Chase Sapphire Reserve is changing... Alternative cards with high points for MVC maintenance fee payments?

[mountainboy]

I am not impressed with Citi Travel. However, to be fair, I doubt they are any worse than Chase Travel, where I have similar stories from the past.

Too many things happen with flights and going thru third party can be very frustrating.

I am sorry for your awful experience @daviator :-(
Hope they make it right for you ASAP !

 

[daviator]

I am sorry for your awful experience @daviator :-(
Hope they make it right for you ASAP !

The next rep I got was both bright and helpful. In the end I got them to cancel and refund my outbound AA reservation (AA didn't want to, and I had to point out that they had a legal requirement to offer a refund when they change your flight routine, and eventually they conceded.) That was a satisfactory outcome as it allowed me to book alternative flights that meet my needs (I even saved a little money.)

It's just frustrating that about 75% (of my small sample) of CitiTravel reps seemed more likely to screw up my plans than to fix them.

 

[mountainboy]

Glad they were finally able to fix this for you & sorry for all the hassles...
(Good lesson for all of us re all these bank forced travel portals which are spreading like the hydra..)
Safe Travels!

 

[winger]

I believe we will pay the annual fee come November. We just used our $150 Stubhub credit to catch the Nutcracker during Christmas week. Working on possibly a Thankgiving dinner get-together that will eat up the dining credit. The monthly Lyft credit will be easily used and so will the Global Entry credit in Dec or Jan. We have already used the Chase Sapphire Lounge access twice this past month (brought two guests each time) and maybe three or four more times in 2026. We plan on using the rental car primary insurance at least four times in 2026 (totaling over one month of rentals) and of course the $300 travel credit will be burned quickly. We now look forward to treating ourselves to StubHub events and some nice dining events in SoCal, NorCal or Boston in 2026. Not an Apple user so maybe give the Apple Music away to our kids

 

[Wahoo]

I can also confirm, I paid the maintenance fees for one of my MVC legacy weeks, and I received 4x points on the payment when it posted today. The $300 annual travel credit also applies to the MF payment. It coded as "Description: Marriott Annual Dues. Merchant Type: Marriott. Category: Travel."
I will make a note on the original post.

Edited to add: I tried to edit the original post in the thread, but it's been so long that editing is no longer an option. I guess folks will have to read to the end to find out the answer!

 

[rickandcindy23]

I can also confirm, I paid the maintenance fees for one of my MVC legacy weeks, and I received 4x points on the payment when it posted today. The $300 annual travel credit also applies to the MF payment. It coded as "Description: Marriott Annual Dues. Merchant Type: Marriott. Category: Travel."
I will make a note on the original post.

Edited to add: I tried to edit the original post in the thread, but it's been so long that editing is no longer an option. I guess folks will have to read to the end to find out the answer!

That is a Wahoo, @Wahoo

 

[lily28]

i paid 5 vistana timeshare fee on 10/23, posted 10/26. all labeled travel and got 4x points for
vistana resort, vistana village, desert oasis, broadway plantation and westin kierland

 

[rickandcindy23]

Looks like II fees may get 4X.

 

[rickandcindy23]

i paid 5 vistana timeshare fee on 10/23, posted 10/26. all labeled travel and got 4x points for
vistana resort, vistana village, desert oasis, broadway plantation and westin kierland

Yay! That is great news for all of us who own Westin/ Sheraton.

 

[jwalk03]

Looks like II fees may get 4X.

Really?

 

[heathpack]

I was on the Chase app today activating some of our new benefits, and doing some maths.

1. We have already received a $250 credit for a 2 night prepaid stay in Atlanta around New Years at nice hotel in an historic part of town. This one is the same price through the Edit as through the hotel.
2. I called the hotel, we can use the $100 credit to cover the parking fee, and the breakfast credit is up to $70/day. If we eat such a big breakfast, we’ll skip lunch and only eat dinner. The hotel stay is $680, so after the Edit $250 credit it’s $430 out of pocket.
3. Last night we ate at a Chase Sapphire Reserve Dining restaurant. We did indeed get a better table. It was an excellent meal, which cost us $20 OOP.
4. For the Atlanta New Year’s stay, we are going back to that same restaurant, and should get our 2nd $150 dining credit. I was also exploring the StubHub credits and found that I can get two tickets to a Cirque du Soleil show. After the StubHub $150 rebate, those tickets will cost us around $80 OOP. I haven’t pulled the plug on that yet (we probably wouldn’t go to the Cirque show if not for the StubHub credit, however we’re reasonably interested in this). The show is near the restaurant we booked, so it would be a nice plan- matinee show + dinner. We have the makings of a nice weekend trip.
5. The app notified me that if we spend another $7300 by years end, we unlock next tier of benefits- most notably a $500 credit on Southwest, which I can use for a conference I need to go to (and I will still be reimbursed by work). Sadly with MF coming due, and three year end trips coming (to Texas, Walt Disney World and NY, plus Christmas, this spend will happen anyway. We will also get AList, Diamond status with IHG, and a $250 Chase Shopping credit (the cheapest Apple Watch or a toaster oven, either way we will spend that).
6. Back in August, I activated a free three month trial of Apple Music to try it out in advance of these CSR changes. I really like Apple Music, not sure if I’d pay $11/month for it though. We haven’t tried Apple TV, just activated it. Doordash is fairly useless to us but we might use a $10 Lyft credit at Disney World.

So where are we with credits?

$250 (hotel) + $150 (dining) + $150 (planned dining) + $500 (Southwest) + $250 (Chase shopping) + maybe $150 (Stub Hub) = $1300-$1450, plus the $300 travel credit we’ve always gotten- so $1700ish in credits.

We are also likely to get another hotel, dining and two StubHub credits ~$700 before paying another CSR annual fee in Feb 2027. If we played our cards right, we could get one more hotel, dining, StubHub and annual travel credit in Jan 2027 $850

Plus the decent valuableness of Apple Music and TV, and the slight value of AList, Diamond IGH, Doordash and Lyft.

Bottom line: it is possible for us to get $3250 value from paying one CSR annual fee in Feb 2026. So we’re going to stick it out one more year, even though I find these changes pretty annoying!

 

[ljmiii]

Doordash is fairly useless to us but we might use a $10 Lyft credit at Disney World.

Even if you never use DoorDash, the 'free' DashPass (when linked to your Lyft account) gives you 5% off on-demand Lyft rides and 10% off scheduled airport rides, up to four times per month combined.

 

[vacation dreaming]

Even if you never use DoorDash, the 'free' DashPass (when linked to your Lyft account) gives you 5% off on-demand Lyft rides and 10% off scheduled airport rides, up to four times per month combined.

This credit card is a ridiculous amount of work. I have learned how to maximize so many of the new credits and just when I think I am done, a new angle is revealed. I, too, don’t use door dash so assumed no reason to look into it. Now I have to learn about dash pass and Lyft discounts. I am finding value in this card but really prefer a premium card to feel easy and not like I have to work so hard!

 

[mountainboy]

This credit card is a ridiculous amount of work. I have learned how to maximize so many of the new credits and just when I think I am done, a new angle is revealed. I, too, don’t use door dash so assumed no reason to look into it. Now I have to learn about dash pass and Lyft discounts. I am finding value in this card but really prefer a premium card to feel easy and not like I have to work so hard!

Doordash & Lyft zero value for me (unlike Uber eats/uber one with AmEx Plat which I have used every month)...

 

[mountainboy]

Loved being on Peloton app again, effectively free, fwiw...

 

[mountainboy]

StubHub credits and found that I can get two tickets to a Cirque du Soleil show.

Awesome to learn we could do that!
Might do that at an upcoming Vegas trip...
Mahalo!

 

[mountainboy]

*CSR codes 4x for WorldMark BonusTime booking...

 

[LJT]

We keep the card mostly for the travel insurance benefit. We haven’t had to use it yet, but with elderly parents, it gives us peace of mind in case we need to cancel a planned trip (non timeshare). We use the lyft credits when traveling and will look at the other credits simply to not leave $ on the table.

 

[iowaguy09]

We keep the card mostly for the travel insurance benefit. We haven’t had to use it yet, but with elderly parents, it gives us peace of mind in case we need to cancel a planned trip (non timeshare). We use the lyft credits when traveling and will look at the other credits simply to not leave $ on the table.

FYI, the Ritz Carlton card and the Sapphire Reserve card have the same travel benefits ( see also https://frequentmiler.com/ultra-premium-credit-card-travel-insurance/).

I have a Boundless card and a Sapphire Preferred card currently. Based on our general lifestyle, travel, and airline habits, I am seriously considering a product change to the RC card, rather than stepping up to the SR, because we should get good value out of it while still getting the superior insurance benefits.

 

[DebBrown]

My husband and I both have the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Despite following this thread, I doubt the fee is going to be worth it to us. Do you Tuggers have separate cards or just an "additional" user card attached to one primary card?

The only plus I've noticed is that the points for flights using the CSR are much lower than the points using other Chase cards. We were booking family tickets to Orlando and my son's family paid more points for economy row 30 than I paid for first class. I don't know if that's a tiered benefit. I hadn't realized that there were tiered benefits before today.

 

[rickandcindy23]

My husband and I both have the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Despite following this thread, I doubt the fee is going to be worth it to us. Do you Tuggers have separate cards or just an "additional" user card attached to one primary card?

The only plus I've noticed is that the points for flights using the CSR are much lower than the points using other Chase cards. We were booking family tickets to Orlando and my son's family paid more points for economy row 30 than I paid for first class. I don't know if that's a tiered benefit. I hadn't realized that there were tiered benefits before today.

I have had points boost on my account since April, and I cannot believe how cheap it has been to fly first class. I would book Southwest, an airline I used to enjoy, but their front row seats are more expensive than what I pay for first class on United. United has a big presence in Denver. I am sold on United through Chase. It's been amazing.

 

[LJT]

I have had points boost on my account since April, and I cannot believe how cheap it has been to fly first class. I would book Southwest, an airline I used to enjoy, but their front row seats are more expensive than what I pay for first class on United. United has a big presence in Denver. I am sold on United through Chase. It's been amazing.

I haven’t used any Chase points for airlines yet - how does this work?

 

[ljmiii]

My husband and I both have the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Despite following this thread, I doubt the fee is going to be worth it to us. Do you Tuggers have separate cards or just an "additional" user card attached to one primary card?

We currently have an additional use card but with the increase in price from $75 to $195 and decrease for most travel from 3x to 1x we're going to get rid of it.

The only plus I've noticed is that the points for flights using the CSR are much lower than the points using other Chase cards. We were booking family tickets to Orlando and my son's family paid more points for economy row 30 than I paid for first class. I don't know if that's a tiered benefit. I hadn't realized that there were tiered benefits before today.

Chase is currently offering an increased bonus for using UR points for business/first class tickets on some airlines. That said, Chase UR points are most likely worth more than the points on whatever airline your son's family is flying on. So if 1 UR point is worth 4 of theirs you will likely see those sort of discrepancies.

 

[GrayFal]

Really?

No - II codes as 1X

 

[mountainboy]

FYI, the Ritz Carlton card and the Sapphire Reserve card have the same travel benefits ( see also https://frequentmiler.com/ultra-premium-credit-card-travel-insurance/).

I have a Boundless card and a Sapphire Preferred card currently. Based on our general lifestyle, travel, and airline habits, I am seriously considering a product change to the RC card, rather than stepping up to the SR, because we should get good value out of it while still getting the superior insurance benefits.

*Plan for Oct 2026 for me unless they nerf RC...