Ritz Carlton is a subsidiary of Marriott. Marriott markets the Ritz as their luxury partner. Because of this partnership, members of Marriott Rewards, have the ability to redeem points for stays at the Ritz and members of Ritz Carlton Rewards have the ability to redeem points for stays at a Marriott Resort. You can read more about the relationship here.
If you like Ritz resorts and want to earn Ritz Rewards points, you can certainly apply for and use the Chase Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card. This card comes with a hefty annual fee of $395 but has some other nice perks as well. You can read more about the card here.
However if your primary goal is only to earn enough Ritz points to stay at a Ritz for free, consider applying for and using a Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card. This card has a mere $95 annual fee in comparison to the Ritz card fee. You can read more about the card here.
Note that both cards have the same spend bonuses. You earn 5 points per $1 at any participating Ritz-Carlton hotel or Marriott. You earn 2 points per $1 spent on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, and at car rental agencies and restaurants. Lastly, you earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases made with your card.
Depending on what features of a card are most important to you, the Chase Marriott card may be the way to go. If I was trying to accumulate Ritz Rewards points, this is the way I would go!
