Chase Luxury Hotel Card Shakeup
Over the past couple of days Chase has made some changes to two of their luxury branded hotel cards. Let’s take a look at what is changing and why you might want to consider getting one of these cards now.
Chase Fairmont Visa Being Discontinued
Last year Accor Hotels purchased the luxury Fairmont Raffles chain of hotels. Many speculated that as part of this purchase the Chase co-branded Fairmont Visa would go away. Apparently that is actually happening now. Chase has removed the card from their site, but thankfully there are still a couple of working links for now.
Here is what the Chase Fairmont Visa offers:
- 2 free nights after $3K in purchases during the first 3 months.
- 1 free night each year if you have spent $12K on the card.
- 5X on Fairmont stays, 2X on airline tickets purchased directly with airlines, at car rental agencies, and on local transit and commuting, and 1X on everything else.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Premier status. (1 room upgrade, $50 dining cert & 1 suite upgrade)
Should You Apply?
Fairmont has some amazing properties and the free night certificates are potentially valuable. If you have a use for them, then this could definitely be an application to look at. Given that the card is going away, this is probably your last chance to get these free nights & benefits. Additionally, this card is not known to be subject to the 5/24 rule, which helps.
Greg the Frequent Miler has a good write up about applying for the card for both him and his wife.
Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite Bonus Dropping
Last year Chase made a few changes to their Ritz Carlton credit card. Specifically they made it a Visa Infinite and added a $100 companion airfare benefit. They also raised the bonus to 3 free nights (category 1-4) after $5K in spend.
All good things must come to an end though. Apparently Chase has now dropped the bonus to just 2 free nights (category 1-4) after $4K in spend. But there is still hope in the form of one application link for the old offer that still lives.
As a reminder, the Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite comes with a $450 annual fee and the following benefits:
- 5X at Ritz, Marriott and SPG hotels.
- 2X on airline tickets purchased directly with the airline, and at car rental agencies and restaurants.
- $300 annual travel credit (Not automatic, but you can request credits for seat/baggage and other fees via Secure Message or on the telephone.)
- Priority Pass lounge membership.
- $100 Global Entry travel credit.
- Ritz/Marriott/SPG Gold the first year. Spend $10K per year to keep Gold. Spend $75K per year to get Platinum.
Should You Apply?
The annual fee on this card is a bit steep, but if you know how to maximize the travel credit, you can actually come out ahead by $150 the first year. Additionally the ability to spend up to both Marriott and SPG Platinum status will be appealing to some people. Most importantly, getting an extra free night is potentially worth applying now. Oh and did I mention the card is solid metal?
Getting Both?
Perhaps at this point you are asking if it makes sense to get both cards? While it isn’t guaranteed, you should be able to apply and be approved for two personal Chase cards in the same day. For example, last year my wife was approved in-branch for her Sapphire Reserve card and then went home and applied for the Ritz Carlton Card and was approved. The best part is that the inquiries were combined on her credit report!
Of course the bonus on both of these products comes in the form of free night certificates which expire one year from the date of issue. If you feel like you will have use for them all, then it might make sense to apply for both cards. If I had to pick only one, then I probably would go with the Fairmont card given its ability to get you room upgrades and of course the fact that it will probably be gone tomorrow.
Application Links
Here are the known working application links for these products. These are not referral/affiliate links.
Conclusion
Both of these cards and bonuses are attractive if you have a use for the certificates and other benefits. While neither is subject to the 5/24 rule, keep in mind opening these accounts will add to your 5/24 total and my have an effect on you getting other Chase cards in the future. If these cards make sense for you, then consider getting them sooner rather than later because these links probably won’t be around very long.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the old king of travel rewards cards. Right now
bonus_miles_full
Learn more about this card and its features!
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
The end of churning as we know it?
I’m happy fairmont dropped chase good bye chase