What do you think about Chase Sapphire Preferred and Venture X

Hi everyone I have a Chase Sapphire Preferred and a Chase Freedom card and I’m looking at a few options. I’d love to hear your thoughts on which is better:

Option 1: Downgrade my CSP and switch to a CSR for the sign-up bonus and get the Chase Trifecta (AF = $550)

Option 2: Keep the CSP and CF and open a Venture X (AF = $395 + $95)

Option 3: Open a Venture X and downgrade my CSP (AF = $395)

I usually travel internationally once a year and don’t often travel domestically, but I do fly United more than other airlines. I spend most of my money on food and want a card with priority pass and global entry benefits. I’m not fond of the Venture X partners but the annual fee is much lower than the CSR. Which option makes the most sense for me?

How about considering the Chase Ritz Carlton

Ellington said:
How about considering the Chase Ritz Carlton

That requires changing to Chase Marriott first

Franklin said:

Ellington said:
How about considering the Chase Ritz Carlton

That requires changing to Chase Marriott first

And you need to have it for one year and spend at least $10k

Option 1 only works if it’s been at least 48 months since you last received a Sapphire bonus (keep in mind that this doesn’t count the last time you opened a Sapphire card).

Venture X is easier to make the annual fee worth it than other cards but it still depends on what you are getting from it. You will have to decide that based on what you value and if you’d use the credits.

@Bevin
I think I can get the sign-up bonus if I go with option 1

Is it a good plan to pair the Venture X with the CSP and Freedom? Or if I get the Venture X, should I just downgrade my CSP to save the $95 annual fee?

@Aeron
If it’s been 4 years, just go for the CSP sign-up bonus. Maybe check if there’s a better offer coming up soon.

A lot of folks use these cards together. Just remember that if you don’t have a Sapphire card, you can’t transfer Ultimate Rewards points out.

Venture X is fairly straightforward to get value from but I would also suggest the Ritz Carlton if you’re willing to put in the work and you’re already using Chase and United regularly.

CSR has benefits if you can access a Sapphire lounge but that might be less valuable since you only really travel about once a year.

@Kingsley
I thought I could transfer my Ultimate Rewards to my Freedom, then downgrade my CSP to a CFF and apply for the CSR. Would that work?

Aeron said:
@Kingsley
I thought I could transfer my Ultimate Rewards to my Freedom, then downgrade my CSP to a CFF and apply for the CSR. Would that work?

You keep your Ultimate Rewards when you downgrade. The only thing you can’t do is transfer points to a partner airline unless you have a Sapphire.

So you won’t lose any points if you swap your only Sapphire for a Freedom card, but you can’t transfer them to Hyatt or JetBlue, etc. unless you have some form of Sapphire again.

If you’re thinking about downgrading your only Sapphire, consider your plan for the points. Do you just want to hold them for later, do you want to transfer them out to a partner program before you downgrade, or do you want to redeem them for cash back now?

Since you qualify for a new Sapphire sign-up bonus it seems pretty clear to me. Simply downgrade your CSP to a Freedom card and get a new CSP to earn the bonus. Then you can decide what to do with the new points later but I think it’s a missed opportunity if you don’t get the bonus again.

@Kingsley
Yes, I would downgrade and park my Ultimate Rewards and then go for the CSR instead of CSP because I want the lounge access and Priority Pass. I’m just unsure if I want to commit to the $550 annual fee. Also, I’m anxious about how long I might wait to qualify for the sign-up bonus after downgrading. I’ve heard it can take a week or more.

You’re in a tricky situation with the Venture X. The best part about the card is transferring miles to partner airlines that are not part of Chase. Here’s a transfer chart to check: Transfer Partner Matrix — Award Travel 101™. If your annual trip is not with one of those partners, it might not work out mathematically for you. The good news though is, unlike CSR or AMEX Platinum, Venture X is essentially a free card despite its annual fee.

The Venture X has a $395 annual fee but provides a $300 travel credit, which is valued at $285. This is because that credit doesn’t earn miles, so you’re missing out on the chance to earn 1500 points if booked as a flight or 3000 for hotel/car arrangements with that coupon. Assuming you find a flight, you miss earned points, or simply $15 if valued at 1 CPP. The first year you also get the Global Entry/TSA pre-check credit—you really should get GE for $120 if you’re a frequent traveler, so I value that at $120 (CLEAR on the other hand seems pointless to me). In the second through the fourth years, you get 10k anniversary miles valued at least $100. Overall, in the first year, you benefit $10, over the next three years you pay $10, and then in the fifth year you get the credit again, making the benefit $110. No AMEX credits come into play here.

Now CSR is $100 for the first year—a $550 annual fee minus a $300 travel credit that has a value of $330 (since if you book a hotel through the Chase travel portal, it earns miles too, technically offering you 15x earnings, with 10x plus a 50% bonus, minus the 5x from a card giving 5x hotels—it amounts to a 10x benefit) minus $120 GE/TSA fee. In years two through four, it costs $220 each year, but in year five it drops back to $100 when the GE/TSA credit returns.

CSR might sound pricey until you compare the earning potential against Capital One’s duo (when you get around to that):

(C1 on one of the two cards / Chase on one of the three cards boosted by 50% bonus from CSR)

  • General spending that doesn’t fit into rewards categories earns either 2x / 2.25x
  • Non-portal travel increases to 2x / 4.5x (or even 7.5x during a Chase Freedom Flex 5x Quarter)
  • Hotel/car bookings via the portal get you 10x / 15x
  • Flights booked through the portal net you 5x / 7.5x
  • Dining goes 3x / 4.5x (or 7.5x during a Chase Freedom Flex 5x Quarter)
  • Streaming returns 3x / 2.25x (also 7.5x during a Fuji Freedom Flex 5x Quarter)
  • Entertainment brings 3x / 2.25x
  • Pharmacy offers 2x / 4.5x (and also 7.5x when it’s a Chase Freedom Flex 5x Quarter)
  • Grocery rounds up to 3x / 2.25x (or 7.5x in the Chase Freedom Flex 5x Quarter)

Basically, if your spending habits show that Chase’s trio adds up to $110 more value than Venture X and Savor offers from C1, you might want to switch (that’s $100 cost of CSR plus the $10 you’d gain from Venture X). For example, if you spend $100 monthly on groceries, and another $200 monthly on dining out, the Chase trio might earn you an additional $36 in dining but cost $9 against C1 duo. Overall, that comes to $27 additional for Chase classic. You will benefit from analyzing your personal expectations to see the numbers firsthand. It might be that you do spend a lot more on groceries, or perhaps you go out more often.

@Darin
If you can use Venture X with United or other domestic partners, yes, you could book United flights using Star Alliance partners like LifeMiles, Air Canada, Singapore, TAP, or Turkish airlines. You can also book flights with American Airlines using British Airways, Cathay, FinnAir, or Qantas. However, international partners typically cannot book domestic flights using cash, only points. That said, there are challenges with this strategy:

  1. The partner’s flight schedules are usually less extensive than booking directly through the domestic airline website. You’ll discover only a few flights are available each day using LifeMiles, while United could offer around 20 options (though many won’t suit your needs with layovers).

  2. Costs in miles can be higher. Sometimes, you’ll find United flights priced lower through LifeMiles or Air Canada than booking directly.

  3. Added fees apply. LifeMiles, for example, charges $25 on top of the usual $5.60 tax to book Star Alliance.

  4. You won’t have free cancellation like most domestic airline websites allow.

  5. These international partner sites often make searching for US flights quite difficult. LifeMiles can be frustrating. Virgin is a hassle too (for Delta).

So it’s possible, though it takes a lot of effort, patience, and luck to secure a domestic route that suits your plans. For an EWR to FLL flight, using United.com would let you check the day and see miles options right there. Finding domestic flights using LifeMiles could be quite a chore. You’d need to find a date when the route is available and pray they have a time that matches your schedule (typically, they’ll only show 1 or 2 flight options on available days).

Pairing CSP and VX works really well, especially if you also add a CFF and Savor cards

Consider getting a Bilt Mastercard too

Another card that offers lounge access and global entry is the $0 annual fee US Bank Altitude Connect card

Kipp said:
Another card that offers lounge access and global entry is the $0 annual fee US Bank Altitude Connect card

Oh I wasn’t aware of this card before. Are there any downsides?

@Aeron
You get 4 lounge visits a year, but it also covers restaurant visits.

You might want to wait for elevated bonuses on CSP in March or April and then downgrade and reapply