Without any notice, the JPMorgan Ritz-Carlton Card has killed its most valuable benefit, $100 off when you purchase at least 2 round-trip flights.
Previously Ritz cardholders were able to get unlimited $100 discounts, for example they were able to book 2 round-trip tickets from Newark to Charlotte for $9.30 each:
It stinks when benefits are killed without notice, but clearly this one was costing too much.
The card has a $450 annual fee, is it worth keeping? Even with this devaluation it’s a stronger offering than the $450/year Marriott Brilliant AMEX.
- Both cards get an annual free night anniversary certificate valid at hotels that cost up to 50K points, such as the awesome Ritz-Carlton Herzliya.
- Both cards come with Gold status and the ability to earn Platinum with $75K in annual spending.
- Both cards come with a Global Entry/Pre-Check refund every 4 years.
- The Ritz card offers Priority Pass membership with unlimited free guests and it works at Priority Pass restaurants that offer credit for each visitor. The Brilliant card only offers 2 free guests and it won’t work at Priority Pass restaurants.
- The Ritz card offers no-fee secondary cardholders their own free Priority Pass membership with unlimited free guests, while the Brilliant card does not.
- The Ritz card gets a $300 annual airline fee credit, and its quite generous about what counts, though its not nearly as generous as the Sapphire Reserve travel credit. You can even get credited from the $300 benefit over 2 different calendar years on one purchase. The Brilliant card gets a $300 Marriott credit.
- The Ritz card earns 3 points per dollar on dining, car rentals, and airfare, while the Brilliant card only earns 3 points per dollar on US dining and US airfare.
- The Ritz card comes with primary car rental CDW insurance, while the Brilliant card only offers secondary coverage.
Want the card? You can’t apply for it directly. However the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Consumer Card is currently offering 100,000 bonus points for spending $5,000 in 3 months. You can read all about the offer here.
One lessor known “benefit” of the card is that it gives you the ability to get the discontinued JPMorgan Ritz-Carlton Card.
While you can’t apply for the JPMorgan Ritz-Carlton Card, you can convert Chase Marriott consumer cards to it. Officially you need to have the Chase Marriott card for 12 months before you can convert, but some reps will process the conversion sooner.
Is that worth the $450 per year?
If you’ll maximize the $300 airline fee credit and use the 50K anniversary night, you’ll probably find it worthwhile. But without the card’s best benefit most of the value is gone. The real question is how long the Priority Pass free unlimited guest and free authorized user benefits survive.
Will you keep or close your Ritz card?
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36 Comments On "JPMorgan Ritz-Carlton Card Kills $100 Flight Discount Benefit, Does It Make Sense To Keep Or Still Get The Card?"
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ouch!
Still a money maker though.
Never knew you could get RT tickets for even $59, muchless $9!
One of those benefits that if I featured too prominently I’d take the blame for killing it. But it’s been mentioned before. And I’m happy not to be taking the blame for its demise.
The $59 deal was posted here and is still alive though: https://www.dansdeals.com/airfare-deals/domestic-flights/aa-united-fly-nonstop-newark-charlotte-29-1-9k-chase-points-way/
I don’t recall you ever posting about this benefit, in the last couple of years at least.
Did you?
Yes. Off the top of my head, here:
https://www.dansdeals.com/credit-cards/roundup-benefits-upcoming-changes-6-amex-chase-marriott-starwood-cards/
But there are more.
Wow !
You have to be a real maven duvor metoich duvor to consider that a post of the benefit
Like I said above, catch-22 situation.
I’ve been sitting on a post featuring the benefit at length, but was always too nervous to publish as I felt it was something that would damage the benefit in short order.
It’s also been discussed on DDF for those looking for more in-depth coverage.
how about you put out the post now just to see how it worked
Wasn’t any great trick. It was $100 off 2 tickets, as the screenshot above shows.
Wow! Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this back door to the Ritz card, is it the first time you wrote about it? I try to read all posts…
It’s always been possible to convert between cards in the same family.
You can also still convert to the Marriott consumer AMEX from the Brilliant card.
To me the PPS with restaurant on authorized user cards are the true value. If this is gone someday, I wish existing AU keeps their PPS. Even otherwise this card is still better than Sapphire Reserve.
How is this applied? Never seen this in my account or did I just get 50k points added to my account. Thanks for any info.
Both cards get an annual free night anniversary certificate valid at hotels that cost up to 50K points, such as the awesome Ritz-Carlton Herzliya.
You can see your free night certificates here:
https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/myAccount/activity.mi
“You can even get credited from the $300 benefit over 2 different calendar years on one purchase”
What does this mean?
For example, a $600 upgrade fee charged in December 2019 is able to be reimbursed with both 2019 and 2020 credit by calling in 2020.
Ah
They refused to let me use 2020 credit for a charge that the remaining 2019 credit was not enough to cover.
I’m wondering if JPMorgan Chase’s ridiculously high most recent quarterly and yearly earnings, have gone to their head and figured they control such a large part of the Consumer Credit Card Market. Although dropping valuable benefits would seem counterintuitive, the annual fee to benefits ratio seems to be widening.
Chase has no incentive to keep consumers of this card happy, As it is not accepting sign-ups anymore so they don’t view it as a successful part of their portfolio and long term strategy
you are forgetting a big benefit that only this card (plus csr) have: best-in-class travel insurance
if you have the sapphire reserve it doesn’t seem like there is any reason to keep this card now.
the free night and travel credit alone are easily worth more than $450
let alone the unlimited guest PP even at restaurants
hi any way to go from amex business Marriott bonvoy to the ritz card?
No.
ok thanks can i open The Chase Marriott Premier Plus card if i have amex business Marriott? ?
Are you sure that the card still permits unlimited guests at Priority Pass restaurants? I have heard contrary information. Also the card has three Ritz-Carlton Club upgrade certificates.
Yes.
I’ve had the card 2 years and did not know about this benefit and didn’t see it discussed in the formuns either..
Is this the best card for free AU’s getting priority pass, or is there a better/non hotel card that also offers pp for free AU’s?
Ritz cc claimed that visa infinite cancelled the benefit , without notice to them
Worth it to keep just to own the heaviest card:)
only problem is, its not the heaviest
It is one gram less than the JP Morgan Reserve which most people dont have access to…
SLIGHT correction. If you look, VISA killed the benefit, so it trickled down to Chase.
I’ve had the Brilliant for less than a year. If i get someone at chase to switch me to the Ritz Card do you think it will reset when i receive the free anniversary night?