Source
r/CreditCards•
ripstep1

Anyone use both Amex and Chase systems?

Wondering what people’s experience is with trying to use both systems? The idea being MR for international flights and UR for the Hyatt booking when you get to your destination. Also UR for domestic travel.

I am torn between both systems, so just thinking about P1 using Chase only and P2 using Amex only. Then booking flights with the Amex and Hyatt with the UR.

Does this make sense or do people usually find that it’s hard to generate enough points for anything in this scheme? Or is one system just better for overall travel?

Posted Feb 7, 2023, 5:14 PM UTC

3446
SounderTIDKnowledgeable•

I’d suggest sticking with one program only. You’d have to look at your actual spending habits, but I think this is a recipe for it taking forever to save up enough points to spend on anything cool.

After the signup bonus is gone, it takes a ton of spend to get enough rewards for a redemption. Plus each year there’s another annual fee and the risk of the program getting nerfed again (this risk is more of when and not if)

If you’re looking specifically for Hyatt, notice you can earn a second category 4 certificate, status and points with spend on a World of Hyatt Visa.

27
MyStackRunnethOver•

I use both. My main travel card switches between Amex Plat and CSR based on what point currency I want to be accumulating. On top of that I use an Amex Gold for groceries always, and for dining when I want to be accumulating MR points. I use a USBank Altitude Reserve to catch my miscellaneous spend via Apple Pay.

After getting the SUB's I made a spreadsheet with all the credits I actually use, discounted in some cases (I wouldn't be paying for Walmart Plus if I didn't have my Amex Plat, e.g.). It turns out with my spending my gold card is actually the least justifiable, followed by my CSR. All of them turn a profit at a 2cpp valuation, calculated relative to a no-AF 2x earn for Amex or 1.5x for Chase.

I recommend doing the math and deciding for yourself. Once you have a spreadsheet built, you can simulate what happens if you move spend from one card to another. One thing to keep in mind: separating by P1/P2 could mean spending sub-optimally, e.g. if you both shop for groceries but only one of you has a 4x grocery card like the Amex Gold. If you don't wanna pay multiple AF's for the same card, I suggest using authorized user cards when they're free (like for the Amex Gold!).

17
drunkenlout•

It sounds like we're the same person, haha, I have the same basic spreadsheet.

If we didn't have a Centurion lounge at our home airport, I don't think we'd quite be able to legitimize the Plat, because we spend so little cash on airfare - almost all our MR come from the Gold. That's my only route to ANA miles, so we'll keep it for grocery and restaurant spend. We make sure to use all the credits we can - like you, I wouldn't pay full price for a lot of it, but getting Audible, Hulu, Disney, and Paramount for 59c a month is worth something...

As long as we keep easily using the Centurion lounges AND some PP restaurants, we'll keep both the Plat and the CSR. They complement each other well.

1
Hans_ScheiBe•

Technically I’m using both systems (I have CFU, CFF, Prime Rewards, & BCE), but my Amex card is purely cash back…I don’t have any Amex cards that earn MR points.

IMO unless your spend/income is very high (i.e. well into the 6 figures), it would take a very long time to accumulate enough points to take a trip using both systems.

10
ripstep1OP•

I suppose if you saved up the SUBs you could? The gold has a 90k sub now I think

3
Hans_ScheiBe•

The annual fees you’d have to pay each year from running a Chase/Amex setup would pretty easily cancel out any SUBs over time…as for all the credits, most regular “non-rich” people would struggle to use all the credits that would cancel out the >$1,000 in annual fees ($695 from Plat + $250 from Gold + $95/$550 from Sapphire card).

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ripstep1OP•

For me I would use the gold credits for sure. Especially since I have the savor one with the free Uber one. So I was thinking CFF + CSP P1. And Gold for person 2.

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Dapper_Reputation_16•

One of our members recently made a statement to the effect he would like to open a Platinum card but found the AF to be daunting. Several members expressed a similar opinion and I would like to offer my perspective, obviously everyone has their own financial strategy and points goals.

OK, so the AF is $695, let’s start with the obvious. There is a $200 annual incidental airline credit that can be utilized in many ways, we personally use the UA Travel Bank. There is a $200 annual Uber credit which we use for Uber Eats so I value it at 75% of the gross or $150 due to fees.
If you don’t have it already there is a once every 4.5 years $100 TSA GE/PRE credit and even better there is now an annual $189 CLEAR credit which when purchased through either DL or UA covers a family membership for two people. Then there is $20 monthly in digital service credits, that more than covers XM Sirius in two vehicles and the NY Times. Since we each have a Platinum card that also covers Peacock Plus with some leftover. Walmart Plus is an unbelievable service, they will ship one jar of salad dressing two day FedEx at no charge, $12.95 monthly (We gift the second membership to our daughter as we did with CLEAR). Saks, not that I shop there but hey, a $50 GC twice annually and maybe I can afford a pair of socks. FHR $200 credit and another $100 stay credit, that’s a tough one unless you’re going to Vegas. We booked two back to back one night stays at the Palazzo for essentially the resort fees and charged $200 in food to the room.

I’m sure I am missing several other included credits and we are now over $1,000 annually before any offers or intangibles. Centurion Lounge access, cell phone insurance, concierge service, trip delay insurance, excellent customer service and a transferrable currency. Yes, it is a couponing game and a PITA at that but when properly done it can be quite lucrative especially in tandem with a Gold card or better yet a trifecta, Platinum, Gold and BBP is our combo.

The personal Platinum card is now offering SUBs as high as 150K or 125k plus a dining bonus. I don’t count that in offsetting the AF as that’s a one time benefit but that also is easily worth $1500 at a poor redemption and $4500 at a good redemption. We just booked $5700 flights for 87K MRs and $219 but that’s a rarity. My personal advice is if you have the spend over 6 months which to me is a generous time frame for $6K and can stomach the AF open a Platinum. Worst case you find it to not be worth the couponing and cancel after one year. If you wait until the first renewal AF posts you have 30 days to cancel at no charge and nothing will be clawed back, I speak from personal experience.

Any questions I’ll be happy to answer.

8
YamDelicious651•

Sapphire reserve is effectively a $250 fee plus the extra points value which is why I have it . Benefits are pretty much universal at least in the way I look at it for the main ones like lounge access tsa precheck insurance etc . The other ones are nice but wouldn’t make me keep the card

I also have the Amex business platinum (x2 as I just signed up for another one for the sub ) but debating whether to keep them even though the Dell credits and airline credits make it seem worth it . I use the credits for United but then that means I’m not using points which still means cash out of pocket .

1
I_M_Bacon•

I took the 90k SUB and am planning on cancelling my gold after a year unless I get a retention offer. I just got the Charles Schwab Amex Platinum too with a 100k SUB (same fees and benefits but I can transfer points to a Schwab account at 1.1 CPP) so I can take both bonuses and cash them all out if I find I don’t need to travel or need to fly a different airline other than Amex’s partners. This path cost me roughly 950 in fees. I’m getting 190k points worth 2090 in my brokerage account. That’s a win for me. This also doesn’t count all the Uber/grubhub and all the plat credits I’ll get on top of that. Sure it only lasts maybe a year but I’m gonna enjoy it!

2
Gain_Spirited•

I consider that a Chase/Cash setup. Amex cash back cards don't count.

2
Rossbolton87•

I have both, I don’t really use both.

Amex BBP and gold are my daily drivers. I keep a CFU as a back up visa and churn the Marriott/Hyatt/Sapphire/Ink cards as often as I can.

I don’t like the chase website, or that they don’t differentiate AU spend in any way. Makes it hard to track expenses on shared accounts.

9
Techadvocate•

What Marriott cards do you churn?

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TubbyTheTeddyBear•

I wanna know too 👀

1
Rossbolton87•

The boundless and the new bountiful. Current terms allow you to get both every 24 months

5
Rossbolton87•

The boundless and the new bountiful. Current terms allow you to get both every 24 months

1
jagshydro•

Can you have multiple of each Marriott card or do you need to close the current version before applying? I have multiple chase ink unlimited etc.

1
Rossbolton87•

i don't think you can have multiples, but can have the boundless and the bountiful at the same time.

The terms are pretty restrictive, but my understanding is you have to choose between the chase and amex products. Cuz getting an amex locks you out from chase bonuses, and visa versa.

Since the chase cards are churnable and amex aren't it's an easy choice for me.

1
Gain_Spirited•

If you travel a lot and spend a lot, it's a good system. They also complement each other because you can use Gold for groceries when CFF doesn't cover it. I don't think it's a good idea for the average person. I know that I personally have a hard time earning enough points for two ecosystems and also taking advantage of the credits each one has.

7
izzyness•

I personally don’t think it’s hard to use both. The only overlap is airlines and dining (plat and gold respectively against the sapphires). All other travel goes on the sapphires, groceries goes on the gold.

Freedom/freedom flex for the quarterly categories.

Freedom flex/freedom unlimited for pharmacies should you need them.

Ink cash can be useful if you know what you’re doing with it.

The only other kind of overlap would be the freedom unlimited vs blue business plus for non-category spend. Depending on how you see it, you may or may not be getting a lot of points for non-category spend. It doesn’t hurt to have both and there’s no annual fee on either, so you can take turns or prioritize as needed.

What you should be asking yourself if you lose money with any of the sapphires, gold, or reserve paying all those fees.

7
PeteyNice•

It all depends on your spending and goals. Most people won't spend enough to make that worthwhile.

Neither is objectively "better". One is better based on spending patterns and goals.

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Dapper_Reputation_16•

We follow your proposed strategy, as a rule URs go to high end Hyatts, MRs to airline partners.

6
FrodoLaggins22•

That’s exactly what we do. We live near a delta hub so it makes sense to transfer out the MR to Delta. Plus the Gold Card is great for groceries which is the Chase trifecta’s greatest weakness

2
jgross6493•

You can transfer out the MR to Virgin Atlantic and book Delta flights through there for much cheaper. Although much more limited availability.

3
username00009999•

For those who care. If you are chasing Medallion Status, this won’t earn MQM/MQD whereas awards flights marketed and operated by Delta will.

2
mc_geoffroy•

Yup that’s my favorite way to book Delta

1
Dapper_Reputation_16•

I agree although currently the CFF and CFU are offering 5x on groceries for the first year as part of the SUB. This quarter the CF/CFF bonus category is groceries at 5x so we're working that having 5 Freedom series. You're right on Gold, the rest of the year that's our daily grocery card.

2
FrodoLaggins22•

Yep and that sweet, sweet 9X on groceries for the first quarter on CFF

1
Dapper_Reputation_16•

Yup but I'm 3/24 and focusing on Inks for now.

2
lemonadeskyline•

I chase and accumulate SUBs, so running multiple systems is pretty manageable. I can get positive value on most of my cards with AFs (which are usually where the biggest SUBs are). For those that I can't, I try to plan for a downgrade to a no AF card in year 2. I try to avoid cards that I can't justify long term (unless there's a seriously fat SUB. In that case, I know going into it that I'll probably be cancelling it in a year).

Earning points on spend is pretty slow. If I'm not spending to meet a SUB, I usually dedicate my spend to cards that earn well on those categories. They don't accumulate very quickly, but its better than nothing. These cards would ideally be returning cash back rewards or be in a system earning transferrable points.

5
D_zee315•

I use both systems, but you do have to have a lot of spend going through your cards in order for it to be viable. I have the C1 VX for those points as well.

Honestly, it's not as clear-cut for international vs domestic for UR vs MR. It depends on the airline and what you can get. For example, I sent about 240k MR points to ANA recently, to be waitlisted for a business-class flight (plus $2.2k in taxes/fees). I most likely won't get the tickets since it's 3 seats, so I'll eventually use the ANA points for something else. I'm working on looking for backups, but at the end of the day, I can probably use about 240k US points for economy through the Chase portal.

I also exchange points with close friends or family sometimes, where if they want me to trade their UR points for my MR or vice versa, I might do it. It's not as streamlined, but you can easily add an authorized user and send it to their airline of choice.

5
ripstep1OP•

Yeah thinking venture x for flights instead of amex

1
D_zee315•

I use my Plat for flights since it's 5x direct with carrier. I don't always use the travel portals since it causes more problems than its worth sometimes. Having the option for the travel portal is nice, but it depends on when I want to tolerate some risk or not.

I use VX for being an international Visa card, it's 2x on general purchases, and gives primary CDW.

1
sbenfsonw•

Yes, and Capital one. They have different transfer partners to take advantage of

4
dgermati1•

I want to get on board with Amex MR points however in my case Chase is the better fit. I’ve got Amex BCE which is a great card. I have CSP and CFF, and I have an application for the United Explorer pending (my main airport is a United hub). The dealbreaker for me is that I’m not traveling all that much on personal funds, and the cash out rate for MR points is terrible.

3
quaggankicker•

We do. Amex blue for everyday driving. The chase Prime for all the Amazon stuff

2
Vaun_X•

People do, but it's generally not efficient

1
sid747•

Currently holding 300k points in each and just holding the bag lol

1
adi_naveen•

I use Amex ( gold , blue plus got a few earlier like Starwood etc ) , chase ( cf ,cud, csr , IHG , Marriott , ink cash , ink unlimited ) and used Citi before ( current cards AT&T , double cash , mile up ) and also discover when I have good quarter but stopped Citi since I found it hard to redeem . I use only chase for my travel needs for now , Amex are for moving into brokerage whenever they reach a lumsum ( currently 400k only)

1
TheHangook•

I use Amex Blue Cash preferred for groceries and gas stations, Chase Sapphire Reserve for travel and dining.

1
ripstep1OP•

That’s fair. But the BCP doesn’t earn MR

1
UltimateRewardsGuy•

A lot of people. It depends on your habits and goals. Crunch the numbers to decide whether one or both systems make sense for your specific situation.

1
Plane-Caramel9333•

Not the best customer service. I used the Barclays Arrival Plus. I don’t know what the current bonus is. You received 2 points on every dollar spent. Good for auto insurance and repairs. Water and gas utilities. Home Depot and other hardware stores. Home insurance and umbrella policies.Limited mileage participation program.

1
gregatronn•

Each have their pros and cons. It's mostly up to what you think is more a pro, for your use case. Sometimes it requires testing it out for yourself.

1