@fffaaaa wrote:Yeah, good point about those three cards.
Unfortunately, UBS seems to be reserved to their wealth management customers, Ritz Carlton is discontinued (but legend says that it is still available via product change from something else.. do you have more info on that?), and City National has been devalued from most of its benefits so it's probably the only Infinite card that I don't actually want.
The UBS one is awesome, does anyone here have it?
All three cards are sort-of unicorn cards for various reasons but they are all available. Part of reason you don't see these as much is due to the high AF and travel card orientation dissuading some from even applying, just like everyone doesn't want or need an AMEX Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve. I'll tell you what I know about each one.
Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite may be the most common and easily available of these three, even though it's not open to new direct applications. >HERE< is an overview of benefits per Chase. To get it:
- Comply with Chase 5/24
- Have a credit profile meriting the minimum $10K credit limit
- Apply for the Chase Marriott Boundless ($95 AF) card ... or I think you can also just apply for the no AF Marriott Bold.
- Hold that Marriott card for one year.
- Call Chase Customer Service and product change to Ritz Carlton.
- For more details, >HERE< is a third party review that gives more details.
- One recent member who completed this was @CreditCuriosity. >HERE< is his posting.
- The AF is still reported as $450 even though this card is the Visa equivalent of the now-$650 AMEX Bonvoy Brilliant. Free annual night upgraded to 85K points when Chase cards were revamped recently. Still also offers $300 airline fee credit among other perks and benefits.
- Incidentally, the card was previously the heaviest metal cards available but was changed about 18 months ago to a metal-plastic hybrid similar to Chase Sapphire Reserve.
While it probably helps to be a wealth management client, it's not required. We have a few posts from members who either were or were not clients. Highest SLs probably require some assets with them. We had one member get a $286.5K SL. The biggest hurdle is the lengthy application is via paper and manual processing along with submitted documents.
Here are three other reported approvals of which I'm aware. While there are none reported lately, these are from 2018-2020. Post1. Post2. Post3.
I've looked seriously at this card even though I'm not a wealth management client. IMO and from my perspective, it's a much better value in a premium card than an AMEX Platinum. Lower AF of $495. Fewer silly AMEX limited coupon-book credits for things I wouldn't use. Instead it offers $500 in credits based on spend:
Eligible UBS Visa Infinite card accounts must have cumulative spending of $25,000 or greater during either the current calendar year-to-date or the prior calendar year. The spend requirement will be waived if your assets held at UBS meet or exceed $1 million. Credits must be requested and will be no greater than the amount of the restaurant transactions, the Amazon Prime membership fees and airport lounge access charged to your eligible UBS Visa Infinite card account, up to $500 per calendar year. You may claim up to $500 in credit(s) for each calendar year in which you qualify for the benefit. If you claim more than $500 in credits in a calendar year, the credits issued will be capped at $500 for that year. If you do not claim the maximum eligible credit in a year, the unclaimed portion will not carry over into subsequent years. You must claim the credits for the same calendar year in which the applicable purchase transactions posted to your card account. A credit must be claimed within 120 days of the transaction date.
It also offers $250 airline fee credit and TSA Global Entry $100 credit. Full suite of Visa Infinite Benefits even exceeds the Chase Sapphire Reserve in some aspects. (Read the link to benefits guide on UBS link above). The points redemption is tricky but can be worth up to 1.8% for air fare. Read >THIS< review of the card. Earn 3x points for commercial air travel, 2x points for gas and groceries, and 1 point for all other eligible purchases.
I'm unfamiliar with ease of card management or technology (website or mobile app) and how that might impact customer experience. Customer Service concierge, however is supposedly excellent.
>City National Bank Crystal Visa Infinite< may be the trickiest of these cards to get depending on where you live. You must be existing banking client and they don't accept online applications for banking or credit cards. (Corrected: see post below per @coldfusion. No deposit accounts required. Apply in-branch, by telephone, or by mail.). And their physical branches are only in (10) states and the District of Columbia. (CA has most branches by far at 58. Other branches in FL, NY, MA, PA, DE, TN, GA, NV, VA.). See the City National Bank website for more details. While some perks were devalued, the card still pays for itself. AF is still a reasonable $400, at low end of premium card fees. There is a $350 annual airline fee credit that almost completely offsets the AF. With $50K annual spend, there is a $550 credit for an airport lounge membership in addition to the provided Priority Pass Lounge membership. TSA Global Entry $100 credit. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on airline, hotel, taxi (including Uber and Lyft), limousine, rental car, train, bus, restaurant, fast food, and takeout food dining purchases, and 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Unfortunately, no points multipliers that I am aware of like on the Chase Sapphire Reserve or US Bank Altitude Reserve.
= = = = = = = = =
Edit-to-Add: just found >THIS review< that claims that besides applying in-person got the Crystal Visa Infinite, a telephone or mailed paper application is also an option but confirms that no internet applications are available.
@coldfusion wrote:
@Aim_High wrote:>City National Bank Crystal Visa Infinite< may be the trickiest of these cards to get depending on where you live.You must be existing banking clientand they don't accept online applications for banking. And their physical branches are only in (10) states and the District of Columbia. (CA has most branches by far at 58. Other branches in FL, NY, MA, PA, DE, TN, GA, NV, VA.). I am not in their footprint and unsure if they would accept me as a client due to my home address, even if I applied in-branch while traveling.I got my Crystal before they nerfed the AU travel benefit, but I wasn't an existing client when I applied nor did I ever open any other accounts with them. I did apply in branch, and I remember the paper application being 12 pages long and much of the information requested was tied to establishing one's net worth, not just current income.
There is at least 1 member here I'm aware of who was also approved pre-nerf for the card that I'm sure was not a legal resident of one of the states CNB had a physical nexus.
Thanks for that clarification, @coldfusion. I'm not sure if I read that about existing banking client or assumed it due to the in-person requirement for application. I just a web search and found some third party reviews that suggest it's still possible to apply for the card in-person with deposit accounts or local address within a geo-footprint. That's good to know!
Also, I just found this little tidbit reading the disclosures. The card has No Preset Spending Limit so can be flexible like an AMEX charge card. So did they assign a credit limit but allow you to exceed as needed?
No Pre-Set Spending Limit and Transaction Authorization.
Unless you are considered an executive officer, director or other insider of the Bank under federal law, the Account has no pre-set spending limit. This does not mean that all transactions will be approved by us. Instead, each transaction in excess of the Credit Access Line will be considered for approval by us on an individual basis, and will be evaluated based on the spending and payment patterns on the Account, the Account history, your other relationships with us, information from consumer credit reports we obtain from credit bureaus, your experience with other creditors, our understanding of your resources, safety and soundness considerations and any suspected fraud. We may decline an authorization request for any transaction at any time for any reason. We may also request additional information from you at any time to evaluate a transaction request or your use of the Account. Any transaction honored in excess of the Credit Access Line or the Available Cash Line will not result in an increase of your Credit Access Line or Available Cash Line, respectively, unless we expressly notify you in writing. If we authorize a transaction that causes you to exceed your Credit Access Line, then you must pay, as part of your Minimum Payment Due, the amount by which your balance exceeds your Credit Access Line.
= = = = = = = = =
Edit-to-Add: just found >THIS review< that claims that besides applying in-person, a telephone or mailed paper application is also an option but that no internet applications are available.
Congratulations on the new card and huge SL!
(+102) | 
(+106) | 
(+151)