Aug 11, 2016, 1:33 pm
Last edit by: RedSun
Ritz-Carlton Rewards Visa Infinite (closed to new applications)
All card offers are dead as of 7/26/18.
Information still available on the Chase SITE.
The previous version of this card was discussed HERE.
(Expired) New Card Bonus ($4,000 spending): Two free night certificates good at any Ritz Carlton (Marriott) properties up to 60,000 points (possible to book any SPG properties later)
(old: at any tier 1-4 Ritz Carlton Hotel after $4k spend).
current offer (dead): https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/rit...n/naepredirect
Things qualifying/not qualifying under $300 annual travel credit
one member wrote: AA is now showing gift cards as "giftcard" rather than general purchase if the csr looks closely. Last year it worked for me, yesterday it did not and csr told me that's why. However, later the same day I also requested the credit by Secure Message (for "baggage fees) and it was approved. Very YMMV now but still doable. 2/10/2017
Southwest Airlines GCs work fairly easily. I've generally bought them for $150 and said they're excess baggage fees.
Frequent Miler has a collection of data points of what has worked in the past. Link
All card offers are dead as of 7/26/18.
Information still available on the Chase SITE.
The previous version of this card was discussed HERE.
(Expired) New Card Bonus ($4,000 spending): Two free night certificates good at any Ritz Carlton (Marriott) properties up to 60,000 points (possible to book any SPG properties later)
(old: at any tier 1-4 Ritz Carlton Hotel after $4k spend).
current offer (dead): https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/rit...n/naepredirect
- Annual fee of $450 NOT waived.
- 6 points per dollar at Marriott properties, including SPGs and Ritz-Carltons. (same as all Chase & AmEx Marriott cards)
- 3 points per dollar at restaurants, car rental companies and airline tickets purchased directly from airlines
- 2 points per dollar on all other purchases (same as all Chase & AmEx Marriott cards)
- Annual (anniversary) free night award good at any Marriott (including Ritz) property up to 50,000 MRs.
- Automatic Marriott Gold Status.
- Marriott Platinum Status after $75,000 card spending in a card-member year.
$100 companion airfare discount booked through Visa Infinite website.- $100 statement credit for Global Entry after the Global Entry program application fee is charged to an eligible card.
- $300 Annual (calendar) Travel Credit "Only the following types of non-ticket purchases qualify for this offer: airline lounge day pass, or towards a yearly lounge membership of your choice; airline seat upgrades; airline baggage fees; in-flight Internet/entertainment; in-flight meals."
- Three (3) Ritz Carlton Club Level upgrade certificates each year for up to 7 nights each stay. The stays must be paid stays, excluding point redemption and award night.
- Troon Rewards and PRIVÉ ACCESS golf benefits
- $100 credit for qualifying dining, spa or other hotel recreational activities. Use the credit with any paid stay at The Ritz-Carlton of two nights or more OR get a $100 hotel credit per stay at all Marriott luxury properties. Advance reservations are required. Valid only on non-discounted rates. Cannot be combined with any packages, discounts, negotiated corporate or group rates or point-redemption bookings.
Things qualifying/not qualifying under $300 annual travel credit
one member wrote: AA is now showing gift cards as "giftcard" rather than general purchase if the csr looks closely. Last year it worked for me, yesterday it did not and csr told me that's why. However, later the same day I also requested the credit by Secure Message (for "baggage fees) and it was approved. Very YMMV now but still doable. 2/10/2017
Southwest Airlines GCs work fairly easily. I've generally bought them for $150 and said they're excess baggage fees.
Frequent Miler has a collection of data points of what has worked in the past. Link
Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite - closed for applications 7.26.2018 (2016-2021)
Sep 11, 2020, 12:55 pm
#3721
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Sep 11, 2020, 4:23 pm
#3723
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Chase announced $550, awarded $100 credits to offset the increase for awhile, and by August went back to billing at $450. No doubt they would like to bill $550 next year, but because they blinked I don't think they will be able to implement it until leisure travel is again fashionable.
Sep 11, 2020, 7:00 pm
#3724
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Los Angeles, CA; Philadelphia, PA
Programs: OZ Diamond
Posts: 6,140
You present a great analysis and I agree with what you are saying. For me, it's simple. The Ritz card allows me to get great travel protections and awesome customer service, with Unlimited Authorized Users with Priority Pass through Chase. I've never had to use their 6 hour trip delay insurance, but it's nice to have. It's also $100 cheaper than the CSR so it allows me to downgrade my CSR and save money. If you can use the travel credit and the free night, you are already even or ahead. The CSR became more complicated when they raised the annual fee.
As you said, it is clearly YMMV. Personally, these are the cards I value most in no particular order.
1. RITZ CARD
2. AMEX PLATINUM---SAME PRICE AS THE CSR BUT THE CREDITS ARE EASIER FOR ME TO USE AND BENEFITS ARE BETTER
3. AMEX HILTON ASPIRE---IF ONE IS ABLE TO UTILIZE ALL THE BENEFITS, IT IS EASY TO COME OUT WAY AHEAD
As you said, it is clearly YMMV. Personally, these are the cards I value most in no particular order.
1. RITZ CARD
2. AMEX PLATINUM---SAME PRICE AS THE CSR BUT THE CREDITS ARE EASIER FOR ME TO USE AND BENEFITS ARE BETTER
3. AMEX HILTON ASPIRE---IF ONE IS ABLE TO UTILIZE ALL THE BENEFITS, IT IS EASY TO COME OUT WAY AHEAD
LAX
Sep 11, 2020, 11:06 pm
#3725
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,317
Bolded is a very important difference between the RC card & Brilliant card. That plus the lack of restaurant benefits via PP and no primary rental coverage make the Brilliant card less attractive. I don't have either and am trying to decide which one to get (that's why I am keep tabs on this thread). I might ultimately just get the Brilliant to try out since I will be eligible for a SUB in the near future.
LAX
LAX
Sep 12, 2020, 8:33 am
#3727
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,857
Chase announced $550, awarded $100 credits to offset the increase for awhile, and by August went back to billing at $450. No doubt they would like to bill $550 next year, but because they blinked I don't think they will be able to implement it until leisure travel is again fashionable.
Sep 12, 2020, 8:44 am
#3728
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,794
I’m not going to quote the OP due to size. But it is an interesting discussion. I claimed that I didn’t give a F about the Visa Infinite discount which is fair. I’ve never used it even back when it worked.
I’d also dispute the need to stay at Ritz properties to get value out of this card. Every single one of my club UG certs has expired unused since I got this card. Paying $150 year net for a 50k cert (new, and usable at any Starriott prop), plus the best AU and Priority Pass policy on the market.... yeah Chase is going to have to pry this card from my cold dead hands.
I’d also dispute the need to stay at Ritz properties to get value out of this card. Every single one of my club UG certs has expired unused since I got this card. Paying $150 year net for a 50k cert (new, and usable at any Starriott prop), plus the best AU and Priority Pass policy on the market.... yeah Chase is going to have to pry this card from my cold dead hands.
Sep 12, 2020, 12:11 pm
#3729
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,317
I’m not going to quote the OP due to size. But it is an interesting discussion. I claimed that I didn’t give a F about the Visa Infinite discount which is fair. I’ve never used it even back when it worked.
I’d also dispute the need to stay at Ritz properties to get value out of this card. Every single one of my club UG certs has expired unused since I got this card. Paying $150 year net for a 50k cert (new, and usable at any Starriott prop), plus the best AU and Priority Pass policy on the market.... yeah Chase is going to have to pry this card from my cold dead hands.
I’d also dispute the need to stay at Ritz properties to get value out of this card. Every single one of my club UG certs has expired unused since I got this card. Paying $150 year net for a 50k cert (new, and usable at any Starriott prop), plus the best AU and Priority Pass policy on the market.... yeah Chase is going to have to pry this card from my cold dead hands.
But I will amend my comment - either one stay's at a Ritz alot or one values the ability for more AU and the priority pass benefits highly.
For me, I don't need additional Priority Pass as the Hilton Aspire is so rewarding (negative net cost plus Hilton Diamond) that both my wife and I have one, and the lack of airport dining credit on that one doesn't bother us ( for my travels, the restaurants for the most part are ones I don't care to eat at, and a free drink is available in the lounges). But if we didn't have that card and had kids who travelled without us, I'd raise the value I put on the card.
For an AA flyer, the CitiExecutive card has also almost unlimited AUs, and they each are entitled to Admiral's Club priveleges. As least in my home airport, for an AA flyer, it's better than the Priority Pass options. I value Priority Pass mostly in small cities in Europe where there isn't a J lounge that I'm entitled to.
Sep 12, 2020, 3:36 pm
#3730
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,794
Sep 12, 2020, 4:01 pm
#3731
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,065
For an AA flyer, the CitiExecutive card has also almost unlimited AUs, and they each are entitled to Admiral's Club priveleges. As least in my home airport, for an AA flyer, it's better than the Priority Pass options. I value Priority Pass mostly in small cities in Europe where there isn't a J lounge that I'm entitled to.
Sep 12, 2020, 4:11 pm
#3732
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL PM; IHG PlatAmb; Hilton Dia; Marriott Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,323
Sep 12, 2020, 4:33 pm
#3733
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,065
I should clarify. The CSR's $300 travel credit much easier to use, but that still leaves a gap of $150 or $250 (depending on whether the annual fee is $450 or $550) to make up by trying to utilize Door Dash, Lyft Pink, spend multipliers and transfer partners.
In my personal situation, under normal circumstances, I normally take a roundtrip Lyft or Uber ride at least once per month, so even though the Uber credit is spread out over 12 months, I value it at close to 100%. I typically fly Delta or Southwest and am able to designate my $200 airline credit for either of those airlines to also get close to 100% in value. The $100 Saks credit I value at 50%, since prices are higher and I wouldn't normally shop there.
The Amex Platinum has an effective annual fee of $100. It also helps that I tend to fly Delta a lot, under normal circumstances, so having Sky Club access is nice.
Before they added the free night to the Ritz card, it was never on my radar, since I never used the Infinite Portal Airline Discount when it still worked. However, after they added the free night it became much easier to justify the card. If you can use the travel credit effectively and the free night, you don't really need to spend a lot on the card to come out ahead, and I would say the same thing about the Amex Platinum and Hilton Aspire.
The CSR, on the other hand, would require me to put a lot of spend on the card to justify the benefits. If Chase wanted to make things interesting, they could leverage their partnership with United and give cardholders United Club access when flying United, much like Amex already does with Delta.
With any premium credit card, it's all a numbers game and huge YMMV.
In my personal situation, under normal circumstances, I normally take a roundtrip Lyft or Uber ride at least once per month, so even though the Uber credit is spread out over 12 months, I value it at close to 100%. I typically fly Delta or Southwest and am able to designate my $200 airline credit for either of those airlines to also get close to 100% in value. The $100 Saks credit I value at 50%, since prices are higher and I wouldn't normally shop there.
The Amex Platinum has an effective annual fee of $100. It also helps that I tend to fly Delta a lot, under normal circumstances, so having Sky Club access is nice.
Before they added the free night to the Ritz card, it was never on my radar, since I never used the Infinite Portal Airline Discount when it still worked. However, after they added the free night it became much easier to justify the card. If you can use the travel credit effectively and the free night, you don't really need to spend a lot on the card to come out ahead, and I would say the same thing about the Amex Platinum and Hilton Aspire.
The CSR, on the other hand, would require me to put a lot of spend on the card to justify the benefits. If Chase wanted to make things interesting, they could leverage their partnership with United and give cardholders United Club access when flying United, much like Amex already does with Delta.
With any premium credit card, it's all a numbers game and huge YMMV.
Last edited by diesteldorf; Sep 12, 2020 at 4:47 pm
Sep 12, 2020, 4:38 pm
#3734
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,065
Understood. The Ritz is one of the best premium travel cards out there, when travel resumes and definitely provides enough value to justify the cost. I only wish I was one of those that got it at the beginning and was paying the $395 annual fee.
Last edited by diesteldorf; Sep 12, 2020 at 4:43 pm
Sep 15, 2020, 1:42 pm
#3735
Join Date: Jul 2005
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Starwood Platinum, AA, SW, Delta
Posts: 885
Thanks to everyone informing me about the $ 150 statement credit offer. I called tonight and asked if there were any offers since I was considering cancelling the Ritz card. I was offered the $ 150 credit which was accepted.
i also received a grocery credit for using online grocery via Amazon.
i also received a grocery credit for using online grocery via Amazon.