October 5, 2022
Product Change to Best Marriott Card : The Ritz-Carlton Card
Pam
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.
You can get reimbursed for checked baggage fees with the Ritz-Carlton card!
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.
I can book a night at the Wailea Beach Club with my 85K annual night certificate.
Great Priority Pass Access
This card offers Priority Pass airport lounge access. Even better, you can get unlimited free authorized users on the card. Additionally, you can bring an unlimited number of guests into the lounge, depending on lounge availability.
I can save at this Priority Pass restaurant in the Houston 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. 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?
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What do you mean about the $10,000 credit limit? I’m confused. Do I have to spend d $10k on it annually?
No, you just need that amount as a credit limit on the card. We pay them off monthly so it doesn’t really matter what the limit is.
When would you earn the 85k certificate – at the time of PC or after your 1 year anniversary of the Ritz card?
I believe it would take effect at the same time you received the certificate for your previous Marriott card. I would call Marriott (you will need to anyway for the product change) and ask a rep.
Hello Pam,
Thanks for the article. Quick question, does there need to be a minimum spend on the card that you are upgrading to get approvded to the Ritz Carlton?
I currently have had the Chase Bonvoy Bountiful card for over a year and it has an $11,000 credit limit. However I rarely put any charges on it, less than $1000 per year.
Cheers:)
You should be fine. They want a credit limit of 10K so you are good that way.
Thanks, Pam. Your speedy response is much appreciated:)
Which chase Marriott cards can be PC’d to the Ritz cc? All of them or only specific ones? Thanks
It has to be a Chase Marriott card so the Bold, Boundless, or the Bountiful cards.
Hi Pam. Nice article. So, I plan to convert my Boundless to Ritz with my 17-yr old as AU; so not to take up 5/24 slot for wife. Would this mean all four of us in the family can have meal all together for ‘free’? would that work? Thanks!
Yes, that should work!
Hi Pam, assuming Ritz-Carlton only has personal cards? So the Chase Marriott cards that are eligible for product change must be personal cards as well? I only have Chase Marriott Bus card and AX Bonvoy Bus card.
Yes, you are correct. You would need a Chase personal card.
can you product change to ritz carlton from the chase marriott premier card? Does chase allow you to product change more than one marriott card to ritz carlton (so you end up with 2+ ritz carlton cards)? thanks
Yes, you can but you can only end up with one Ritz Carlton card per person as far as I know.
if you do a product change to the Ritz card, let’s say, 2 months before your Chase Marriott anniversary/annual fee, and pay the $450 fee, will you receive the 85k certificate in the first year?
or do you have to pay the $450 fee twice and wait a year after product change to receive the 85k certificate?
thanks!
You have to wait one year from when you first got the Chase Marriot card.I believe it would take effect at the same time you received the certificate for your previous Marriott card. I would call Marriott (you will need to anyway for the product change) and ask a rep.
Does it have the same level of priority pass access that comes with the Venture X card (lounges only) it does it have expanded benefits?
Thanks!
Airport lounge access through Priority Pass for the main cardholder and authorized users – pretty much the same benefit.
What rewards and at what rate do you earn with spending on the Ritz card? For example, do you get 5x Bonvoy points for every dollar spent at Marriott? I realize the bigger benefits is the 85K free night, just wondered if there’s incentive to use the card for other purchases at all.
Earn 6x Bonvoy points for every dollar spent at Marriott Bonvoy hotels
Earn 3x Bonvoy points for every dollar spent on dining, airfare, and car rentals
Earn 2x Bonvoy points for every dollar spent on all other purchases
Annual free night award good for stays up to 85,000 Bonvoy points per night
Earn 15 Elite Night credits every calendar year towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status
Get automatic Gold elite status, with the ability to earn Platinum elite status with $75,000 in spending per calendar year
Three upgrades to the Ritz-Carlton Club each year (valid on eligible paid stays)
Up to $120 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years
$300 annual travel credit for things like baggage fees, seat assignments, lounge passes, and more
Airport lounge access through Priority Pass for the main cardholder and authorized users