Credit Cards

[unkn0wndj]

I'm still pretty new to this, but I was looking into both the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott Rewards Premier cards. They both have pretty good bonuses, but I still cannot decide which way to go. The Ritz card has a sign-up bonus of 70,000 RC points (which you can also use at Marriott properties), first year annual fee waived ($395), and instant Gold Elite status for a year with both brands. The Marriott Premier has a sign-up bonus of 50,000 MR points, first year annual fee waived ($85), and a free-night voucher for a Cat 1-4 hotel. In the T&C for either card it lists that the bonus is not valid if you're a current or previous cardholder of Marriott or Ritz cards. I would cancel the Ritz card without a doubt due to the annual fee. It just doesn't provide enough benefits to warrant the fee, but the 70,000 points would be nice! The Marriott card on the other hand I don't beleive I'd cancel due to the free night voucher every year on the anniversary, and it's only $85/yr. Should I apply for the Ritz card first to make sure I get the 70,000 points and then cancel? I know I probably wouldn't get the Marriott bonus after that, but atleast I would already have 70,000 points and still get the anniversary certificate. This is assuming I was even approved! Give me some ideas, guys!

[CreditScholar]

Apply for the card you really want. Both cards, especially since they're from Chase/JPM, aren't the churnable kind. If you can't see a real use for the Ritz card I'd just apply for the Marriott. Given your current CLs though you may not get approved for either. They like to see an equivalent CL on another card before they issue you one. The minimum for both cards are 5k since they're visa signatures only. YMMV though.

[unkn0wndj]

Well that's exactly the thing, the Ritz promotion includes 20,000 more points than the Marriott card. The points are universal. I would rather have the Marriott card for long-term use, but the Ritz promotion is a ton better. It also includes Marriott Gold Elite for a year, so that's another huge benefit. I'm not sure of the CL either, I'm sure I could request a CLI from Discover considering I've had it about 8 months now and that was my initial CL. Should I wait until a CLI from Discover or AmEx to at least 5k before wasting a HP?

[unkn0wndj]

Well that's exactly the thing, the Ritz promotion includes 20,000 more points than the Marriott card. The points are universal. I would rather have the Marriott card for long-term use, but the Ritz promotion is a ton better. It also includes Marriott Gold Elite for a year, so that's another huge benefit. I'm not sure of the CL either, I'm sure I could request a CLI from Discover considering I've had it about 8 months now and that was my initial CL. Should I wait until a CLI from Discover or AmEx to at least 5k before wasting a HP?

[CreditScholar]

You'd probably be better off making sure you have a card with a 5k line minimum before applying for either.

Also the Ritz card has a $395 AF that you need to factor in. I'm not aware of any promotions with the AF waived at the moment, so that is due on the very first month after you open your card.

[hemi961]

Unless you stay at Ritz-Carlton hotels frequently the Marriott card is a better choice, even with the 20,000 additional points.  The Marriott card comes with a free night upon sign up which is worth 15-20 thousand points, plus another free night upon each anniversary (another 15-20 thousands points), and the Ritz card only gives one point per dollar spent at Marriott hotels.  I've had it for about a year now and while it does have some nice features such as the $200 airline credit and gold status for the first year, you will be paying a hefty fee for those 20,000 extra points.  It's a nice metal card but you can buy a lot of metal for the $395 annual fee.

[CreditScholar]

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hemi961 wrote:

Unless you stay at Ritz-Carlton hotels frequently the Marriott card is a better choice, even with the 20,000 additional points.  The Marriott card comes with a free night upon sign up which is worth 15-20 thousand points, plus another free night upon each anniversary (another 15-20 thousands points), and the Ritz card only gives one point per dollar spent at Marriott hotels.  I've had it for about a year now and while it does have some nice features such as the $200 airline credit and gold status for the first year, you will be paying a hefty fee for those 20,000 extra points.  It's a nice metal card but you can buy a lot of metal for the $395 annual fee.

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This is actually something I was curious about... how is the build quality of the Ritz card? Besides being a different color (black), is it similar in thickness/weight to the CSP or United MP Club card?

[unkn0wndj]

That does make sense when you consider they don't waive the first year annual fee. 20,000 points aren't worth that annual fee to me. I guess I'll wait and request a CLI from Amex and then apply so that I don't waste a HP.

[hemi961]

The Ritz-Carlton card is made of the same material as both the CSP and United Club card as far as I can tell.  I have the Continental Presidential Plus which was plastic and when I requested a new card a couple of months ago  I was curious as to which card they would send since they no longer issue the Continental version and they indicated that the United cards would be issued as Visas.  I got the metal card that looks identical to the club card but says United Presidential Plus and is still a world Mastercard.

[CreditScholar]

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hemi961 wrote:

The Ritz-Carlton card is made of the same material as both the CSP and United Club card as far as I can tell.  I have the Continental Presidential Plus which was plastic and when I requested a new card a couple of months ago  I was curious as to which card they would send since they no longer issue the Continental version and they indicated that the United cards would be issued as Visas.  I got the metal card that looks identical to the club card but says United Presidential Plus and is still a world Mastercard.

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That's exactly what happened to mine, except that I swapped over to the new mileage plus version. I was able to keep my number and it stayed as a world elite mastercard. The 1.5 miles per dollar is better for me, since I only fly business/first and therefore don't need the EQMs. Does the ritz card look and present well, aside from the metal material?

[hemi961]

It is nice looking but the scratch marks caused by swiping it seem to show a little more than they do on other cards. It has all of the account information on the front except the Ritz-Marriott membership number on the back. One thing I like about the metal cards is that the account numbers remain easier to read. Once the chrome color wears off a plastic card, some of them get tough to see in low light.