October 18
My New Marriott Rewards Premier Visa Arrived
LINK: Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card
So…I’ve carried a Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card for a while now. It has a reasonable list of benefits that more than pay for the annual fee of the card, recently increased to $85 dollars per year. Those benefits include:
- Enjoy up to 7 Free Nights To Start!
- New! Smart Chip Technology and No Foreign Transaction Fees!
- Earn 5 points for every $1 spent at Marriott® locations
- Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on airline tickets purchased directly with the airline, and at car rental agencies & restaurants
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on other purchases
- Receive 1 free night stay after account approval and each year upon account anniversary
- Cardmembers achieve Silver Elite status with 15 nights credit toward Elite status
The biggest benefit other than elite stay credit is an annual category 1-5 certificate. That alone covers the annual fee in my book. Do note that the certificate you receive at account opening is for category 1-4 hotels. Then you receive a 1-5 certificate each account anniversary. On the other hand, the annual fee is waived for the first year, a fair enough trade in my opinion. Currently, the card is available and offering 50,000 Marriott Rewards bonus points after your first $1,000 dollars in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. I’m placing this offer on my Credit Cards for Traveling Well page now as I consider this a good card to carry, even if you don’t exclusively use Marriott.
As I said earlier, I’ve carried the card for some time. I received an email the other day from Chase, marketing its new Marriott Cardmember homepage. I took a look at it, and noticed that the Premier Card had a new look. Mostly all black with silver lettering and numbers….and an EMV chip. I thought “what the heck?” and decided to send Chase an email. I noted that I’d seen the new marketing materials depicting a card with an EMV chip and asked if I could have my card issued with one. The next day, I received a reply advising that a new card was on its way. It arrived in yesterday’s mail and has a look and feel shockingly similar to my Chase Sapphire Preferred card, right down to the non-raised numbers, though they are on the front of the Marriott card as opposed to the back of the Sapphire card. And of course, it now includes an EMV chip.
Chip and signature, not Chip & PIN, but I guess it’s a start. Just thought I’d put it out there that if you are carrying the Chase Marriott Premier Credit Card, you can request to have a card with an EMV chip sent to you. If this has been available for a while, I did not know it. I’ll see if the card works during my upcoming European adventure, and will let you know if I have any difficulty using it. I’ll be keeping extra cash with me just in case.
Disclosure: If you apply for and receive a credit card through the links I have provided, I will receive a referral commission.
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Can you post pictures of the card? I know it is on the Chase web site, but it would be great to see in-person photos. Thanks!
@DW,
Sorry about that. Was hoping I’d have the pic formatted before the post went live. A picture is now included.
What are some good category 5 redemptions?
My last one: JW Marriott – Miami.
Renaissance Long Beach, pre cruise.
Miami Marriott, Biscayne Bay.
Hopefully, others will chime in…but these are hotels I’ve actually used. Favorite is JW Miami.
What would you say are the best hotel cards to have if you’re a world traveler?
All the good credit cards I see seem to be Chase and I’m sure people are close to hitting their max on Chase cards
Does this one also have the no foreign transaction fees feature? Thinking it did.
That’s correct, no FTF.
Corey,
Of the non Chase cards, the Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Visa a winner. It includes Gold status which is of some use. No FTF, and it is chip and signature as well. Visa more widely usable than Amex, but any of the Hilton Amex cards are respectable too. SPG Amex is great, but still charges pesky FTF. Others may chime in with ideas too.
Thanks for the post, just called Chase and they are sending out my new card today
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The new card looks pretty sexy…
@Grant,
Great! And it is kinda snazzy looking.
If I had to pick between the Hyatt and the Marriott, would you say this is the better deal?
@Corey,
That’s a hard question. If you are likely to spend lots of nights in Marriott properties, then this card can help you get status more quickly. On the other hand, the Hyatt card is 10 dollars cheaper per year, and includes 2 free nights (for new members then 1 each anniversary) as opposed to 1 night for new members then 1 each anniversary with the Marriott card. Then again, the Marriott card offers 50,000 bonus points which can be used to obtain free stays…. in some cases, several nights at the lower category properties. Very much a YMMV situation. Both good products…just depends on your needs. Do you hold elite status at any hotel chains?
I have Platinum for IHG hotels due to the Priority Club card from Chase. That’s all. That’s why I’m looking for the next card and there are just too many out there: Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, SPG. Don’t know what’s the best deal out there. My travels are split between Asia, North America as well as a few I plan on down the road for the Caribbean and maybe Europe.
How did you get the Chip and Sig card? I asked and got this message back:
“I regret to inform you that, I am unable to send the
replacement cards with Chip and Signature technology.
However, you can expect to see the new Chip with Signature feature by the end of 2012.”
I also requested a C&S British Airways card from Chase, and they sent me three replacement cards, all without Chips. Called again and still waiting for the second attempt.
Standing by…
Chris,
Try calling. But I didn’t do anything fancy. Just emailed and asked.
Thanks for the tip, I just called and requested by chip card! I was with Delta Amx Gold for a long time and just got this card recently because I wanted Marriott points to go with all the Delta miles I collect when I travel for work.
The card looks and feel of the card is great. Matt black finish with silver writing. The core of the card is metal so it’s heavier and stiffer than other cards. Very nice
[...] More Marriott Stays – Yes, I said Marriott. I haven’t been playing much with Marriott Rewards in the last few years. Starwood was, and continues to be my favorite hotel program, but a guy that has to spend more than his share of hotel nights in many of the more “authentic” locales our country has to offer needs to have some backup. Marriott fits the bill. I recently challenged back to Gold Elite status (future post forthcoming) and my Marriott stays have been nothing less than great so far. My Marriott Rewards Premier Visa will help me maintain that Gold status over the long term with 15 nights elite credit each year that I carry the card. Did I mention that it has an EMV Chip too? Oh yes, I did. [...]