I receive compensation for content and many links on this blog. Citibank is an advertising partner of this site, as is American Express, Chase, Barclays and Capital One. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners. I do not write about all credit cards that are available -- instead focusing on miles, points, and cash back (and currencies that can be converted into the same). Terms apply to the offers and benefits listed on this page.
Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card
The new Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card is a Visa Infinite card. The card was already strong, two months ago Chase made the card great.
Here are the 5 most important things about this card.
- Signup Bonus: Earn 3 Complimentary Ritz-Carlton Nights
This card is offering 3 complimentary nights at any participating Tier 1-4 Ritz-Carlton hotel after $5,000 spend on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. And these aren’t just weekend nights (like with the premium Citi Hilton Reserve Card) and these aren’t nights at a chain with a mix of poor, average, and above average properties — these are Ritz-Carlton nights.
You can stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel or Half Moon Bay in California. It’s hard for me to imagine anything more pleasant than sitting out with a glass of wine or a martini at the Laguna Niguel property watching the sun set over the Pacific.
Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, Credit: Ritz-CarltonYou can stay at the The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua on Maui, the Ritz-Carlton Aruba, or the Hotel Arts in Barcelona. Use it in Sanya, Macau, or the other China properties. Use it in Bali. To name just a few.
As if that’s not enough you also get 10,000 bonus points when you add the first authorized user to your new account and make a purchase within the same first 3 months from account opening.
- 5/24 Doesn’t Appear to be Enforced. Chase seems to be welcoming cardmembers that have opened plenty of new card accounts.
Plenty of reader data points, and reports elsewhere, suggest that Chase doesn’t seem to be imposing restrictions on getting this card like they are many of their other cards: customers haven’t been reporting being denied for too many new cards in the last 24 months.
You’re eligible for the signup bonus if you are not a current cardholder, and you haven’t received a bonus from this card in the past 24 months. If you’re over ‘5/24’ this is a no brainer card to get.
- Elite Status The card comes with automatic Gold Elite status for your first account year. You can keep Gold status in subsequent years with $10,000 in purchases on the card each year. And $75,000 in purchases in an account year on the Ritz-Carlton credit card earns top tier Platinum status. Gold gets you complimentary room upgrades and late checkout. And Ritz-Carlton status means Marriott status recognition too
- $100 airfare discount The biggest benefit that’s bundled with the card as a Visa Infinite is the $100 airfare credit when buying tickets through their portal (which limited you to United, Delta, and American) for two to five passengers. You can use this benefit an unlimited number of times.
- $300 airline fee credit that’s per calendar year (use it twice in your first cardmember year)
You get a $300 annual airline fee credit to use on this like seat upgrades, baggage fees and lounge memberships or club passes. Since it’s an annual benefit, you should be able to get the Ritz-Carlton credit card now and use the credit in 2016, and then again at the beginning of 2017 — for a total of $600 all in your first annual fee year.
There are other great benefits like a Priority Pass Select card for airport lounge access, strong concierge service, and I’d argue a better look and feel than the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (or Reserve) as well as 3 complimentary upgrades to The Ritz-Carlton Club® Level each year valid on paid stays of up to seven nights and a $100 hotel credit toward dining, spa or other hotel recreational activities on paid stays of two nights or longer.
But the bonus, elite status, $100 airfare credit when buying tickets for two people, $300 airline fee credit, and relative ease getting approved for the card make this a really compelling offer.
Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card
No snarky comments yet? You guys are getting slow! 😉
Gary, I’m a frequent reader, very infrequent poster. I’ve noticed you’ve had quite a number of recent posts about the ritz carlton visa in the past week. I’m not sure if there have been significant changes recently (I know changes were made a few months ago), but if there have not been, it’s a bit much.
“$100 airfare discount The biggest benefit that’s bundled with the card as a Visa Infinite is the $100 airfare credit when buying tickets through their portal (which limited you to United, Delta, and American) for two to five passengers”
You can add in Alaska, Jetblue, Virgin America and Sun Country.
Is there, by chance, a SIXTH thing that makes it important specifically to you, Gary? You seem to mention the card quite a bit.
This article sucks, Gary, and you know it. Not up to your standards.
Please get it the fuck off your website.
@Johnny Jimbo – enough with the language, it’s been this way in all of your comments, you can insult me all you want but if you keep up this tone and vocabulary I will ask you to leave. It’s not something that other readers should be subjected to.
@Truthiness – there have been! It’s now a Visa infinite with new benefits.
Gary – I think you should answer a question for your readers – Is your commission on this card higher than it is on other Chase cards? You owe us the answer, because you are really pushing this one too much
To be fair, truthiness, Gary hasn’t made a shill post about this card since last night.
@gary – that change happened over 2 months ago. . ., which I’m sure you covered at the time. Not sure how this change qualifies as “recently.”
Johnny,
Who gave you the right to dictate content on someone else’s blog?
Why not just go somewhere else or did I miss your election as Blog Czar of the internet?
@johnny jimbo – you sound like the Donald Trump of travel blog haters/trolls. If you don’t like Gary’s blogging: (1) stop reading (it’s a free country and no one is making you read his blog); and (2) go start your own travel blog. But you won’t start your own blog because you’re probably too lazy to come up with some original thoughts. Would love to see you prove me wrong.
I appreciate this post by Gary. I forgelot about the 10,000 points. So what if it’s a “commercial”, he discloses he gets compensation from it.
I don’t aporeviate Jimbo’s thread pollution. I am directing the blame to him, without any help from Gary.
If someone isn’t interested, I can’t understand why they would take the time to read it, let alone post a comment. Don’t you folks have better to do with your life? Do you write into CBS when they show commercials? It’s easier to skip this post than fast forward through a commercial.
My new Travel Journal :
http://stephenavae.com/my-travels/
Comments and criticisms are welcome………as are tips/advice
First of all Gary said this card was made better two months ago not today. I don’t mind his re mentioning these kind of posts because I get busy and may miss it or just forget about it. If not interested its easy enough to skip it. What I don’t understand is why Gary puts up with his blog haters. I personally would prefer he just block them so I don’t have to waste my time reading them.