Credit Card Referrals: Chase

For those of you in the market for a new credit card, Chase offers two that are particularly attractive for travelers: the Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP), and the Chase Freedom. There is going to be a new member of the Sapphire family known as the Sapphire Reserve, but it won’t be available until later this month.

The links in this post are affiliate links, and I will get credit from Chase if you use them, so thank you in advance if you do! That said, if you find a better link (directly from Chase, or otherwise), please use it instead.

One word regarding foreign transaction fees before we get started — the CSP does not have any (so you pay the converted rate, per Visa standards), but the Freedom does have a fee of 3%. Be careful what you use, where!

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Application Link

Currently, you can receive 50,000 Ultimate Rewards Points with Chase by meeting the minimum spend requirement of $4,000 within a 3 month period. While these points can be used towards travel at 1.25 cents / point, you can also transfer them to various frequent traveler programs (such as KLM/Air France, United, Hyatt, and so on) at a 1:1 ratio. A full list of travel partners can be found over at The Well Traveled Mile.

The CSP offers quite a few perks that other bloggers extol, but my favorites are the Primary Rental Insurance (CDW), guaranteed access to a human representative (24/7), and great trip and product protection. In addition to the 50,000 point bonus for completing the minimum spending requirement, you will earn 2 points per dollar on almost all travel purchases (air, train, taxi, dining out, etc.), and 1 point per dollar on other spending. The downside is that this credit card does have an annual fee of $95, but it is waived the first year so you can see if it is a good fit for you.

In addition to the perks offered by Chase, as a Visa Signature card, you get quite a few treats from Visa directly. A full list can be found on Visa’s website, but some of the nicer ones include: a 24/7 concierge, deals on wine tastings in California, and access to the Signature Hotel Collection – similar to American Express’s Fine Hotels and Resorts.

Chase Freedom

Application Link

The Chase Freedom is an interesting card in that while it advertises itself as a cash back card, if you have either a CSP or Chase Ink Plus, you can use them in their “native” form of Ultimate Rewards Points. This offers a lot more versatility as you can get more than the 1 cent per point that you would get with the Freedom alone. The link above offers $150 cashback after meeting the minimum spend of $500 within 3 months, but that is stored in your account as 15,000 Ultimate Rewards Points. There are occasionally offers of $200 cashback (20,000 Ultimate Rewards Points) available, however.

Similar to the Discover family of cards, the Freedom is built around rotating 5% earning categories with 1% earning otherwise. This is particularly nice as Amazon has been available as a category for both last year and this year, and gift cards count! Adding to the perks – this card has no annual fee, so keeping it around will strengthen your credit score over time.

Raleigh Restaurant: Capital Grille

Invitation courtesy of American Express
Invitation courtesy of American Express

2016-07-08-Entrance

The Capital Grille national chain has come to Raleigh, and American Express sent me an invitation to sample their menu during a special event. Naturally, I was more than happy to take advantage of the opportunity!

Menu

For this event, only a small portion of their full menu was available to the guests, but it certainly did not disappoint!

Preview Event Menu
Preview Event Menu

I went with the Dry Aged steak while my girlfriend opted for the sliced Fillet. To go with our meals, I had a glass of Malbec, and she had a Blackberry Bourbon Sidecar.

2016-07-08-Drinks2

2016-07-08-Drinks1

Dinner

The presentation was excellent and the wait staff did everything they could to make sure our needs were met. They even served our appetizers to us while holding the plates!

Blackberry Bourbon Sidecar
Blackberry Bourbon Sidecar
Pan Fried Calamari
Pan Fried Calamari
Fillet with Onions and Mushrooms
Fillet with Onions and Mushrooms
Dry Aged Delicousness
Dry Aged Delicousness
French Beans with Tomatoes
French Beans with Tomatoes

For dessert, they surprised us with a chocolate lava cake served with cherries in a Chambord sauce. So many wonderful flavors!

Chocolate Lava Cake
Chocolate Lava Cake

They left a thank-you note as well as a survey to help improve their performance once they are fully open. I was more than happy to be a guinea pig!

Thank you card
Thank you card