Should I Downgrade the CSP?

$95 AF just posted on the CSP I’ve held for 4+ years. Its main use has been the gateway for UR transfers to travel partners, as well as the travel/car rental insurance protections. Very little spend. Also used the $50 portal hotel credit this year for the first time.

P2 got the Ink Business Preferred ($95 AF) a few months ago with me as AU, looks like that provides the UR transfer gateway and a few similar CSP benefits, but not all. Have the C1 VX for travel protections/lounge access for our frequent travels.

Chase rep offered a downgrade to Chase Freedom if I want it - should I drop the CSP? Note: I won’t get under 5/24 till Jan 2026.

If you’re not getting value, downgrade.

4+ years

Yes. Downgrade it to freedom and apply for it again in a week or a month and you’ll get another bonus. You can get one bonus per 4 years.

Fielder said:

4+ years

Yes. Downgrade it to freedom and apply for it again in a week or a month and you’ll get another bonus. You can get one bonus per 4 years.

Love the idea but I’m >5/24 for the next year.

@SophyGenesis
Even better tbh. Elevated CSP bonuses for 75-90k usually happen in March or April. I’d downgrade now, bank UR, then grab the bonus next spring and dump it all into Hyatt.

Look up historical offers on uscreditcardguide

(And obviously, a year after that you can consider the downgrade again lol)

Oh wait never mind I read that as 2025 lol

@Fielder
What is bank UR? Can we still keep the UR after we downgrade from CSP?

Frey said:
@Fielder
What is bank UR? Can we still keep the UR after we downgrade from CSP?

You can transfer the points to a UR card with no fee like a Freedom.

Vince said:

Frey said:
@Fielder
What is bank UR? Can we still keep the UR after we downgrade from CSP?

You can transfer the points to a UR card with no fee like a Freedom.

I am a beginner in this journey and I might need more explanation. Does it mean you can still transfer UR to other airline points even after I downgrade from CSP to Chase Freedom?

@Frey
To ‘bank’ something means to store it. In this case, I thought you were eligible for a new card in 2025.

I’d suggest you transfer your points out to high valuation transfers (Hyatt), then downgrade to a Chase Flex or a Chase Freedom.

I wouldn’t. The CSP has many benefits that the Freedom doesn’t.

Tali said:
I wouldn’t. The CSP has many benefits that the Freedom doesn’t.

What benefits does the CSP have that wouldn’t be covered by my VX?

Tali said:
I wouldn’t. The CSP has many benefits that the Freedom doesn’t.

Name one that the CSP has that the VX doesn’t. Dashpass? Lmao.

Fielder said:

Tali said:
I wouldn’t. The CSP has many benefits that the Freedom doesn’t.

Name one that the CSP has that the VX doesn’t. Dashpass? Lmao.

Better travel and car rental coverage, points are worth more and easier to use, better transfer partners, all at a lower AF. Personally, I have both and prefer the CSP.

@Tali
Everything OP is already getting with the Ink Preferred.

Sayer said:
@Tali
Everything OP is already getting with the Ink Preferred.

OP already has the card and isn’t asking about applying for a new one, IMO it isn’t worth it to downgrade.

@Tali

Better coverage

Wrong, read the guide to benefits.

Points are worth more

Better transfer partners

These mean the same thing - UR points are worth more because they have better transfers. And Amtrak points are worth more than UR points, but that doesn’t mean the card is overall better because it (like the CSP) has a poor earn rate.

Lower AF

$45 eAF vs -$5 eAF.

Read the entire guide to benefits and calculate total expected profits vs losses instead of just stating a few numbers after reading half of a Nerdwallet article.

@Fielder
Why do people in this sub disregard AF entirely? It absolutely does matter. Just a couple of days ago, someone made a good post on how much AF the sub is willing to push through given its reward ratio and almost 99% had a limit at some point.

$400 on AF is a significant amount to splash on a credit card regardless. To get that $300, you need to spend that on a third-party travel portal. People talk about how Capital One price matches, which sounds good, but they don’t talk about the fact that they’re not getting statement credit but a credit to use on the Capital One portal.

Personally, I fly 3 international flights every year. Like most people, I’m not booking on third-party travel sites for my flights.

If you downgrade to the CFU, you’ll get most of the benefits of the CSP with the CIP and CFU. Another consideration is if you travel internationally. CSP will give you 3x back on restaurants with no foreign transaction fee compared to 2x on VX and 1x on CIP.