Downgrade CSR?

[ohgillian]

I'm considering downgrading my CSR to maybe the CSP. I just can't see travel happening much this year at all. Maybe I would upgrade it again in a year or so. Has anyone done this recently (or, alternatively, weighted the pros/cons and decided not to downgrade)?

Thanks. 

[wildrice]

I've thought about it, but for now, I am planning to keep it. Mine actually renews in November, and I took a vacation in January before all this went down, so I think I got my money's worth this year already (I used the travel credit, utilized multiple airport lounges on that trip, and got the DoorDash credit). Plus I am gaining points that aren't going to expire, so I'm sure I'll use them in the future. I don't mind saving them up, it will actually be pretty nice to be able to pay for a significant chunk of our next vacation with them, especially if that ends up being 1-2 years away.

Next year I guess I'll have to see what the future looks like and whether I anticipate being able to use the benefits again. They are allowing you to use your travel credit for other stuff, so the net fee to renew is still only $150. But I am not 100% sure I'll get $150 worth of use out of it next year if we still can't really travel. The Lyft pink membership has been useless in recent months. I feel guilty every time I use DoorDash so I mostly avoid it. And my monthly spending on travel and restaurants has gone down considerably, which means I'm not gaining points at the same rate I normally do (I think my last bill was around $600). I liked that they were doing bonus points on groceries, but this quarter's categories are really weak. If they add back better categories that might help sway me, but I still don't know that will be worth the $150 net fee.

I guess I'm not helping with my stream of consciousness, lol. Overall I really like the card and its perks so I'm hesitant to get rid of it, but I guess as you mentioned, you can always get it again later.

[kershnic]

I just cashed in almost $1000 on restaurant purchases and whatever else was on their bonus redemption list. We're up for renewal in December and I think we'll renew again. We were planning to downgrade before they rescinded the increase in fee.

[shaynaatl]

We decided not to downgrade. The $300 travel credit can be used for other items now due to Covid. Also, the "pay yourself back" redemption bonus on restaurants and groceries has been great for us. We will re-evaluate next year though.

[ohgillian]

Jul 28, 2020 13:52:57 GMT -5 kershnic said:

I just cashed in almost $1000 on restaurant purchases and whatever else was on their bonus redemption list. We're up for renewal in December and I think we'll renew again. We were planning to downgrade before they rescinded the increase in fee.

Oh. I missed that this happened. Thanks. This may change my thoughts. 

[ohgillian]

Jul 29, 2020 9:10:07 GMT -5 shaynaatl said:

We decided not to downgrade. The $300 travel credit can be used for other items now due to Covid. Also, the "pay yourself back" redemption bonus on restaurants and groceries has been great for us. We will re-evaluate next year though.

Thanks. I haven't been using the card b/c we were meeting the SUB on two southwest cards, but I was wondering if I should switch purchases over to this card now and use up my points this way. If i downgrade they aren't worth 1.5x anymore, I believe. 

[goldengirlz]

Not planning on downgrading. They’ve expanded the categories for earning points and I just figure that by the time we can travel again, we’ll have enough for one damn amazing vacation!

You could try calling them and see if they’ll work with you on the fee. I’ve had that happen in the past (not with CSR, but other cards where they tried to incentivize us to stay.) I will say that hold times to talk to someone are insane right now though. Maybe CSR is better because it’s a “premium” card, but I’ve been trying to report a lost Barclays Arrival Card and always hang up in frustration. (I was able to put a hold on it online, but I need to speak to a real person to order a replacement. It sucks.)