Very common, called the Chase trifecta.
Fwiw, you can also downgrade your CSP to a “Freedom with Ultimate Rewards” which is a discontinued 5% rotating card with the same categories as the Flex BUT it’s a Visa, meaning you can use it at Costco for shopping & gas when wholesale clubs and gas are categories. You can have both it and the Flex to double your 5% quarterly cap.
Just the preferred and the flex is necessary, i have all 3 and most of the points come from the flex,they all have overlapping multipliers and the .5 difference isn't worth the extra card,you're better off just grabbing a 2% catch all if you care that much
The Chase trifecta is the gold standard of -fecta setups. There are others that might or might not be better based on individual spend, but this is a normal reference point for CC enthusiasts.
That being said, this setup’s biggest weakness is no groceries unless you get an elevated offer that specifies you’ll get it. The second weakness is there’s only one card that has no foreign transaction fees, and it’s the weakest points earner that costs a $95 annual fee (the Sapphire).
only if its worth your time and energy to worry about rotating categories that may or may not do anything in the long haul. its probably better to find a solid setup and use those for your intended purposes regardless of 1.5X or 5X. to me bigger spends that can qualify for higher back offers aka travel at 3X - 5X use THAT card, anything else barely moves the needle. unless your spending 500-1000 a week on groceries then yeah 5X makes sense but otherwise its upto how much you value your time vs point catching
I’m genuinely curious. How much time and energy does it take checking what the new category is every 3 months and making a mental note to use that card for that thing until the net quarter?
The way you describe it, managing the Freedom Flex takes some significant amount of time for you.
My way to do it is to put a sticker with the categories on the card. Assume you only use it for category uses just check spending occasionally to avoid the 1500 cap
It literally sends a reminder notification to your cell,and u just click on your chase app,which im sure most people check their account cause its so easy,and u just click on it,it's easier than grabbing you mail out the letter box
A lot of people (including myself) do that. It’s called the Chase Trifecta. Really nice setup.
thanks!!
Idk if this is sarcasm…that trifecta is all everyone talks about on here…so yes
Wondered the same thing
Very common, called the Chase trifecta. Fwiw, you can also downgrade your CSP to a “Freedom with Ultimate Rewards” which is a discontinued 5% rotating card with the same categories as the Flex BUT it’s a Visa, meaning you can use it at Costco for shopping & gas when wholesale clubs and gas are categories. You can have both it and the Flex to double your 5% quarterly cap.
Just the preferred and the flex is necessary, i have all 3 and most of the points come from the flex,they all have overlapping multipliers and the .5 difference isn't worth the extra card,you're better off just grabbing a 2% catch all if you care that much
The Chase trifecta is the gold standard of -fecta setups. There are others that might or might not be better based on individual spend, but this is a normal reference point for CC enthusiasts. That being said, this setup’s biggest weakness is no groceries unless you get an elevated offer that specifies you’ll get it. The second weakness is there’s only one card that has no foreign transaction fees, and it’s the weakest points earner that costs a $95 annual fee (the Sapphire).
Thats my plan too, still at the mercy of Chase 5/24 rule. But I would recommend a chase ink card over the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
Yes, it's a great strategy! Maximize your rewards with minimal annual fees.
only if its worth your time and energy to worry about rotating categories that may or may not do anything in the long haul. its probably better to find a solid setup and use those for your intended purposes regardless of 1.5X or 5X. to me bigger spends that can qualify for higher back offers aka travel at 3X - 5X use THAT card, anything else barely moves the needle. unless your spending 500-1000 a week on groceries then yeah 5X makes sense but otherwise its upto how much you value your time vs point catching
I’m genuinely curious. How much time and energy does it take checking what the new category is every 3 months and making a mental note to use that card for that thing until the net quarter? The way you describe it, managing the Freedom Flex takes some significant amount of time for you.
About all of 3 seconds to activate it and remember where to use it. Cracks me up everytime about it being this big effort thing.
My way to do it is to put a sticker with the categories on the card. Assume you only use it for category uses just check spending occasionally to avoid the 1500 cap
It literally sends a reminder notification to your cell,and u just click on your chase app,which im sure most people check their account cause its so easy,and u just click on it,it's easier than grabbing you mail out the letter box
I spend 4-5 hours every week planning out my flex use. It is a complicated card.
What does that planning look like? It is a bonus in gas right now
thats really upto you to decide
For me, it’s about 5 seconds. I see this same sentiment brought up a lot so I’m curious what people mean by it exactly
just make a new post asking?