What should I do with my Chase Sapphire Reserve®?
NCnextcard team
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TLDR: The Ritz-Carlton card offers premium travel benefits rivaling the Sapphire Reserve for a much lower annual fee. Though closed to new applicants, you can still get it via a product change.
However, there’s another lesser-known card out there that offers pretty extensive travel benefits like the Sapphire Reserve, and it only costs a little more than half the annual fee of the Sapphire Reserve.
Featuring the Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card. The reason why the card is not as popular as the Sapphire Reserve is because it isn’t open to new applications. However, there’s still a way you can get it, and here’s why you should be investing a spot in your wallet for this card:
Getting this unique card isn’t necessarily an easy feat because it isn’t as straightforward as simply opening up a credit card application, filling out your information, and submitting the application.
However, it isn’t impossible or very difficult to get the card either; you’ll just need to maintain some patience and a well-rounded credit score.
In order to be eligible for the Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card, you’ll need to hold an eligible Chase Marriott card for 12 months. You’ll also need to have a minimum credit limit of at least $10,000. Eligible cards that can be converted into this rare card are as follows:
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® Credit Card
After you’ve held an eligible card like the Boundless for 12 months, you’ll need to contact Chase to request a product change to the Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card.
This card comes with many travel benefits that make it a top contender for travel credit card and a solid competitor against the Sapphire Reserve.
To start off, as a Marriott-branded card, it obviously comes with Marriott-focused benefits that help you elevate your stay and experience at Marriott hotels. These benefits include:
15 elite night credits per calendar year: These elite night credits will make it easier for you to gain status with Marriott Bonvoy. However, I consider Marriott’s loyalty program to be weak, so I’d rather invest time in Hyatt’s loyalty program.
Annual free night award: You’ll receive an annual free night award each anniversary year that is worth up to 85,000 points. You can top this off with up to 15,000 points if you have any extra, meaning that you can redeem a night stay worth up to 100,000 points.
Complimentary Gold Elite Status with Marriott Bonvoy: You’ll receive complimentary Gold Elite Marriott status, which comes with benefits such as 2 PM late checkout (when available), 25% bonus points on eligible hotel purchases, guaranteed welcome gift of points, room upgrade (when available), etc.
3 Annual Ritz-Carlton club-level upgrade certificates: Every calendar year, you’ll receive 3 certificates that you can use to upgrade to club-level rooms at eligible Ritz-Carlton properties. Since Ritz-Carlton properties can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars a night to stay in, I’m not sure if I’ll find any value in these certificates.
The annual free night award alone could easily offset the $450 annual fee, as you could use 85,000 points to cover a night at luxury Marriott properties located across the world.
For example, you could stay at The Ritz-Carlton in Fukuoka, Japan, for 81,000 points for a night, meaning that you’d be able to use your anniversary free night award to cover the stay.
This example stay would cost you ¥85,500 before taxes & fees, which is equivalent to ~$600 USD. The anniversary free night award can cover a night at a Ritz-Carlton, offsetting the annual fee even before taking additional taxes & fees into consideration.
The Ritz-Carlton card also offers generic premium travel perks that make it a strong card for anyone who travels frequently. These benefits include, but are not limited to:
$300 annual airline credit: You’ll receive a credit of $300 every calendar year that you can apply towards eligible airline purchases such as baggage fees, seat upgrades, lounge memberships or passes, etc. However, this credit isn’t automatically applied. You’ll need to contact Chase (secure message or phone) to have them apply the credits manually.
Lounge access: You (the primary cardholder) and your authorized users will receive complimentary Priority Pass™ Select memberships, allowing you to access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide. Additionally, you’ll also be given access to Chase Sapphire Lounges with your Ritz-Carlton card, which are some of the best premium travel lounges out there.
Global Entry Application Fee Credit: Every four years, you can receive up to $120 in the form of a statement credit for a Global Entry application. This credit won’t apply to any NEXUS or TSA PreCheck applications; however, you’ll receive complimentary TSA PreCheck if you’re approved for Global Entry. You can use this quadrennial credit to cover your initial application and any renewal fees in the future.
Car Rental Privileges: When booking car rentals at National, Avis, or Silvercar with your Ritz-Carlton card, you can take advantage of savings and special offers such as upgrades, car rental discounts, savings on luxury/premium car rental rates, access to promotions, etc.
On top of these travel perks, the Ritz-Carlton card comes with travel protections and insurance that’ll make you feel more secure and safe about your travel plans. These protections include, but are not limited to:
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather or other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per covered traveler and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotels.
Trip Delay Reimbursement: If your common carrier travel is delayed more than 6 hours or requires an overnight stay, you are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per covered traveler.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Provides reimbursement up to $3,000 per covered traveler for the cost to repair or replace checked or carry-on baggage that is lost, damaged or stolen during a covered trip.
Baggage Delay Insurance: Reimburses you up to $100 a day for up to 5 days for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing when baggage is delayed over 6 hours.
Auto Rental Coverage: Decline the rental company's collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card. Coverage is primary and provides reimbursement up to $75,000 for theft and collision damage for most rental vehicles in the U.S. and abroad.
These benefits make Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card a very useful card to have in your wallet when traveling. The insurance protections that the card offers can cover you in case of any complications, and the credits and other benefits that the card offers make it even more of a useful investment.
When my bag was delayed for 24 hours on a flight I took from Boston to San Francisco, I was able to submit a baggage delay insurance claim since I paid for the flight with my Ritz-Carlton card. I got reimbursed $100 for the toiletries and necessities I purchased as I waited for my bag to arrive.
The biggest factor for me that makes the Ritz-Carlton card a better choice over the Sapphire Reserve is the Ritz-Carlton’s annual fee and authorized user benefits.
The Sapphire Reserve’s annual fee is $795, and to add an authorized user to your Sapphire Reserve, it’ll cost $195 per user. In comparison, the Ritz-Carlton’s annual fee is $450, and there is no fee for adding authorized users to your Ritz-Carlton card.
Authorized users of the Sapphire Reserve and Ritz-Carlton will enjoy almost all of the same benefits that the primary cardholder does, however, the Ritz-Carlton card doesn’t come at any extra cost for authorized users, meaning that authorized users don’t need to pay to enjoy Priority Pass™ Select memberships and access to Chase Sapphire Lounges!
Another powerful benefit of the Ritz-Carlton card is that with your Priority Pass™ Select membership, you can gain access to Priority Pass lounges and Chase Sapphire Lounges for yourself and an unlimited number of guests traveling with you.
In comparison, the Chase Sapphire Reserve only grants access to the aforementioned lounges for yourself and up to two guests. You could bring yourself and your whole extended family into a Chase Sapphire Lounge without paying an extra dime, which I think is overpowered and makes the Ritz-Carlton a really strong card.
Additionally, the Sapphire Reserve has become much more of a coupon book, and I find it hard to use all the credits to offset the steep $795 annual fee.
The Ritz-Carlton’s annual fee of $450 is much more reasonable given the benefits it provides, and I can find myself easily offsetting the annual fee by taking advantage of the $300 annual airline credit and the annual free night award.
The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card offers exceptional value, especially if you frequently travel and stay within the Marriott ecosystem. Its $450 annual fee is easily justified by the generous perks, including the up to $300 annual airline credit, annual free night worth up to 85,000 points (which you can top off to 100,000 points), and robust travel protections. Compared to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the Ritz-Carlton card stands out with free authorized users and more inclusive lounge access, making it a smart pick for families or those traveling in groups.
While the Ritz-Carlton card requires a bit of effort to obtain due to its closed application status, converting from an eligible Marriott card after one year of holding it is a straightforward process. Given its extensive travel benefits, protective insurance coverages, and compelling cost-to-benefit ratio, this card undoubtedly deserves serious consideration for anyone looking to elevate their travel experiences.
Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card is a hidden gem for frequent travelers seeking premium perks at a lower annual fee than the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Though no longer open to new applicants, it can be obtained via product change after holding a Chase Marriott card for 12 months. For a $450 annual fee, it offers a $300 annual airline credit, an 85K-point free night certificate, unlimited lounge access with Priority Pass™ Select (including Chase Sapphire Lounges), and robust travel insurance. Unlike the Sapphire Reserve, it allows free authorized users with full lounge privileges, making it an excellent value card, especially for families or group travelers.
