I’ve held it for two years and loved the benefits but the time came to move on…. to the Chase Sapphire Preferred Mastercard. Here is my plan of action:
I called and asked to have my Sapphire Preferred Visa card converted to a Chase Freedom card, keeping the same account number. I will get the new Freedom card shortly but after three business days I can use the existing Sapphire card as a Freedom card until the new one arrives. What that means for me is that I can register for the first quarter 5X bonuses and have all my Freedom bonuses (including 5x on drugstore purchases) count up to the 31st of March. I’ll be using the existing Sapphire/Freedom card in the next three weeks to buy a few items 
from my favorite drugstore. I’m guessing I may spend close to $1,500 or so by the end of the month.
Not only does it increase my yield til the end of March, but also may simplify the approval process of applying for a Chase Sapphire Preferred Mastercard later this month.
As I’ve written about several times lately, I’m going all in with the Ultimate Rewards program. I will be dumping my remaining Chase cards in favor of their top tier Ultimate Rewards cards. My next card to go will be the Fairmont card if I need it to gain approval for the Mastercard version of the Sapphire Preferred card. That will leave me only with the Priority Club card and the rest will be all Ultimate Rewards cards. I hate to give that last one up as it gives a free night on renewal or $49.
I stand to gain a few extra points with this move, and stay loyal to Chase and their program. A new sign up bonus on the non affiliate link Mastercard will help complete our December 2013 Grand Hyatt Kauai stay.
My other go to card is still the American Express SPG card. If my wallet would only hold two credit cards it would be an Ultimate Rewards card by Chase and an Amex SPG card. With those two cards and their available transfer bonuses, I can transfer points to almost any airline and cover the majority of the major hotel chains as well.
