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I'm not. it doesn't fit the OP's desire (stated n the original post) to keep things as simple as possible. To get the most benefit out of the Chase cards, you have to know how to play the frequent flyer mile game, and it's not a simple game to learn.
OP simply said "easy redemptions". Transferring points to partners for redemption is hardly brain surgery.
Taking full advantage of travel cards and booking tricks? Sure, it takes patience and effort to learn - but there's nothing about the Chase ultimate rewards program that is daunting to comprehend.
Good info. I'm going to look into the Chase Sapphire. I've had the Chase Freedom socked away so long I forgot to check Chase. I'm not a fan of their Travel Portal. I always find better deals somewhere else.
I'll keep Venture at least for hotels, rentals and cruise purchases.
I'll concede that the Chase UR travel portal isn't the best for direct redemptions, but they do sometimes offer better points pricing for certain airlines (I think AA) and it's handy if you need to fly on Delta or AA (which aren't points transfer partners). The benefit is less about their travel portal than the flexibility of the Ultimate Rewards points, which you don't get with the Freedom card.
Don't forget about fringe benefits - Sapphire has primary insurance for rental cars when paid fully with the card. It also has extended warranties on purchases made in full with the card, among other benefits like trip delay/cancellation benefit. I personally benefited from this to the tune of nearly $500 this past summer when my wife and I were delayed by a day in Costa Rica on our way home during Hurricane Irma. I had to pay about $510 in excess charges for that extra day, and I was reimbursed all but about $18 of that in less than 30 days from my claim date. That alone paid for multiple years of the annual fee.
OP simply said "easy redemptions". Transferring points to partners for redemption is hardly brain surgery.
No, that part is easy. Finding a flight to where you want to go, in the cabin class you desire, on the dates when you wish to fly is the tough part (especially if you're not traveling solo). Notice the OP listed "no blackout dates" in the same sentence you quoted.
Most people simply don't want to learn how to play the frequent flyer game, even though it can be very lucrative once you have learned the necessary tricks (which change regularly, so the learning never stops). They just want to book a flight with minimal research and little effort. That's why they gravitate towards travel cards like the Capital One Venture and frequent flyer programs like Southwest's: they're simple (even if they don't offer any great values, and a 2% cashback card trumps them in terms of savings).
Chase Sapphire Reserve works well for me. 3 trips to Japan last year all with points. Different airlines too; China Airlines, Japan Airlines, and a ANA/United Airlines mix. A++ to Japan Airlines, I'm taking them again in May paid, again, with points.
I have the Freedom for those 5% categories as well. I have Amazon Store Card for 5% back and my checking account 3% interest (not dividend, I actually read the 1099 this year). That basically takes care of my spending. What's not there is things I pay for in cash like laundry, my $5 haircuts, etc. Can't really get points for those, but I'd much rather pay a lower price anyways.
No, that part is easy. Finding a flight to where you want to go, in the cabin class you desire, on the dates when you wish to fly is the tough part (especially if you're not traveling solo). Notice the OP listed "no blackout dates" in the same sentence you quoted.
Most people simply don't want to learn how to play the frequent flyer game, even though it can be very lucrative once you have learned the necessary tricks (which change regularly, so the learning never stops). They just want to book a flight with minimal research and little effort. That's why they gravitate towards travel cards like the Capital One Venture and frequent flyer programs like Southwest's: they're simple (even if they don't offer any great values, and a 2% cashback card trumps them in terms of savings).
Oh, I understand. CSP or CSR bypasses the blackout date thing with their own portal as well. If you want simple, then yeah go with Venture or Arrival+, just be prepared to get screwed. The Citi double cash back card (or any other 2% or higher - I have 2.5% with USAA as my daily driver) is a more logical choice than any of those "travel" rewards cards because then you're not limited to travel redemption.
No, I use Expedia and Hotwire. Especially Hotwire has saved me lots of money over the years. Sometimes I can get government rates directly with the airlines, rental car and hotels so Chase portal is usually higher than the discounted rates. I like that with the Venture I can use it for any form of travel, not their portal or brand.
It’s somewhat asinine to compare the Chase portal to government rates isn’t it? Are you finding airfare deals on Expedia and Hotwire better than the airlines directly and list rates not something else?
No, that part is easy. Finding a flight to where you want to go, in the cabin class you desire, on the dates when you wish to fly is the tough part (especially if you're not traveling solo). Notice the OP listed "no blackout dates" in the same sentence you quoted.
Most people simply don't want to learn how to play the frequent flyer game, even though it can be very lucrative once you have learned the necessary tricks (which change regularly, so the learning never stops). They just want to book a flight with minimal research and little effort. That's why they gravitate towards travel cards like the Capital One Venture and frequent flyer programs like Southwest's: they're simple (even if they don't offer any great values, and a 2% cashback card trumps them in terms of savings).
You don’t think Southwest offers great value? No blackout dates, free changes and cancellations, free bags, and the redemption on the Wanna Get Away seems to be about 1.7 cents. Costs me about 19,000 points for round trip Oakland-Boston, with little effort to find the flights (southwest.com)
Obviously doesn’t work for international, but for domestic in economy, what is better value?
For domestic travel, getting the Southwest cards makes a lot of sense.
You don’t think Southwest offers great value? No blackout dates, free changes and cancellations, free bags, and the redemption on the Wanna Get Away seems to be about 1.7 cents. Costs me about 19,000 points for round trip Oakland-Boston, with little effort to find the flights (southwest.com)
Obviously doesn’t work for international, but for domestic in economy, what is better value?
For domestic travel, getting the Southwest cards makes a lot of sense.
No, the Southwest frequent flyer program doesn't offer great value compared to a 2% cash back card. Southwest always allows two free bags and free changes so those aren't specifically card benefits, and 1.7 cents-per-mile value on the Wanna-Get-Away fares is too low. If you're not getting at least 2 cents-per-mile value of your miles, you're better off just using a 2% cash back card for all your purchases and paying cash for your tickets. There are only two exceptions to this rule: the card offers a great introductory bonus miles offer (in which case it makes sense to get the card to earn the bonus miles, then cancel it before any annual fee comes due), or the card offers secondary benefits you find useful (such as primary collision insurance on car rentals, priority boarding, lounge access, free bags on airlines that charge for checked bags, etc.).
(Tip for you if you like Southwest: use the Chase Ultimate Rewards cards to earn Southwest miles, not the Southwest card. The only real benefit you get from the Southwest card is the annual Companion Pass. For actually earning miles, the combo of Chase Sapphire Preferred/Reserved (2x points or 3x points on dining and travel, respectively), Chase Freedom (5x points on rotating bonus categories, capped at $1500/quarter), and Chase Freedom Unlimited (1.5x point on everything else) earns points that transfer 1:1 to Southwest much faster!)
Someone who truly knows how to play the frequent flyer game can do much, much better than 2-cents-per-mile value. Try 6 or 8-cents-per-mile (or sometimes more). But the learning curve is pretty steep, and not everyone wants to put that much effort into saving on their travel expenses. And I don't blame them!
Despite the 'SkyPeso' reputation, I can pretty consistently get better than $0.02 per FF mile with Delta, and similar good value with other legacy programs that haven't gone to dollar-based redemption yet.
Yes, there's still value to be found with the legacy Big Three, and if you frequently travel on expensive tickets that's definitely a good reason to learn how to play the miles and points game well. I used to do the same sort of trick back before BA's most recent devaluation of Avios; I'd get a round-trip first-class ticket OMA-ORD for 30,000 points, which was a great deal at the time.
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