Approved. My story
I have done your research for you. To the tune of 6 hours straight comparing two cards I thought were the best long term rewards for travel.
The Amex Everyday Premier card was my other close choice as it offers 3x points on grocery (no Wal-mart or superstores included), 2x points on gas, and 1x on all others. But, it's an Amex and has international fees and not AS widely accepted as Visa. I decided that even though I will get less points per swipe with the Chase card, I can use it anywhere and have no hidden fees or restrictions (both had the same annual fee). Amex likes to add that little "limitations apply" star so you never know if you will have a participating merchant or not with Amex.
Next I looked at which airlines I could use the rewards. Amex has restrictions (as well as a fee capped at $99.00) for transferring points to airline miles and some are not a 1:1 ratio. For domestic flights you are limited to Delta and British Air essentially (with Virgin Atlantic and Hawaiian as skim options) for domestic flights. All other carriers with Amextravel specialize more in international flights. Chase allows use (and points transfers at 1:1) to United, Southwest, Virgin, and British Airways (which you can book American Airline flights on). Most of my discount ticket searches came up AA or United for domestic flights. So I leaned towards Chase.
Next, I looked at hotels and cruises. Again, Chase came out on top with the partners they allow points to be used with such at Hyatt, Merriott and all IHG partners. Not that the Amex card was bad, it just didn't fit my typical travel carriers as all they offer is Hilton and Starwood.
Now let's move to the shopping. Chase wins "hands down" on the shopping partners. The list is too extensive to name here, but most will be happy to know that once you put your Chase card into Amazon, it will link your points to Amazon and you can use them for direct checkout on Amazon's site (just like Discover card). Amex fell short by not offering any online shopping partners and specializing more on classy event discounts like the Kentucky Derby, etc.
So, let's get to the approval. CK said I had very good odds of approval with a 730 score on TU and a 732 on EF. I ran my Experian score for $1 on their site and came back with a 726. I ran my Fico on the Discover card app and it came back as a 696. Remember, a true Fico is not the same as your credit score and some lenders use a Fico instead of one credit reporting agency. While I was nervous about the Fico, I know through research that Chase pulls an Experian only report (my email alert confirmed that after the application was approved) so I applied. Keep in mind I have excellent payment history and 22 total accounts on my report so that might have something to do with the approval, I am just telling my story so you can compare your situation if you are nervous about applying. The application was simple (click the "apply now" on CK and it takes you to Chase). A few basic info things like address and phone and I was instantly approved for $13,300. Card in the mail.
I would like Chase to offer better 2x and or 3x daily rewards, but they have specials here and there from 5x up to 25x, so you need to check their site frequently and be savy. All in all, I think I will be happy and only time and redemption of points will tell if I made the right choice. Don't forget to search online for how to transfer points from Chase to airline miles, as this will bump the rewards percentage and really save you some points and cash!
In case you scrolled to the bottom here are my stats for comparison:
Approved for $13,300.
Trans Union: 730
Equifax: 732
Experian: 726
Fico: 696
Annual income: 63k
Total debt on report: 101k
Number of accounts: 22
Credit card utilization: 2% (4 cards) and I HIGHLY suggest paying off cards below 10% before applying for a high end card. CC companies REALLY look at that.
Deliquencies: 0
Derogitory marks: 1 tax lein from 2009 (paid off)
Oldest open account: 3 yrs
Average account age: 1.7 yrs
Hope this helps a bit.
great card
TU 701 EQ 677 FICO 667 applied for cap one venture first and instantly denied. only applied for that card because i knew with my numbers i would not get it but this was my dream card. out of anger from being denied by Cap One.. i applied since i dinged my credit..who cares? Well, i got a pending review and was shocked..they mailed me a letter to verify it was me who applied, i caled and confirmed some info and 5 minutes later i was approves.. didnt think my scores were enough but i sure am glad i got angry that night! i have had the card for about a month now and have already earned enough for a roundtrip flight for free :)
Chase Sapphire Reserve
What they don't say is that rewards are hard to use. Don't book any activities because you don't get to choose your seats. Don't book activities because it doesn't always work. I tried a dozen times before it went through. Don't book anything because if something goes wrong, expect to waste 30 to 60 minutes on the phone with them.
Don't be scared to apply!!
I have been working on my credit since September. I had a 590 then and fast forward to now I have 713 TU/685 EQ on credit Karma. Chase pulled my Experian (689) & I live in AR. I applied for the Discover IT card before I applied for the chase and got approved for $10K!!! (Which I still can't believe!) So I thought what the hell and applied for this card and was EXTREMELY nervous but, I did. I got the "we'll let you know in 30 days message". So I called Chase right after & asked about the status & they informed me that I needed to send in my a copy of a utility bill & my driver's license since I had recently moved a month ago. I faxed in the documents as soon as I got off the phone on 7/13. I called every day after & they kept saying "were reviewing your documents, we will notify you by mail with an answer", but I still kept calling the reconsideration Line (888-270-2127) & this morning (7/19) when I called she said the same thing about getting an answer by mail but, said she would expedite my application to the review team & they should have an answer by 8 p.m. today. 10 mins later, I got a call from Chase & the lady asked me A BUNCH of verification questions & finally said I was approved for $5K!!! I never leave reviews but, reading the ones on here of basically everyone having the same situation, I thought I would add my 2 cents to help someone that was nervous like I was. Good luck!!
My go to card!!!
Just like many of you I have been rebuilding my credit for awhile now. I have been eyeing this card for sometime. CK gave me "good" odds will my scores around 680s. So I took the leap and applied. I was instantly approved for 5500! Yay! But that was by the best thing. After having this card for a couple months I had an online retailer not credit back my card for a refund. It was to the point that the retailer was not answering my emails and would hang up on me when I called to inquire. So I called Chase. I explained to them the situation and they immediately issued me a credit! No run around or waiting months to get it resolved! Now that is customer service at its finest!! Thank you Chase!
Approved w/CK Fair Approval Odds!
I've been reading CK reviews on the CSP for months patiently waiting to apply. I applied 7/5/17 with one eye open and one eye closed with my stomach in knots believing I would be denied. Needles to say I was instantly approved for 5,000 credit limit.
My credit profile: 2 unpaid charge offs, 1 from 2014 and 1 from 2010, falling off in Aeptember. No missed payments. All cards 0% utilization. Chase Freedom Unlimited-2,000, Cap1/Yamaha- 4,400, Cap1/Buypower- 1,000, Cap1/Quicksilver-1750 & Amex/Gold Delta Sykmiles-1,000 to start (applied today for 60,000 bonus miles). Ex Fico-651 and behind on posting accurate info. CK Vantage TU-705 & EQ-737. AAOA 2yrs, 3 months. Fair odds approval rating from CK.
It's apparent with these limits I've obviously been rebuilding my credit, so even though I've only been approved for 5,000 CL, it's a milestone for me on my journey to having excellent credit! 3 yrs ago I couldn't get approved for water! Lol. So happy right now!!! Hope this helps the next person contemplating on applying for this card.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HELPFULLY POSTS :-)
PS- I'm in PA. They pulled my TU & EX. Got the hit right away.
Update: TU Fico 671- given on back of the Chase letter. Also, for those looking to apply, there is a 5/24 rule. If you obtained 5 or more cards in the past 2 years Chase most likely will deny your application.
19 Years old. Approved for $7,000
Today, I got Approved for this card in seconds. Been wanting this card for about two months, after i wired my brain into the internet trying to figure out which credit card is best for me. However, I spent all last night reading reviews and learning more about it than i already knew. I told myself I would apply for this in a few months. The next morning came and for some reason its all I thought about. When I got off work I sat in my car for a while debating if i should just apply for it today and I said F*** it and applied for it on my phone. I saw i got approved, had a minute of silence just staring at it, then i put my phone down, turned on my car, started driving, blasted music and just sang along happy as hell. I have the Amazon Rewards Card and holding it is amazing. Cant wait to have a blue one! Once I hand a the amazon metal card to someone they either compliment me or make this facial expression as if someone told them "think fast!" and threw them a 20 lb dumbell. This Sapphire Preferred card has a better design and better benefits. The approval said it would arrive in 7-10 days, but i didnt wanna wait that long, who would?! I called Chase and said "Bro im trying to earn points, pick up chicks and break cashier wrist ASAP!"... ok i didnt say that but i did call them and the represtative was polite, asked for it to be expedited and it was approved, its arriving tomorrow. Cant wait to play the bonus points game.
Credit Score: TransUnion 738 / Equifax 735
Credit Limit: $14,550
Credit Card Use: 2%
Payment History: 100%
Credit Age: 10 months
Total Accounts: 5 / CC 4 / Auto Loan 1
Hard Inquiries: 3
Annual Income: 35,000
This review is mostly for those who arent sure if they should apply for the card. Only say F*** it if you have a good feeling you will get approved. Play it smart. I shared my credit history hoping it gives you a good idea on if you should apply or not. Good Luck!
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Awesome.. Enjoy....
Great card, great rewards
We loved this card! We typically have one credit card that we use for all of our purchases, then pay off in full each month, and for the 18 months we used this card we LOVED it. We love to travel, and we racked up so many points! We used our sign-up bonus points to buy airfare to the Bahamas - it was great! We are big fans and would fully recommend this card. The only reason we don't have it anymore is that we upgraded to the Chase Sapphire Reserve. This is an excellent card for those who like to travel!
Best Travel Card
It is Travel Delay Insurance, Travel Baggage Insurance, Rental Car Insurance. You can move Chase Freedom Card points onto this card and get return worth 1.25 times for travel booking. 2 points on Travel + Restaurants and when you try to reimburse that total points can be claimed 1.25 times against travel booking
Not sure yet....
I had a chap. 7 bankruptcy which recently fell off my credit report, it was on the full 10 years. Per Cred Karma my credi score are: TU 742 EQF 740 and EXP 710. ( You can see your experian score by applying for loans, its a soft inquiry pre-approval does no damage to your score and doesn't show on your credit score!) Love me some credit karma. Anywho. I had two store cards, 4 student loans, and one regular loan and I was approved immediately, HOWEVER, I wouldn't recommend as a starter card my interest rate was 23.74 which is like the highest. I don't know if it's because my credit history is thin, only 2 years really or because my income is low, we'll see if these points work out! Just wanted to share!
For travelers, nice compliment to Chase FU
CK gave me fair approval odds with scores of TU:727, EQ: 725, and EX:745. Chase pulled Experian and TransUnion; I had 4 hard inquires with EX and 2 with TU. AAoA 8 months. Oldest account 15 months. Income 87k. I'm also over 5/24 (8/24 at the time of my application). Applied through a 'Selected for You' offer on my account, which I've heard bypasses 5/24. Instantly approved for $17k limit.
I've had a Chase Freedom Unlimited for about 6 months, which has been a great every day spend card. But I'm quite happy to be adding the Sapphire Preferred to my rotation. With the ability to transfer Ultimate Rewards points from my Freedom Unlimited to the Sapphire Preferred, which has a redemption rate 1.25x that of the Freedom Unlimited, I'll really be able to maximize the redemption value of my points. The redemption rate is of course not as high as the Sapphire Reserve, but for a moderate traveler like myself who travels domestically and abroad maybe only 5-10 times a year the $450 annual fee just doesn't seem justifiable. For me this is the best combination of annual fee, rewards accrual ability, and redemption rate. If you're a real jet-setter then you may not find it as useful a card combo as the Freedom/Sapphire Reserve.
The lack of foreign transaction fees is also a nice touch. I have a few Amex cards with this feature, but good to have a Visa as well since Amex is still not as widely accepted (especially overseas). All in all a great card!
I will add that in my humble opinion while customer service has been acceptable, Chase is still miles behind Amex and Discover.