Comprehensive Guide to Marriott/Ritz Carlton Rewards (and Their Credit Cards)

[jsucool76]

the castle is a category 5. nice rooms, friendly staff. good use of the free night cert from the Marriott card if you have it. I might be staying one night there in November. plus if you're gold/Plat you'll get free breakfast for yourself and one other guest daily. no lounge though.

[Anonymous]

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@jsucool76 wrote:
@Anonymous

your gold status is good for a full year for free. meaning in 12 months it will expire. and in the next 12 months you need to spend 10k to keep it for months 13-24 of card membership and so on.

Ritz club level upgrades can be used on any stay of 1-7 nights. better value on more nights. can be used IN CONJUNCTION with the $100 hotel credit. you must call to do this though.



AUs credit doesn't matter. you literally just call up (or use the online form) to add an AU. thry just ask for a name, and the card gets shipped to you. same account number and everything, card just says their name instead of yours. the AU can use their card to pay for global entry, tsa precheck (though I suggest global entry for the $15 more), checked bags, lounge day passes/memberships whatever. these can all be refunded (even if charged by the AU) but YOU as the primary cardholder must be the one to call up and request the redemption.

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Thanks! Good to know they can be used together! I don't see having enough RC stays to use them separately. Nice to know they stack. 

And AU, I just meant I would trust them with my card LOL. 

Thanks again. 

[Anonymous]

I've had the Ritz card now for awhile but I am considering the Marriott card - in part due to the ability to acquire nights per 3k spend... that makes it easier for me to meet lifetime status.

Would I be eligible for the current 80k bonus offer for a Marriott card if I already hold a Ritz card?

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I've had the Ritz card now for awhile but I am considering the Marriott card - in part due to the ability to acquire nights per 3k spend... that makes it easier for me to meet lifetime status.

Would I be eligible for the current 80k bonus offer for a Marriott card if I already hold a Ritz card?

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Yes

[jsucool76]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I've had the Ritz card now for awhile but I am considering the Marriott card - in part due to the ability to acquire nights per 3k spend... that makes it easier for me to meet lifetime status.

Would I be eligible for the current 80k bonus offer for a Marriott card if I already hold a Ritz card?

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Yes

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+1..Definitely still eligible, just make sure you put the marriott/ritz rewards number (located on the back of your ritz carlton CC) in the application for the marriott card, otherwise you will end up with two marriott accounts. 

The spending on ritz vs marriott card is a personal preference. You will earn more points with the ritz card (Courtesy of the 10% bonus) but you will earn elite night credits from the marriott card. I don't put enough spend on either card to really have it make a difference. I only use it for 10k spend (to maintain gold status) and any marriott spend. figure we'll call that 15k a year, which gets me 5 elite night credits. Not going to make a big difference. 

Be aware, by holding the ritz carlton card you are missing out on elite night credit from "Rollover Nights." You will not receive ANY rollover nights while holding the ritz carlton rewards credit card UNLESS you stay more than 50 nights per year. If you close your ritz carlton rewards credit card, you will lose gold status (unless you stay 50 nights/year or do a status challenge), however, your elite night earning will increase as so (Assuming you stay LESS than 50 nights per year) 

Marriott membership with marriott credit card - 

@Receive 15 elite night credits - Silver status is @ 10 nights - Rollover 5 nights. 

Start year 2 with 20 elite night credits (15 from marriott card, 5 rollover from year prior) 

year 3 - 5 rollover nights expire, 10 elite nights used to maintain silver status, 15 nights granted from credit card. (5+10=15, 20-15=5, 5+15=20) leaving you with 5 rollover nights again. 

This cycle will continue. Basically, just by holding the marriott credit card you're getting 20 elite night credits every year after the first year towards lifetime status. 

Edit: I'm just once again going to clarify, this process does NOT ring true if you hold BOTH the marriott premier credit card AND the ritz carlton rewards credit card and stay LESS than 50 nights a year. If you stay MORE than 50 nights a year (or 75 nights a year if you spend the 75k for platinum status) then you will receive rollover nights, otherwise you will NOT. 

[Anonymous]

Wasn't there a guide posted on the Hyatt card or was it just me?

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Wasn't there a guide posted on the Hyatt card or was it just me?

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I don't remember something like this, but I'd love to have a place for it. 

[Anonymous]

Thanks fellas!!

I do quite abit of spend, specially work related but not so much in stays so I guess I won't have to worry much about the roll-over dilemma.

My work does love going to happy hour at Ritz out of convenience so i plop my card down for that everytime at 15pts/$1 (with reimbursement of course ) 

[Anonymous]

This is an amazing guide. You should do more of these for different hotels, OP.

I have a question though. I recently stayed at two different courtyard marriotts and I have gold elite status, but none offered free breakfast or anything special. So is it worth it to actually try to maintain status?

[jsucool76]

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@Anonymous wrote:
This is an amazing guide. You should do more of these for different hotels, OP.

I have a question though. I recently stayed at two different courtyard marriotts and I have gold elite status, but none offered free breakfast or anything special. So is it worth it to actually try to maintain status?

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This is a longstanding argument between marriott and its' members. There is no exclusion of Courtyard in the terms and conditions of the program, however, no courtyards (for the most part) offer breakfast to elites. A few will (mostly ones in europe (some of which have club level) or courtyards that haven't switched to the new bistro setup) but it's never guaranteed. You'll find a lot of elite's (unless they're travelling for business where everything can be expensed) avoid courtyard hotels like the plague.