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The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card has become something of an open secret among award travel diehards. You can’t apply for it outright anymore, but anyone holding another Marriott-branded Chase card can still acquire this premium product through a simple product change. Do that, and you unlock a bundle of perks that often rival flashier, better‑publicized cards.
The headline benefit is the Ritz-Carlton annual $300 travel credit. On paper, it looks modest compared with the straightforward credits on other premium cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees). Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll see plenty of documented success stories where cardholders stretch that credit far beyond the narrow uses Chase lists in the terms.
Let’s take a look at how the credit actually works.
Page Contents
Benefits of the Ritz-Carlton Card
- Annual Free Night Award worth up to a maximum value of 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Points. You can add up to 15,000 additional Bonvoy points to any free night award.
- $300 annual travel credit to use for baggage fees, seat upgrades, airport lounge memberships, and more.
- $100 hotel credit toward dining, spa, or other hotel recreational activities on paid stays of two nights or longer at Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties.
- Three upgrades to The Ritz-Carlton Club level annually on paid stays of up to seven nights.
- Complimentary annual Priority Pass Select membership with access to over 1,700 airport lounges worldwide, with unlimited guest access.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and 15 Elite Night Credits per year to help you progress to higher levels of Marriott Bonvoy status. Plus, you can spend your way to Platinum Elite status by making $75,000 of annual purchases on your card.
- A $100 statement credit when you use your card to pay a Global Entry application fee every four years. This comes with TSA PreCheck privileges.
- Primary auto rental insurance, trip delay/cancellation/interruption insurance, and many other travel protection benefits.
- $450 annual fee.
Related: The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card Review: Bonvoy's Best-Kept Secret
Ritz-Carlton Card Travel Credit
The annual $300 travel credit from the Ritz-Carlton Card is comparable to annual travel credits from other credit cards. Unfortunately, the uses of the Ritz-Carlton Card travel credit are more restrictive, according to Chase's terms and conditions.
Chase lists the following as qualifying purchases:
- Airline lounge day pass
- Yearly lounge membership of your choice
- Airline seat upgrades
- Airline baggage fees
- In-flight internet/entertainment
- In-flight meals
What has unofficially qualified
Despite Chase clearly outlining what the $300 travel credit covers, what counts toward the credit is actually highly subjective. That's because, unlike with similar cards that use an automated system to apply the credit, Chase representatives manually approve which purchases qualify for the Ritz-Carlton Card credit. Because there's a human element, some employees may be more generous than others in what they will accept as a use of your travel credit.
Taxes and fees on airline award redemptions and even lower-cost airfare have qualified for the travel credit in the past. Airfare remaining after using a voucher or gift card has also been reported to qualify. I have personally used it for upgrades to premium economy, award fees on several bookings, and even a domestic flight on United.
How to use the Ritz-Carlton Card travel credit
As mentioned above, the Ritz-Carlton Card travel credit doesn't apply automatically. After eligible purchases post to your account, you'll need to call the number on the back of your card or send a secure message to Chase after logging into your account online. Specify the charge you'd like to cover with your travel credit.
I have had success with both methods of applying the credit. One time, I even asked the customer service representative to look at my statement and see if I had any qualifying purchases, which she did. Usually, however, they will ask you which charges you'd like to apply the credit to.
Your credit should hit the account in about five to seven business days and show up on your statement within the next one or two billing cycles. It's also important to note that purchases made by authorized users count toward the credit, but only the primary cardholder can request it.
Timing of the Ritz-Carlton Card travel credit
It's worth noting that the $300 annual travel credit that comes with the Ritz-Carlton Card follows the calendar year and not your cardmember year. That means even if your card anniversary is in June, your annual travel credit will reset in January.
And it's a use it or lose it benefit. According to Chase's terms and conditions:
“For example, if you pay baggage fees at the end of 2018, and the airline does not post the transaction until 2019, the cost of the baggage fees will be allocated towards your 2019 calendar year maximum of $300.“
Related: Don’t Leave Money on the Table — Use These Credit Card Statement Credits This Year
Final Thoughts
The Ritz-Carlton Card is closed to new applications, so it often flies under the radar. However, anyone with a Chase card that earns Marriott Bonvoy points can still convert to it, unlocking the richest perks in the lineup, even though it carries the highest annual fee.
Yes, the Ritz‑Carlton travel credit has its rules, but it remains a powerful benefit. When you maximize it, you can recoup hundreds of dollars each year, making the Ritz-Carlton Card well worth the $450 annual fee.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
“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.”
Chase classes qualifying purchases as:
Airline lounge passes
Baggage fees
In-flight entertainment & Wi-Fi
In-flight meals
Seat upgrades
Airline lounge day pass
Yearly lounge membership of your choice
Global Entry fees
Global Entry fees is not in the qualification list.
Please explain. Thank you.
Thanks for pointing that out. It was added in error last year by a now-former editor. I fixed the list to match what Chase lists in the terms and conditions.
The Visa Discount Air Benefit of $100 on 2+ tickets is no longer available as of 12/31/2019.
see https://usa.visa.com/pay-with-visa/cards/visa-credit-cards/discount-air.html which will give you this message.
“Effective 12/31/2019, your Visa card no longer offers the Visa Discount Air Benefit. Air itineraries booked via the Visa Discount Air Benefit prior to 12/31/2019 will still be honored and valid for travel.”
Thanks! Fixed it.
Anyone have luck with credit for inflight duty free purchases?
Are airport hotel covered with the 300 travel credit? Thanks
No.
Can i use the $300 travel credit for rental car charges or does it has to be only charges regarding air travel?
The Ritz card does not cover rental car or air travel charges, but rather a subset of incidental expenses associated with air travel.
Thank you!
I was looking to apply for this card and saw it’s only two complimentary nights now. Any idea that they going to brings the sign up bonus points instead of the free 2 nights? How often does Chase changes those sign up bonus? Thanks!
Bonuses change when credit card issuers decide to make the change. The perks/bonuses associated with any credit card cost the issuer some amount of money — they make adjustments when appropriate for their business.
That explains. Thank you!
Was looking at this card because someone else mentioned that Chase was cutting the bonus to two nights from three nights.
Anyway, two questions.
What’s the best RC you can realistically use the bonus at (that is, there is award space)?
does airfare count towards the $300 travel credit? the existing language makes the travel credit appear very restrictive and not worth the hassle (?)
John there are a ton of properties at which can redeem. Here are a few: https://awardwallet.com/blog/top-picks-marriott-free-night-certificates/
Airfare does not count towards the $300 travel credit. Still worth the hassle with all the other benefits on the card I’d say.
I am well aware that CC-Deals are mostly for us-based Members – but…Is there any Word about these Cards going to Europe too?
The likelihood of this happening is extremely low. The financial / credit markets are so vastly different everywhere outside of the US that I doubt we’d see anything like this in another country.
Last year my father in law went to Cuba back when charter flights were still prevalent and bags used to be ridiculously expensive. I went to the airport with him, paid $251 in baggage fees and proactively got a paper received from the charter. It was just a handwritten invoice. Sent the PDF via SM to Chase along with a request for refund and it posted a couple of days later. In this case being proactive and having the backup did the trick, even when the bag fees were outrageous.
I have had great experience with the $300 credit. I was able to get reimbursed almost any airline related charge. You just need to send a secure message to Chase.
The travel credit might be quite restrictive but the other benefits look really worthwhile if you stay with that chain much. Priority Pass is also worth having.
If Chase brings back the points sign-up bonus instead of the complimentary nights, I’ll probably get the card, but otherwise I’ll wait. If they do bring it back, I’ll apply, probably get 2 $300 credits and then axe the card because it’s not really worth keeping for 2 years imo.
when was the last time they offered complimentary nights?
Good info. Thanks for putting it in one place.
Hadn’t realized the travel credit was so restrictive. Since I spend very few dollar on seat upgrade or lounge access, it definitely limits this card’s ongoing value.