The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Card Is No Longer Open to New Applicants

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

If you were hoping to add the Ritz-Carlton Rewards Card to your wallet but have yet to hit "apply," bad news: It's no longer accepting new applicants.

Links to that credit card's application page from TPG and elsewhere around the web are redirecting to the recently launched Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card with its 75,000-point sign-up bonus after spending $3,000 in the first three months — and a spokesperson from Chase confirmed that the Ritz card indeed is no longer available for new sign-ups.

This change comes right ahead of the official launch of the new Marriott program on August 18. At that date the Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Starwood Preferred Guest programs will be merged into one, with one loyalty currency, elite status program and a combined award chart.

Here's what our Chase contact had to say around the change: "Chase will be focusing on premium and no-fee consumer credit cards. All Ritz-Carlton Rewards cardmembers will continue to enjoy their rich benefits and can look forward to the new and enhanced ones that go into effect on August 26, 2018."

Those changes mentioned above include increased earning rates, a free night award (for stays costing up to 50,000 points) after each cardmember anniversary and automatic Gold status in the new combined Marriott program. So while the card is closed to new applicants, it still holds some valuable benefits for existing holders.

And keep in mind that a Starwood "Luxury" Amex card is coming soon, too — that could be a good choice if you're looking for a card in the new program, as could the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Card or the existing Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express and Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express.