The Ritz-Carlton Credit Card from Chase is one of the best cards you can’t apply for. Chase stopped taking new applications years ago, but cardholders still get a full set of benefits. They include an annual free night certificate worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, a $300 airline credit, Priority Pass lounge access and automatic Marriott Gold Elite status. Here is what the card offers as of October 2026, how to get one, and whether it’s worth the $450 annual fee.
Our experience: a free night at the St. Regis Chicago
We used our 85K certificate for a free night at the St. Regis Chicago when we visited the Christkindlmarket in 2025. The hotel’s paid rates during market season are often high, so one certificate can cover a large part of the annual fee. We wrote up that trip in our Top Christmas Markets for 2026 guide.
The pool and gym are worth the stay on their own. The St. Regis Chicago’s amenities were a highlight of our free night. The heated indoor pool has windows facing Lake Michigan, and the fitness center is just as impressive: Fodor’s describes it as a 5,000-square-foot space with top-of-the-line Cybex equipment, saunas and daily classes like yoga, Pilates and TRX. On a certificate night, that’s a lot of luxury for no cash out of pocket.
Key benefits at a glance (as of October 2026)
| Benefit | Details |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | $450 |
| Free Night Award | Each year after your account anniversary. Good for one night at a hotel costing up to 85,000 points. You can add up to 25,000 of your own points. Expires 12 months after it’s issued. |
| Airline travel credit | Up to $300 per calendar year for airline incidentals: seat upgrades, baggage fees, lounge day passes or memberships, in-flight Wi-Fi and meals. Chase’s terms say to call Chase to request it within 4 billing cycles. Our experience: Because we’re constantly traveling, we usually send the request by secure message in the Chase app instead of calling, and we’ve had no issues receiving our reimbursements that way. |
| Lounge access | Priority Pass Select membership, plus access to Chase Sapphire Lounges. Up to 2 guests free. Our experience: We love being able to use the Chase Sapphire Lounges and to bring two guests into Priority Pass lounges at no charge. |
| Marriott elite status | Automatic Gold Elite status, plus 15 Elite Night Credits each year. Our experience: Members of our team hold lifetime hotel status, including Marriott Lifetime Platinum and Titanium Elite and Hilton Diamond, plus current status with Hyatt, Caesars and others. In our experience, Gold Elite rarely leads to a room upgrade, since upgrades depend on availability. What it reliably gets you is free enhanced (high-speed) in-room internet, which is faster than the standard Wi-Fi that non-elite and Silver Elite members get. That saves you $9.95 per day, what we typically see hotels charge for the high-speed tier. Prices are set by each hotel, so it can vary. |
| Ritz-Carlton Club Level upgrades | 3 upgrade certificates per account year, for qualifying paid stays of up to 7 nights |
| Hotel credit | $100 credit for dining, spa or recreation on paid stays of 2+ nights at participating Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis hotels |
| Global Entry / TSA PreCheck | Up to $120 statement credit once every 4 years |
| Earning | 6x points at Marriott Bonvoy hotels; 3x on dining, car rentals and airline purchases; 2x on everything else |
| Foreign transaction fees | None |
The 85K free night certificate
This is the main reason to keep the card. Each year after your account anniversary, Chase deposits a certificate good for one standard-room night at any Marriott Bonvoy hotel costing up to 85,000 points. Chase says to allow up to 8 weeks for it to arrive. You can add up to 25,000 of your own points, so the certificate can book a night costing up to 110,000 points. It expires 12 months after it’s issued and can’t be extended. Some hotels still charge resort fees on award stays. At high-end hotels like the St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton or W in a big city, one night can cost more than the annual fee.
The $300 airline credit (it isn’t automatic)
Unlike most travel credits, this one doesn’t post on its own. After you buy something that qualifies, like a checked bag, a seat upgrade or in-flight Wi-Fi, Chase’s benefits page says to call Chase within 4 billing cycles and ask for the credit. Because we’re constantly traveling, we usually send the request by secure message in the Chase app instead, and we’ve had no issues getting reimbursed that way. If you use the full $300 each year, the card effectively costs you $150.
How to get the card
Chase’s Ritz-Carlton site has no application link. The only way to get the card is a product change from a personal Chase Marriott Bonvoy card, such as the Boundless or Bold. Popular blogs report these requirements:
- Hold your current Chase Marriott card for at least 12 months.
- Have a high enough credit limit for a premium card.
- Call the number on the back of your card and ask for a product change to the Ritz-Carlton card.
- Amex Marriott cards, business cards and non-Marriott Chase cards don’t qualify.
- A product change doesn’t come with a welcome bonus.
Results vary by caller and account. If the first agent says no, it’s common to call back another day.
Don’t have a Chase Marriott card yet? You’ll need one before you can upgrade to the Ritz-Carlton card. You can compare Chase’s Marriott Bonvoy cards and apply with our Chase referral link. Plan to hold it for about a year before asking about the upgrade.
Disclosure: This is our personal Chase referral link. If you’re approved through it, we may earn a referral bonus, at no extra cost to you. You can always apply directly on Chase’s website. See our Advertising & Referral Disclosure.
Why we recommend upgrading to the Ritz-Carlton card
You can’t apply for the Ritz-Carlton card anymore, but you can still upgrade to it. If you already have a personal Chase Marriott Bonvoy card, Chase can switch it to the Ritz-Carlton card with a product change. You keep the same account and credit history, and there’s no new application or hard credit pull for a new card. You just call Chase and ask. Here’s why we think it’s worth the call:
- An airline credit that isn’t tied to one airline. The $300 annual airline credit covers qualifying airline purchases like checked bags, seat upgrades, lounge passes, in-flight Wi-Fi and in-flight meals. Chase’s terms don’t make you pick a single airline. With the American Express Platinum cards, you choose one airline each year for the airline fee credit. We fly lots of different airlines, so this flexibility makes the Ritz credit much easier to use in full.
- The 85K free night certificate. Every account anniversary you get a free night at a hotel costing up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, and you can add up to 25,000 of your own points. That’s how we stayed at the St. Regis Chicago for free.
- Chase Sapphire Lounges. The card includes Priority Pass Select plus access to Chase Sapphire Lounges, with up to two guests free, a perk you don’t usually expect from a hotel card.
Add Marriott Gold status, 15 elite night credits and three Club Level upgrades, and the upgrade is an easy decision for us if you already hold a Chase Marriott card and travel a few times a year.
Who should keep it
- Good fit: Marriott loyalists who will use the 85K night at a premium hotel and the $300 airline credit each year.
- Maybe: Travelers who already have Priority Pass from another card. The lounge benefit overlaps, so the free night and airline credit have to cover the fee on their own.
- Skip: Anyone who won’t remember to call for the airline credit or can’t use the certificate within 12 months.
Our take
The card’s best features are the 85K certificate and the $300 airline credit, which together are worth well over $450 to anyone who uses both. The downsides are real, though. You can’t apply directly. The airline credit takes a phone call. And the certificate can be hard to use at the most popular hotels on peak dates. We used ours for a free night at the St. Regis Chicago during Christmas market season, which is exactly the kind of stay this certificate is good for.
Benefits and fees are as of October 2026 and can change. Check your Guide to Benefits before relying on any of them. This page contains our personal Chase referral link. See our Advertising & Referral Disclosure.
Sources: Chase – Ritz-Carlton Card Benefits; Chase – Ritz-Carlton Earn & Redeem; One Mile at a Time; Your Mileage May Vary.
