Triangle Trip

In response to Captain G’s post regarding which is the best Visa/Mastercard available for business travelers, here’s my take on why the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is my Visa/Mastercard credit card of choice for travelers:

1.  I find myself charging at least $1,000 a month on my existing Visa card for places that do not take American Express and only earning 1% on restaurants. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, I get 2 points per dollar spent on travel and restaurants. They also have special weekly promotions for dining out.

2.  I paid about $150 in foreign transaction fees annually since I travel abroad quite a bit. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa does not charge foreign transaction fees which justifies the $95 membership fee after the first year.

3.  Lastly, I like the feel of the card. It’s extra heavy and doesn’t feel cheap like other credit cards.

Here’s more information about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card:

• Earn 40,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months – that’s $500 toward travel rewards
• Additional 5000 bonus points for additional cardholder
• 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining at restaurants & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
• Get 20% off airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises when you redeem through Ultimate Rewards
• No foreign transaction fees
• 1:1 point transfer to participating frequent travel programs (Including British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Korean Air, United, Virgin, Southwest, Hyatt, Marriot, IGH, Ritz Carlton)
• Direct access to expert service advisors anytime
• Introductory Annual Fee of $0 the first year, then $95

I know most business travelers are American Express Platinum or Starwood (SPG) credit cardholders. However we all need to carry a Visa or MasterCard in our wallet just in case we are traveling outside of the US where AMEx isn’t accepted.

I have a Nordstrom Visa card which carries a fairly low foreign transaction fees and my perk is a $20 certificate for 2,000 points earned (2 points per $1 for Nordstrom purchases and 1 point per $1 on everything else). I found an expired Nordstrom $20 certificate today and called Nordstorm credit card to see if they can send me a replacement. I spoke to a representative, then a supervisor and neither budged. I even told them that I would cancel my card and they did not seem to care. On principle I am going to stop using this card.

Another lesson learned from this experience is not to age anything – points, certificates, etc. This sentence is actually directed to the Coach who loves to save his points 🙂

Now I have an empty credit card slot in my wallet and want to know the community’s recommendations for which is the best Visa or MasterCard to serve as my backup to my SPG AMEX. I’m leaning towards one of the Chase Visa cards at the moment.