How far out did you try to book them? I was able to book the Maui Ritz for 7 days by calling them 9 months in advance.

Another little know benefit by having the card is that you can upgrade to a suite for $10/day.

"sbc94523 Another little know benefit by having the card is that you can upgrade to a suite for $10/day. "


Hmm. True, but you need to book this through them, right? So price will probably be inflated?

Thanks for the heads up on the Ritz availability issue... Got on the ball and just booked 3 free nights at the SF Ritz in July 2005. I can't believe parking is $50 per night there! Now to figure out where to spend my other two free nights before the year-end (for some reason, Merrill sent me 4 Certificates when I hit +3 Status).... any suggestions?

I've had this card for a while now. I thought it was going to be awesome, but availability for the Ritz has been a problem and the flights are on their preferred carriers. Meaning of preferred is usually the lowest price in the market. So if you want to go nonstop instead of connecting which is usually cheaper, you have to use an additional 5,000 miles. Thus, it costs 25,000 to 30,000 for a free ticket rather than 20,000 (once a year) or 25,000. So I've switched away from this as a primary card to SPG Amex.

np

Are there any specifics on the rules/restrictions of the Ritz certs? Or do you just call them and they say "no", a la those commercials?

In general, my wife and I avoid traveling to cities when there is peak hotel demand unless we are specifically attending the event that is causing all of the demand. We like visiting popular destinations at off-peak times - mainly to avoid the tourist throngs, but also because it's easier to get travel awards if we want 'em. So if using these free Ritz-nights is simply on-par (in terms of difficulty) with redeeming Marriott points for the same room, I'd probably be OK with it.

The terms say that you cnan only use one free night at a time. Is this not enforced?

I think...errr...I hope that verbiage means that you are allowed to use multiple certificates in sequence. e.g., 3 certs, 1 room for 3 successive nights at 1 Ritz on the same reservation number.

Do your $20k/$50k counters reset on the calendar year, or on the anniversary date of card activation? If I were to apply for the card now, would I have one year to hit the level, or really about ten months?

Do the Ritz certs have an expiration date on them? (Sounds like they do.) If so, is it a set number of months from the date they were issued, or is it always a fixed date? e.g., I earn one in 2005, it expires Dec 31, 2006 no matter when I earned it. Are the certificates transferrable? Not that I'd hawk them on eBay, but could I donate them to charity if I so chose?

The Ritz Certs can be used for consecutive nights or broken up. Each Cert is good for one night and can be used however you like whether consecutively or at different hotels. For the next question that I am sure you guys are wondering and I'll get straight to the point: you can't sell it on eBay because it requires you to use your Merrill Visa at check-in to be held for deposit/incidentals. Also the Certs have a big "Merrill+" written on it. Beside the fact that it states the certs are void if sold, I guess it would work for another person with a Merrill+ Visa, but that cuts down significantly on the qualified bidders which would reduce your auction price.

To answer the question about point accumulation, the points are based on a CALENDAR year and resets on January 1. So basically if you signed up for the card now, you would have until 12/31/2005 to have your points count towards +2 or +3 status.

The Certs earned last calendar year are good until 12/31/2005. I'm pretty sure the Certs earned during 2005 will be good until 12/31/2006... can't confirm this since I haven't earned 20k points yet in 2005, but very close to it.

When I looked into this, a standard room Las Vegas Ritz was going for $189/night (suite $349) from website. I then call the 800 number and was offered a suite for $199 using the ML card.

I actually think the status match has a lot of value. Typically when an airline status matches its a one time deal. If, and its a big if, I can status match my NWA Plat to AA every year with the Merrill+ card, I find it to be a huge benefit. I always wanted to check out the CX lounge in HKG!

I too am +3 and am a little frustrated with the Ritz certs. I had a trip to London all planned out and low and behold Ritz London is not participating. Milan? No dice. Half Moon Bay for a weekend getaway? No.

Oh well. Still a great free CC though.

Wow thanks. I have fond feelings for this card anyway, its my first ever cc Hoping I'll have a chance to make +3 soon.

This card is free and has so many benefits, like the 1m travel insurance. :>

Is there a published, well-defined list of the hotels that are participating? Major pet peeve of mine: when hotel chains allow certain properties to opt out of various programs such as this. But...if the list is known up front, I guess it's a lesser peeve.

Mistake.