Ritz-Carlton Credit Card review: Full details

*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

Marriott is the world’s largest hotel brand, and it has an extensive family of credit cards across two issuers, Chase and American Express.

However, arguably its best card and one of the best travel rewards cards overall, the Ritz-Carlton Credit Card, is not available to new applicants. Despite that, there’s still a way you can get your hands on it.

This card has a steep annual fee of $450, but many benefits can help offset that cost.

To get this card, you must hold an eligible Chase Marriott credit card for at least 12 months. The recommended credit score for the Marriott-Chase family of cards is 670, but getting approved with a lower score is not uncommon.

Let’s jump into whether you should add the Ritz-Carlton card to your wallet.

The information for the Ritz-Carlton Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

It’s important to note that you won’t be eligible to open the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card if you’ve held the Ritz-Carlton card in the past 30 days. Before requesting a change to the Ritz-Carlton card, you might want to consider opening the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant.

As part of their credit card strategy, several TPG staffers carry both cards in their wallets.

Eligible cards that can be converted into the Ritz-Carlton card after 12 months of being a cardholder include the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card (see rates and fees), Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (see rates and fees) and Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® Credit Card. You must contact Chase to request a product change.

The information for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Since the Ritz-Carlton card is a Visa Infinite card, the Marriott credit card you are product changing from must have a minimum credit limit of at least $10,000. Best of all, since you’re not applying for a new card and instead doing a product change, you do not have to worry about Chase’s 5/24 rule or getting a hard pull on your credit report.

Related: Are you eligible for a new Marriott Bonvoy card? This chart tells you yes or no

• 15 elite night credits per year: You’ll receive 15 elite night credits every calendar year, making it easier to reach a higher elite status with Marriott Bonvoy.
• Annual free night award: You’ll receive an annual free night award each anniversary year, worth up to 85,000 points. According to TPG’s May 2025 valuations, 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points are worth $595, essentially covering the annual fee. The free night award can be topped up with an extra 15,000 Bonvoy points from your Marriott account. You can get exceptional value from these awards if you redeem them at luxury properties in Southeast Asia, like Malaysia’s The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi.
• Automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status: You’ll receive complimentary Gold Elite status. Perks include 25% bonus earnings, 2 p.m. late checkout (when available), room upgrades (based on availability) and a welcome gift upon arrival. You can fast-track your way to Platinum Elite status by spending $75,000 on the card on purchases annually.
• Ritz-Carlton club-level upgrade certificates: You’ll receive three certificates each calendar year for upgrades to club-level rooms. Each certificate is valid for a club-level upgrade on an eligible paid stay of up to seven nights. Not all Ritz-Carlton properties have a club level. Be sure to check the Ritz-Carlton website to see eligible properties.

These are decent benefits for a cobranded hotel credit card, but nothing spectacular. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant might be a better choice, as it provides Platinum Elite status and some elevated benefits, like 25 elite night credits and the ability to earn an Earned Choice Award each calendar year.

The Ritz-Carlton card also provides several travel-oriented perks that help reduce travel costs and make your vacations more enjoyable. These benefits include:

• $300 annual airline credit: You’ll receive an annual $300 airline credit. The credit is broadly defined and can be used on purchases like checked baggage fees, inflight Wi-Fi, seat upgrades and lounge access. This is not an automatic credit, and you must call the number on the back of your card and ask Chase to apply it to eligible purchases.
• Lounge access: You’ll get Priority Pass Select membership, which gives you unlimited access to more than 1,700 airport lounges worldwide. Unique to the card is the ability to bring unlimited guests to lounges. You’ll also have unlimited access to Chase Sapphire Lounges with unlimited guest privileges. Authorized users also receive a Priority Pass membership.
• TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit: You’ll receive a $120 statement credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fees every four years.
• Car rental status, upgrades and discounts: Since this is a Visa Infinite card, you’ll receive Avis Preferred Plus and National Emerald Club Executive status. This perk also provides discounts and upgrades when booking rental cars with Avis and National.

As a Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) cardholder, I find the Ritz-Carlton card’s lounge access, car rental elite status and TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit to be quite similar to what the Sapphire Reserve already offers.

The main difference is that the Sapphire Reserve provides a flexible $300 credit that can be used toward anything that codes as a travel purchase. This is a huge perk for me, as it allows me to use the credit on a variety of travel purchases.

Best of all, as a Visa Infinite card, the Ritz-Carlton card comes with the following travel protections:

• Primary car rental insurance: You’re eligible for primary collision insurance that provides reimbursement of up to $75,000 for theft and damage to rental cars in the U.S. and abroad.
• Lost luggage reimbursement: If you or an immediate family member check or carry on baggage that is damaged or lost by the airline, you’re covered for up to $3,000 per passenger.
• Trip delay reimbursement: If your common carrier travel is delayed more than six hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket.
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short due to illness, severe weather or other eligible covered situations, you can be reimbursed for up to $10,000 per person and up to $20,000 per trip for your eligible travel expenses.
• Baggage delay insurance: If your baggage is delayed over six hours, you can receive up to $100 a day for up to five days for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing.

Additional benefits for you include access to J.P. Morgan Premier Concierge, no foreign transaction fees and the ability to add authorized users for no additional cost. The travel protections are identical to those of the Sapphire Reserve, but the upside of the Ritz-Carlton card is the option to add authorized users for no additional cost.

Related: Best Marriott hotels in the world

Ritz-Carlton cardholders earn 6 points per dollar spent on Marriott purchases; 3 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants, car rentals and airfare booked directly with an airline; and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases.

Plus, thanks to the card’s automatic Marriott Gold Elite status, you’ll earn 12.5 points per dollar spent on Marriott stays, for a total of 18.5 points per dollar spent on Marriott stays. You can earn even more if you have a higher elite status.

Based on TPG’s May 2025 valuations, this equates to a return on spending of at least 12.9% on Marriott purchases; 2.1% on dining, car rentals and airfare; and 1.4% on all other purchases.

Although the Ritz-Carlton card’s earning potential seems fairly high, the low value of Marriott Bonvoy points plays a big factor. According to our valuations, Marriott Bonvoy points are worth 0.7 cents each. That’s nearly three times less than Chase Ultimate Rewards points, for example, which are worth 2.05 cents apiece (according to our valuations) and transfer to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio.

Compared to the Ritz-Carlton card’s 2.1% return on dining purchases, the Sapphire Reserve gives you a 6.1% return, for example.

Given that, it’s worth considering whether making dining purchases and booking car rentals and airfare on the Ritz-Carlton credit card is the best way to build your points balance. If Chase isn’t your preferred issuer, cards like the American Express® Gold Card and the Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees)* offer better returns on your spending for certain bonus categories than this card. They, too, earn points that transfer to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio.

That said, it could be worth it to put Marriott purchases on the Ritz-Carlton card to maximize earnings in that category.

*TPG’s Brian Kelly is a Bilt adviser and investor.

Related: Your complete guide to earning Marriott Bonvoy points

Redeeming points on the Ritz-Carlton Credit Card

There are multiple ways to redeem Bonvoy points on the Ritz-Carlton card. You can redeem them for hotel stays, airline tickets, car rentals, cruises, gift cards and merchandise.

Redeeming your points for hotel stays generally provides the best value. Marriott has more than 9,000 properties in 142 countries spread among the 30-plus brands in its portfolio.

I have found that Marriott points offer the best value for redemptions in places like the Middle East or Asia. Recently, TPG credit cards writer Chris Nelson redeemed 47,000 Bonvoy points a night for a stay at the JW Marriott Hotel Beijing.

You can also use Marriott’s Stay for 5, Pay for 4 perk, which allows you to get your fifth night free when redeeming points for five consecutive nights on a single reservation at the same hotel.

This benefit gives you the cheapest award night for free for every five consecutive nights. This is automatically applied when booking, so it requires no extra effort and is a good excuse to extend any hotel stay by one additional day.

Related: 8 places to maximize an 85,000-point Marriott award night certificate

Marriott Bonvoy points earned via the Ritz-Carlton card can be transferred to Marriott’s 39 airline partners, such as United Airlines MileagePlus, American Airlines AAdvantage and Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards.

While this is generally not the best way to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points, there are times when transferring Bonvoy points to airline partners could make sense.

Most partners allow transfers at a 3:1 ratio and offer 5,000 bonus points for every 60,000 Bonvoy points you transfer. Thanks to Marriott’s preferred partnership with United Airlines, you’ll receive a bonus 10,000 miles for every 60,000 Bonvoy points you transfer when you’re a United MileagePlus member.

I’ve amassed nearly 800,000 Bonvoy points, and transferring them to an airline is something I’m contemplating. The hotels and travel dates I’ve been eyeing have me second-guessing whether using my Bonvoy points for hotels is a worthwhile redemption.

It’s important to note that transfers can take three to four days, so if you’re looking to book an award flight with a partner airline, make sure there’s plenty of availability.

Related: Marriott Bonvoy: How to earn and redeem points, elite status and more

• If you prefer Hilton: The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is Hilton’s top card; it has a $550 annual fee and offers many similar benefits to the Ritz-Carlton card, including various statement credits, an annual free night reward and automatic elite status. This card also has better returns on bonus category spending. To learn more, read our full review of the Hilton Amex Aspire.
• If you want to earn transferable points: The Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with a $550 annual fee and offers similar benefits to the Ritz-Carlton card. It earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points instead of Marriott Bonvoy points and has access to Chase’s impressive roster of transfer partners, including Marriott. It has solid earning rates on dining and travel and comes with benefits like lounge access, an annual travel credit, a TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit and numerous travel protections. To learn more, read our full review of the Sapphire Reserve.
• If you want a lower-annual-fee Marriott card: The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless has a $95 annual fee and comes with a free night award and Silver Elite status, making this card easy to keep year after year. However, it lacks many of the premium benefits found on the Ritz-Carlton card. To learn more, read our full review of the Bonvoy Boundless.

The information for the Hilton Honors Aspire card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

For additional options, check out our full list of the best hotel credit cards and the best Marriott credit cards.

Related: Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve worth the annual fee?

Although I have Marriott Platinum Elite status through paid stays, I’m not sure how much value I can get from this card apart from the elite night credits. My main travel card, the Sapphire Reserve, provides many overlapping benefits. If you have a premium card like the Sapphire Reserve, make sure to compare benefits to see how much value the Ritz-Carlton card really brings to your wallet.

If you have your eyes set on Marriott elite status and currently don’t have a card that provides lounge access or travel statement credits, the Ritz-Carlton card is a good option. Don’t forget that you can only make a product change to this card if you’ve held an eligible Marriott Bonvoy card for at least 12 months.

Related: How to choose a hotel credit card

For rates and fees of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
For rewards and benefits of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.