The One Chase Hotel Credit Card Everyone Should Have

2 free nights after you make $3,000 in purchases within your first 3 months of account opening.

2 free nights after spending $1,000 within the first 3 months

60,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. (Targeted offer for 100,000 points after $2,000 spent in 3 months).

80,000 points after spending $3,000 in your first 3 months

The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card

3 complimentary nights at any participating Tier 1-4 Ritz-Carlton hotel, after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening.
Earn 10,000 bonus points after adding an authorized user and making a purchase in the first 3 months from account opening.

It’s tough to judge which Chase hotel credit card has the best sign-up bonus, considering the many factors at play: personal preference, number of hotels the sign-up bonus can be redeemed at, category restrictions, the number of free nights that can be booked with a certain number of points, etc.

At first glance, for example, the Ritz Carlton Rewards Credit Card looks like the best option because it offers three free nights at a Tier 1-4 hotel. This can easily be worth upwards of 180,000 points. However, there are only 83 hotels to choose from in these categories. The Marriott Premier Credit Card’s 80,000 point sign-up bonus looks equally intriguing. Free nights range form 6,000 – 45,000 points per night, so this bonus could potentially cover upwards of 13 nights (not factoring the 5th night free)!

However, for top-tier awards, it may not cover two free nights unless you’re redeeming a PointSavers award. So let’s skip over the Marriott card. Whether you go for the 60,000 or 100,000 point bonus from the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card, you aren’t going to be able to cover two nights in a top-tier hotel.

The most solid option is really the Hyatt Credit Card, which offers two unrestricted free nights at any Hyatt hotel worldwide.The Fairmont Visa Signature is great if you want to stay at a Fairmont hotel, but again, there aren’t many of those around so this round goest to the Hyatt Credit Card which offers the most solid sign-up bonus in the form of two free nights.

Category Bonus

5 points for every $1 spent on Fairmont stays
2 points for every $1 spent on airline tickets purchased directly with airlines, at car rental agencies, and on local transit and commuting

3 points per $1 spent on purchases at all Hyatt properties with your Hyatt credit card.
2 points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchases directly from the airline and at car rental agencies.

5 points per $1 spent at IHG hotels.
2 points per $1 spent on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants.

5 points per $1 spent at participating Marriott Rewards and SPG properties worldwide.
2 points per $1 spent at restaurants, car rental agencies and on airline tickets purchased directly with the airline1

The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card

5 points per $1 spent at any participating Ritz-Carlton and Marriott hotel worldwide.
2 points per $1 spent on airline tickets purchased directly with the airline, and at car rental agencies and restaurants.

Fairmont, Hyatt, and Ritz Carlton offer pretty much the same bonus categories and I would argue these aren’t that great because 1.) the payout isn’t great and 2.) there are credit cards with higher travel bonuses. The two cards that really stand out in terms of category bonuses are the IHG Rewards Club Select and Marriott Premier Credit Cards. While the 5x earned at SPG properties is great, I would give this win to the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card. Why? For starters, the 5x points at IHG hotels is generous in light of the 5-10 points per $1 members earn through the program. But more importantly, the 2x category bonus on gas, grocery and restaurant spend is much more substantial than the travel bonuses offered by the other cards.

Elite Status

Complimentary Premier status after approval
Elite stay credit for every $7,500 spent (up to two credits per calendar year)

Complimentary Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum status

Complimentary IHG Rewards Club Platinum status

15 credits towards elite status annually (i.e. Silver elite status)
Earn 1 credit toward Elite Status for every $3,000 spent.

The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card

Complimentary Gold Elite status during the first year; spend $10,000 to maintain it.
Earn Platinum elite status after $75,000 spent per account year.

All of these credit cards come with complimentary mid-tier status, which is utterly useless in some cases (I’m talking to you, Hyatt and IHG). The best mid-tier status benefits come courtesy of the Fairmont and Ritz Carlton cards. But Ritz Carlton takes it a step further by allowing cardholders to earn top-tier Platinum elite status after $75,000 worth of credit card spending. The best part? This status level can be matches to Marriott and SPG Platinum! Both programs offer terrific benefits like complimentary lounge access, breakfast, and room upgrades. The ability to earn top-tier status across not one but three rewards programs gives the Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card a major advantage.

Annual Benefits

Annual Fairmont Gold upgrade certificate
Free anniversary night when you make $12,000 in purchases with your card.

Free anniversary night valid at a Category 1 – 4 Hyatt hotel.

Free anniversary night at any IHG hotel worldwide.

Free anniversary night valid at any Category 1-5 hotel worldwide.

The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card

$300 Annual Travel Credit that can be applied towards baggage fees, seat upgrades, airport lounge fees, etc.
$100 airline discount valid on 2 -5 roundtrip domestic coach airline tickets on the same itinerary.
Complimentary Priority Pass Select Membership, worth $399.
$100 statement credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fees.

Is there even a competition? The Ritz Carlton rewards Credit Card offers the absolute best travel benefits of any Chase hotel credit card. That being said, not everyone will want to spend $450 on the annual fee to retain these benefits. For those folks, the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card is the better option, as it offers an unrestricted annual free night that can be used at thousands of hotels around the world. If you’re looking for luxury, the Ritz Carlton card wins this category. For frugal travelers, the IHG Rewards Club Card is a better way to go.

Annual Fee

Waived the first year, then $95

Waived the first year, then $49