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    Chase vs Citi for flying out of SFO?

    CREDIT PROFILE

    * Current credit cards you are the primary account holder of:

    * Chase Sapphire Reserve – $26k – before 24 months ago

    * Citi Strata Elite – $32k – 07/2025

    * Hyatt Visa – $14k -01/2026

    * United Explorer – $15k – 04/2026

    * Chase Freedom Unlimited – $24k – before 24 months ago

    * Costco Visa – $10k – 04/2026

    * FICO scores with source: Experian 735, Equifax 798

    * Oldest credit card account age: 10 years

    * Cards approved in the past 6 months: 3

    * Cards approved in the past 12 months: 4

    * Cards approved in the past 24 months: 4

    * Annual income $: $275k

    CATEGORIES

    * Ok with category-specific cards?: Yes

    * Ok with rotating category cards?: Yes

    * Estimate average monthly spend in the categories below.

    * Dining $: 1500

    * Groceries $: 400: (Costco, regular supermarkets)

    * Gas $: 120 (sometimes at Costco)

    * Travel $: Flights: 250

    Hotels: 250

    Rideshare: 125

    Trains: 280

    * Using abroad?: no

    * Other categories or stores:

    * Other spend:

    * Pay rent by card? Yes, amount and fee: 3000 with $25 flat fee

    MEMBERSHIPS & SUBSCRIPTIONS

    * Costco or Sam's Club member: Costco

    * Big bank customer: Chase, Citibank

    PURPOSE

    * Purpose of next card: Travel Rewards

    * Cards being considered:

    ADDITIONAL INFO

    I have both Chase and Citi cards, trying to decide which ecosystem is right for flying out of SFO.

    Chase vs Citi for flying out of SFO?
    byu/CasualByteExplorer inCreditCards



    Posted by CasualByteExplorer

    1 Comment

    1. amexmaster on

      Hello Bay Area friend 😄

      Technically, I’ve found Bilt to actually be the strongest program for both SFO/SJC. With SFO/SJC being a heavy United, Alaska, and Southwest hub, Aeroplan/Avianca/United –> United, Southwest –> Southwest, and Atmos –> American seem to work better than either Chase or Citi.

      Of the two choices that you mentioned though, I think Chase has been more favorable from my experience due to the United and Southwest transfer partners. AA flights seem to be rare unless it’s specific destinations (e.g. Chicago, Phoenix), and while Alaska flights are abundant, you can often get Alaska seats with Chase’s points boost feature for good value.

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