Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Amex SPG - Which Card Do You Reach For First?

[Dan]

Value/Worth are funny terms.  They're different for everyone.
I personally don't redeem CO miles under about 1.9 cpm and SPG under about 2.3, so I guess that's my own value.
That would make 1 SPG=1.21 CO

$20 would give 32x1.9=$0.608 on Freedom or 20x2.3=$0.46 on SPG.

The cutoff would thus be at $90 which would give 109x1.9=$2.071 on Freedom or 90x2.3=$2.07 on SPG.

I guess I should really be using Freedom way more often!

So
Freedom (with Chase Checking only)
-Purchases under $90 that are not dining/airfare/hotels.
-Purchases that won't take AMEX that are not dining/airfare/hotels.
-Purchases (up to $1,500/quarter) in a 5% rotating category after registering online!
(For 2011 these categories are:
Q1: Grocery Stores, Drugstores
Q2: Home Improvement, Lawn and Garden, Home Furnishings
Q3: Gas, Hotels, Airlines
Q4: Dining, Department Stores, Movies, Charity)

Sapphire Preferred:
-All dining, airfare (except Airtran), and hotels (except SPG, Hyatt, and select Marriott chains).
Be sure to check if those are included in the Freedom categories first though.
-FOREX transactions.

SPG (Consumer or business):
-Purchases over $90, spending at SPG, or items that may need to be disputed, returned, or warrantied, go on SPG.

-SPG Business:
-Purchases at Open Savings partners go on SPG Business (HP, Airtran, B&N, Microsoft, Office Max, Fedex, Hertz, Hyatt, Flowers.com, and select Marriott brands)

CO/UA:
-Car rentals outside Israel.

Any WMC besides CO/UA:
-Car rentals in Israel.



Make sense?

[AsherO]

Value/Worth are funny terms.  They're different for everyone.

+1

@Springles: I'm not looking for a formula, I'm looking for a consensus (in the poll) and for any possible benefits/perks/factors I might've missed (in the thread).

[myb821]

Value/Worth are funny terms.  They're different for everyone.
I personally don't redeem CO miles under about 1.9 cpm and SPG under about 2.3, so I guess that's my own value.
That would make 1 CO=1.21 SPG

i think u mean 1 spg=1.21CO

[springles]

+1

@Springles: I'm not looking for a formula, I'm looking for a consensus (in the poll) and for any possible benefits/perks/factors I might've missed (in the thread).

I know, I was more interested for myself.  It seems by Dan's post above that I really should up my threshold.  Looking at the poll results I think people should reevaluate what the best card is for them.

[Dan]

i think u mean 1 spg=1.21CO

Fixed and more analysis added.
Of course that's all using my own "discount rate."  Feel free to recalculate at your own rate and post the results.

[AsherO]

So
-All dining/airfare/hotels (except SPG) go on Sapphire Preferred.
-FOREX goes on Sapphire Preferred.
-Purchases over $90, spending at SPG, or items that may need to be disputed or returned go on SPG.
-Purchases under $90 that are not dining/airfare/hotels go on Freedom.
-Purchases that won't take AMEX that are not dining/airfare/hotels go on Freedom.

Make sense?

Now all I need a a mnemonic to commit that algorithm to memory.

[Dan]

Now all I need a a mnemonic to commit that algorithm to memory.

Still updating that list...

[springles]

Still updating that list...

You also have to take the 5% rotating categories into account with the freedom.  It really is a great card.

[AsherO]

Still updating that list...

It's starting to get complicated. Add the ever-changing Freedom 5% categories and it becomes too much for my little brain to handle. If you're at the grocery, and you haven't spent $1,500 at merchant categories a, b, and c since month x, swipe your Freedom card, otherwise...

You also have to take the 5% rotating categories into account with the freedom.  It really is a great card.

Jinks, with my verbose post you beat me to it.

[Dan]

Updated, any more critiques?

Any going to print up a cheat-sheet to carry in their wallet

[myb821]

The only other thing is u r only using co miles but I would also use sapphire for hyatt

[springles]

The only other thing is u r only using co miles but I would also use sapphire for hyatt

The UR points should have a value at least as high as CO.  Its worth that at a minimum plus it has the flexibility of being used for Hyatt or BA if you wanted.

[bubbles]

Looking at the poll results I think people should reevaluate what the best card is for them.

Not everyone has a freedom card with a chase checking account. Also, the poll doesn't take into account bonus categories

I have both cards and I'm in a quandary about which one should be my primary card. Obviously there are times when it makes sense to use a specific card for a benefit/bonus it offers, but other than that, which card is your default card and why?

[Dan]

The UR points should have a value at least as high as CO.  Its worth that at a minimum plus it has the flexibility of being used for Hyatt or BA if you wanted.

+1.
I would generally value Hyatt at perhaps 1.6, but there are definitely times they can be worth as high as 5.  Of course so can SPG or CO, but you have to go by the minimum rate you would redeem at to be fair IMHO.
I think 1.9 is a fair comparison for UR to 2.3 for SPG.  Or a 1.21:1 ratio.

[AsherO]

Any going to print up a cheat-sheet to carry in their wallet

Cheat sheet? I'm going to make a mini flow-chart

/kidding

[springles]

Q4: Dining, Department Stores, Movies, Charity)

Didnt realize it was Charity as well.  I wonder what is considered charity.  Is my son's yeshiva tuition a charity? Shul membership?

Sorry if this is OT and should go somewhere else.

[AJK]

Value/Worth are funny terms.  They're different for everyone.
I personally don't redeem CO miles under about 1.9 cpm and SPG under about 2.3, so I guess that's my own value.
That would make 1 SPG=1.21 CO

$20 would give 32x1.9=$0.608 on Freedom or 20x2.3=$0.46 on SPG.

The cutoff would thus be at $90 which would give 109x1.9=$2.071 on Freedom or 90x2.3=$2.07 on SPG.

I guess I should really be using Freedom way more often!

So
Freedom (with Chase Checking only)
-Purchases under $90 that are not dining/airfare/hotels.
-Purchases that won't take AMEX that are not dining/airfare/hotels.
-Purchases (up to $1,500/quarter) in a 5% rotating category after registering online!
(For 2011 these categories are:
Q1: Grocery Stores, Drugstores
Q2: Home Improvement, Lawn and Garden, Home Furnishings
Q3: Gas, Hotels, Airlines
Q4: Dining, Department Stores, Movies, Charity)

Sapphire Preferred:
-All dining, airfare (except Airtran), and hotels (except SPG, Hyatt, and select Marriott chains).
-FOREX transactions.

SPG (Consumer or business):
-Purchases over $90, spending at SPG, or items that may need to be disputed, returned, or warrantied, go on SPG.

-SPG Business:
-Purchases at Open Savings partners go on SPG Business (HP, Airtran, B&N, Microsoft, Office Max, Fedex, Hertz, Hyatt, Flowers.com, and select Marriott brands)

CO/UA:
-Car rentals outside Israel.

Any WMC besides CO/UA:
-Car rentals in Israel.



Make sense?

Great post. Pretty sure i'm gonna bookmark this. Too bad I dont have half these cards

[bubbles]

Value/Worth are funny terms.  They're different for everyone.
I personally don't redeem CO miles under about 1.9 cpm and SPG under about 2.3, so I guess that's my own value.
That would make 1 SPG=1.21 CO

$20 would give 32x1.9=$0.608 on Freedom or 20x2.3=$0.46 on SPG.

The cutoff would thus be at $90 which would give 109x1.9=$2.071 on Freedom or 90x2.3=$2.07 on SPG.

I guess I should really be using Freedom way more often!

So
Freedom (with Chase Checking only)
-Purchases under $90 that are not dining/airfare/hotels.
-Purchases that won't take AMEX that are not dining/airfare/hotels.
-Purchases (up to $1,500/quarter) in a 5% rotating category after registering online!
(For 2011 these categories are:
Q1: Grocery Stores, Drugstores
Q2: Home Improvement, Lawn and Garden, Home Furnishings
Q3: Gas, Hotels, Airlines
Q4: Dining, Department Stores, Movies, Charity)

Sapphire Preferred:
-All dining, airfare (except Airtran), and hotels (except SPG, Hyatt, and select Marriott chains).
-FOREX transactions.

SPG (Consumer or business):
-Purchases over $90, spending at SPG, or items that may need to be disputed, returned, or warrantied, go on SPG.

-SPG Business:
-Purchases at Open Savings partners go on SPG Business (HP, Airtran, B&N, Microsoft, Office Max, Fedex, Hertz, Hyatt, Flowers.com, and select Marriott brands)

CO/UA:
-Car rentals outside Israel.

Any WMC besides CO/UA:
-Car rentals in Israel.



Make sense?

How long til this makes the main page? 

[Dan]

How long til this makes the main page? 

The problem is that I have all these cards.  I can make the post on DD, but it will end up with people asking for me to make a flow chart for them based on the cards in their wallet...

[AsherO]

The problem is that I have all these cards.  I can make the post on DD, but it will end up with people asking for me to make a flow chart for them based on the cards in their wallet...

Have you seen my wallet?

Here's my abridged version, what do you think?:

Code: [Select]

Sapphire Preferred:

- Dining and Travel
- FOREX transactions.

SPG:

- Purchases over $90
- Protections

Freedom:

- Anything else

© 2011 DDF