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Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card
The new Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card gives you Gold Elite status (which is honored at Marriott hotels, comes complimentary the first year and that you retain each year you spend $10,000 on the card); a $300 Airline Fee credit, $100 Global Entry credit, and unlimited use $100 Airline Ticket discounts when buying for 2 or more passengers; 3 complimentary upgrades to The Ritz-Carlton Club® Level each year valid on paid stays of up to seven nights; plus airport lounge access and a premium concierge, the card gives you:
- A great signup bonus of 3 complimentary nights at any participating Tier 1-4 Ritz-Carlton hotel after $5,000 spend on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
The value proposition for the card is really strong. And once you get it, there are (3) reasons why you should add an authorized user to your account.
- Because you want their spending. The authorized user helps you meet the minimum spend requirement to earn 3 complimentary Ritz-Carlton nights.
You get Gold status in the Ritz-Carlton program — which is honored at Marriott properties as though you were Marriott Reward Gold — but after your first year you need to spend $10,000 on the card to keep gold. Your authorized user’s spending helps you keep your elite status. And their spending also helps you earn Platinum status, which requires $75,000 in purchases on the card each account year.
Plus – of course – their spending helps you earn more free nights.
Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, Credit: Ritz-Carlton - A bigger signup bonus. You get an additional 10,000 points for adding authorized user and making a purchase within first 3 months of cardmembership — on top of the 3 complimentary Ritz-Carlton night signup bonus.
- Authorized users get Priority Pass Select cards, too. This means your authorized users get airport lounge access. And since some airport lounges may limit the number of guests you can bring in with you, if you’re traveling with your authorized cardmember then you can double your access.
There are over 900 participating airport lounges, including these 41 in the U.S..
KLM Lounge Houston
Does it cost anything to add additional users?
And one big reason not to
Chase 5/24 rule
Since Chase inexplicably wants to count AU accounts as part of their 5/24 rule why would I want to be added as an authorized user so the cardholder can get a lousy 10000 point bonus?
I added an authorized user to my wife’s Ritz card in order to get the 10,000 point bonus and they didn’t even ask for a social security number.
Side question: my first Chase Ritz statement closed about 48 hours ago (I made the spend) and although I saw the points post from the statement I have not seen anything about the 3 free nights yet….any idea how long it takes for the nights to post?
Gary, can you provide your thoughts on why Chase continues to offer AU bonuses on cards (even their own, non co-brand SP cards) and then will penalize applicants for being authorized users as part of 5/24? Hypocritical, no?
@Bob,
They will not ask for the social, but if you have other cards with them, they know who you are, they have the whole family tree. My private banker showed me once on his comp. everything linked even when no authorized users were there.
I second the stupidity of authorized user for the 5/24 rule, but given that it’s there, I think you need to mention it up top Gary,
You gotta find another stock lounge photo, that KLM lounge @IAH is one of the worst I’ve ever seen – food is worse than a United Club. Definitely not worth the huge trek across the airport if you are flying UA.
Commenters need to do better research on authorized users and 5/24. Totally malleable. Can be closed then they disappear from 5/24. No problem getting the benefits.
Not true for chase cards at least. My wife had to fight for approval for reserve card over one lousy chase au card that had been canceled. So by our experience at least my criticism stands with regard to au accounts.
@ Only One Who Knows Nothing: Chase counts closed accounts in 5/24. Nice try, though. Your kewpie doll is in the mail.
I added an authorised user to my Ritz Carlton Rewards CC and received only my the priority pass. Called the hotline and was told that only the primary account owner gets the priority pass. Can anyone of you confirm that their authorised user got the priority pass?
Thanks!
@Mike, I can confirm the AU’s get Priority Pass. I have added family members this way successfully without any issues. Added bonus that has not been mentioned: the cards last for 16 months from when they are sent (ie. order Nov 2016, exp. Apr 2018).
@Mike, I can also confirm that the AU does get their own Priority Pass but the difference as quoted to me by a Chase rep is that the primary card holder gets the Priority Pass automatically and the authorized users get it only when requested through the Chase rep.