Is the The Ritz-Carlton Credit Card worth $450/yr?
The honest math on the The Ritz-Carlton Credit Card: which credits you'd actually use, what its points earn beyond a plain 2% card, and what its protections would cost to buy — against the $450 annual fee.
Chase · $450 annual fee · earns Marriott Bonvoy points
Closed to new applicants.
Earning rates
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- 3x Dining worldwide
- 3x Scheduled airline flights (direct)
- 3x Select car rental companies
- 2x Everything else
Statement credits (3)
- $300 Annual Travel Credit — $300 per calendar year in statement credits for airline incidentals — lounge day passes/memberships, seat upgrades, baggage fees, and in-flight wifi/entertainment/meals.
- $100 Ritz-Carlton / St. Regis Property Credit — $100 credit per booking (2-night minimum) toward on-property dining, spa, and recreational activities at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis.
- Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Credit — $120 Global Entry application-fee credit every 4 years (~$30/yr), or TSA PreCheck instead.
Certificates (1)
- Free Night Award (up to 85,000 points) — One free night each account anniversary at a Marriott property with a redemption level up to 85,000 points.
Protections and perks (18)
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status — Automatic Gold Elite status every calendar year — 25% bonus points on stays, 2pm late checkout, and enhanced room upgrades when available.
- Platinum Elite Status after $75,000 Spend — Spend $75,000 on the card in a calendar year and get Marriott Platinum Elite status — 50% bonus points and guaranteed 4pm late checkout.
- Elite Night Credits — 15 elite night credits every calendar year toward higher Marriott Bonvoy status.
- Ritz-Carlton Club Level Upgrade Certificates — Three certificates a year to upgrade a qualifying paid stay (up to 7 nights, 2 guests per room) to Ritz-Carlton Club Level.
- Airport Lounge Access — Priority Pass Select plus Chase Sapphire Lounges by The Club — both admit 2 guests free per visit.
- Primary Rental Car Coverage — Primary collision/damage coverage on rentals paid with the card — decline the counter CDW.
- Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance — Up to $10,000 per person ($20,000 per trip) for prepaid, non-refundable travel cancelled or interrupted for a covered reason.
- Trip Delay Reimbursement — Up to $500 per covered traveler for meals and lodging when common-carrier travel is delayed more than 6 hours or overnight.
- Baggage Delay Insurance — Up to $100 a day (up to 5 days) for essentials when checked bags are delayed over 6 hours.
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement — Up to $3,000 per covered traveler for checked or carry-on bags lost, damaged, or stolen.
- Travel Accident Insurance — Up to $1,000,000 in accidental death or dismemberment coverage when common-carrier fare is paid with the card.
- Purchase Protection — New purchases covered 120 days against damage or theft, up to $10,000 per item.
- Extended Warranty — Adds a year to eligible US manufacturer warranties of 3 years or less.
- Return Protection — If a merchant won't take an eligible item back within 90 days, get a refund of the purchase price, up to $500 per item.
- Roadside Assistance — Towing, tire change, battery jump-start, fuel delivery, lockout, and winching — no membership or enrollment needed.
- Emergency Medical and Dental — Up to $2,500 for emergency medical and dental expenses on covered trips far from home ($50 deductible).
- Emergency Evacuation and Transportation — Up to $100,000 for medical evacuation on covered trips far from home.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees — No surcharge on purchases abroad.
Recent changes to this card's data
2026-08-27 — The Ritz-Carlton Credit Card (new card)
- Fee $450, earning 6x Marriott / 3x dining+select car rentals+direct airline / 2x everything else. Source: https://marriott.chase.com/ritz-carlton
- Free Night Award, up to 85,000 points, top-off raised to 25,000 points (from 15,000) portfolio-wide in March 2026. Source: https://marriott.chase.com/ritz-carlton/benefits, https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/reviews/the-ritz-carlton-credit-card/
- $300 Annual Travel Credit for airline incidentals — not automatic, requires calling in eligible charges; calendar-year basis. Shares the
airline-incidentals sharedKey (overlap: "stacks"). Source: https://awardwallet.com/credit-cards/marriott-bonvoy/ritz-carlton-annual-travel-credit/ - Automatic Marriott Bonvoy **Gold** Elite status (not Platinum — corrects a common misconception; Platinum requires $75,000/yr card spend), plus 15 Elite Night Credits/yr. Source: https://marriott.chase.com/ritz-carlton/benefits, https://frequentmiler.com/ritz/
- Three annual Ritz-Carlton Club Level Upgrade Certificates. Source: https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/reviews/the-ritz-carlton-credit-card/
- $100 Ritz-Carlton/St. Regis property credit per qualifying 2+ night booking, uncapped annually. Source: https://marriott.chase.com/ritz-carlton/benefits
- $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every 4 years. Source: https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/reviews/the-ritz-carlton-credit-card/
- Priority Pass Select + Chase Sapphire Lounges by The Club, 2 guests free per visit each ($27/extra guest, tightened from unlimited guests effective Jan 15, 2026). Source: https://awardwallet.com/credit-cards/marriott-bonvoy/ritz-carlton-card/
- Primary rental CDW up to $75,000; trip cancellation/interruption up to $10,000/person, $20,000/trip, $40,000/12mo/account; trip delay $500 after 6+ hour delay/overnight; baggage delay $100/day x5; lost luggage $3,000; travel accident $1,000,000 (common carrier); purchase protection $10,000/item, $50,000/yr; extended warranty $10,000/item, $50,000/account; return protection $500/item, $1,000/12mo; roadside assistance $50 x4/yr; emergency medical/dental $2,500; emergency evacuation $100,000; no foreign transaction fees. Source: JPMorgan Visa Infinite Guide to Benefits PDF (BGC11382_v2, effective 10/01/24), cross-checked against https://upgradedpoints.com/news/ritz-carlton-card-benefits-not-changing/ and https://marriott.chase.com/ritz-carlton/benefits
- Omitted as network-generic (matches sibling Visa Infinite cards in this dataset): Avis Preferred Plus / National Emerald Club Executive rental car status.
Card data verified against Chase on 2026-08-27.
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