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airlines are very competitive , however you can sometimes transfer points to their airline partners and get better deals which are priced differently at times .
they have 11 travel partners you can transfer points to but they utilize all airlines and hotels .
Which airlines can you book through the chase travel portal, and are the fares competitive with what you could get using Expedia, or something like that?
their portal looks like any other travel search site. i believe the pricing is the same or similar to if you went on the airline's web site or expedia or something like that. but with the csr, you get an extra 50% point value so i think that works out to a very good deal especially if you are able to earn points at a 1.5/per dollar spent or better.
personal online spend - chase freedom unlimited
personal physical card spend - sapphire reserve
business spend - chase ink
this will allow me to earn the maximum amount of ultimate rewards points and use them at an extra 50% value using the ultimate rewards portal.
so now i need to apply for the chase ink, and use it instead of the spg amex that i got for business. then i need to call chase to convert my freedom to a freedom unlimited.
chase ink is reviewing my application. this happened last time i got the card and was one reason why i got the spg card instead this time. i have too much credit available across my chase cards. they will probably make me divide up my chase credit between my cards.
Other than that I need a good card for hotel stays...any recommendations? Something where the bonus would get me 4-5 free nights somewhere next year is ideal.
There's often an 80K IHG (Holiday Inn) offer floating around with fairly modest spend requirement. Annual fee waived the first year, and when the $49 fee does kick in at the end of the first year, you get a free night certificate you should bet far more value than that for it. I've also seen a 100K Hilton offer on a banner ad over at Flyer Talk.
Whether you get 4-5 nights from those points depends on what your travel plans are. Both programs have had their share of devaluations in recent years, though there are still some redemption sweet spots.
I have two cards. One gives me great points on dining, the other gives me great points on everything else. I used the appropriate card, and when the transaction settles, I pay the balance off immediately. When I accumulate enough points, I pay the balance with those first. I never carry over a balance.
I prefer to pay with cash only because I'm a numismatic and love pulling silver coins and rarer bills out of circulation...but the ease of using a CC has caused me to all but abandon this practice. I did however happen to have $5 on me today and bought a coffee and got myself a 1919 cent.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Since I travel a lot, (365 days in 2016) and LUV to fly... I'm pretty pleased with Southwest Cards (for USA and nearby routes). I also use a NO FEE Fidelity Card (assignable Points (various carriers) or cash / investment rewards). My UA card points I have had since 1980 covered our RTW trip in 2016.
(2) SWA card Premiums got me a 'Companion Pass'= well over 100 flights @ $5.60 each + within 2 yrs 300,000 accumulation of future points to burn (at as low as 4,000pts / route). We try to book high loaded flights, so bumps (free vouchers) are frequent.
Building houses and running a few businesses using CC perks grows points FAST (Since 1980's).
We use:
Amazon card for all amazon purchases (5%)
Costco Visa for all restaurants (3%), gas (4%), and Costco (2%)
Amazon blue cash for all grocery(3%), may upgrade this to the 6% option, we get enough groceries.
Discover Double Cash (2%) for all other misc purchases.
I do plan on changing over to some credit card hacking once our kids are a little older and we can take advantage of the travel.
We use:
Amazon card for all amazon purchases (5%)
Costco Visa for all restaurants (3%), gas (4%), and Costco (2%)
Amazon blue cash for all grocery(3%), may upgrade this to the 6% option, we get enough groceries.
Discover Double Cash (2%) for all other misc purchases.
I do plan on changing over to some credit card hacking once our kids are a little older and we can take advantage of the travel.
Discover (the primary card I use) allows me to use points at Amazon. I generally use the points to buy items off a wishlist of one of the dog rescues I support. It's a way for me to donate to a charity and get them something they really need with no out of pocket cost (other than the initial purchase to accumulate the points).
For my Chase Freedom I redeem the points and use them to pay the bill. Both cards are paid in full every month.
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+ within 2 yrs 300,000 accumulation of future points to burn (at as low as 4,000pts / route). We try to book high loaded flights, so bumps (free vouchers) are frequent. 
