If you haven’t heard, the biggest story in Blogland is that the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Ritz Carlton Cards are dropping the Priority Pass restaurant benefit.
Chase Sapphire Reserve and Other Premium Credit Cards are Losing Access to Priority Pass Restaurants
Chase Sapphire Reserve & Ritz-Carlton cardholders losing restaurant access from Priority Pass
Chase Shakes Up Priority Pass Benefits: Say Goodbye to Free Meals
Sad News, Chase Sapphire Reserve And Ritz Card to Lose Access to Priority Pass Restaurants
I could write about this, but what else could I add to the conversation? I’d be just another voice saying what everyone else already had.
But there’s one thing that bothers me about this change. Sharon and I have the Ritz Carlton Card and Sapphire Reserve, and we’ve yet to hear from Chase about this change, which is set to take place on July 1st.
Why haven’t we heard, you might ask? Well, that’s because the change was only noticed by cardholders who saw the announcement on their credit card statement. You know, the paper statement that banks do everything they can to get you to opt out of receiving? They even offer bonus points on Earth Day to say paper statements are bad for the environment.
Is this ethical?
Is it ethical for banks to announce changes to cardholder benefits on monthly statements when they actively encourage cardholders to opt out of receiving these in the mail? You can download your statement from the bank website, but who does this?
Personally, I use financial software to keep track of our accounts and pay bills online. I checked the Chase website and app for the Priority Pass benefit for both cards, and there’s no mention of the upcoming changes. I also checked the application page for the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and there’s no mention of losing the restaurant benefit from Priority Pass. Note that they still mention restaurants, cafes, and markets.
One time activation required. Priority Pass Select membership includes access to airport lounges, restaurants, cafes and markets participating in the Priority Pass Select network. There is no additional cost to activate your membership and certain terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Primary Cardmembers and Authorized Users are granted complimentary access to the Priority Pass lounges and are allowed a maximum of two accompanying guests each. For any additional guests, your card will be charged $27 per guest, per visit. Your card will be charged after you have signed for the additional guest visits in the participating lounge and the visits have been reported to Priority Pass. Access may be denied if the lounge is at capacity. Participating lounges are owned and operated by independent third parties and their participation and/or facilities may change. To access a lounge, member must show his/her valid Priority Pass Select membership card. Priority Pass Select membership is subject to the Priority Pass Select Terms and Conditions. Your Chase Sapphire Reserve account must be open and not in default to maintain membership. For complete Priority Pass Select Terms and Conditions and a listing of participating lounges, restaurants, cafes and markets, please visit www.prioritypass.com/select.
So, if you’re applying today for the Sapphire Reserve, you’d have no idea that this benefit will disappear in a few months until you get your first bill.
What could banks do?
Since banks are going paperless, how could they better inform cardholders of changes?
For starters, they could send an email informing cardholders of an upcoming change to their Priority Pass benefits. If there’s a privacy concern, they could at least send a secure message that informs cardholders to log into their account to learn of upcoming changes to their benefits. Both of these methods will be more clear than hiding a change on the bottom of a paper statement that you actively encourage cardholders to deny for the sake of the environment.
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