What do you do when you’re not traveling as much ? You naturally either end up buying more groceries or eat out locally or get takeaways thanks to the current on-going pandemic.

Consumer spending has shifted quite a bit and Chase took notice. To make the card more attractive, they introduced a slew of updates (albeit most are time-sensitive) which hopefully make the annual fees worthwhile.

Expiring Benefits on CSR

$100 statement credit for card renewals

Since the annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Reserve was bumped to $550, many card holders could no longer justify the amount. To either keep existing customers as well as attract new ones, Chase introduced a $100 credit effectively lowering the fee to $450.

Starting 1 July 2020, the annual fee will be $450 and the $100 credits will no longer exist. There will be no annual fee changes to the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

5X back on grocery store purchases + DoorDash

Chase had added a temporary point earning boost on grocery store purchases upto $1500 providing cardholders the ability to earn an effective 7500 UR points (worth ~ $150 in travel at a 2CPP valuation). This perk is set to expire on 30 June 2020.

Similarly, the CSR was earning 5X points on DoorDash purchases upto $500 upto 31 May 2020 to earn an effective 2500 UR Points (worth ~ $50 in travel at a 2CPP valuation)). This was added as a promotional benefit in addition to provided cardholders DashPass (still active) which will remain active until the end of 2021.

New Benefits on CSR/CSP

Pay Yourself Back

CSR/CSP now allows users to use each point (worth 1.5 cents for CSR and 1.25 cents for CSP) towards a statement credit used to offset purchases at grocery stores, home improvement stores and restaurants from 31 May through 30 Sept 2020.

$300 travel credit modifications

The $300 annual credit will now be triggered and automatically applied to purchases at grocery stores and gas stations from 1 June 2020 through the end of the year. Do note you will not any additional UR Points. Grocery stores after 1 July 2020 will earn 1 UR per $1 spent.

DashPass

CSR cardholders get 2 years while CSP cardholders get 1 year of complimentary DashPass. I find this particularly useful since it waives (mostly) delivery charges and additional fees on deliveries. Additionally if you do pickups, you may find the occasional 10-50% promos automatically added.

Instacart Express

Both variant cardholders will get $50 in statement credit (valid till 30 September 2020) which can be used either towards monthly billing – $9.99 + taxes or annual billing – $99.99 + taxes.

Benefits of using Instacart Express can be found here.

CSR cardholders will earn 5x points on delivery/pickup orders – upto $3000 in the three month window – while CSP cardholders will earn 3X points. At a 2CPP valuation, thats a 10 cent and 5 cent return per dollar spent.

Gas Stations

CSR cardholders will now earn 5x points while CSP will earn 3x upto $1500 for the three month window. At a 2CPP valuation, thats a 10 cent and 5 cent return per dollar spent.

Streaming Services

CSR is offering 10x points while the CSP is offering 5x points which is a 20 cent and 10 cent return per dollar spent (2CPP valuation) for the same three month period.

Summary

Card	Instacart	Gas Bonus	Streaming Services
CSR	5X + $50 towards Express	5X	10X
CSP	3X + $50 towards Express	3X	5X

No activation is required for any of these offers – except for Instacart Express $50 credits. Those will only trigger based on your signing up of the service.

Chase Freedom Cards

Given that we will soon be heading into Q3 2020, do not forget about the Chase Freedom categories: Amazon and Wholefoods which will earn you 5X UR points per dollar upto $1500. The great thing about these temporary point boosts, you can quite literally earn points faster across the board.

Be sure to leverage the right cards, the right shopping portals and apps to get the most returns in these tough financial times.

If you’ve been thinking about signing up for any of the cards mentioned, head over to our Recommended Credits Cards. Remember to always pay your cards in full and do not keep balances – otherwise you’re not doing it right.