Fairmont Signature Visa by Chase Update
Earlier this year Chase discontinued their Fairmont Signature Visa card and it was reported by William Charles at the Doctor of Credit site. I also wrote a quick post on the subject with a link to a still working application page.
I’ve stayed at a couple Fairmont’s including the Empress in Victoria and Le Château Frontenac in Québec City, both of which are wonderful. I’ve been interested in this card for a while and assumed I would get it later, after running through my last year of higher end status with Hyatt.
Realizing this opportunity might already be gone, I used the active link and applied immediately for the card for both Susan and myself. Susan was approved immediately, and then I was after a review. Three weeks later we received our welcome kits in the mail. One of the nice things about these cards is that they don’t fall under Chase’s 5/24 rule, and so my activity for the last 24 months didn’t preclude myself from picking up the card.
Welcome package
In full disclosure, the link for this card closed 24 hours later after I applied (January 13th, 2017). Why talk about a card that has been discontinued? One reason is this is a follow up to my original post about the card going away. Another reason includes discussing this product for other readers that could get in on the card before the link was taken down, and are now using it. Finally, the subject of discontinued cards (especially by Chase, but other banks as well) is very informative and interesting. Cards are discontinued all the time, and by referencing what has happened with other cards in the past, we have a reference point for when banks in the future stop issuing today’s offered cards.
Fairmont Banff Springs
Sign Up Bonus
The sign-up bonus for this card is two free nights at any Fairmont, after you spend $3,000, with the annual fee of $95 waived for first year. The free night is excluded on blackout dates at several the properties, but in reviewing these locations and dates I couldn’t find anything that restrictive. Mostly a few holiday dates for the given location. A link to listed property blackout dates is here.
Two free nights
What Comes with the Card
The Fairmont card also come with automatic middle status level, Premier Status, in the Presidents Club. These benefits are reoccurring every year of holding the Fairmont Signature Visa. Premier status includes:
• 1 complimentary room upgrade per year (to be redeemed by February 28th and up to 5 nights)
• 1 complimentary suite upgrade (to be redeemed by February 28th and up to 5 nights)
• 2 x $25 Fairmont dining or Willow Stream Spa e-certificates, dining can be used for Lunch or Dinner
• 1 Complimentary third night on a three-night stay (cannot be used with your free night certificates)
• 750 airline miles on qualifying stays
The card also can help you achieve elite status by awarding a stay credit after $7,500.00 in purchases, up to two stay credits. In addition to that Fairmont will also credit you an additional free night after $12,000 a year in purchases. Based on this we plan to spend up to $15,000 per year to receive both stay credits and the additional free night.
The free nights, third night free, and Fairmont upgrades are stackable in several ways including with Citibank Prestige Forth Night Free benefit, so don’t forget to get creative when using them. One way there are NOT stackable is the third night free with free night certificates, which would be great – but is not allowed.
Fairmont Kea Lani
Other Items
Oddly, you do not receive award points when you stay at a Fairmont property as a member of their loyalty program, the Fairmont’s Presidents Club. You will receive airline miles toward the airline of your choice. The exception to this rule is if you do possess the Fairmont Signature Visa, you can earn points for room redemptions. The card’s earning rates are:
• 5x on all stays with Fairmont Hotels
• 2x on airline tickets (purchased from the airlines), car rentals (direct as well), and on transit and commuting
• 1x on all other purchases
When you do stay with a Fairmont property you are rewarded with a healthy 5X points, which makes the decision to use this card an easier one. Once you start accumulating Fairmont Reward points, you can redeem them for stays at Fairmont and sister Accord properties. The redemption rates for these properties and room types are per the following chart:
Properties are grouped into Collections with four levels; A, B, C and D. The collection awards are termed Ovation Reward Collections. As you can see Fairmont Gold Suites at D level hotels can get pricy at 75,000 Fairmont Reward points per night. Fairmont has a small, but beautiful collection of hotels with most of them in North America, and in particular Canada. To see a chart detailing collection hotels use this link here. The Fairmont Reward Point redemptions also include breakfast for two in the hotel resultant.
In Summary:
Our applications for Chase’s Fairmont Signature Visa cards turned out well with both Susan and receiving the card. The two Free Nights after $3,000.00 in spend is a great deal and we’re looking at the different Fairmont properties trying to decide where to stay. For those of you able to get in on the Fairmont Signature Visa card by Chase before it was discontinued, well done.