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For a limited time only, Chase has an unprecedented signup bonus offer of 80,000 points for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. You can read more about the offer here.
They also just launched an intro offer on the Freedom Flex Mastercard, with a 20K signup bonus, plus up to 60K points on grocery spending, for another potential 80K points. You can read more about the offer here.
I opened a Sapphire Reserve card back when it launched in August 2016 with an intro 100K bonus. I was also able to get the JPMorgan Reserve card in March 2017 with a 100K bonus thanks to a childhood friend who worked at JPMorgan, so I downgraded the Sapphire Reserve to a Freedom card.
I checked the old statements of that downgraded Freedom card online and saw that I earned the 100K bonus on 9/19/16, so I was now eligible for another Sapphire card bonus as it has been 48 months since I earned that bonus.
And as long as I was applying, I figured I’d add on the Freedom Flex as an application in another browser at the same time, so that there would be just one credit pull for both applications.
Both applications came back as pending.
You can call Chase to get a pending application reconsidered, but I decided to wait it out and see what would happen.
Several days later, I got a call from Chase asking about my card applications. Specifically, why was I applying for the 2 new cards, given my 13 existing Chase cards.
I explained that I was intrigued by the value of the new Flex card and its new bonus categories, as well as having a Mastercard and that I decided to add a Sapphire card back to my portfolio based on the strong card offer.
I expected the agent to ask me to close 2 existing cards to get approved, but she only asked if I would be willing to shift the credit lines over from another card. The Freedom card needed a $500 line to open and the Sapphire card needed a $5,000 line to open.
I said sure, directed which lines to move over, and was approved for both cards on the spot.
I guess I should have tried for 3 cards 😀
My current Chase card lineup is:
- Chase Freedom: 3 (Annual fee: $0, each card offers $1,500 in quarterly 5x bonus spending)
- Chase Freedom Flex: 1 (Annual fee: $0)
- Chase Freedom Unlimited®: 1 (Annual fee: $0)
- Chase Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card® Card: 1 (Annual fee: $95)
- JPMorgan Reserve: 1 (Annual fee: $90 after $300 travel and $60 Doordash statement credits, more than offset via bonus points, Priority Pass, Global Entry, Roadside Assistance, primary CDW, travel protections, Dashpass membership, and increased points value)
- JPMorgan Ritz-Carlton: 1 (Annual fee: $150 after $300 airline statement credits, more than offset via 50K anniversary night)
- Chase United Lifetime Club: 1 (Annual fee: $100)
- Chase Hyatt: 1 (Annual fee: $95, more than offset via 15K anniversary night)
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card: 5 (Annual fee: $0, each card offers $25K in annual 5x bonus spending)
What’s your Chase card lineup?
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127 Comments On "Results On My Applications For Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card And Freedom Flex Cards; Roundup Of My 15 Active Chase Cards"
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What tool (if any) do you use to keep track of all cards and when to pay them etc.? I have a few cards and am thinking of adding a couple but am afraid of “losing control” and messing up my great credit score.
You can make a spreadsheet, but why not just have them all on autopay?
Because I got in the habit of having a quick look at the transactions as I make the payment to prevent any unauthorized use of going unseen etc.
But what about paying before statement closes? Autopay is only recommended for business cards. No?
Have all your cards close on the same date and pay them all (besides $1) on the day before they close and let autopay take care of the $1.
use paper statements and just pay using your checking account bill pay the day the statement comes (you can schedule it to be paid closer to the due date using bill pay).
Yup, just check over the paper statements the day they arrive.
Auto-Pay should be on all cards for at least min. pay as we have seen life happens with COVID, one could end-up in medically induced comma – like the Orthodox atty in NYC.
The Mint app is the most brilliant budget/tracking out there. It’s changed my life and the life of everyone I’ve recommended it to who has actually signed up. Takes a few minutes to set up, but it’s 100% worth it. (All my bills are on autopay, but it’s great to know my 30 day “bills to pay” amount)
I would say to auto pay the minimum amount and then set all your cards to the same due date (or even 2 dates per month, half half) to go online and pay the rest
Dan: If I downgrade my reserve to try again for the bonus, am I correct that I risk being rejected and then not having a reserve in my arsenal for optimal points redemptions at 1.5?
You can always upgrade back to Reserve.
Without an additional credit check? And it is automatically allowed? Thanks!
Yes and yes.
you aren’t allowed to upgrade for 1 year. by then who knows if PYB will be around
@chowfun never heard of that rule. where are you getting that from?
You ar eonly allowed to downgrade after the account has been open for one year. Not sure that this rule would apply to an account that is more than ayear old, even if it’s been updowngraded.
but hes talking about being upgraded not downgraded. is it the same thing?
I know you have shared with us charts in the past but I’m intrigued to learn from you, what card you use for the different purchasing categories.
Pretty much just optimize the categories on each card. I can make a new post on that with the new categories.
Please. That would be awesome. Things keep changing pretty quickly so it would be nice to get an updated chart.
that would be great. Keep in mind not everyone has every card ouo there, so the chart should also include othe (common) cards that have a nice return. Example some cards give 4% on gas, but even if i don’t have those cards I would still want to use the card that give 3%. The chart would also somehow have to weigh the difference between cash back and points 3 UR points is worth more than 4% cash back
Thanks a gain and a gut yom tuv
Is there any practical difference between the freedom visa and flex mastercard? I get that the visa is no longer being offered but weren’t the same benefits given to the visa now that it’s being phased out?
CF doesn’t have the 3x and 5x categories that CFF has:
https://www.dansdeals.com/credit-cards/limited-time-offer-signup-brand-new-chase-freedom-flex-get-20k-points-plus-5-points-per-dollar-groceries-rotating-categories/
Ohhhh my bad I thought CF got it after it was phased out as well
Nope.
CFU did get them though.
Oh maybe that’s where I got confused. Anyhow CFF was my first chase card I got approved for so mazel tov to me!
Just got approved for the Sapphire preferred today after applying via your link.
Also have a United Explorer.
What is the United Lifetime club card?
Only available for people who have a grandfathered United lifetime club membership.
Nice!
How is the JPMorgan Reserve different from the Sapphire Reserve?
It comes with a United Club membership and it doesn’t report the credit line.
Meaning it’s not as good for your credit score?
Very hard to believe that you were under 3/24!
if i had to bet, he isnt, but his “childhood friend” worked it out for him
I think you only have to be 4/24 if making a double bowser application?
I’m just surprised you’re not over 5/24
Congrats.
hi dan
thanks. they denied me for the united explorer saying that my account was not open for more then a year is there something i can do about it?
What account wasn’t open for a year?
So you have statements going back years?? With the amount of credit cards you have, you should be set on toilet paper thru the next 4 pandemics.
They’re on Chase.com
How do you only have a $350 annual fee on the JP morgan reserve?
$450-$300 travel credit-$60 Doordash=$90.
PC to original Chase freedom still available?
Yes.
How do you do this? I am trying to downgrade and they only offered me flex and Unlimited
Any DPs re opening the sapphire as a first chase credit card?
Also opening 2 cards at once when having no prior chase cards
Sorry .. I had meant $450 … It didn’t go up to $550 like the Sapphire reserve?
Do you have a link for it?
Does you a review of the benefits and perks of that card?
Both cards were supposed to go from $450 to $550, but that was postponed DTC.
You need a JPM banker to open that card for you, and it helps to have a friend there 🙂
Or $10M in assets managed by their private bank.
First time I saw you posted you had the card I though you let slip a part of your financial standing. Till you clarified the friend thing.
hey dan .. i downgraded to freedom from sapphire reserve and then upgraded back to reserve and now they are telling me i have to pay $550 annual fee starting in november. When i tried calling them and asking them to give me back the $450 annual fee back to my original anniversary month of March, they said they could not do it. What can i do!?
you are not 5/24 ? there have been many good card bonuses over past two years
Surprised you don’t have the business ink that offers warranty on cellphones
I had it and downgraded.
Tough to justify a $95 fee when it earns 3x on wireless and the downgraded free card earns 5x on wireless.
What’s the benefit of downgrading rather cancelling?
More bonus point spending and allows for negotiating to close a card in order to approve a new one.
Dan’s right the math doesn’t work (till 2-3rd claim).
After $100 deductible for cell phone it’s closer to $195 cell insurance and Max $600 per claim up to 3x year.
I had my note 9 screen replaced at U-break for $239.
So 5x CIC vs 3x CIP on cell bill $200/mo 12K MR (CIC) vs 7,200 MR (CIP) annually.
Unless you have advertising/shipping expenses … Then it pays for itself very quickly.
Dan why are you ignoring the questions regarding how you passed 5/24 maybe we could use some advice? many of us are not eligible due to 5/24.
why do you need the united club card i thought you had once bought lifetime united club membership?
1.5 miles per dollar everywhere when abroad with no forex fees, plus upgrades on award tickets.
whats better to have Freedom Unlimited or Freedom Flex?
Depends on your spending patterns.
I tried applying and they declined me because I have too much available credit. I don’t have any chase cards, only secondary. They’re all from other cards. Any advice on how to get approved?
Call and talk to them to see what you can do?
does the 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft spending through 3/31/22 for new Flex apply only for new applicants or for visa freedom conversions too? thanks,
Should apply to all.
What do you gain by doing the applications at the same time on different browsers? Wouldn’t just applying the same day suffice?
Yes, same day works too. Sometimes you can improve odds of instant approval via 2 browsers, but those are rare these days.
How do you find old statements from closed cards? I can’t find a way to see it on chase
I called and said the last time I got bonus points was August 2016. I downgraded my preffered card a long time ago and should be eligible. But I still currently have a reserve card. She claims I am still eligible but I think she is wrong. Can I just downgrade the CSR for the time being then upgrade when I get my 80k points. I need to maximize all the UR points at the 1.5.
You can downgrade, but wait several days before applying.
You can always upgrade.
Unrelated question:
If I upgrade my CSP to a CSR, would I be charged the AF right away or when my CSP’s year is up?
Curious to see the full Dan CC lineup including Amex & Citi… personal & Business.
You can have more then 1 Freedom card?
You can product change from other cards.
What income do i need to be approved for the chase preferred unlimited? fico score is about 730
There isn’t a limit. Obviously the higher the better.
Is there a possibility to be approved for Sapphire Preferred with 15k income?
Thank you!
Don’t want them to do a credit check if no chance to be aproved
Why not caution your readers that they may be subject to the 5/24 rule?
It’s in every Chase card review post.
How can I get the J.P. Morgan Reserve card?
Have any friends working at JPM?
Say I do, if I have a balance on my current reserve can I transfer it to the JP Morgan reserve?
Is a friend enough? Is there other prerequisites needed?
Debating if to apply for CSR or CSP (My wife have CSP). Since at the moment I have no plans of travel would you recommend opening CSR and later on upgrading to CSP or to open the CSP from the start.
I think you’re mixing up your acronyms?
My wife currently has the Preferred but at some point I would like to have the Reserve as well to take advantage of x1.5 UR redemption.
My question is, should I open another Preferred to take advantage of 80K bonus (instead of 50K) and in a few months change it to Reserve or to just get the Reserve initially?
Dan, I’m curious to hear more about your INK cards, and how come you have 5 INK cash and none of the other 2?
Unless you advertise online, which for better or worse I don’t, the Ink Preferred doesn’t offer enough to justify the fee if you also have a Sapphire card.
The Freedom Unlimited is more valuable than Ink Unlimited and there’s no benefit to having both.
Ink Cash cards each get $25K of 5x spending.
INK unlimited balance doesn’t effect your credit score and the FU does.
Why wouldn’t you use Ink U.?
Freedom Unlimited has more bonus categories.
If you pay your bill before it closes then there’s no credit hit.
Which bonus categories, the ones they added a month ago?
Can you tell us which 5 Chase Ink cash cards and which 3 Chase freedom cards?
Hi Dan, Where can I find more info on applying for 2 (chase) cards at once, and will it work if I’m 4/24? thanks
I have not applied in ages for cards. Ill probably pick up another Chase business card. I set all cards to autopay and some I pay before cycle ends. I can understand Chase willing to give you the cards by moving lines around especially right now.
Whoa Dan, you don’t own a Saphire Reserve!?
JPM Reserve is its clone.
I have a CSR and a freedom I would love to get the preferred with 80,000 can I Downgrade my reserve to a freedom even though I have one so that I can get the preferred?
I anyways we would rather have the preferred in the reserve right now
Yes.
Hey Dan, I know this is probably a stupid question, but I’m fairly new to credit cards-. How do you have more than one of the same cards? Thanks!
By converting from other cards.
Thanks for sharing. How you end up with 5 ink cash. Did you get bonus on all 5 cards?
They used to be other Ink cards.
Why keep the preferred and get 3 on dining and pay 95 a year rather than having the freedom unlimited for free and get 5 back on dining?
80K
Exactly, 80K reasons 🙂
Hehe. Making sense, but I assume you will get rid of it after getting the 80k
Upgraded to reserve june 1 and was told fee will be 450. Fee posted yesterday for 550. Chase said the notes from june 8 say i was notified i may not get the 100 credit. They said theyll listen to the phone call And get Back to me in 3-5 days.
Do I have to downgrade my Reserve to apply for the Preferred and earn the 80K welcome bonus? Assuming 4 years have passed since I earned the CSR welcome bonus.
Dan, I have a Ink Cash and an Ink Preferred. I don’t get enough value out of the Ink Preferred so was going to cancel, but called and they offered a conversion to Ink Unlimited and a refund of the $95 fee I just got billed. What would you do? convert to the Unlimited, convert to another Cash, or cancel?
Does one need a chase bank account to get the JPMorgan reserve?
How do you have 5 ink cash?
Do chase business cards and personal cards applied for on the same day count as one pull?
Do you typically earn the signup bonus on the date the statement is closed ?
I see it on my statement but without a a date just the month.
Do I need to dig online for an exact date ?
Use the statement close date.
So does applying 2 cards at the same time via different browsers result only in 1 hard pull? I was always under the impression it would be 2 different hard pulls.
I got 1 pull.
Thanks! If I knew this before had then could have applied for CSP and Flex together. Guess will use this info sometime later 🙂
Can I apply to for 3 different chase cards at once and get one hard pull? I currently have the Freedom Unlimited and was told I’m preapproved for the Sapphire Preferred. What do you recommend I do if I’d like to apply for the CSP, the Freedom Flex and another chase card at the same time? (Newbie here)
Hi Dan can you get the freedom flex bonus if you have gotten the “old” freedom card within the past 24 months?
Yes, it’s a different product.
I just downgraded my Reserve to FU today in the Hope i can get the Sapphire Pref tomorrow night or Sunday a.m. before the 80k bonus expires. Is doing this within 24-36 hours going to work? they say the Reserve doesn’t cancel in the system right away? any advice is appreciated…
Hi dan thanks for your help if I have a sapphire with a lot of points should I transfer the points to my wife card before I downgrade or downgrade with the points to a freedom and then transfer back the points to the new sapphire also if I transfer to my wife can I transfer back
Hi dan thanks for your time and help I currently have a sapphire with a lot of points should I transfer to my wife card before I downgrade or downgrade to a freedom with the points and then transfer back to the new card if I transfer to my wife can I transfer back to myself
Something strange happened:
I tried to apply for Sapphire Preferred + Freedom Flex combo.
Sapphire preferred approved instantly, Freedom Flex needs review.
Please advise.
Thanks.
I downgraded my sapphire preferred. How long do I have to wait to open another one and get the points?