Ritz Carlton

[Anonymous]

If $395 is nothing to you, every bank will want your business. You are THE ideal customer to have. But yes..it's a nice looking card to say the least. I am sure you get plenty of compliments on the card. 

[red259]

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@DomLS3 wrote:

Got my Ritz card back in December and loving it so far. I'm curious though... did anyone get this card just to have it? What I mean by that is, I app'd for this card without caring about the benefits or ever planning to seriously use the points or stay at a Ritz hotel (I don't travel much, so I don't stay in hotels). I just wanted the card.The $395 anual fee is nothing to me, and well worth being able to carry around an awesome card like this (some people would argue that it's wasted money, or not a "smart" decision, but it only comes out to be $33 a month, and even less if I buy AA gift cards for the airline credit). Has anyone else app'd for this card knowing full well you're probably not going to use it's benefits?

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Nope. I would never apply for a card because of how it looks or feels. Every card I apply for is because I can use the benefits and it is profitable for me. If the benefits don't offset the AF then I would much rather spend that $395 on something I want other than a stupid credit card that sits in my wallet and does nothing for me. 

[red259]

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@Anonymous wrote:

It's significantly cheaper than a Porsche (though probably less effective), if the goal is to impress others.

That said, I know I wouldn't want to earn rewards in a currency I'd never use.

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If the goal is to impress others than you would have better luck just giving people $395. Nobody is going to be impressed by a credit card someone carries and if someone requires that kind of validation from others they would be better off putting the money towards therapy. I note though that OP got this card because they said they like it and not because they want to impress others.

[red259]

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@Anonymous wrote:

This is the only card that I pay the annual fee on; all of the others are no fee or I get the fee waived.  The first year I received 80k in marriot points and $600 in incidental charges refunded by apping in September and taking advantage of the new year reset. I then got a free night at the Los Angeles Ritz and 10k more Marriot points as a retention offer, in addition to gold Marriot status through the end of the year by making the required spend, so yes, well worth it for me. 

 The only down side, it set of the metal detector at LAX and it took us a while to figure out what the problem was.......

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Oh man that is annoying. I usually put my wallet in to the bin though so I guess I'd avoid that. 

[Anonymous]

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@red259 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

It's significantly cheaper than a Porsche (though probably less effective), if the goal is to impress others.

That said, I know I wouldn't want to earn rewards in a currency I'd never use.

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If the goal is to impress others than you would have better luck just giving people $395. Nobody is going to be impressed by a credit card someone carries and if someone requires that kind of validation from others they would be better off putting the money towards therapy. I note though that OP got this card because they said they like it and not because they want to impress others.

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These days, this is absolutely true. But when I was the OP's age, people were impressed by the type of credit card used. That was the only reason I had an Amex back then. So, even though these days I don't give a crap about name brands and status, I certainly understand where the kid is coming from.

[tacpoly]

I agree the card is very cool.  I should have enough travel this year to make the card worthwhile, but even if I don't I would consider keeping it for its looks!  Afterall, I've spent more money on more frivolous things.  And I'm pretty sure most people here have as well -- even the ones who wrote the tsk-tsk posts

[odd_dog]

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@tacpoly wrote:

I agree the card is very cool.  I should have enough travel this year to make the card worthwhile, but even if I don't I would consider keeping it for its looks!  Afterall, I've spent more money on more frivolous things.  And I'm pretty sure most people here have as well -- even the ones who wrote the tsk-tsk posts

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+1000000000000   lol  I have spent more out on the town with my brothers.....

[Anonymous]

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@DomLS3 wrote:

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@Closingracer99 wrote:

If you want a metal card or a Black one why not go for the CSP or the Marriott cards? They are both metal and the Marriott one is black as well

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CSP isn't metal... it's plastic with a metal core, and I'm not certain about the Marriott cards.

But to answer your question... simply put.... I wanted the best there was. Since I'm not quite at the AMEX Centurion level just yet, 2nd best will do.

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2nd best? That is subjective.....I am going to try to keep this as FSR as possible.

I will say your lineup, scores, limits, are all fantastic, I would agree, for your age. I like everything about it. Its not overkill, great scores fantastic limits etc.

It just comes off as a little superior, listing your age, income, and that you spent $400 on a card just to have it.  And in reality, chase cobranded cards are not that hard to get....  So ........

This card is AWESOME for folks that stay at ritz, hopefully one day you take a vacation and can use them once or twice.

I would look at your total spending for the year, make sure you have all your categories covered for cash back. Reference the charts in my signature by themanwhocan.  And if you are not getting a car or home loan anytime soon, by all means get some bonuses if you want to.

[DomLS3]

Just to clarify... I didn't get the card to "impress others." I got the card strictly because it is unique (I've never seen one in person before), I liked it, and I wanted it. I could care less if the person I hand it to at the register says anything about it or not. Same goes for my house, car, or any other personally owned asset. I buy what I want because I like it, if I can afford it. I was just curious if anyone else did the same.

[Anonymous]

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@DomLS3 wrote:

Just to clarify... I didn't get the card to "impress others." I got the card strictly because it is unique (I've never seen one in person before), I liked it, and I wanted it. I could care less if the person I hand it to at the register says anything about it or not. Same goes for my house, car, or any other personally owned asset. I buy what I want because I like it, if I can afford it. I was just curious if anyone else did the same.

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Yes, I do the same thing from time to time, just not with cc's. :-)

Have you considered a PC on your Citi DP to the Dividend?  The categories may not be that useful to you though.  AFAIK its still possible to do this.

What APR's do you have on your BCP and DP?