Next card. Go premium or capital one venture?

[mountaintown]

So as I said in my last post...we have some IVF expenses so I am doing my best to maximize the minimum spend/bonus factors. We live in the midwest/mountain area so travel partners are challenging and we are heavily limited to delta flights or alaska.

So far we have utilized delta gold cards, alaska air, chase preferred, chase freedom unlimited, and my wife got the capital one venture. Since she has the capital one venture and is getting global entry, I figured I should too. But...here's the thing: we really are spending a lot in travel expenses. I kinda regret not getting the CSR over CSP because we are definitely going to use $250 to $500 in travel credits over the next year. But what's done is done...so I have other options, though maybe not as good.

We have plenty more in IVF expenses so I am trying to hit the best minimum spends.

1.) Citi preferred. $250 travel credit. Some other perks. Citi points bonus, of the points I know little about. 50,000. Global entry.
2.) Capital One venture. 50,000. Travel eraser. Global entry.

I guess the question is...is it worth it to go for premium travel cards if you can justify the travel credit? I feel like in the first year it could make a lot of sense for us. We already have $200 in car rental we have to book, possible baggage fee in 2019 so that would pretty much cover us with an uber or two. In 2020 we will get another travel credit, which we will definitely use for more flights home...effectively making the $500 Citi fee a null fee. Like I said I think I wish I woulda done the CSR for this reason but this could make up for it.

The Amex for me doesn't seem to be a good option because the travel incidental credit is ....just not a lot of value for me. Most of the time I can get free baggage fees(delta gold) and all the other incidentals I would rarely use.

What are your thoughts on my two options? Am I overestimating the value of holding a premium travel card? Should I just go with the capitalone, utilize global entry, and erase my car rental and baggage fees with the travel eraser?

Thanks!

[gocurrycracker]

I would just think of this like a Costco membership. If paying $x for a membership or annual fee gets you more than $x in benefit you come out ahead.
https://www.gocurrycracker.com/credit-card-annual-fee-debate/

We just renewed my wife's CSR with the $450 annual fee. We'll use the full $300 travel credit, reducing that to $150... and we get way more than $150 of benefit from the card so we'll keep it another year.

Do you mean the Citi Premier card? I haven't looked at this one in a while, but Delta isn't a transfer partner (can xfer to Virgin and Flying Blue for Delta redemptions...) It's basically free for your first year with the double travel credit, as you mentioned, and you'll get at least $500 in value from the welcome bonus. There is also the 4th night free hotel benefit 2x/year if you can use it. You also get 5x points on dining out and airfare.

The CapOne Venture card is also at least a $500 bonus, no fee first year. (Also not a Delta xfer partner.)

If you don't transfer points it ends up about a wash...

All else being equal, I'd probably go for the Venture first. But... with big IVF spending, you could do both.

[mountaintown]

Thanks. Sorry I meant Citi Prestige.

Yea putting it that way:

Capital One: 0 cost
500 value in points
100 value in global entry

Citi: 500 cost
$500 value in points
$500 value(2 travel credits) in first year
$100 VALUE in global entry

Guess you're right. It's about equal except If I were to value citi prestige benefits like lounge access...or the multipliers. Those are a bit intangible for me because I haven't quite figured out optimal ways to access transfer partners from a rural airport. I realize everyone else would value that high but ultimately i am still a little shaky on what my redemption value will be on various points programs outside delta.

Again, I have considered amex for the more delta-friendly amex points but the airline credit just doesn't make sense to me. There is no way we would normally spend $250 a year in travel incidentals.