase reserve waived the annual fee with MLA and has a downgrade path once the MLA is not available!!
Now do the little brothers to all these cards. Amex gold, saphire preferred, and venture
to keep it simple. amex gold. but I have the sapphire preferred and gold for different things. both great cards
Gold then Venture.
I currently have the Venture X as my first travel card and I love it! I use it to pay for everything except food and groceries. I just used the $300 travel credit and it definitely helped lower my vacation for this year. I usually only take 1-2 trips and I already feel like this card has helped with one of them. Generally feel like you can’t go wrong with this card if you are an average person who goes to 1-2 vacations a year.
What card do you use for food and groceries?
It didn't lower your vacation. You paid $395 to use the travel portal .. its a shell game on where the $300 went.
@@annafrancisco7973Amex gold
@@annafrancisco7973 probably the savor one. Or if you value Hyatt and other Chase partners, just keep a Saphire Preferred. Your annual fee across both becomes effectively $15. And if you use The Cultivist or the Prior service on the Venture X, you're back in the positive.
With such a high annual fee I don’t think it’s worth for 1-2 trips a year.
As someone that travels 11 months out of the year, the CSR is the best travel card. As a Visa I know it will be accepted in practically every place that accepts credit card…which is one of the knocks against the Amex Platinum. CSR has better transfer partners, better insurance coverage (it covered my Emergency room visit) and better earnings categories than the Venture X. Something you didn’t mention is at a valuation of 1.5 cents through the Chase travel portal, airfare purchases count as cash purchases which yield airlines miles and qualify for airline status.
With that said, I think the CSR is the best travel card overall for international travel however instead of paying $75 for an additional CSR I opted to get the Venture X as it worked out to be positive $5 and now I have 5 Priority Pass accounts to gift to family and I can use the Venture X as my catch-all.
Agree with you 100%.. my Platinum got denied while on vacation. Can’t trust Amex
Thanks so much for this personal analysis, I've been on the fence between upgrading my Preferred to Reserve or getting a Venture X. Now I'm thinking since I was going to add my girlfriend as an AU for lounge access it probably just makes sense to hold both cards instead of giving Chase another $75.
@@RapidFireRetro For me it was the best option. This way not only do you get lounge access for your AU, but you will get access to Capital One lounges, Plaza Premiums, additional transfer partners, cell phone protection and another Global Entry credit. The CSR and Venture x pair well.
I think the main reason the AMEX Platinum doesn't have a middle category is to cross-sell folks on the Gold (I admit to having both). The Gold is a great points earner for day to day spend with 4x on US groceries and 4x on global restaurants. The Platinum is the card you carry for the perks such as the extra/elevated insurances, CLEAR, lounge access, the concierge, etc.
Good one on Lyft. I agree . LP reduced service fees. I use Lyft mainly on trips but those service fees reduced almost $2 each ride. To add probably for all three cards I'd guess have the use credits that pop up. A certain gas chain or resturant coffee house 10% off with card use. My use triggers $2 to $3 a month but has been up to $5. Lowering effective annual fees for all the cards presented.
I do the same 😂
This is all true! As much as I love my Amex Gold and Platinum, I wish the Amex Platinum card could raise the annual fee by $300 and add permanent x5 multipliers for grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations.That way, I can ditch the gold card that I'm paying 250/year for anyways and have less cards.
For the CSR 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.
@@dannydang2014did you figure it out? What was the outcome
I have the Venture X and it has become my everything card along with the Savor One (also by Capital One) for dinning. Wife and I only travel 1-2 times a year internationally and we are not the bougie kind of people so all the added fancy lounge perks and whatnot, are just not for us. A quite bite at any lounge will do, and the Venture does that. Plus, the essentially zero yearly fee is hard to argue against. And lastly, the ability to add authorized users for free is PRICELESS.
Savor One is an amazing Combo, especially since you can transfer your points to airline miles for Capital One
I have the Venture X (and the chase preferred) and i love it! The sign up bonus at the time i got it in 2022 was 75k and i used the card for tsa pre immediately. My biggest purpose of getting the card was for work. I fly about 1-3 times a year on average, and use hotels about 8x a year. Also, I use rentals and uber during these trips. Since My wife and I go together on all of these trips i figured after years of paying cash for these trips it would be nice to build credit and get points and so far its been great.
I have Venture X and definitely love it! Like you said it pays me $5 per year for having the card. INSANE!!! Amex is the worst, the benefits are worthless, very high annual fee and can't use it at Costco 😅
Same here, LOVE the Venture X! Thanks for the comment
Before watching: The Amex Platinum provides the most upside value for frequent travelers if you know how to use it. The Chase Sapphire Reserve is for folks who travel a ton domestically and utilize the 1.5cpp value through Chase's travel portal. The Venture X is the easiest to get value from with just one booking per year.
After watching: It sounds like we agree on each of them! I don't think there's an objective best card for everyone, but instead, that decision has to be made on an individual basis based on what you value the most. Great video John!
Just to provide more clarity...
I have both CSR (primary) and Venture X (backup card). One of my friends use Amex Platinum. We compare our feedbacks.
I would prioritize CSR first, Venture X second, AMEX last for the following reasons, starting on year 2:
1) Access to multiple airport lounges are nice, but you will ultimately settle with ONE 3 hours before your flight over time. CSR is the only card of the 3 to offer restaurant credits.
2) I don't think the video mentioned that AMEX Plat car rental insurance is secondary, not primary like CSR or VX
3) When travelling (within US), UBER (Amex) or Lyft (CSR) is usually more useful to me, which is 10x points, discounts, and get priority. VX is lacking.
4) VX is a good backup card if you use $400/year in travels. Also good to add members to Priority Pass (CSR is $75 each)
5) I see AMEX has too much "coupon" books. CSR is good for everyday use, VISA, and is more widely accepted than AMEX.
I think the biggest perk that we are missing here for CSR is the trifecta. Unlike AMEX or Venture X, pairing it with Flex and Unlimited make it worth it with all the points you can gather in the UP system. But just the card alone, Venture X definitely comes out on top.
The best 2 card combo is C1Vx+Savor. Then Amex Plat+Amex Gold. Chase trifecta requires 3 cards and the CFF can be difficult to use. Anyway, i have all 3 cards as each offers unique perks for me and I want to collect all the flexible points from different ecosystems
@@nguoilangthangbut I mean the trifecta only costs the price of the CSR… whereas the Platinum & Gold cost just shy of $1,000 a year…
@@DrSarge37 not if you can use all the perks. Amex gold is effective $10/year after all the dining/Uber credit. Amex MR points are so valuable for flight redemption. If annual fee is a factor then C1VX+Savor is a better combo.
@@DrSarge37 Amex Gold is almost free ($10) with the eating credits + 4x points on dining and grocery (including Walmart Neighborhood Markets btw).
@@MysterioTGN yeah although the dining credits is only $10/month… so you end up spending way more to get a credit since you can’t just use it all at once, same with the Uber credit… so if I take multiple rides in a month that end up totaling that $120, I still only get $10 that month… it would be worth it for me if I could use the credits all at once… but when I had the Amex gold card in 2018-2020 it was only monthly.
For many people, the $60 doordash credit and the $180 insta-cart credit are beneficial. Making the CSR a $10 annual fee.
I feel Iike the scam is it gets people to use that stuff who otherwise wouldn’t have and it seems free but it’s just wasted money because you paid for it 12 months ago
One of the most underrated CSR benefits is unlimited CitiBikes. Living close to Manhattan automatically pays off the annual fee
CSR is basically for ppl like in 3-5 cities.
That’s good to know, I travel to NYC a few times a year and use citibikes but those citibike fees add up rather quickly even on short trips.
@@newagain9964really? I had heard that the Amex platinum seemed like a card for people who lived in NYC or other major US cities.
I have 2 of 3 (Amex Plt & Chase Sapp Reserve). The points on Lyft rides is awesome but I haven't found much use for it yet so I am just piling up points until I find an awesome travel opportunity to cash in on them. This is my go to card when vendors do not accept Amex; currently living overseas so having a strong Visa comes in handy. The Amex Platinum is King for travel and we utilize this card alot so it's king in my book. Also of note, the Hilton Aspire Card is an honorary mention as I tend to utilize that card alot as well.
I have the VX and love it. The travel portal is easy to use, and I love the simplicity of it. Although it doesn't have dining, or groceries, that's very easily fixed by picking up the SavorOne or Savor card.
I also picked up the CSR for the welcome bonus, but plan on downgrading to the CSP. With the Cap One duo, there's no need for the CSR. I think I'll downgrade to the CSP, then pick up the freedom flex to get the 5X rotating categories.
I know Chase has Hyatt, but my wife and I don't really care about hotels, we go with whatever is cheaper. We prefer to splurge on flights rather than hotels since wherever we travel we're not in the hotel that much anyway.
I am thinking between CSR and Savor One for a dining card. I currently have VX, so SavorOne makes sense, but VX has limited domestic airlines. Would love your input.
@@Stephan905bro does the venture x have JetBlue or united on capital portal to where I could buy my flight on there I got the quicksilver thinking about getting the savor next I don’t mind the 95 annual fee
I know a lot of people look at these cards for aspirational trips with one other person but I mostly travel as a family of four. Unless I want to violate my happy wife policy and leave her outside of the airport lounge I have to make her an authorized user which is $0 on the VX, $75 on the CSR and $175 on the Amex Platinum so I would automatically have to factor that into the annual fee. That and the VX having an effective annual fee of +$5, primary CDW (not on the Amex Platinum if I recall correctly) makes this an easy choice for me.
Wait??? You have to pay to add an AU? authorized user on the platnium? wth?
@@JazzyMarineVet$175 for the first 4 members them $175 for every additional after that
Adding at least one AU for airport lounge access is a must since most lounges I have been to allow the card holder plus two guests which is an issue when traveling as a family of 4 or 4+
I do love the Venture X card, it's been good so far. Priority lounges aren't super great, but beats paying for food at any airport. I am considering the Amex Plat, but yeah that yearly fee is a little scary.
Great video! Amex Platinum #1 luxury travel/Cust Svc, CSR #2 best travel category multipliers, VX #3 low cost/locked into travel portal/poor Cust Svc.
The $300 travel credit on the Venture x only works by booking through Capital one travel portal. Because you have to use the travel portal in order to get the credit that credit should be discounted in your evaluation. In fact, you discounted 10x and 5x respectively on the cards because you only get that multiplier through their respective travel portals. So you need to do a re-evaluation on the venture x's score.
I had a similar thought. He downplayed the CSR’s multiplier for booking via Chase Portal, but is entirely thrilled by the C1VX $300 travel portal credit 🤷♂️
I have had all three and the only card I will be keeping for the foreseeable future will be the venture x. Capital one is just easy for me. Easy to use, no effective annual fee, and better reward system in my opinion
I definitely agree that the Venture X is the best out of these cards, but I would also say that the $200 Hotel credit and the $200 Airline "incidental" credit are both fairly easy to use, and for people that get gas at Exxon or Walmart gas stations, they could at least see some value in the Walmart Plus Membership as well.
Venture has ZERO domestic transfer partners though
@@Jiggy609 that's true, but they have partners in each of the alliances, so there is still potential to get good value for a domestic flight. Also, Amex charges a fee to transfer to domestic partners, so Chase and Bilt are generally the best choices for domestic anyway, in my opinion at least.
I wasn’t surprised that Venture X came up on top. I have the card and as you said, it’s great for the every day person using their every day credits. I also own the AMEX Gold card and Chase Sapphire Preferred and selected all three of these strategically. The AMEX Gold is my my food card, the Sapphire Preferred as part of my Chase trifecta set up and Capital One for the premium travel. This seems to have a been a solid set up for me at this point. In the future, I could see myself downgrading the X to the Venture and swapping my premium travel card to the AMEX Platinum or Sapphire Reserve if they offer new credits that meet more of my needs.
Great review as always.
So for several weeks, I've been stuck on TH-cam trying to decide what is the best top-tier card for me and my family. There's so many videos that are very helpful, but this is one of the clearest and most entertaining video but help me make my decision. Love it and will definitely share it!
Thanks for the breakdown. I have the Capital one Venture X and it has been great!
Gotta take into account the transfer partners and whether they are compatible with the airlines you fly. For us the airlines in Chase’s Ultimate rewards program are a better fit where we live and which airlines we fly. Therefore even though it needs a refresh, we’re likely closing our platinum and going back to the CSR.
I agree 100% capital one doesn’t have any domestic partners mostly international.. chase is a better option
@@cassishnn with airline alliances you can book pretty much most united, delta or American flights with capital one. For example you can book a united flight using turkish airlines miles. You just gotta see if a certain airline are in skyteam, one world or star alliance. Hotels I would say chase is better if you really like hyatt.
Venture X and Savor One - the best card combo on the market 👑
That review is in the queue!
I have the Amex Platinum and Venture X.
AMEX - I look at $200 Uber, $240 Streaming, $189 CLEAR, and $98 Walmart ($98 because that was my annual fee before I had to switch to monthly) for $727 easy credits. I do like small Saks purchases but never shopped there before, so I leave it out of the equation. This makes me feel I have a quick $32 positive before I consider airline and hotel credits, plus all the lounge and other benefits.
For Uber, I use Uber Eats with a reminder late in the month, just in case, plus I almost always pick up the order.
Love both cards, and I supplement the Venture X with a Savor One.
I think something almost no reviewer takes into account is the cost of priority pass itself, which I paid for fully by itself last year for around $490 a year. Literally with the 240 credit I got for Hulu+ Disney that I would have spent anyway + 200$ United credit, it’s already a net positive value to me
I had honestly never thought about this but you make a great point!! Makes me feel even better about my VX
Great point Neil, though since it's available across all premium cards that's likely why the cash value is often over looked.
You gotta take advantage of clear and global for even more benefits!
@@johnsfinancetipsbut it's not actually equal across the cards, John. The CSR, as you mentioned in the video, provides restaurant credits with Priority Pass but the AmEx version does not! (as of last year)
AMEX is perfect for me since the annual fee is waived for military.
Do you know if it's still waived for reserves or not?
AMEX does not have a no annual downgrade path for the AMEX card once the fee is not waived, the main con
@@audreywarren6777I think you need to be on orders
@@audreywarren6777during activation for more than 2weeks, apply
One thing I had to complain about Venture X is that you can’t booked flights with layovers. You can book them separately but won’t let you do a stop in between which is insane! Chase got to be the easiest to use.
I started with the Amex platinum, added the Vx and then upgraded a CFU to CSP. I think the Amex has been my favorite for delta lounge access and hertz car rentals. Vx was a shot in the dark but I was approved for it. I used it on my vacation for minimum spend and for the high credit limit. I might get the CSR since I like the benefits but for now I’m fine with the upgraded CSP
I have the platinum card and I’m super happy with it. Especially because Amex service is second to none.
If Amex makes you super happy, the CSR will blow your mind . 🤯
I like the amex because they always offer me a promotional no apr every year. I also use the equinox, hulu, disney, ubereats, clear, hotel credit, airline credit, lounges. So its all worth it for me.
Great assessment. One thing that would completely change your score is that if you are active duty military, Amex waives the annual fee, making the Amex Platinum the obvious choice
Assuming they are patriotic.. or are they offering free credit to take advantage of people. Making up the "free" with people with low government earnings getting in interest trouble.
I don’t think it’s a patriotic move at all. Military pay is reliable, and service members can face disciplinary action for getting into credit trouble, so they tend to default less. Also, military total compensation benefits for officers and senior NCOs may be the best it’s ever been. Don’t get me wrong, I have my own frustrations with the military, but the pay has never been one of them. It’s surprisingly lucrative.
100%, the annual fee waiver makes the Amex Plat an instant winner by removing any need to get all the credits out!
Chase also waives the annual fee for active duty on all of its credit cards. Same as AMEX.
literally all of these credit cards annual fees are waived for active military. you can just get them all.
Absolutely love the CSR. I’ve held it for at least 6 years. I’ve used so many of the benefits that I don’t see a reason to switch.
Love your videos
Got the venture X. Looking forward to getting the savor one. Works great with a player 2!
That's a solid combo, enjoy the card and best of luck on the Savor One!
Chase has Hyatt as a travel partner which is a big deal vs the other cards. Hyatts reward stays are awesome and probably best value in the game using your points.
100% agree, I definitely kept this comparison at the 101 level but totally agree with transfer partners in play it would change the scoping slightly. Thanks for the feedback!
Got approved for the Venture X a few weeks ago with a 90,000 mile sign on bonus. Requires 6k spend in 6 months, which I find easier than the usual 4k in 3. I live in the Philly area, so lounge access is not the most useful for me there even with priority pass, but the card itself and other benefits are great!!!
I have both the CSR and the Amex platinum and for the exact reasons you described I find the CSR a better card because of the 3x dining. The Chase dining portal with the extra points is somewhat useless though as there aren’t many options here in the SF Bay Area. The platinum is useless as an everyday card. It’s merely to impress the wait staff with how heavy it is.
and the CSR can be used at Costco!!!! every other Restaurant and establishment in my area has a “No Amex” sign also lol
I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and fully utilize the $15 instacart, $10 go puff and $5 DoorDash monthly credits. Luckily I have access to enough options nearby that offer pickup so I get the full amount credit and not wasting on fees etc. I’m coming out positive $110 for the year (with the $300 travel credit) and that’s before you factor in anything else like tsa pre check or the airport lounges/ restaurant credits and all the other benefits etc. I am not as frequent a traveler as most that have this card but its still worth it to me, considering I’m essentially getting paid $110 to use this card! I debated getting the Amex but when I was reminded that it is not as widely accepted overseas, that made my decision for me. I wanted a travel card that I could use everywhere I traveled, since I don’t travel enough to justify getting 2 cards.
Wow the Venture X really blew me away i was for sure it was gonna come out 3rd sapphire 2nd and Amex 1st. Great job outlining all the details 👏
From a past Hertz reservations agent here. Venture X does not give you cheaper rate when you book through the Venture X travel site. As much as $200 higher in some cases. It's great for Hertz because there making more money than if you booked it thru the AAA website. If your a gold member thats all you need. All your really wanting to do is pass the rental line and go right to your car and see your name on the board. The folks that actually are out there in the sun all day don't give a hoot there union. This goes towards any other car rental place not solely Hertz.
But you get the upgrade on the rental car too no?
@@archiarch10 you get it as a gold member too. Why add the expense
@@archiarch10 As a gold customer with or without the card
These are travel card so I think CSR is the winner here. From the transfer partners, travel protection (including some emergency medical/dental coverage, trip delay protection, etc) this takes the lead. I have a family and kids gets sick or flights gets cancelled or delayed. Just one event that CSR cover will save you thousands.
You forgot to mention that Sapphire Reserve also has a lot of VIP experiences with things like PGA, music festivals and F1. I’ve been using that a lot and it’s amazing. I actually built a Capital One trifecta before last minute getting the Sapphire Reserve. Couldn’t be happy!
CSR trifecta for the win. It’s not about the initial bonus or Amex and their deflated point value or overpacked lounges… it’s about living with the cards long term
Fwiw, I think you’re massively undervaluing the Venture’s 2x on everything. The majority of most people’s monthly spend is non-category, this adds up fast.
I have the VX. One bad thing about this card… Customer Service.
It’s a PITA to talk to someone and things getting done.
But free* card ain’t that bad.
I’m all for the Amex. Concierge service for travel or events. VIP entrance at some events just for being a card holder. Without the equinox and soul cycle I’m claiming all those other benefits and I live it! Great video btw
Just got the Venture X. Finally got the sign up bonus. Loving it so far. Trying to figure out where we want to plan our next trip. Keep up the good work!
1 year later, how do you like the Venture X?
@@Andrio still have the card. Love the perks that come with the it, like travel credit and global entry. Simple 2x points on purchases and somewhat low annual fee compared to the Sapphire Reserve or Amex. I also paired it with the savor one. Great cards
@@darkness919 glad to hear it and thank you for the reply ! I’ve currently got a gold card for dining. Looking for a premium travel card. Would love access to the Centurion lounges as they have one in LAX and no priority pass lounges at LAX according to the Cap1 website. I travel either from SFO or LAX. My biggest concern is I’ve heard it’s hard to get into lounges with priority pass and lots get turned away if lounges are too full. Makes me think the lounges owned by the card companies are the most important lounges, of which Amex has the most compared to VX and CSR. But I wouldn’t use the other credits on the plat so it wouldn’t be worth it. How is the VX lounge access? Any luck with it? I’d say that’s the biggest perk of the card.
Have both the AMEX Platinum and Gold, and I love both. I'm not really eager to jump on Chase's products because they're notorious for all their rules (i.e., 5/24) and their pre-approval tool is down right now, and Capital One can be pretty stingy with their cards (the more cards you have the less likely they are to approve you) and credit limit increases.
I own the Venture X and plain out love it as it’s value is amazing
I'm glad to hear it!
John! Superb Video as always! More power and points to you!
Thank you! Appreciate the support and comment!
Hey John,
fantastic work, I really like your content. However ( Amex PLTM which I believe these credits, all types of category card users would be able to use for sure are::
200$ travel airline incidentals,
240$ digital entertainment,
120$ Uber,
and
189$ clear ) Which is a positive run back just like Venture X. I have both cards and I think they are absolutely great cards. Just saying that Amex gives value back too.
Personally in the Chase system I prefer the Chase ink preferred (3x travel, xfer partner) + freedom flex (3x dinning). The sapphires can be churned for their signup bonuses but provides minimal benefits beyond that.
I have the CSR and have only had it for about a year so for. Been a great card, but definitely going to keep reevaluating seeing if I want to switch it up or add some others to the arsenal! The VX looks more and more tempting
Hi John,
I knew nothing about credit cards and how they work with points a few days and I feel like i’ve learned so much from you, so thank you! I was hoping you’d be able to make a video comparing the Bilt Mastercard vs Chase Sapphire Preferred! Do you think you could make this happen?
I got the Capital One Venture X because one of your videos. I hope you got the referral John! 😉
He forgot to mention. Insurance on your cell phones, Presidential status with Hertz which guarantees you frees upgrade on your rental, 4 hour grace period on your rental returns..rental car insurance coverage, bombass concierge service just for plat amex holders.. annual fee is worth it.
I have God tier credit and all these perks never meant much to me. My biggest focus was customer service. Chase has the absolute worst customer service. I had to file a complaint to corporate against a CSR at Chase. Capital One is horrendous too. Amex is to restricted for where I live, but I prefer Discover for great customer service overall.
I'm very suprised, especially someone such as yourself for not mentioning the travel insurance differences with the cards. Personally I think it's the reason for the extra $250 after the credits for the chase card b/c they would easy win that battle while captial one and Amex are on par.
CSR is the best for travel. VISA is 100% accepted worldwide. $300 Annual travel credit can be used anywhere travel related. 3x for dining is great! UR points are also easier to use. I still use the Platinum sometimes. I only use the Uber and Entertainment credits, the rest of the credits are useless.
In the last 5 years, what has been a standout credit card? Doesn't matter if it's no longer available.
Citi custom cash definitely
The luxury hotel collection is easy to use. Those hotels give free breakfast. 100 food credit and free upgrade. I disagee...Amex benefits make it more beneficial.
Just got the venture X and i love it so far.
Paused the vid, toward the end I think you fail to mention travel insurance offsetting the cost of the card, no?
AMEX Plat's Walmart + Credit , Clear Credit and Hotel Credit are also easily used and put me hundreds of dollars ahead on the annual fee. I would add AMEX Plat's access to Resy, The Hotel Collection, Fine Hotels & Resorts, International Airline Program, UBER VIP and Hertz President's Circle to your comparison. I pair my AMEX Plat with my US Bank Reserve Visa Infinite that I would add to your comparison given it's $75 effective annual fee and 4.5% effective return on Mobile Wallet and Travel spending.
I have a CSR and HAD a Platinum.. imo, the Reserve is way better. Ppl shouldn’t decide which card to get based on SUB. Do it for the long term.
Which one do I get this confusing?
We familiy of 3 who travel Chicago ohare to mexico city who we live rural area no renting cars and no hotel and no restaurants as we do like bussiness or first class.
We do like lounge and some extra as the problem we are retire so we do need to keep budget if the reward are good we may waste more money for it?
As I got Chase freedom, ultimate and Amex blue cash and Discovery credit card.
Now if you pair amex gold and plat, when i got them both, i ended up getting 210k welcome offer for the both. These two combined works so well, i use the gold as my everyday use and the plat for my travels. I got these two cards last year, and on my points collection statement for this year it says "since jan 1, 2023 have collected 221k points", to me thats incredible for just only 7 months into this year. Not only that, the uber credit stacks too
Need a video on how to get approved for the capital one venture x! I feel like they’re so picky
Great video man! Just what I was looking for!
One AXP benefit not mentioned that I really enjoy: Executive status for National car rental. I feel pretty much entitled to a Toyota Highlander or comparable while paying the mid-size base price. It also gets you elevated status with Avis, but I'm not familiar with their product so I don't know whether that benefit is as good as National's. For those who don't know, the Walmart+ credit gets you free Paramount+. I use the digital entertainment credit for Disney+ and Peacock, so AXP is a no-brainer solution for the too-many-streaming-services issue.
Hi John, for Venture X, I read online benefits which state car rental is primary insurance like Chase Sapphire Reserve? Not secondary to my personal car insurance.
Amex plat is only good for booking travel point wise, and crs is great for the 300 annual travel credits which is ridiculously easy to use. Was thinking about getting Amex gold for the 4x dining and grocery but I think I’m good with getting 3x points per dollar on the csr since I do most of my shopping at Costco which then I’ll just use the Costco citi card for 5% cash back 😊
I just got the CSR... If I'm not mistaken, it also has similar purchase and return protection in comparison to Amex Platinum being a Visa Infinite card. Least I could have sworn seeing that as a benefit.
That's what I read as well. I just signed up for thr CSR literally 2 hours before this video was uploaded. They mentioned Visa Infinity purchase protections.
Yeah it has up to 10k purchase protection on most things other than cars and motorcycles etc. 👍
Moving away from the chase sapphire reserve to the amex platinum since I now use the gold as my everyday/food card. That way I can stack my points
Nice! Though have you considered a card as a general travel catch all? You might benefit from something to get 2x on all other spend
@johnsfinancetips as soon as I move back to the states, I plan to add the BILT and the citi custom to my mix. Being overseas, I don't have the ability to really justify the BILT and I don't have a car for gas. Plus I get the AMEX free for being military
One thing I never hear reviewers talk about is the actual worth of points. It might not be current, but I remember seeing that Amex points are worth $0.02 where as Capital One points are $0.01 and Chase points are $0.125. So Yeah there may be higher points multipliers for certain purchases, but in the end, the actual value may be on par with Amex points value.
I have the AMEX plat, the perks are good and worth the fee, but you have to consciously remember to activate and use benefits on the card.
Capital One travel portal is not that great, if you were to ask me. I just got the Venture X card and the first thing I thought to use the card on, was for international to count towards the $4000 in 3 months.
But the prices are quite higher compared to if you were to book on the airlines website directly, and the selection was limited. I called Venture X’s customer service and was told that yeah they may not have the same amount of flights. Ultimately, I booked my flight with a travel agency, and the difference between the price on the travel portal vs the travel agency was quite significant.
It is still a good travel card, but the travel portal is nothing to write home about on my first go at it.
Don't they price match if you find a lower price elsewhere?
@@dennisvargas7719 while in theory this sounded pretty good, one of the qualification criteria is to have the exact match of the original itinerary that you made within the last 24 hours, so if you see another flight that’s cheaper, that’s from the airlines’ site, you won’t be qualified for the price match, as the C1 travel portal does not have that exact flight. That’s part of the problem.
What do you think of the Sapphire Lounge at Logan? I got in via my priority pass via Capital One lounge and then it completely won me over and I applied for the Reserve so that I can go every time lol.
Also something I found out later was that the priority pass via chase is higher tiered than the pass via venture X. At DFW I was able to get a 30min massage chair experience w the Chase one but they said they didn’t accept the Capital one priority pass. 😮
I have the Amex Plat and use it quite a bit. Kind of wish it could use it for Spotify. Capital One declined my application for VentureX probably because of the recent cards. I am at 9/24 and more honestly I am at 9/12. I saw people being able to get the little Chase Sapphire being over 5/24. I did not have the funds to meet the SUB so I had to pass even trying. I did not want to risk getting approved. Lol
One very interesting thing about the Amex Platinum Equinox credit is ironically it becomes better when you hold multiple platinum cards. Single club membership is about $210/Month so if you hold 2 platinum cards then you can basically get 3 months of membership. Normally they don't let you cancel your contract **but** they should let you if you have any proof of international travel.
Very specific use case but something I don't think I've seen anyone talk about
I would say the only knock capitol one should fix is being able to book directly with hertz. Good luck trying to resolve an issue 3rd party going through the portal then through hertz. And hertz usually charges an extra fee once you pick up your card
I got the venture x, but kinda regret it. I have family who lives in Austin and Chase has a little lounge in the airport there. Can’t get in with priority pass. Long story short, get the card that works best for YOU!
I think the Venture X takes the cake!
I have both CSR and Amex but downgraded my CSR to CSP recently. I love their primary CDW. Just got message from T-Mobile saying they will require a debit card or bank account for the Autopay discount starting end of July. Now I am torn between paying more or lose the Amex phone protection benefit. :(
ugh I have T Mobile as well and that's so annoying
I read that we might be able to sign up for auto pay with a debit card or checking account but manually pay with a credit card before the due date.
@@aaron.phelps Interesting!
1. Platinum since its a true travel card
2. CSR for being so simple to use credits
3. Vx is last cuz it steers u towards the travel portal to get most points and to use credits
I have the plat and csr, and also use referral bonuses to offset the annual fees.
After 5 years, I’m still happy with CSR. I was offered 120k sign up bonus from AMEX…
Total side note, the Amex Gold 90K sign up bonus is absolutely the best no brainer sign up ive ever seen in my life.
The American Express Platinum had no annual fee for military members and retired veterans. Not sure if that would change your thoughts but is certainly effected mine
So I have the Venture X which initially i thought was a great deal considering they are essentially giving you $5 to use the card (after yearly credits and bonuses). I live in Tampa and my biggest issue is that the Priority Pass use to give me access to the restaurants so it thought nothing of it but when that was removed Priority Pass is meaningless in Tampa. The fact restaurants are off the table really limits you when you do travel to airports that do not have any lounges...I'm coming up on a decision on whether to keep this card or go with something else because my main hub is Tampa...
I have an American Express Platinum and I just do not think it is worth it. I wish United was a travel partner with them because the point thresholds for booking international flights are so low compared to Delta and American. I’m honestly not impressed with the Centurion lounge, it is overcrowded, and the food is mediocre at best. I think I will be switching next year.
Great quick concise.
I'm torn between CSR and the X. Both seem appealing after having the Gold and Plat for over a year now I'm just hesitant to get denied because I tried Venture X a while back with 740s and still got denied after a reconsideration 😢.
Wait so if I use venture x and go to a lounge I can let my family, of say 12, in if the lounge doesn't question it?
Theoretically. But just a heads up this year, many of the Priority Pass perks have been cut on rhe Venture X which from some reason they didn't mention in the video.
Problem with the platinum for the benefits is most people can't use most of them or even half of them and the purchase protection kind of shitty one too because in reality you don't want to buy an object with it because you're only going to by anything because it's only one times on points so it's kind of hard to justify using it
Have you ever looked into the Delta Amex cards? I travel 3-4 times a year nationally, usually Delta but stay with friends. I was leaning towards the Chase Reserve Card but wonder if the high tier Delta Amex card could be worth considering.
For someone who lives abroad and travels very often on vacation and eats our every meal, the chase sapphire reserve wins for me, and I get the fee waived for both the Amex and sapphire reserve
Capital one does not waive the annual fee under MLA for the venture.
AMEX does not have a no annual fee downgrade path for the platinum card.
The chase reserve waived the annual fee with MLA and has a downgrade path once the MLA is not available!!
Fee waved for military members makes this even better : ) getting this card!