If Costco is 3% and no portal needed, isn't it superior "travel card" to Venture X or Chase Reserve? since to do better with capital one I need to use the portal, and the community is mostly anti-portal, what am I missing?
Costco 3% on travel (no portal) compared to travel cards?
byu/Regular-Ad2191 inCreditCards
Posted by Regular-Ad2191
6 Comments
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is 3X on all travel, portal or no portal.
But you can get other better no portal travel cards like the WF Autograph 3X on all travel. Autograph Journey 4X on Flights 5X hotels. Altitude Connect 4X on all travel.
Also someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but on the Costco Visa “You can only collect rewards once a year”
That is extremely limiting and a good reason to avoid it altogether.
And haven’t even begun to talk about purchase and trip protections which the Costco Visa lacks.
The big drawback to the Citi Costco Visa is you only get your cashback once a year. Depending on when you make a purchase, Citi holds onto your cash back for 1-12 months. Other cashback cards will give you access to cash back either immediately or at the end of a statement.
I’ve moved my travel over to Bilt (no AF) and BOA Premium Rewards ($95 AF with credits to cover it and then some). Bilt covers my dining. Both cards can also cover my Costco spending where I purchase Costco Shop Cards ont he first of the month with bilt, and use BOA PR for any leftover. Amex BCE for gas.
I’ll probably sockdraw the Citi card after I get my cashback chunk next year.
A travel purchase is one of those items I don’t always go strictly by what is cheapest. Sometimes I will use a card for the travel protections even if the multiplier is less just for the peace of mind.
I use it once in a great while when I travel, and that’s because I forget to bring my WF Autograph with me. Yeah, cash back is redeemed once a year, but that’s okay with me. It’s like getting a nice little bonus at the end.
It’s points vs cash back. If you know how to use points then the points are worth more. My Wells Fargo Autograph easily beats it with 3X points. My Chase Sapphire Preferred earns 2X points and throws in some travel protection. I would choose the CSP over the Costco card for travel because of how I use the points.
You’re missing that a lot of people use points and miles to get outsize return on aspirational travel you can’t get with cashback.