Has The Ritz Carlton Card Now Become The BEST Travel Card..?
Video Overview & Insights
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I have a questions.
I currently hold the Marriot Boundless card.
I heard that if I wanted the Briliant with the SUB I have to wait 2 years with my Boundless.
But if I product change my Boundless to the Ritz then Iām locked out of getting the Brilliant card w/SUB.
My main concern is if I wait another year and Chase decides to get rid of the Ritz card completely then Iām be screwed.
If I wait another year then I can go for the Amex Brilliant to receive the SUB then product change the Boundless to the Ritz.
I know itās a bit confusing. If I product change bro ritz now so I have access to the Chase Sapphire lounge in the next year, then I can product change it back to the Bold or Boundless then when the 2 years is up I can get the Amex brilliant then product change either the Bold/Boundless back to Ritz..
Thank you
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Great vid. Horrific explanation of $100 hotel credit to be honest. You have to pay for 2 nights and then find $100 worth of crap in the hotel itself to spend money on to realize the "$100 of value". To me that's completely insane, in 2 nights I might have one hotel restaurant meal so maximum spend is MAYBE $30-35 out of $100. In other words, a b.s. way to trick you unnecessarily spend $700 on a hotel so you can "fake save" $35.
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BTW, I love the Make Your Bed book in the background
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Ritz is the most brainless to get money back card ever by a huge margin. All you need to do is to spend the 1 night at marriott, and you basically get all the other benefits like rental insurance, airport lounges for free.
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āļø My Thoughts:
Letās be honest: most luxury credit cards these days come with sky-high fees, tons of fine print, and ābenefitsā that are harder to use than they should be. This is a new āeraā, and has created a problem where the cards that we used to be able to count onā¦ as āluxury cardsā have become too much for people to take on.
Amex Plat 10/10 on car rental? No free primary insurance, thatās more like 8/10. If you pay to enroll in primary, you canāt even opt out yourself, gotta call customer careāso really a 7/10. Pardon me, trip insurance, Amex ātopā again? Pleaseā¦ total marketing fluff. With Amex you have to pay or redeem the full fare and round-trip on their card to get covered. Chase? You can just put the taxes on the card, even mix with another payment source, and theyāll still cover youāincluding one-way flights. And their āfamily memberā definition is way stricter than Chaseās.
But one card in particular has continued to fly under the radarā¦ quietly offering outsized valueāyear after year. That card is the Ritz-Carlton Credit card and Today I want to look at this card compared to the ābig hittersā (Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture X) and ask the question:
Is the Ritz-Carlton card now the best value-oriented luxury travel card out there?
Chase Sapphire Reserve struggles as a single card, while Capital One Venture X is 10 out of 10?āyou are herrible wrong or you never eat out or travel? Based on the average U.S. household spending (non-card spending $25K, flights + hotels $13K, dining $10K, other categories $30K), CSR earns about 11.2K points, while C1VX earns only 10.6K miles. Considering redemption valuesāChase UR at 2.05cpp vs C1 miles at 1.85cppāthe situation looks even worse for Venture X.
ā° Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
CSR and RItz have the best car rental insurance policy. This isn't even comparable.
Also the new sapphire lounges in laguardia and boston are some of the best lounges in the us.
The ritz is one of the few cards with a consistent negative annual fee that actual scales to multi card setups, the aspire is another one.
2:16 - Points/Miles Earnings
4:35 - Lounge Access
You will have to spend on it to be reimbursed for the airline incidentals
6:24 - Airline/Hotel Status
8:53 - Car Rental Perks
meh, hilton aspire is way better than any marriott card
10:04 - Day Of Travel
11:31 - Wallet Synergy
Having to call to receive the $300 credit for travel is ridiculous in 2025. Apart from that Iāve enjoyed this card for the last few years.
13:08 - Annual Fee
Since earning lifetime Bonvoy Platinum status I rarely stay in Marriott properties focusing on Hyatt and Globalist. However, the lounge access is what has me keeping this card and my Co-P1 is going to drop her CSR. I will get her an AU card instead.
Adding in the $300 annual travel credit and the 85K award is a great perk. We typically use this for a night at the W Union Square in NYC.
More User Perspectives
Not really accurate to compare the Ritz card to Sapphire Res, AMEX Plat and Venture X because the Ritz card is not a general travel card, itās specifically a Bonvoy product - the most direct comparison is the Bonvoy Brilliant (which Marriott considers the āreplacementā for the Ritz card as their top of the line Bonvoy offering) and there the comparison is very straightforward because the Ritz and Bonvoy brilliant have nearly identical earning categories (except that the Brilliant gives automatic Bonvoy platinum so it will earn better on Marriott purchases) with the only notable differences being the free club level upgrades on the Ritz, Platinum instead of gold Bonvoy status with the Brilliant, and that the Brilliant has a slightly higher annual fee (but also earns better on Marriott purchases due to auto platinum vs gold Bonvoy status.)
@JN42802Nice coverage, agree that this is now one of the best value cards to hold.
@DavidGTravelsIf the Ritz card remains available for product changes, it absolutely will get a fee increase and/or a nerfing. Itās not a matter of if, but when.
@_iErikGreat Video, However, if you do not spend on it. Then, what is the best card for spending when traveling?
@mazenkheder330913:36 I stayed @ the Ritz Carlton in LA. Cash price was $800. So by staying one night, Iām already up .
@SC_XOLOsHi, great video, very informative. My question is would you get both the Ritz and Hilton Aspire, or is one better than the other?
@sys1351I feel like my credit with Chase has maxed out already.
@kevinliu8668Pair this card with to Chase sapphire preferred and its pery
@voncilledemesa2075I hate that you had a video on this to catch Chase attentionš¢š¢š¢š¢š¢š¢
@Cyrus-u6qLol, good until Chase watch this video and modify the cards benefits.
@StevenLin-g9eYou didnāt mention the trip and emergency medical reimbursement and the primary rental car coverage.
@jackoconnell1852ritz carlton card is for hotel(marriott) for the most benefits
@jheo7982Watch as everyone runs to the Bonvoy Boundless now to get the Ritz later on. I bet Chase will raise the fee after about 11 months.
@jmbwashiDoing the math, $300 travel credit + $100 hotel credit + $20 (TSA per year) almost make up for the card cost and thatās if you donāt use any other benefit.
FNA + unlimited guests priority pass + primary auto coverage is huge value for my family travels
Iām surprised you did not compare the Hilton Aspire card to this list.
I have the Reserve & Platinum- appreciate your 411 on this card, however the Platinum has so much more value & projection all around. Been with AMEX for 19 years & 7 years with Chase. AMEX has it all; customer service is like none other & cannot even touch it.
Cannot wait to downgrade my Reserve since that new annual fee is ridiculous & NOT worth it anymore. Iāll be replacing it with the Hilton Aspire that is at $550 for a TON of benefits. Itās incredible!
I have with this ritz card for 1 year already and everything is greatš
Lounges are 10 to me, if you get more details. Amex need you to spend more money on the card to get access, so not good to me. I own an Amex platinum business card.
out at Marriot bonvoy points
@wernerfoerster3666How about stop talking about it..
@christophercampbell4322Used my 85k cert last week for a $487 stay at the Denver Westin and loved it. Made a early out layover so much easier and the card all that much better. For those I hear that are abusing this card, it's only a matter of time they may close it out completely once the Marriott contract expires
@RA-UYJBI think it would be a fair comment to say if you are looking to top up Bonvoy points (besides sign up bonus) this would be the card to put 'other purchases' on since Amex and Chase both have poor conversion rates to Bonvoy.
@flyingmania4371This is what I see Chase doing they're playing the long game taking advantage of what they already have in place the Ritz card/ reserve refresh.
They're gonna lay low and pump as many people into applying for the boundless card hence the 5 night award Conveniently appearing the same time as the reserve refresh. Capture all of that within 8 to 12 months is when this card goes šš»
Refreshed in the year. Has to happen.
@billwright2176I been debating product changing my boundless card but keep in mind that you do not get the free night until after your anniversary. So your basically paying $900 in annual fees to get your first free night. A lot of other cards work the same way but to offset that for the first year, you get a good sign up bonus which of course you cant get one with the ritz
@nicholasjr23The primary cdw coverage is a great benefit that saves me a lot.
@MusicalAspieThe fact that a card ties me to a single brand of Hotels with multipliers not that great makes me discart it.
@JorgeRodriguezPRYo, that $100 is āNot valid on room rate, alcohol, taxes or gratuities.ā Itās a property credit. Not a discount.
This card will be nerfed. It has to. Perhaps not in Aug or even this year. But sometime Jan - Dec 2026.
It's a good supplemental perks card, often paired with the CSP or something else.
@soapa4279Not for me.
@nizzyexploresThe fact Chase confirmed the Ritz Carlton credit card is maintaining its annual fee, itās now truly one of the best travel cards for those who stay at Marriott hotels.
@michaelsyipMan!! This sounds great. Especially when compared to CSR/Venture X.
As someone about to complete the Chase cards (CSP, Freedom line, business cards) I am EXTREMELY indecisive with where to go next.
My options are Hyatt + Bonvoy Boundless ā> Ritz upgrade
OR Venture X + Savor Rewards
Not sure - investing in a secondary ecosystem VS investing in hotel cards. Big debate. (I fly standby already).
Any thoughts? Maybe a mixture of the two? Ex: Donāt upgrade boundless & include Cap One ecosystem or upgrade boundless but go for Venture Rewards instead of X
Really want more car rentals benefits.
It Could be one of the best If Chase doesnāt increase the Anual fee in this coming August(as rumors say) which is very likely just like they did with CSR, š
@Sam24rgYou just know itās going to be nerfed.
@stephenwright133Iāve heard so much good about it
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