The Ritz-Carlton card is built around its annual free night award, good at redemption levels up to 85,000 points, which on the right stay can more than cover the $450 annual fee by itself. Layer in up to $300 a year in airline statement credits, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status with 15 elite night credits, Priority Pass Select with up to two guests, a $120 Global Entry credit every four years, and up to $100 in property credit on two-night stays at Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis, and the fixed benefits are unusually deep for the price. Earning is decent too: 6 points per dollar at participating Marriott hotels, 3x on dining, airlines, and car rentals, and 2x on everything else with no foreign transaction fee. The honest catch is that the value is front-loaded into credits and the free night, so you have to actually use the airline credit and book a high-value redemption each year or the fee stops making sense. There is also no signup bonus attached, which removes the usual first-year cushion other premium cards lean on.
Earn rates & credits
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
Hotels Marriott Bonvoy participating hotels (card portion; Gold Elite bonus points are a program rate, not a card rate) | 6x |
Dining | 3x |
Airlines | 3x |
Car Rentals | 3x |
Everything Else | 2x |
| Benefit | Value |
|---|---|
Annual Travel Credit Up to $300 in statement credits each year on qualifying airline purchases such as baggage fees, seat upgrades, and lounge memberships or day passes | $300 /yr |
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit Up to $120 statement credit toward a Global Entry application fee, which also confers TSA PreCheck privileges | $120 |
Hotel Credit Up to $100 in property credit for qualifying dining, spa, or recreation charges on stays of two nights or more at The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties | $100 |
| Total annual credits | $300 |
Card details
Foreign transaction fee | None |