Perhaps Chase is feeling the competitive pressure from other banks like Citi? Whatever the case, there’s a new Chase Freedom Flex top spend bonus offer now live for all cardholders. Better yet, you don’t even need to activate this new offer if you have already activated your quarterly bonus!

The Chase Freedom Flex replaced the old Freedom card and offers 5% cashback on up to $1,500 spent per quarter. That 5%, however, is typically relegated to a narrowly defined set of merchants or merchant categories. For example, the Q4 2021 Freedom Flex categories are PayPal and Walmart. But, as the title of this post suggests, Chase decided to change things up this quarter.

New Chase Freedom Flex Top Spend Bonus

This new offer from Chase is exactly what it sounds like. Use your Chase Freedom Flex card as you usually would, and you’ll earn 5% cashback on your top spend category for the quarter. It’s important to note, however, that your spend must occur in one of the following merchant categories: Travel (including Transit), Dining, Home Improvement Stores, Grocery Stores (not including Target and Walmart purchases), Drugstores, Gas Stations, Select Live Entertainment, Select Streaming Services, Fitness Clubs. The usual $1,500 spending cap also applies. And, yes, the effective period for this offer is October 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021. Chase states that they’ll calculate points earned as of December 31, 2021, and that it’ll take up to eight weeks to post the bonus to your account.

Important Considerations

With this offer, you can earn a maximum of 9% cashback. How? By stacking your top spend category bonus with your Q4 2021 bonus. But, why 9% and not 10%? That’s because of the way Chase structures these bonuses. The 5% cashback includes the standard 1% cashback on these purchases and adds an additional 4%. You can only earn the 1% cashback once, though, so by stacking these two offers, you’ll earn 1% + 4% + 4% = 9%. The same holds true for travel booked through Chase, dining, and drug stores, though the maximum stacked bonus for dining and drug stores is 7%.

Final Thoughts

This is a fantastic new offer from Chase and one I have to think about how to take advantage of. I already goofed and ordered something via PayPal without using my Chase Freedom Flex, so I’ll need to be more mindful of my spending. At any rate, if you want to look at the complete offer FAQs, visit chase.com. And, remember, this offer is already active if you activated your Q4 2021 bonus, so keep that in mind when planning out your purchases!

The post New Chase Freedom Flex Top Spend Bonus appeared first on Jeffsetter Travel.

The blogosphere has been abuzz about the newest premium travel card to hit the market – the Venture X. And while it certainly sounds like a great card, the Capital One Venture X isn’t for me.

Honestly, I’ve largely been ignoring the Capital One Venture X card. That’s why I haven’t written about it until now. Sure, you can get outsized value from the card, and its $395 annual fee is much lower than the Sapphire Reserve’s $550 or the Amex Platinum’s $695. But is it really worth it? As these things usually go, that’s going to largely depend on you and your own habits. Let’s discuss.

The Capital One Venture X Isn’t For Me

Now, frequent readers may jump to conclusions about my decision. After all, I’ve been canceling cards whose annual fees I can’t justify. To date, these include the Amex Platinum, the Marriott Bonvoy Amex, and the Amex Gold. I’ve also downgraded my Amex EveryDay Preferred to the free version, changed my Disney Premier card to a Freedom Unlimited, and downgraded my Citi AAdvantage Platinum World Mastercard to a MileageUp. But, I’ve also kept my Sapphire Reserve, Alaska Air Mileageplan Visa, Marriott Bonvoy Premier, Hilton Surpass, and Hilton Aspire (for now), among others. So it’s not like I don’t see value in premium cards, so long as they work for me and my needs.

That said, let’s talk about Capital One Venture X’s value.

Value

At $395, the Venture X’s annual fee slots between the Amex Gold and Sapphire Reserve. And like those two cards, you do get annual credits. In this case, you get a $300 travel credit along with 10,000 anniversary miles (worth a stated $100), Priority Pass membership, access to Capital one lounges, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, cellphone coverage, primary rental car coverage, TSA Precheck/Global Entry credit, and more. But, assuming many of you are like me, then many of these credits or features are duplicates. After all, the Sapphire Reserve, Amex Platinum, the Amex Gold, and a few other cards all come with Priority Pass Membership. Most ultra-premium travel cards also come with TSA Precheck/Global Entry credit. Primary rental car coverage can also be had with the Sapphire Reserve, Preferred, and select other premium cards from Chase.

As far as the Hertz President’s Circle status is concerned, the usefulness of that greatly depends on how often you rent with them. I basically never do since, every time I look, no matter how far out or close-in I am to my rental dates, Hertz is always more expensive than the competition. So, for me? That’s useless. The cellphone coverage is also basically useless since we autopay Verizon via ACH – they knock a sizeable amount off our bill for doing so.

That leaves the travel credit and the 10,000 anniversary miles. Those miles are a great thing to have and will never devalue the way hotel and airline miles do. But that’s just a value of $100 per year, bringing the net annual fee to $295.

Travel Credit

So what about the $300 annual travel credit, then? Well, that travel credit is valid only if you book through Capital One Travel. That in itself isn’t a bad thing. But, consider this. If you want to use that credit to pay for your hotel stay, then you’ll most likely have to forego your elite benefits and credits. That’s already the case with other credit card travel portals. So if you plan on using this credit primarily for hotels and are loyal one Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, or Marriott, this won’t do you any good. True, you can use the credit for airfare and car rentals too, but the fact about hotel loyalt program rules are an issue here.

For my travel habits, that likely still won’t work for me. I primarily travel with Alaska, Hawaiian, and Southwest. All Alaska flights go onto my Alaska card because of the free checked bag benefit. For Southwest, they’re a Chase transfer partner, so why wouldn’t I double-dip and book via Chase’s travel portal instead? Same with Hawaiian, since they’re an Amex transfer partner. So, really, that only leaves car rentals as an option for me. But am I willing to open another credit card and pay another annual fee to save $300 per year on rental cars? Eh, no thanks

Earning Power

The Venture X earns 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5x miles on flights booked the same way, and 2x miles on all other purchases. That’s decent earnings, but its also kind of similar to the Sapphire Reserve. 10x points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Travel, 10x points on Chase Dining purchases, 10x points on Lyft rides through March 2022, 10x points on select Peleton equipment purchases, 5x points for flights booked through Chase Travel, 3x points on travel, 3x points on dining, and 1x points on everything else. Remember, Chase’s definition of travel includes things like parking, so that makes that category very broad. And, yeah, things like the Peleton earnings are very meh, but the point is, the earning structures are quite similar. Only, the boost earnings on dining serves me well.

Sure, overall the Venture X will earn a little more than the Sapphire Reserve when you use the two in the same fashion. But, what it comes down to is how useful are the points to you.

The Capital One Venture X Isn’t For Me, Final Thoughts

Overall, the Venture X is a good card. I’m not denying that. And it’s even better if you can take advantage of the 100,000 points after $10,000 spend in 6 months signup bonus along with the $200 vacation rental credit. That said, it isn’t for me and isn’t going to be for everyone. My travel habits certainly do not justify getting the card, especially since I’ll usually only use the credits for car rentals. What’s more, Capital One points don’t do much good most of the time either. As I’ve said time and again, I don’t do much in the way of big aspirational redemptions. So having the ability to transfer points to programs such as Southwest Rapid Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt means more to me right now. And that’s why Chase Ultimate Rewards remains my program of choice, at least for now. Membership Rewards also remains relevant to me too, though it’s more efficient to earn Hilton points directly through Hilton’s cards rather than transferring from Membership Rewards.

Anyway, what do you guys think about the Venture X? Do you love it? Or are you *meh* about it? Let me know!

The post The Capital One Venture X Isn’t For Me appeared first on Jeffsetter Travel.

This year, I continued to evaluate my wallet to determine what cards are worth keeping and which ones aren’t. And as my needs and preferences continue to change, so does my mix of cards. So let’s talk about why I paid $1082 in annual fees in 2021.

As you all know, in recent years, I’ve been closing cards I no longer find relevant to my needs. Part of this is due to my award redemption preferences, while part is simply because I have a finite budget and must prioritize. This, of course, has resulted in the cancellation of a sizeable percentage of my premium and higher credit cards. But, I’m still paying quite a bit in annual fees now, as the title of this post makes evident.

I Paid $1082 in Annual Fees in 2021

So I paid $1082 in annual fees. Where are all these annual fees coming from? Well, the annual fee cards I currently have in my wallet are:

• Alaska Airlines Visa Signature: $75
• Chase Sapphire Reserve: $625
• Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard: $99
• Hilton Honors Aspire: $450
• Hilton Honors Surpass: $99
• Marriott Bonvoy Premier: $85
• World of Hyatt Visa: $99

Of course, that number would’ve been higher had I not canceled my Amex Gold, which has an annual fee of $250. In previous years I’ve also canceled my Amex Platinum ($550 at the time), Amex Marriott ($99), and AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard ($99).

Oh, and, in case you’re wondering why my total is off, it’s because I’m currently not paying an annual fee on my Hilton Honors Aspire. Next year, the annual fee on that card goes to $99 in 2022 and then to the full $450 in 2023.

2021 Earnings

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Of all the cards I hold, the Chase Sapphire Reserve has to be the most financially ambiguous one. Why? Because of its $625 annual fee ($550 + $75 authorized user fee). That said, the card provides a $300/year in statement credits for travel purchases, which I used. That brings my net annual fee down to $325. On top of that, I’ve earned 18,354 Ultimate Rewards points with the card this year, with each point being worth about $0.015, meaning I earned about $275 worth of points, bringing the fee down to $50.

For 2021, the Sapphire Reserve came with an optional, complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership valued at $120. Plus, since I actually rented cars this year, the Sapphire Reserve helped me save additional monies there too. You see, for Maui, at the time of booking, the non-Sapphire Reserve rate was  $800.83 for a mid-size car for five days. Alamo via Costco was priced at $508.60, which was the cheapest of their options. My Sapphire Reserve pricing? $426.89. So, the card saved me at least $81.71.

All this means that I’ve netted out over $150 in value after zeroing out the annual fee for the Sapphire Reserve. That’s a win!

Hilton Aspire

My next most expensive card is the Hilton Aspire at $450. But, again, I’m not paying an annual fee this year. That said, I did get to use its benefits. Since I stayed at the Grand Wailea last month, I was able to use a weekend free night there (at least $600 in value), I got $100 worth of Diamond member F&B credits and used the Aspire’s $100 annual resort credit. That gives me a net benefit of $200 for 2021. Of course, I also earned 5,488 Hilton Honors points with the card. At an average value of about $0.005 per point, that’s about $27, giving me a total value of $827.

Hilton Surpass

I didn’t use the Hilton Surpass much this year, earning just 5,982 worth $29.91, meaning I’m in the hole by about $70 with this card. That said, I do plan on using it more in 2021 and should be able to extract more value from it.

Marriott Bonvoy Premier

This is a card that I just can’t seem to give up even though there are better Marriott card values out there. Why? Because it’s the only Marriott card that still earns elite qualifying nights for your spend at a rate of 1 EQN per $3,000 in spend. Not that this should matter to me anymore, as I’m a Lifetime Platinum Elite. But, the card helped me to keep Titanium Elite status over the past couple of years.

That said, the $85 annual fee is one of my lowest ones. Plus, I was able to redeem my certificate this year for a hotel night I would’ve otherwise would have had to pay $189 for. So, the way I see it, I got my money’s worth from the card. But, I did also earn about 33,500 from the card too, worth $234.50. That makes my Marriott Bonvoy Premier card my best value for 2021.

Alaska Air Visa

The sole reason to have the Alaska Air Visa is for their annual BOGO certificate. Unfortunately, I didn’t use my Companion Certificate this year. That said, they did give me up to 2% cash back on up to $1,500 in spend, while still earning miles. So, I earned $30 cash back and 1,500 miles worth $27. Of course, that equates to a total value of $57 this year, which doesn’t make up for the $75 annual fee, but this card more than earns its keep from all my past use.

Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard

This year, I used my Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard to pay comp one checked bag for one flight. That gave me a value of $30, reducing its effective annual fee to $69. That’s not great and this card continues to be the one most at risk of getting canceled.

World of Hyatt Visa

I’ve tried to stay at Hyatts. But, as you know, they play games with many of the hotels I want to stay at. So, I haven’t been successful at staying with them. As a result, I haven’t used the card at all and have gained zero benefits from it. However, I’m not canceling it yet, as I’m not sure what I’ll do once Marriott tosses its award chart later in 2022.

I Paid $1,082 in Annual Fees in 2021, Final Thoughts

$1082. That’s a lot of money. But, if I deducted all of my earnings, my net annual fees paid for 2021 come out to -$1029.50. In other words, my cards provided me $1029.50 in total value AFTER deducting all of my annual fees. That’s damn good, in my opinion. Could it be better? Sure. If we actually flew more, my Alaska card would’ve returned even more value, as would my Hilton Aspire. But, given the state of the world, I’m happy with this.

The post I Paid $1082 in Annual Fees in 2021 appeared first on Jeffsetter Travel.

My wallet has seen a lot of changes as of late. I’ve been more open to closing cards and have given a few the ax. Add that to changing priorities and my 2022 credit card strategy promises to be at least a little different than last year’s.

I kicked off the year by burning what is for me a sizable portion of my Chase Ultimate Rewards AND my Marriott Bonvoy points. I’ve also nearly zeroed out my World of Hyatt account. So, you can kind of see where I’m going with this.

My 2022 Credit Card Strategy

Let’s start off with going over what cards I current have. After all, save for my cancellations, the composition of my wallet doesn’t really change. I don’t plan on getting any new cards either, though I may cancel another this year.

What’s in My Wallet

• Chase Sapphire Reserve
• Amex Hilton Surpass
• Chase Freedom Unlimited
• Chase Freedom Flex
• Marriott Bonvoy Premier
• World of Hyatt Visa
• Amex Hilton Aspire
• Alaska Airlines Visa Signature
• American Airlines MileUp
• Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
• Amex EveryDay

If you haven’t already guessed, the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the card that I’m most likely to cancel this year. I’ve been saying this for a while now, but haven’t gotten around to it for some reason. I really should, though, since I never offset its $99 annual fee. I just don’t fly Hawaiian enough to do so. It’s just too bad I can’t downgrade the damn thing to some free card.

Reward Priorities

I burned nearly a quarter of my Ultimate Rewards points making my travel plans for the year. Unfortunately, I don’t earn a ton of points overall since my spending budget is fairly limited for this hobby. As a result, it’ll take me a while to earn back what I used, so doing so is going to take top priority this year. The same can also be said of my Marriott points, though their change to a fully revenue-based system means I likely won’t put much energy into replenishing those points. And while I have the Marriott card that still earns EQNs, I’m not prioritizing that either since I know it’ll be impossible for me to hit Titanium Elite again this year.

What about Hyatt? While I’ve nearly depleted my entire World of Hyatt balance, I’m still on the fence about earning trying to replenish this account – especially since they’re an Ultimate Rewards transfer partner.

As for Hilton, I plan to earn those points at the same rate I did last year.

Ultimate Rewards Spending Strategy

Having canceled my Amex Gold last year, my spending strategy is even more clear this year than it was before. And since I’m prioritizing earning Ultimate Rewards points, I’ll likely use my UR-earning cards as follows:

• Sapphire Reserve: all dining and otherwise unbonused travel purchases
• Freedom Flex: all quarterly bonus categories
• Freedom Unlimited: all unbonused spend and spend at merchants whose MCC is uncertain to me

Hilton Honors Spending Strategy

I primarily use my Hilton cards for Hilton spend and for worthwhile bonused spend. That translates to:

• Hilton Aspire: all Hilton spend and all Alaska Airlines fee spend
• Hilton Surpass: groceries and gas when they’re not a Freedom Flex category, plus merchants that could fall under restaurant or grocery until I determine their proper MCC

Marriott Bonvoy Premier Spending Strategy

Traditionally, this is my most heavily used credit card of them all. However, since I won’t be going for Titanium again this year, I have very little incentive to use the card at all. In fact, I’ll likely only use it at Marriott properties. That’s it.

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Spending Strategy

This strategy hasn’t and will not change – all Alaska Airlines ticket purchases go onto this card.

World of Hyatt Visa Spending Strategy

This one is only seeing use for Hyatt stays. There’s no way in hell I’m even getting close to Globalist status, so it makes to sense to use this card to chase it.

American Airlines MileUp Spending Strategy

The only reason I put spend on this card is to keep it open. Citi already burned me once by shutting down my “dormant” Double Cash card. I don’t need that happening again. That said, this card is attached to my Apple account and only pays for iCloud and related purchases.

Amex EveryDay Spending Strategy

It’s free. It only remains open to preserve an available credit line.

Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard Spending Strategy

This card sees virtually no use whatsoever – especially since I don’t really fly Hawaiian anymore. And even when I do, I usually use my Sapphire Reserve. So the real question, then, is it worth keeping? Probably not.

Final Thoughts

While I may not be planning on any major changes in the composition of my wallet, the way I plan on using the cards I already have is shifting rather drastically this year. And, honestly, this is what I was planning on doing last year. But given my travel plans and Marriott’s EQN bonus, I went all in on my Marriott card to help push me to renew my Titanium status. And that was before they began offering status extensions to 2023. But, at least I got two Choice Benefit awards out of it. However, Marriott gave me that extra shove away with their massive redemption change, though the final verdict is still out on how bad that’ll be. Regardless, earning Ultimate Rewards points should’ve and will be my focus.

The post My 2022 Credit Card Strategy appeared first on Jeffsetter Travel.

In 2022, I know many in Hawaii still carry the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard as their default credit card. But why? There are better ones out there. So, today, I want to discuss what I consider to be the best airline credit cards for Hawaii residents. 

Let me preface this post by stating that the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is a decent value if you fly Hawaiian often. The $99 annual fee includes perks such as an annual $100 companion credit and the first checked bag free for the primary cardholder. But those benefits are exceedingly weak compared to the cards I’ll cover in this post. 

Best Airline Credit Cards for Hawaii Residents

What credit card works best for you is up to your own personal preferences. For example, do you travel primarily out-of-state or inter-island? Do you usually have a travel companion? How much are you willing to pay in annual fees? These are all things to consider while we go through this list. 

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature

The first card on my list of best airline credit cards for Hawaii residents is my personal favorite – the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card. Much to Bank of America and Alaska Airlines’ credit, this card has remained stubbornly unchanged for years. So let’s break things down.

• Annual fee: $75
• Primary benefit: Annual $99 companion fare certificate – starting at $121 with taxes and fees (economy only)
• Checked bag benefit: First checked bag free for you and up to six companions on your itinerary
• Earning rate: 3x with Alaska, 1x for everything else
• Onboard benefit: 20% discount inflight purchases
• Other benefits: no foreign transaction fees

This card has saved me THOUSANDS of dollars since I first got it back in 2018. It’s my go-to card whenever I travel domestically with Mrs. Island Miler. And, no, Alaska doesn’t charge you a special fare that’s higher than normal when using the certificate – you pay the same base fare regardless of whether you use the certificate. Plus, with a $75 annual fee, this card is inexpensive to own. The checked bag fee credit alone can wipe out the annual fee after just four flight segments. 

Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card

The second card on my list of best airline credit cards for Hawaii residents is similar to the Alaska Airlines one in that it offers a companion certificate, but how it works is quite different, as is the annual fee. 

• Annual fee: $250
• Primary benefit: annual companion certificate – pay taxes and fees starting at $80 (economy only)
• Checked bag benefit: first free checked bag for yous and up to eight others traveling with you on your itinerary 
• Earning rate: 3x with Delta and hotels, 2x at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, 1x on everything else
• Onboard benefit: 20% statement credit for inflight purchases
• Other benefits: $100 Global Entry/$85 TSA Precheck credit every four years, earn 10,000 MQMs when you spend $25,000 up to twice per year, no foreign transaction fees, $39/person SkyClub access, Trip Delay Insurance, Lost Luggage Insurance

Now, Delta’s annual companion certificate only works within the contiguous U.S. However, residents of Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico can still use the certificate for domestic travel so long as your trip originates within your home state and the address associated with your account is in that state. For once, those of us outside of the lower 48 get a better benefit! 

Delta Skymiles Reserve American Express Card

The third card on my list of best airline credit cards for Hawaii residents is a higher-end version of the second card on the list. With it, you get a better companion certificate, lounge membership, and a higher annual fee. 

• Annual fee: $550
• Primary benefit: same as SkyMiles Platinum but adds Delta Comfort+ and First Class
• Checked bag benefit: same as SkyMiles Platinum
• Earning rate: 3x with Delta, 1x on everything else
• Onboard benefit: same as SkyMiles Platinum
• Other benefits: same as SkyMiles Platinum plus Delta SkyClub membership, Amex Centurion Lounge access, priority upgrades over others with the same Medallion status, MQD waive to attain Platinum/Gold/Silver status when you spend at least $25,000 per year, earn 15,000 MQMs when you spend $30,000 up to four times per year, enjoy complimentary upgrades even without status, Trip Cancellation insurance

This card is excellent for those that frequently travel with someone else on Delta. I would even choose this card over the Amex Platinum, as the benefits better match my needs. That said, I don’t think this card gets you access to Amex Concierges or Fine Hotels & Resorts.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

Card four in my list of best airline credit cards for Hawaii residents is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card. Sure, there’s a cheaper option, but this one is worth the extra $30 per year. 

• Annual fee: $99
• Primary benefit: 6,000 points per year – enough for a roundtrip inter-island flight
• Checked bag benefit: n/a – everyone gets two free
• Earning rate: 3x with Southwest, 2x with Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners, 2x on local transit (including ridesares), 2x on telco and streaming,1x on everything else
• Onboard benefits: 25% statement credit on inflight purchases
• Other benefits: 2 EarlyBird check-ins per year, earn 1,500 TQPS towards A-List status for every $10,000 you spend

If you travel inter-island frequently, this card is for you. However, I think the next one is even better.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

Card five in my list of best airline credit cards for Hawaii residents is another one I carry thanks to its fantastic value proposition.

• Annual fee: $150 
• Primary benefit: 7,500 points + $75 Southwest travel credit
• Checked bag benefit: n/a – everyone gets two free
• Earning rate: same as Premier
• Onboard benefits: same as Premier
• Other benefits: same as Premier, except you get 4 Upgraded Boardings per year rather than 2 Earlybird Check-Ins

Sure,at face value, this card is more expensive to own that the Premier version. However, when you factor in the $75 annual travel credit, it ends up being cheaper. Plus, you can use that credit to offset your travel purchases, in addition to the annual points you get. That’s why I carry this card over the Premier version. 

Best Airline Credit Cards for Hawaii Residents, Final Thoughts

I hope this list of best airline credit cards for Hawaii residents proves useful to you. At minimum, it shows that there’s a lot of value available to you out there, far beyond what you can get from the Hawaiian Airlines Worle Elite Mastercard. So why not get one of these cards instead? There’s a reason why I got rid of my Hawaiian card and replaced it with a Southwest Priority card. And there’s a very good reason why I’ve had the Alaska Air Visa for years now. 

True, the cards I have don’t get my first class travel – far from. But they do make travel more affordable for me. In fact, without them, I wouldn’t be able to travel anywhere near as much as I have and we’d likely have to cut back on other aspects of our travel to make it more affordable. So you owe it to yourself to evaluate your strategies and see if you can benefit from making a switch. 

As has been the case over the past few years, my overall collection of credit cards continues to decline. I don’t think that trend will continue this year, as the mix of cards in my wallet should hold steady, but my spending strategy will be different this year. So let’s cover my 2023 card strategy. 

Despite the recent change in cards in my wallet, I think my overall strategy has remained relatively stable – I base spending decisions on what points I need. And if you’ve been paying attention to my recent posts at all, my points-earning priorities will be reasonably easy to predict. So let’s get into it. 

My 2023 Card Strategy

As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think I’ll be changing my mix of cards much this year. That means the following cards should remain in my wallet for the foreseeable future: 

• Alaska Airlines Visa Signature
• American AAdvantage MileUp
• American Express EveryDay
• Chase Freedom Flex
• Chase Freedom Unlimited
• Chase Sapphire Reserve
• Hilton Honors
• Hilton Honors Surpass
• Marriott Premier Visa
• Southwest Priority Visa
• World of Hyatt Visa

Ok, so there is a possibility that I’ll downgrade my Sapphire Reserve to the Preferred this year, depending on how tight my budget gets. Plus, since I’m starting a new job, I can’t travel anyway. But we’ll see. 

I’m also not entirely sure why I’m continuing to keep the Marriott Premier Visa. Perhaps it’s because it still has an $85 annual fee rather than the $99 of the newer version? But I could also drop it down to the no annual fee card. 

Spending Strategy

Of course, the other facet of my 2023 card strategy is my spending strategy. Last year I burned a sizeable amount of my Ultimate Rewards points. These points are my go-to these days, primarily for transfers to Southwest Rapid Rewards and World of Hyatt. In fact, I may transfer some soon for my one trip this year. We’ll see. As such, earning Ultimate Rewards points will take top priority for me. That means:

• Freedom Flex: quarterly bonus category merchants
• Sapphire Reserve: travel + dining
• Freedom Unlimited: drugstores, dining establishments with questionable merchant categories, most unbonused categories
• World of Hyatt Visa: Hyatt spend, some other non-bonused spend
• Alaska Air Visa: gas station and cable purchases
• American AAdvantage MileUp: iTunes/iCloud purchases – just to keep the card active

The spending portion of my 2023 card strategy is a bit nebulous, but I’m debating whether or not I want to earn some Hyatt EQNs and points, even though I could definitely earn more Hyatt points via Ultimate Rewards instead. 

My Marriott Premier Visa likely won’t see any use this year, which is why it may get the boot in favor of the free version of the card. My Alaska Air Visa also likely won’t see any use since I don’t plan on flying with them this year, though it still earns its keep thanks to its companion certificate. The Southwest Priority Visa likely won’t see any use this year, though it also gets to stay thanks to its annual bonus. 

The Hilton Honors and EveryDay cards also likely won’t see any use, though I don’t really mind as they both have no annual fee. 

Final Thoughts

Ok, so I’m not entirely set on my 2023 card strategy, but there are many unknowns affecting my decision-making. I’m going to keep things intentionally fluid, but the focus will remain on Ultimate Rewards earnings. 

What are your card priorities this year? 

Recent travel struggles, including Southwest’s massive meltdown and the FAA’s huge ground stop last week, serve as poignant reminders that we need protection while we travel. Specifically, it’s important to have Trip Delay and Cancellation/Interruption Insurance. So, here are cards with Trip Delay Insurance. 

Southwest’s contract of carriage doesn’t provide passengers with lodging if your flight is significantly delayed or canceled, no matter if it’s entirely Southwest’s fault. Further, virtually no airline officially covers incidences such as the FAA’s ground stop, as it wasn’t their fault. Sure, airlines may opt to help passengers in these situations, but they’re not required to by the government or their contract of carriage. That’s why it’s important to protect yourself. You don’t want to unexpectedly have to shell out hundreds of dollars for an unexpected hotel stay. 

So, without further adieu, here are cards you should consider getting that have Trip Delay Insurance. 

Chase Cards with Trip Delay Insurance

For all Chase cards, you have to purchase your common carrier ticket with said card. 

• Chase Sapphire Reserve ($550 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: get reimbursed for up to $500 per ticket in reasonable expenses such as meals and lodging when your common carrier flight is delayed by 6 or more or requires an overnight stay. 
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotel.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred ($99 AF) 
  • Trip Delay Insurance: get reimbursed for up to $500 per ticket in reasonable expenses, such as meals and lodging, when your common carrier flight is delayed by 12 or more or requires an overnight stay. 
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotel.
• United Explorer ($95 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: get reimbursed for up to $500 per ticket in reasonable expenses, such as meals and lodging, when your common carrier flight is delayed by 12 or more or requires an overnight stay. 
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotel.
• United Quest ($250 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: get reimbursed for up to $500 per ticket in reasonable expenses, such as meals and lodging, when your common carrier flight is delayed by 12 or more or requires an overnight stay. 
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotel.
• United Gateway ($0 AF)
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotel.
• United Club ($525 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: get reimbursed for up to $500 per ticket in reasonable expenses, such as meals and lodging, when your common carrier flight is delayed by 12 or more or requires an overnight stay. 
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotel.
• Aeroplan ($95 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: get reimbursed for up to $500 per ticket in reasonable expenses, such as meals and lodging, when your common carrier flight is delayed by 12 or more or requires an overnight stay. 
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotel.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful ($250 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: get reimbursed for up to $500 per ticket in reasonable expenses, such as meals and lodging, when your common carrier flight is delayed by 12 or more or requires an overnight stay. 
• JP Morgan Ritz-Carlton Rewards ($450 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: get reimbursed for up to $500 per ticket in reasonable expenses such as meals and lodging when your common carrier flight is delayed by 6 or more or requires an overnight stay. 
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotel.
• IHG Premier ($99 AF)
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotel.
• IHG Traveller ($0 AF)
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotel.
• World of Hyatt ($95 AF)
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotel.

Amex Cards with Trip Delay Insurance

• Platinum ($695 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 6 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased with your same Eligible Card, up to $500 per trip, maximum 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply.
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: reimburse your non-refundable expenses purchased with the same Eligible Card, up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period.
• Delta SkyMiles Reserve ($550 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 6 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased with your same Eligible Card, up to $500 per trip, maximum 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply.
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: reimburse your non-refundable expenses purchased with the same Eligible Card, up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period.
• Delta SkyMiles Platinum ($250 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 6 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased with your same Eligible Card, up to $300 per trip, maximum 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply.
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ($650 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 6 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased with your same Eligible Card, up to $500 per trip, maximum 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply.
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: reimburse your non-refundable expenses purchased with the same Eligible Card, up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy ($250 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 6 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased with your same Eligible Card, up to $300 per trip, maximum 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply.

Capital One Cards with Trip Delay Insurance

• Venture X ($395 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: get reimbursed for up to $500 per ticket in reasonable expenses such as meals and lodging when your common carrier flight is delayed by 6 or more or requires an overnight stay. 
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $2,000 per person.

Barclays Cards with Trip Delay Insurance

• AAdvantage Aviator Red ($99 AF)
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $1,500 per person.

Bank of America Cards with Trip Delay Insurance

• Premium Rewards Elite ($550 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: Provides coverage up to $500 per ticket purchased for you and eligible family members for reasonable expenses incurred when a trip is delayed (due to a covered hazard) for more than 6 hours or requires an overnight stay.
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: Receive reimbursement for the common carrier passenger fare in the event of trip cancellation or trip interruption.
• Premium Rewards Elite ($95 AF)
  • Trip Delay Insurance: Provides coverage up to $500 per ticket purchased for you and eligible family members for reasonable expenses incurred when a trip is delayed (due to a covered hazard) for more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay.
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: Provides up to $2500 for non-refundable passenger fares if your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness or other covered situations.

First Hawaiian Bank Cards with Trip Delay Insurance

• Priority Rewards World Elite Mastercard ($50 AF)
  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $2,000 per trip and up to $5,000 per 12-month period. 

Final Thoughts

This likely isn’t an exhaustive list of cards with Trip Delay Insurance and/or Trip Cancellation/Interruption insurance. However, it should give you a good idea as to what’s available out there and how each product differs. There’s even quite a bit of variation within different issuers. So it’s really important to do you homework when selecting a card. Of course, don’t forget to look at all of the other benefits the card gets you too. 

Last week I reviewed my favorite super-premium card – the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Today, I’m going to cover one of my favorite companions to that card in my Chase Freedom Unlimited 2023 Review. 

One of the great things about the Chase Sapphire Reserve (or the Preferred) is that you can boost your points earnings with other Chase cards. As you know, for me, those two cards are the Chase Freedom Flex and the Chase Freedom Unlimited. Today, I’ll be covering the latter in my Chase Freedom Unlimited 2023 Review. 

Chase Freedom Unlimited 2023 Review

For most of its life, the Chase Freedom Unlimited was a 1.5% cash back card that earned that cash back as Chase Ultimate Reward points. However, to better compete with cards like the Citi Double Cash, Chase changed things up by giving the card new earning categories, including:

• 5% cash back on travel booked via Chase Travel
• 5% cash back with Lyft thru March 2025
• 3% cash back at restaurants and drug stores
• 1.5% cash back on everything else
• Earn additional bonus points via Chase Shopping

The Freedom Unlimited still has no annual fee, and it still accrues its cashback as Ultimate Rewards points. In addition to earning points, the card also comes with the following benefits:

• Three months of complimentary Dash Pass membership when you register by December 31, 2024
• Three months complimentary Instacart+ membership when you register by December 31, 2024
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: up to $1,500 in non-refundable charges per passenger, per trip, with a per-trip limit of $6,000. Coverage extends to the primary cardholder and family traveling with them for bodily injury, loss of life, illness, strikes, severe weather, terrorist actions, or change in military orders
• Purchase Protection for up to 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account
• Extended Warranty – extends the original manufacturer warranty by one year for eligible warranties of up to three years when you use your card to make the purchase, up to $10,000 per item and $50,000 per account
• Roadside Dispatch, including towing of up to five miles, five gallons of gas, etc. 
• Travel and Emergency Assistance – Chase will provide referrals, but you’re on the hook for expenses, unlike with Sapphire cards
• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, which is secondary to your own insurance
• Visa Signature Concierge Service

Those are a TON of benefits for a card with no annual fees – especially when you consider that Citi did away with virtually all of their cards’ ancillary benefits, including extended warranty. 

Use Strategy

For my Chase Freedom Unlimited 2023 review, I’d like to go over how I use this card on a regular basis since that changed drastically after Chase enhanced its earning power. Specifically, I continue to use the card for all transactions that aren’t bonused on another card. However, now I use the card whenever I’m not sure if a merchant will code as a restaurant or something else. After all, the Freedom Unlimited earns at the same rate as the Sapphire Reserve for dining. 

Final Thoughts

Last year, I earned 15,858 Ultimate Rewards points with my Freedom Unlimited, which I could’ve redeemed for $158.58. However, I transferred those points to my Sapphire Reserve account and used them to bulk up the number of transferrable Ultimate Rewards points I have. That’s why this card is so great to have – it seriously boosts the number of Ultimate Rewards points you can earn! And that’s why, even all these years later, I still give this card a recommend rating in my Chase Freedom Unlimited 2023 review. It really is a no-brainer to have in your wallet. 

I had some unexpected changes to my card strategy last year, including an unplanned new addition. My spending pattern also drastically changed. However, I don’t foresee quite as large changes in my 2024 card strategy, though I’m also a bit unsure of my use priorities. Alas, in this post, I’ll go over what I’m currently planning on. 

2023 Recap

Last year, most of my cards remained in my wallet. The sole casualty was my Marriott Bonvoy Premier card, which got downgraded to the free version of the card. As I’ve mentioned before, I really see no reason to pay for a Bonvoy card any longer. I shifted most of my stays over to Hyatt and have already attained Lifetime Platinum Elite, so I don’t need to earn elite qualifying nights (EQNs) via card spend. As such, my spending pattern shifted from dumping most spend on the Marriott card to the following:

• Freedom Flex: quarterly bonus category merchants
• Sapphire Reserve: travel + dining
• Freedom Unlimited: drugstores, dining establishments with questionable merchant categories, most un-bonused categories
• World of Hyatt Visa: Hyatt spend, some other non-bonused spend
• Alaska Air Visa: gas station and cable purchases
• American AAdvantage MileUp: iTunes/iCloud purchases – just to keep the card active

Most of the above held true, though I ended up not putting most non-bonused spend on the World of Hyatt Visa. Instead, a huge percentage of that went onto my Freedom Unlimited and Apple Card. Plus, I did end up receiving targeted offers for my Southwest Priority and World of Hyatt cards, which helped to absorb what would have otherwise been non-bonused spending, as did Q4 2023’s PayPal Freedom Flex category bonus. 

With that all out of the way, let’s get on with my 2024 card strategy. 

My 2024 Card Strategy

At the moment, here’s what my card collection looks like:

• Alaska Airlines Visa Signature
• American AAdvantage MileUp
• American Express EveryDay
• Apple Card
• Chase Freedom Flex
• Chase Freedom Unlimited
• Chase Sapphire Reserve
• Hilton Honors
• Hilton Honors Surpass
• Marriott Bold Visa
• Southwest Priority Visa
• World of Hyatt Visa

Of the above cards, the ones that are at risk include the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Hilton Honors Surpass. If you read my 2023 year in-review and 2024 outlook posts, it’s easy to see why the Sapphire Reserve is potentially on the chopping block. With virtually no travel and barely any dining in the past year or in the year ahead, there’s little reason to keep the card with a $550 annual fee. Of course, I want to keep the account, so if I give it the ax, it’ll be a downgrade to a Sapphire Preferred. Plus, the card earns 3x points on online grocery purchases, making its earning power more relevant to me. 

The Hilton Honors Surpass joins the Sapphire Reserve on the endangered list because, well, Hilton has been disappointing me lately. Moreover, Hilton Honors is an awful program, with low earning rates compared to the ludicrous redemption rates even semi-desirable properties charge. Is it worth paying about $150 per year to keep Hilton Honors Gold status? I’m leaning towards no. 

Spending Strategy

The second half of my 2024 card strategy is utilization. While I’m a bit indecisive about what cards I will and won’t keep this year, how I plan on using my cards is even worse! Why? Because I have competing priorities. While Ultimate Rewards have outstanding value when transferred to a program like Hyatt, redeeming them for purchases isn’t so good. In that regard, the Apple Card is better since it earns 2% cash back on all Apple Pay transactions, which you can apply $0.01 for $0.01 to your balance. 

On the other end of things, while I can earn 1.5 Ultimate Reward/World of Hyatt points for otherwise un-bonused spend using the Freedom Unlimited, throwing those purchases on my World of Hyatt Visa can earn EQNs. That’s an important consideration since I’ll only keep my current status through February 2025. That said, the card only awards you 5 EQNs per year, plus an additional 2 EQNs each time you spend an aggregate of $5,000 on it.

Since Explorist requires 30 nights, and I plan on staying two nights this year, I’ll need to earn 23 more EQNs to maintain my status at a cost of $60,000. Yeah, I’m not spending that much in a year. So that’s moot – especially since EQNs earned via your card don’t count towards lifetime status with Hyatt. So, logically speaking, this is how my spending strategy should look this year:

• Freedom Flex: quarterly bonus category merchants
• Sapphire Reserve: travel + dining
• Freedom Unlimited: drugstores, dining establishments with questionable merchant categories, un-bonused categories
• World of Hyatt Visa: Hyatt spend
• Alaska Air Visa: gas stations and streaming
• American AAdvantage MileUp: iTunes/iCloud purchases – just to keep the card active
• Apple Card: Apple purchases and un-bonused categories? 

Yep. I really need to decide whether or not the 2% cash back or the 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points are more important to me. In all honestly, I’ll likely jump back and forth, depending on how I feel at the moment. 

My 2024 Card Strategy, Final Thoughts

I know my 2024 card strategy is a bit inconclusive, but these are “different” times for me! I think I’ll get a better idea of what I really want to do later this year or, perhaps, next year. That said, the above is what my 2024 card strategy is now, and I don’t think I’ll deviate too much from this one way or another. At any rate, how do you all plan on using your cards this year? Are there any significant changes for you? 

Hyatt’s co-brand credit card has been a persistent member of my wallet for some time now. Sure, it might not be my most-used card, but it remains one of my favorites. It’s been some time since I did one, so it’s time for a World of Hyatt Visa 2023 review, as this is one card I continue to value, even if I rarely ever use it. 

Actually, my perception of this card has changed a bit in recent years. As long-time readers will recall, I’ve long been a Marriott loyalist. However, since attaining Lifetime Platinum Elite status, along with their numerous negative changes as of late, I decided to walk away. It’s gotten to the point that I downgraded my Marriott Bonvoy Premier card – once my most used credit card – to the free card. But I digress. We’re here to talk about the World of Hyatt Visa, not the state of Marriott Bonvoy and its cobrand cards. 

World of Hyatt Visa 2023 Review

Not a lot has changed with the World of Hyatt Visa since I last wrote about it. Way back in 2018, the Hyatt Gold Passport Visa became the card we know today, which I think is better. But since it’s been so long, I’ll start my World of Hyatt Visa 2023 review by going over the card’s basics. 

World of Hyatt Visa Basics

Like many of Chase’s co-brand cards, the World of Hyatt Visa carries a $95 annual fee. For that annual fee, get: 

• 4x points per $1 spent at Hyatt properties worldwide 
• 2x points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting 
• 2x points per $1 spent on restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops
• 2x points per $1 spent on flights purchased directly with airlines 
• 2x points per $1 spent at gyms and fitness clubs
• 1x points per $1 spent on everything else

Those are alright bonus categories, though I think having grocery stores as a category would be nice if this card is trying to be about wellness. But, I know, that’s not really travel-related. That said, the card isn’t only about earning World of Hyatt Points – it also comes with several other perks for cardholders. 

• One free night certificate per year, good at a Category 1-4 property
• Earn an additional Category 1-4 free night certificate by spending $15,000 during a calendar year
• Enjoy Discoverist status as long as you have the card
• Get a boost to status with five (5) elite qualifying nights (EQNs) per year
• Earn two (2) EQNs per $5,000 spent on the card
• Secondary auto rental collision waiver
• Baggage Delay Insurance of $100 per day for up to five (5) days for bags delayed by six hours or more
• Lost Luggage coverage of up to $3,000 for a checked or carry-on bag belonging to your or an immediate family member lost by your common air carrier
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance – covers up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per trip for you and your immediate family when your trip is interrupted or canceled due to covered incidents, such as illness, severe weather, and more. 
• Purchase Protection reimburses you up to $500 for damage or theft for each purchase made on the card for 120 days, up to $50,000 per account.

World of Hyatt Visa 2023 Review Benefits Rundown 

There’s no doubt that the World of Hyatt Visa comes with a nice handful of benefits. The Hyatt-specific ones are pretty good, even if you aren’t a Hyatt loyalist. Personally, I used the free night certificate last year to pay for my stay at the Hyatt House San Jose Airport – a stay that would’ve otherwise cost me around $220. That more than made up for the annual fee I paid last year. 

The EQN boost is nice, though it pales in comparison to the 15 you get with the Marriott cards. That said, the 2 EQNs per $5,000 spent is much better than the 1 EQN per $3,000 spent on the Marriott Bonvoy Premier card. As a reminder, here’s how you can earn World of Hyatt elite status. 

• Discoverist: 10 EQNs, earn 25,000 base points or host three meetings
• Explorist: 30 EQNs, earn 50,000 base points or host 10 meetings
• Globalist: 60 EQNs, earn 100,000 base points or host 20 meetings

Of course, you get Discoverist status for having the card. However, outside of earning 20% more points for stays and 2 pm late check-out, Discoverist status is worthless. I almost guarantee you won’t get complimentary upgrades, but even if you do score an upgrade, it’ll only be within the same room category you booked. 

As for the non-Hyatt benefits, the auto rental collision waiver is essentially worthless – it comes AFTER your personal insurance, unlike the primary coverage provided by some of Chase’s other cars. Similarly, all of the other coverages are better on premium Chase cards, such as the Sapphire Reserve. For example, the CSR gives you up to $10,000 per person for Trip Cancellation/Interruption and up to $10,000 per purchase for Purchase protection, among many other benefits. 

My Usage

This is the part of my World of Hyatt Visa 2023 Review where I tell you how I use my card. And, to be quite honest, I don’t use it. I only use it for stays at Hyatt. That said, if I were trying to earn status, I’d probably dump way more spending on this card. Alas, that’s not the case for me right now. 

Alternatives

While I think this card is great for those who love Hyatt, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention alternatives in my World of Hyatt Visa 2023 Review. Why? Because you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points 1:1 to World of Hyatt, which means that you could get a card that earns Ultimate Rewards points instead:

• Sapphire Reserve: $550 annual fee, best-in-class insurances/coverages, earn 3x points for travel and dining, $300 annual travel statement credits5
• Sapphire Preferred: $95 annual fee, 5x points on travel booked through Chase, 3x points on dining & online groceries, 3x points on select streaming services, 2x points on travel, better coverages & insurances than the Hyatt card
• Freedom Unlimited: no annual fee, 5x points on Chase travel, 3x points on dining, 3x points at drug stores, 1.5x points on all other purchases – must have a Sapphire card to transfer points
• Freedom Flex: no annual fee, 5x points on rotating quarterly bonus categories, 1x points on everything else

World of Hyatt Visa 2023 Review, Final Thoughts

So, five years after my last post about the card, what do I really think? I’m sure my World of Hyatt Visa 2023 review doesn’t really illustrate that well, and that’s because, as with many co-brand cards, my feelings are mixed. On the one hand, I think this is one of the best hotel cards out there, aside from super-premium ones like Hilton Aspire. However, it earns its keep in my wallet because it provides great value for its annual fee, and I like Hyatt. 

Is this card for you? Or would you be better off with a Sapphire? I hope my World of Hyatt Visa 2023 review helps you with that decision.