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

[ljmiii]

Interestingly enough, I was checking my CSR account to look for something else and noticed that it said I had used my $150 Chase Dining Credit. I tracked it down and found that it was triggered by spend at a restaurant in the Visa Dining Collection but NOT in the Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables collection.

No idea if this will continue...but some of our favorite NYC restaurants are in the Visa Dining Collection and not the Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables collection.

 

[heathpack]

Interestingly enough, I was checking my CSR account to look for something else and noticed that it said I had used my $150 Chase Dining Credit. I tracked it down and found that it was triggered by spend at a restaurant in the Visa Dining Collection but NOT in the Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables collection.

No idea if this will continue...but some of our favorite NYC restaurants are in the Visa Dining Collection and not the Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables collection.

Weird thing is that I was in the CSR app and was trying to check out dining options in Atlanta and somehow wound up in the Visa Dining Collection. That would be much better if we could get our credit in both collections!

 

[1Kflyerguy]

Interestingly enough, I was checking my CSR account to look for something else and noticed that it said I had used my $150 Chase Dining Credit. I tracked it down and found that it was triggered by spend at a restaurant in the Visa Dining Collection but NOT in the Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables collection.

No idea if this will continue...but some of our favorite NYC restaurants are in the Visa Dining Collection and not the Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables collection.

The Open Table FAQ on the CSR credit states that it applies to both Exclusive Tables and the Visa Dining Collection. I just dined at a Visa Collection place last night, hoping the credit comes through.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Oh I hope that is true. Please report DPs. That would make using much easier and I can use it in Cabo and more places that we dine.

 

[ljmiii]

The Open Table FAQ on the CSR credit states that it applies to both Exclusive Tables and the Visa Dining Collection. I just dined at a Visa Collection place last night, hoping the credit comes through.

Every page and T&C for the CSR card I could find on the Chase website and app said only Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Table restaurants qualified for the credit.


And when I go to the link in the website's T&Cs it shows me only those restaurants in the CSR Exclusive Table collection and not the much larger Visa Dining collection e.g. https://www.opentable.com/sapphire-reserve/new-york-city

Where do you see an Open Table FAQ that says any Visa Dining Collection restaurant and and not CSR Exclusive Table in the Visa Dining Collection?

 

[heathpack]

Every page and T&C for the CSR card I could find on the Chase website and app said only Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Table restaurants qualified for the credit.
View attachment 118286View attachment 118287

And when I go to the link in the website's T&Cs it shows me only those restaurants in the CSR Exclusive Table collection and not the much larger Visa Dining collection e.g. https://www.opentable.com/sapphire-reserve/new-york-city

Where do you see an Open Table FAQ that says any Visa Dining Collection restaurant and and not CSR Exclusive Table in the Visa Dining Collection?

Initially I was seeing a much larger selection of restaurants when I was exploring dining options, more recently it has been a shorter list. I was thinking that did not bode well for the program, if so many restaurants had already bowed out. However, I now realize that initially the link on the Chase site was sending me to Visa Dining Collection whereas now the link sends me to the Sapphire tables collection, much smaller. So I am curious about whether you mistakenly got credited from the old idea about what was eligible for the rebate, or whether all along it was intended that we’d get credit for either option but for some reason Chase’s website only pushes us to the Sapphire tables group.

 

[ljmiii]

So I am curious about whether you mistakenly got credited from the old idea about what was eligible for the rebate, or whether all along it was intended that we’d get credit for either option but for some reason Chase’s website only pushes us to the Sapphire tables group...

No idea...but I can tell you that the spend and the credit posted on 10/28.

 

[mountainboy]

WSJ's advice on premium cards, similar to our prior conversations on this thread: sharing free full text link..

https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/premium-credit-card-tips-18b47f7d?st=nV2qC9&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

 

[jancurious]

I finally sat down and looked at the new benefits (and enrolled in them) v.s. the increase in the price of the card. We certainly won't use all of the benefit items but I calculated with the ones we will use we will come out ahead by $676 for the year. That doesn't even take into account the points that we use for hotels, airline miles, etc. a great deal as we travel. Big ones for us are the $300 travel credit, Apple music and Apple TV (was paying for them already), probably 5 Lyft rides per year, the exclusive tables and two bonuses for spending over $70K on the card most years: $250 credit at The Chase shops and $500 credit back from Southwest booked via Chase. Everyone needs to sit down and do their accounting in my opinion. That didn't stop me from calling and asking for a reduced cost of the card based upon using the card for eight years and putting just about everything on that card. I didn't get anywhere with that but I'm OK with the higher fee after doing my accounting.

 

[chemeken]

Now that the CSR rules have changed, I'm curious if paying "marriott annual dues" with CSR will count as paying directly to a hotel and yield 4X UR points. UR points have a better value than Bonvoy points, IMO, so 4X UR would be more valuable to us than 6X Bonvoy. I'll likely test it by paying the smaller amount with CSR to see what happens before paying the larger maintenance fee for our Marriott timeshare property. Thoughts?

[Moderator Note: Post moved from 2018 related thread.] <-- SueDonJ

 

[jwalk03]

Now that the CSR rules have changed, I'm curious if paying "marriott annual dues" with CSR will count as paying directly to a hotel and yield 4X UR points. UR points have a better value than Bonvoy points, IMO, so 4X UR would be more valuable to us than 6X Bonvoy. I'll likely test it by paying the smaller amount with CSR to see what happens before paying the larger maintenance fee for our Marriott timeshare property. Thoughts?

Per this thread- the maintenance fee payments are still coding as 4X UR points. See post #480.

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

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...

tugbbs.com

 

[1Kflyerguy]

Every page and T&C for the CSR card I could find on the Chase website and app said only Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Table restaurants qualified for the credit.
View attachment 118286View attachment 118287

And when I go to the link in the website's T&Cs it shows me only those restaurants in the CSR Exclusive Table collection and not the much larger Visa Dining collection e.g. https://www.opentable.com/sapphire-reserve/new-york-city

Where do you see an Open Table FAQ that says any Visa Dining Collection restaurant and and not CSR Exclusive Table in the Visa Dining Collection?

Unfortunately, I either misread the FAQ or the wording has been revised to clarify. I see that they say the CSR qualifies for the Visa Dining Collection, but now it sounds like it only allows you to book those restaurants, not have the credit applied.

https://help.opentable.com/s/article/Sapphire-Reserve-Exclusive-Tables?language=en_US

Sorry for the confusion. I wish there were a larger list of places that qualify, as there are no places in major urban areas like Silicon Valley, so we will be limited only to using this while traveling.

 

[ljmiii]

Unfortunately, I either misread the FAQ or the wording has been revised to clarify....

No worries...but now I'm doubly curious why my Visa Dining but NOT CSR Exclusive Table triggered the credit. Not complaining mind you...but if you (or anyone else) has a credit waiting and a Visa Dining but not Exclusive Table restaurant nearby it's worth a shot.

 

[Wahoo]

No worries...but now I'm doubly curious why my Visa Dining but NOT CSR Exclusive Table triggered the credit. Not complaining mind you...but if you (or anyone else) has a credit waiting and a Visa Dining but not Exclusive Table restaurant nearby it's worth a shot.

There are several threads on Reddit about unexpected restaurants triggering the CSR Exclusive dining credit. Certain character combinations seem to trigger it, based on how Chase has coded the credit system. For instance, any restaurant containing "este" in the name seems to trigger the credit. So, for instance, "Bill's Western Tacos" would receive the credit, not just the high end "Este" restaurant in Austin that is supposed to be part of the CSR Exclusive Tables program. Perhaps the restaurant you received the credit for contains one of the magical character combinations?

 

[mountainboy]

*Received Chase dining credit for Lom Wong already (ate Sunday evening; credit already posted)...

 

[iowaguy09]

There are several threads on Reddit about unexpected restaurants triggering the CSR Exclusive dining credit. Certain character combinations seem to trigger it, based on how Chase has coded the credit system. For instance, any restaurant containing "este" in the name seems to trigger the credit. So, for instance, "Bill's Western Tacos" would receive the credit, not just the high end "Este" restaurant in Austin that is supposed to be part of the CSR Exclusive Tables program. Perhaps the restaurant you received the credit for contains one of the magical character combinations?

Is Chase using MVC IT now?

 

[CalGalTraveler]

This sounds like the elusive Hilton Aspire Resort credit where is is difficult to ascertain what qualifies and what doesn't.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

We dined at Che Fico in San Francisco on Sunday night, and the charge and credit both posted to my account this morning. Che Fico is a bit out of the way, and I never would have found it or tried it without the credit. That said, the food and service were great. Very creative cocktails and nice presentation with the mains.

 

[zentraveler]

We dined at Che Fico in San Francisco on Sunday night, and the charge and credit both posted to my account this morning. Che Fico is a bit out of the way, and I never would have found it or tried it without the credit. That said, the food and service were great. Very creative cocktails and nice presentation with the mains.

Extremely popular restaurant in SF and in a good location in Pacific Heights on Fillmore St. I guess out of the way depends are where you are coming from. Glad it worked for what you needed.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

Extremely popular restaurant in SF and in a good location in Pacific Heights on Fillmore St. I guess out of the way depends are where you are coming from. Glad it worked for what you needed.

Yes, out of the way is indeed relative. A better description might have been outside of the usual tourist hotspots, such as North Beach, Union Square/Theatre District, etc. We were at the Curran Theater to see Stereophonic, and staying at the Marriott Marquis on a couple of FNCs. So it was not exactly close to either of those. But SF is not that big of a city in terms of geography.. We enjoyed Che Fico enough, I would go back even without the credit.

 

[mountainboy]

Which card would you use for Car rental (booked directly or via Costco), not via bank portal?
Looks like CSR was nerfed to only 1x booked direct (8x via portal)?
C1VX 2x
CSP 2x
CIBP 3x
BoA PRE (3.5x as Platinum Honors; 4.2% if redeeming for airfare)
Amex Platty 1x (+ pay for primary car rental ins)
Citi Strata Elite 1.5x
or other?
TY!

 

[zentraveler]

Yes, out of the way is indeed relative. A better description might have been outside of the usual tourist hotspots, such as North Beach, Union Square/Theatre District, etc. We were at the Curran Theater to see Stereophonic, and staying at the Marriott Marquis on a couple of FNCs. So it was not exactly close to either of those. But SF is not that big of a city in terms of geography.. We enjoyed Che Fico enough, I would go back even without the credit.

You are right of course. I thought of that later that it is definitely not in the more visited areas for people from out of town. I tried to go many times when they opened and it was always packed, no reservations etc. and then it dropped off my radar; so many great restaurants in a small city geographically. But it has remained very popular, for good reason it seems, and it is now back on my list. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[daviator]

Which card would you use for Car rental (booked directly or via Costco), not via bank portal?
Looks like CSR was nerfed to only 1x booked direct (8x via portal)?
C1VX 2x
CSP 2x
CIBP 3x
BoA PRE (3.5x as Platinum Honors; 4.2% if redeeming for airfare)
Amex Platty 1x (+ pay for primary car rental ins)
Citi Strata Elite 1.5x
or other?
TY!

You are the king of acronyms, but I can't always figure them all out.

For me this would be a relatively simple calculations: points to be earned (for each option) times the USD value of each point. I realize the value of a point is pretty fuzzy, but I'd use The Points Guy valuations (or your valuation source of choice) – as long as you're getting all the valuations the same place, they (in theory) have relative values that are about as meaningful as can be discerned. And actually, at least according to TPG, all the credit card points (except Wells Fargo) are in a range from like 1.9¢ to 2.2¢ each, so I'd call that a wash.

Obviously the raw number of points isn't the number to compare, it's the value of those points. Bonvoy points are worth a lot less than CSR points, for example. But since the fuzzy values of the credit cards points are all pretty close, it might be easier just to compare them directly.

With the cards I hold, the Citi Strata Elite has become the default card for charges not eligible for bonus multiples, because 1.5x points (and included rental car insurance) beats 1x points with everything else, and the need to pay for insurance with Amex makes it a poor choice for car rentals if you have another option. But given that all of the credit card points are pretty close in value, maybe the C1VX, CSP, or CIBP are better choices.

But another consideration for me would be where I want to accumulate points. It's more trouble than it's worth, really, to accumulate a bunch of points in a bunch of different credit card points programs. I'd rather focus my earning on one program if I can, so that when I want to use CC points to book something, I have enough points to do so all in one place. (Having enough points scattered among different card programs isn't so useful.) But most or all of the cards allow you to pay with part points, part cash, so maybe this isn't such an issue.

It doesn't make sense to be such a points whore that you spend more for a car rental or a hotel just to book it through a travel portal and get bonus points. Unless the price difference is tiny, you'll almost always be better off to book at the place that gives you the best price, using the credit card portal when the difference is zero or near-zero.

 

[daviator]

Yes, out of the way is indeed relative. A better description might have been outside of the usual tourist hotspots, such as North Beach, Union Square/Theatre District, etc. We were at the Curran Theater to see Stereophonic, and staying at the Marriott Marquis on a couple of FNCs. So it was not exactly close to either of those. But SF is not that big of a city in terms of geography.. We enjoyed Che Fico enough, I would go back even without the credit.

I'm hijacking the thread, but I'm curious how you liked Stereophonic. We saw it last night, and all I kept thinking was "it must have been a really slow year for plays if this is the one that won all the awards."

 

[daviator]

Which card would you use for Car rental (booked directly or via Costco), not via bank portal?
Looks like CSR was nerfed to only 1x booked direct (8x via portal)?
C1VX 2x
CSP 2x
CIBP 3x
BoA PRE (3.5x as Platinum Honors; 4.2% if redeeming for airfare)
Amex Platty 1x (+ pay for primary car rental ins)
Citi Strata Elite 1.5x
or other?
TY!

By the way, since you mentioned Costco... do you have the Costco Anywhere Visa card? That pays 3% cash back on all eligible travel, and I think car rental automatically gets that return. That's about the same return as you'd get with the Citi Strata Elite (1.5x * 2¢/point.) But I'd say cash might be better, intrinsically, than any points product, if the value is essentially equal.

And one other question. Since using something like CSE gets a (fuzzy) 2.85¢ in value for each $1 charged (1.5x points x 1.9¢/point valuation) – does it make sense to pay the 2.25% surcharge to charge my property tax payments to the card rather than just paying them directly? It isn't such a bad deal...