One of the best cards out there is not available to apply to anymore. The Ritz-Carlton card is one of my favorite cards that I keep and have no plans to get rid of. You may not be able to apply for it anymore but you can get it through a product change. These are the reasons why I would product change the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold or Chase Marriott Boundless card to the Ritz-Carlton card. I think the Ritz-Carlton card is worth more than its $450 annual fee.

 

 

$300 Yearly Credit

The Ritz Carlton card gets a $300 yearly credit that can be used in the following ways:

• Checked baggage fees
• In-flight Wi-Fi
• Seat upgrades (This is how I use it – to upgrade to first class!)
• Daily or yearly lounge passes (I have done this with the United lounge)

 

These aren’t automatic credits though. You have to send a secure message to Chase with proof of your purchase. It is easy to do though.

 

 

Free Night Certificate

This is where the card shines in my opinion. The annual night certificate was just upgraded from a 50K certificate to an 85K certificate. Previously, before Marriott got rid of their award chart, I could stay in the Wailea Beach Resort or a Ritz Carlton with a 50K certificate but that changed. Now that they have upgraded the certificate to an 85K one, I can stay there again. I can also add 15K in points to “top-off” the certificate. This makes it easy for me to stay at a $700+/night hotel once again.  This is the main reason this card is a no-brainer to me. My husband has one too so that means two nights at a really nice hotel a year.

 

Great Priority Pass Access

Several cards offer Priority Pass airport lounge access. Most do not include the ability to use them at a Priority Pass airport restaurant. The only ones that do are Capital One and Ritz Carlton. You can get $28 off your bill and you can bring a guest – that is $56 in food and beverages every time you go to one. That can add up quickly! Even better, you can get unlimited free authorized users on the card. So if your husband is an authorized user on the card, he and a guest (or your two children) eat free too! that is a $112 savings. You can even use it at multiple restaurants during the same connection if there’s more than one participating restaurant in the airport.

 

How to Product Change

It has to be one year since you got a Marriott card before you can do a product change. You can secure message Chase to do the product change or call them. You do need to have $10,000 in credit for the Ritz-Carlton card but you can always move around limits between other cards to ensure this. Note: this does not change your 5/24 status as it is not a new application but a product change.

 

Bottom Line

If you are bummed that you can’t stay at your favorite Marriott luxury hotel with your free night certificates anymore, you might want to consider a product change to the Ritz-Carlton card. I eat at a Priority Pass restaurant at least three times a year with a companion, which saves me $168. My hotel stay is worth at least $700. Add in the $300 travel credit and I have $1168 value on this card. Heck yes, I’ll pay $450 for it! And did I mention that it has excellent travel protection too?