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In this video we examine the popular Chase Trifecta credit card setup and ask if it is still worth in in the year 2022.
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48 comments
Here is the link to the handy Chase Trifecta VS Amex Trifecta tool: https://bit.ly/3K3HkL7
I think the Chase system has gotten a lot of flak in the last few years for not changing as much as Amex. However in defense of the Chase systems I think it's still the most flexible and easy to use option and makes more sense if you don't live near a large hub. I'm kind of glad it's stayed static.
Amex does offer significant value which you can claw out more than you put in, unquestionably. However those benefits are "couponed" heavily. There's a lot of work you have to put in to making sure you get your credits worth if you're not a normal customer of those benefits. Additionally if you don't live in a major hub some of those credits just aren't redeemable. I live in a large midwest city and Equinox just isn't in my city at all. Nor do I have a centurion lounge at my airport. Also living in the midwest, it's often more affordable and makes more sense to make long vacation commutes driving than flying. Between the gas category on my ink card and the broader travel category on my sapphire card I can claw more points out of the Chase system than Amex.
Honestly I really hope Chase doesn't follow Amex and make the sapphire card a prohibitively expensive card with a rewards system I have to sit down and plan my spending on a monthly basis for. There's a lot of simplicity to it and for someone not in a major east/west coast city it brings my much more value than Amex can.
Chase has better redemption for points through portal than amex 🤡 s.
Things I like about the Chase trifecta:
1. Hyatt transfers
2. Hyatt transfers
3. Hyatt transfers
4. SUBs can be churned more easily than the other brands (though this has gotten tougher with Ink SUB minimum spends having increased to $7500 during the pandemic)
5. They haven't as aggressively increased AFs and offset them with annoying credits that force you to spend on things you wouldn't have otherwise. This did happen to CSR, but not nearly to the extent of Amex Platinum. Citi and C1 haven't done this crap at all (yet), and Citi preferred to get out of premium cards altogether.
Things I don't like about the Chase trifecta:
1. Outside of the CFU promotion and one quarter per year on CF/CFF, there's no grocery spend bonus. The online grocery bonus on the CSP is too restrictive. Not everyone wants to use online grocery due to cost, and you don't get control over your own produce (if you care about that sort of thing). Amex/Citi/C1 all have cards with a permanent grocery spend bonus.
2. Absolute point earn is lower across the Chase trifecta when cards like Amex Gold give 4 points per dollar on restaurants/grocery and Citi DC offers 2% back on non-category spend. You have to value the Chase transfer partners more to offset this. I do thanks to Hyatt. I don't think Chase transfer partners are all that special outside of Hyatt, but this is a matter of opinion. I'd stay on the Chase bandwagon just for Hyatt alone, but if Hyatt goes down the slippery slope starting with peak pricing in March, my loyalty to Chase may change.
I've been watching all personal finance channels for about 4 months and finally want to start getting some cards. Current fico 720. What do y'all think about this plan?
2022
Q.1 Freedom
Q.2. Flex
Q.3 Venture X
Q.4 nothing
2023
Q.1 CSP
What do you all think?
Here's some context. I am a college student that travels at least twice per year. My income is around 20-30k. But my spend is also somewhat low. I plan to meet high sign up bonus requirements by paying tuition with the cards. The plan here is to have most spend on the Chase cards and store points until I get the CSP. Then the Venture X more or less pays for itself while offering great benefits. I do not plan to keep the venture long term but a few years can't hurt. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I'm gonna be asking a lot before making any decisions.
custom cash is per billing cycle not quarterly
yeah, good luck redeeming Amex points for anything good than super expensive 1st or business class international flights. Chase, on the other hand, can be easily redeemed at 1.5% or over 2% also easily with Hyatt hotels. Flights is the same thing though.
Living in a delta hub I use whatever card gives me the most points for a given purchase using (chase trifecta + gold + bbp) and I transfer a lot of points into Virgin Atlantic to get delta award flights. The only time I deviate from this is if I want more chase points for a Hyatt redemption
How do we know that we got the the extra 4% groceries? Just got the flex on 1/12
Amex platinum and Walmart is a oxymoron.
The citi trifecta with the premier more so competes with the chase trifecta with CSP. Amex does not have a lower cost trifecta like chase and citi does, just another thing to keep in mind. I would say it is very easy to justify a chase trifecta with the preferred instead of the reserve if you’re just starting out in travel credit cards.
BofA with platinum honors is best. Chase and AMEX are for poor people.
I think the Chase Trifecta is better for me starting out as a beginning with less spending. As I build my business finances in a couple of years I can go for the Amex trifecta. Thanks for your video. You explained so much. It really helped me a lot.I currently only have a Discover It card, with 14 months history but my credit is good. Avg 766. I’ve been waiting to get my utilization down to 1% before applying fir any other cards. Currently I’m at about 9%. I want to get the NF flagship card because of their high limits. So later when I apply for chase they will see that I have a decent amount of a credit limit.
I heard chase drop down cell phone protection
If I heard correctly, you can transfer Chase UR points to British Airways to American Airlines? Can someone clarify this?
Great videos lately! Really enjoying both the credit card and non-CC content
– short answer: yes, especially if you’re using the CSP or InkP, that setup is less than a $100 👍🏼
For hotels, Amex isn't bad for transferring to Hilton during a 40-50% boost. 1,000 MR : 3,000 Hilton Honors. If we weren't already loyal to Hilton and Wyndham, Hyatt would strengthen the Chase pull, especially as I no longer value the Amex Platinum. Hilton Aspire + Delta Reserve makes more sense to me. Gold + Bus Gold + BBP is my trifecta.
You will always be The Credit Shifu.
My Chase Trifecta: Ink Preferred, 3 Ink Cash, 7 Freedom Flex.
My Citi "Trifecta": Prestige, Premier, AT&T AM, Sears, 2 Rewards+, Double Cash, 5 Custom Cash. Thinking of converting 2 Rewards+ to Custom Cash
My Amex "Trifecta": Blue Business Plus, EveryDay Preferred, Rakuten.
My US Bank "Trifecta": Altitude Reserve, 2 Cash+.
My Barclays "Trifecta": Wyndham Business, Priceline (3.33%).
And I want to get Cap1 "Trifecta": Venture X, Savor One.
I am looking to start the chase trifecta and am wondering what card I should sign up for first.
I've loved the Citi double cash + premiere. I'm new to credit card points and I think it makes a perfect entry level pair of cards. Kind of a shame they killed the prestige because they could build a killer program with a little work. Working on a Southwest minimum spend at the moment to get that 100k pts, but normally 95+% of my spend goes on the Citi double cash or premiere. They paid hotels and air on 3 vacations last year and also paid half of a trip to HI. Points may be lower value, but if you're a high earner and spender it's pretty easy to get 150-200k points a year out of the duo. I also don't have to rack my brain to remember which card to put something on because worst case it's 2x with the double cash. Need to add the custom cash so I can get 5x back on my grocery spend.
I personally love the Citi trifecta because I don’t travel much and I wouldn’t even be able to take advantage of the Chase credits!
Can you make a Chase trifecta with a CSP?
I thought we can't transfer Chase points at all. I didnt know we can transfer between households. Is there a way to show that a person is in the same household?
Great insight sir. Very informative.
Why are you no longer calling yourself Credit Shifu?
What a contemplative thumbnail. Nice
Nice to see a deep dive credit card video. I swim in the Chase and Amex pools. So much profit in both.👍
Why must you transfer points to airlines to get value out of them for AMEX?
I’m stuck deciding between Amex and Chase sometimes. Which one is worth more? 5 pts UR or 4 pts MR?
Does the Uber credit work on Uber eats
How do you get 2x on NCS on amex or 1.5x on chase? As far as I know, non categorized spending is at 1x
It's too bad that Chase customer service is terrible.
I’m someone who wants to spend as little time as possible at airports, so I don’t really care about lounge access. I want to arrive as close to takeoff time as safely possible, and I plan on eating before I get there. The only time lounge access would be valuable to me is if I had a layover with a delayed flight, or the public bathrooms at the airport were not up to par and lounge access gave me access to a clean bathroom.
The Citi premier does give you a 100$ off hotels booked through the travel portal. Not the most usable credit but definitely better than a lot of the Amex credits IMO.
Ben: I will not include business cards
Also Ben: BBP
I have a business Amex trifecta (amex gold business which gives 4x in 2 categories, blue business plus that gives u 2x on all categories, and amex personal green which gives u 3x on most travel; amex green gives u 2 lounge access per year plus clear membership).
I do personal spend with chase trifecta: chase reserve, fui, and freedom.
If AMEX picked up HYATT as a transfer partner, I'd drop CHASE like a hot knife. 🔪 🤷🏻♂️
My Chase Trifecta no longer includes the Reserve. With the increase in AF and lack of ability to use most of their new perks, downgraded to the preferred. They are putting a lot of focus on their travel portal, but that defeats having high hotel status when using their portal, so no interest there unless it was a place with no major hotel availability. 2022 will be different but still plugging along. My AMEX trifecta will remain unchanged.
Good breakdown.
Chase for the win 🏆 the house of Dimon thanks you
"your millage may very®️" Sebby gonna sue 🤣
Prestige is still available in the branches.
Can you also compare USbank cards if they have a trifecta
I think if your going to compare you should do all in one category all 3 in cash back 3 chase airline cards /hotel or 3 travel cards but not mixing travel with cash back as cards do different things
so looking at the travel card
Chase Sapphire reserve
regular chase sapphire
Basic Sapphire
airline cards South west
United
Marriott Bonvoy
with American Express Green
Gold
Platinum this is a fair comparasion travel vs travel?
I still think American Express has higher fees blah blah about them there Platinum card is basicly for travel there just full of it
chase is a bunch of copy cats none of them are angels
wheres Capital one?
Marriott gold members do not have lounge access, only platinum, titanium, ambassador. Gold members do not get room upgrades, they are reserve for top tear statuses
Great comparison vid. Very thorough…