Writer: Eric Bank
Editor: Lillian Guevara-Castro
Reviewer: Ashley Fricker
Disclosure: When you apply through links on our site, we may earn a referral fee from our partners. For more, see our ad disclosure and review policy.
The Mastercard® Black Card® began life as a Visa card in 2008 before Black Card LLC reassigned it in 2016. Formally known as the Mastercard® Black Card®, it and the Mastercard® Gold Card™ and Mastercard® Titanium Card® constitute the Luxury Card collection. Barclays Bank is the card issuer.
The card may be worth the steep annual fee if you like to travel first class. But this card’s review reveals fierce competition from a handful of premium cards offering the luxury card experience with similar or superior benefits.
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Benefits of the Mastercard® Black Card®
The Mastercard® Black Card® includes 24/7 luxury card concierge, free Priority Pass Select membership, and reimbursement for the Global Entry application fee, among other travel benefits.
- Redeem at 2% value for airfare and 1.5% for cash back. Just 50,000 points will get you a $1,000 ticket on any airline or $750 cash back, issued as a direct deposit statement credit.
- Earn 2X points on Airfare and Hotel reservations booked through LuxuryCardTravel.com. One point for every one dollar you spend for all other categories, earning points every time you spend.
- $200 Annual Airline Credit: Receive up to $200 in annual air travel credits toward flight-related purchases, including airline tickets, baggage fees, upgrades and more.
- $100 Annual Dining Credit: Get up to $100 in annual statement credits when you use your Luxury Card at qualifying restaurants.
- Receive up to $120 reimbursment credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee. Global Entry includes access to TSA PreCheck® with no additional application or fee required.
- 24/7 Luxury Card Concierge®: Exclusive to Cardmembers. Your busy life never stops, and neither do our Luxury Card Concierge agents. Enjoy around-the-clock lifestyle management and planning support tailored to your specific needs—and designed to save you time. Our personalized one-on-one service delivers solutions, suggestions and even surprises to make every day exceptional. Book the trip. Get the reservations. Score the tickets.
- With your Luxury Card, enjoy complimentary access to over 1,700 airport lounges and travel experiences in more than 600 cities across 145 countries with Priority Pass™ Select. Access includes unlimited visits for yourself as well as your guests.
- Black-PVD-Coated Metal Card and Made of Stainless Steel®: Beautifully crafted and exceptionally premium, Luxury Card is a statement piece designed to stand out in the most refined way. Weighing in at an impressive 22 grams, its stainless steel, contactless patented card design and metal construction raises the standard. Carry a card with distinction.
- Exclusive Luxury Card Travel® benefits—average value of $500 per stay (e.g., resort credits, room upgrades, free wifi, breakfast for two and more) at over 3,000 properties. Receive protection benefits like trip cancellation and interruption, auto rental car collision waiver, travel accident and baggage delay. Cell phone protection for eligible claims of up to $1,000 each year. Plus additional World Elite Mastercard® benefits.
- Annual Fee: $699 ($249 for each Authorized User). Terms and conditions apply.
Black Card LLC devotes much marketing effort, including an “unboxing video,” to tout the metal card’s physical weight and appearance. Many premium cards are metal heavyweights, so a reasonable assessment of the card’s cost/benefit tradeoff should focus on its other characteristics.
The card deserves praise for its $0 foreign transaction fee, competitive reward redemption rates, long list of travel perks, and introductory balance transfer promotion (a balance transfer fee applies).
As a World Elite Mastercard holder, you get special deals with select vendors, discounts on movie tickets, curated experiences in more than 40 cities worldwide, and global emergency assistance.
Non-travel benefits include Mastercard ID Theft Protection, cellphone protection, an exclusive subscription to Luxury Magazine, and a mobile app. But it is the card’s travel benefits that justify its annual fee.
How to Get the Mastercard® Black Card®
To get the Mastercard® Black Card®, you must be a US resident with a 700+ credit score. While the credit card issuer doesn’t publish income requirements, it’s safe to say you must be able to afford the annual fee and monthly bill payments.
To apply online, you must provide:
- Basic data about your identity (including Social Security number)
- How long you’ve lived at your permanent address
- Your monthly housing payment (rent or mortgage)
- Your bank account information
- Your source of income and total annual gross
The card does not offer a prequalification step. Your credit score may suffer a minor ding when the issuer does a hard credit check. The drop in score of up to five points evaporates after one year, but the hard pull remains on your credit reports for two years.
Alternatives to the Mastercard® Black Card®
The list of alternatives to the Mastercard® Black Card® includes premium cards with sizable annual fees, including the two other cards from the Luxury Card collection.
- Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Additional Disclosure: Citi is a CardRates advertiser.
Citi Strata Elite℠ Card quickly pays for itself through its generous rewards, travel credits, lounge access, and extensive protections and conveniences. You earn bonus points on certain travel expenses and restaurant charges. This card also offers a hefty signup bonus if you meet the spending requirement in the first three months of account opening. The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card is one of the best credit cards you can get.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations and participating Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Top rated mobile app
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers excellent benefits while charging an annual fee below that of many competitors. It ticks the boxes for lounge access, travel reimbursements, a large signup bonus, and generous bonus miles on select purchases. Other benefits include dining and entertainment perks, no foreign transaction fees, and cellphone insurance.
- Earn 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new card to make $8,000 in purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points for flights booked directly through airlines or American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Also earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com.
- $600 annual hotel credit, $200 annual airline fee credit, $200 per year Uber cash credit, $300 per year digital entertainment credit, and more.
- Platinum Card Members have unlimited complimentary access to all locations of The Global Lounge Collection®, including 1,550 airport lounges.
- Apply with Confidence: Know if you’re approved for this Card with no credit score impact
- Fee Credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, CLEAR® Plus Membership
The Platinum Card® from American Express is a good choice for flight and hotel rewards. Its annual fee is high, but it offers lucrative perks such as credits for select hotel stays, airline and baggage fees, and digital entertainment, among other services. It also insures you against trip delays, cancellations, and lost baggage.
- Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $7,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
- Complimentary Admirals Club® membership
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
- Earn 10 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible hotels booked through aadvantagehotels.com and on eligible car rentals booked through aadvantagecars.com
- Earn 4 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to 8 companions traveling with you on the same reservation
Additional Disclosure: The information related to Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® has been collected by CardRates.com and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® rewards you most for purchases made with American Airlines. You can redeem your miles for flights (on American Airlines and its partners), seat upgrades, vacation packages, car rentals, and hotel stays. You can’t redeem your miles for cash back or gift cards.
- Redeem at 2% value for airfare and 2% for cash back. Just 50,000 points will get you a $1,000 ticket on any airline or $1000 cash back, issued as a direct deposit statement credit.
- Earn 2X points on Airfare and Hotel reservations booked through LuxuryCardTravel.com. One point for every one dollar you spend for all other categories, earning points every time you spend.
- $300 Annual Airline Credit: Receive up to $300 in annual air travel credits toward flight-related purchases, including airline tickets, baggage fees, upgrades and more.
- $200 Annual Dining Credit: Get up to $200 in annual statement credits when you use your Luxury Card at qualifying restaurants.
- $200 Ship&Play Credit: Send your belongings ahead of time with Ship&Play and receive up to $200 in credits annually.
- Receive up to $120 reimbursment credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application for each Mastercard Gold Card Primary Cardmember and Authorized Users.
- 24/7 Luxury Card Concierge®: Exclusive to Cardmembers. Your busy life never stops, and neither do our Luxury Card Concierge agents. Enjoy around-the-clock lifestyle management and planning support tailored to your specific needs—and designed to save you time. Our personalized one-on-one service delivers solutions, suggestions and even surprises to make every day exceptional. Book the trip. Get the reservations. Score the tickets.
- With your Luxury Card, enjoy complimentary access to over 1,700 airport lounges and travel experiences in more than 600 cities across 145 countries with Priority Pass™ Select. Access includes unlimited visits for yourself as well as your guests.
- Made with 24K Gold®: Beautifully crafted and exceptionally premium, Luxury Card is a statement piece designed to stand out in the most refined way. Weighing in at an impressive 22 grams, its contactless patented card design and metal construction raises the standard. Carry a card with distinction.
- Exclusive Luxury Card Travel® benefits—average value of $500 per stay (e.g., resort credits, room upgrades, free wifi, breakfast for two and more) at over 3,000 properties. Receive protection benefits like trip cancellation and interruption, auto rental car collision waiver, travel accident and baggage delay. Cell phone protection for eligible claims of up to $1,000 each year. Plus additional World Elite Mastercard® benefits.
- Annual Fee: $1,199 ($349 for each Authorized User). Terms and conditions apply.
The Mastercard® Gold Card™ is the highest-tier option offered by Luxury Card. It charges the highest annual fee, but also offers the highest rewards and annual credits. Why choose black when you can have 24-karat gold?
- Redeem at 2% value for airfare and 1% for cash back. Just 50,000 points will get you a $1,000 ticket on any airline or $500 cash back, issued as a direct deposit statement credit.
- Earn 2X points on Airfare and Hotel reservations booked through LuxuryCardTravel.com. One point for every one dollar you spend for all other categories, earning points every time you spend.
- 24/7 Luxury Card Concierge®: Exclusive to Cardmembers. Your busy life never stops, and neither do our Luxury Card Concierge agents. Enjoy around-the-clock lifestyle management and planning support tailored to your specific needs—and designed to save you time. Our personalized one-on-one service delivers solutions, suggestions and even surprises to make every day exceptional. Book the trip. Get the reservations. Score the tickets.
- With your Luxury Card, enjoy complimentary access to over 1,700 airport lounges and travel experiences in more than 600 cities across 145 countries with Priority Pass™ Select. Access includes unlimited visits for yourself as well as your guests.
- Brushed Metal Card: Beautifully crafted and exceptionally premium, Luxury Card is a statement piece designed to stand out in the most refined way. Weighing in at an impressive 22 grams, its contactless patented card design and metal construction raises the standard. Carry a card with distinction.
- Exclusive Luxury Card Travel® benefits—average value of $500 per stay (e.g., resort credits, room upgrades, free wifi, breakfast for two and more) at over 3,000 properties. Receive protection benefits like trip cancellation and interruption, auto rental car collision waiver, travel accident and baggage delay. Cell phone protection for eligible claims of up to $1,000 each year. Plus additional World Elite Mastercard® benefits.
- Annual fee: $299 ($149 for each Authorized User). Terms and conditions apply.
The Mastercard® Titanium Card® is the most affordable Luxury Card option. But that also means it has the lowest rewards rate and doesn’t come with the annual travel credits its two siblings do. Still, it’s a premium card with features that every jetsetter can enjoy.
Which Card Is the Best Alternative?
Citi Strata Elite℠ Card sets the pace for premium travel cards. It recently prevailed when we compared it to the Mastercard® Gold Card™, which is the Luxury brand’s most expensive offering.
But the Mastercard® Black Card® (MBC) costs less, so how will it perform on a cost/benefit basis against Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (CSE)? Let’s see:
Feature, Winner, and Notes:
Lounge Access: Tie – Both offer Priority Pass Select
Annual Airline Credit: CSE – CSE annual credit is higher
Baggage Delay insurance: Tie
Cellphone Protection: MBC – CSE does not offer cellphone protection
Extended Warranty Coverage: CSE – MBC does not offer
Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check Credit: Tie – both reimburse equally
Hotel Benefits: MBC – MBC offers more hotel benefits
Lost Luggage Reimbursement: CSE – MBC does not offer
Purchase Protection: CSE – MBC does not offer
Rental Car Insurance: CSE – CSE car rental coverage is primary
Travel and Emergency Assistance: Tie
Trip Cancellation/Delay Insurance: CSE – CSE has higher caps
Although the Mastercard® Black Card®‘s annual fee is lower than that of the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, the opposite is true when you include the cost of adding an authorized user.
Given these results, we again find the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card is the best credit card for first-class travel benefits, and is one of the world’s best credit cards, period.
What Are the Differences Between Cash Back, Points, and Miles Rewards?
The world is full of credit cards for every pocketbook and taste. You can get a credit card even if you have bad, limited, or no credit. You can spend nothing on annual fees and get a reasonably good credit card, but plenty of cards offer you greater benefits at the cost of a higher yearly charge.
Premium credit cards offer rewards in several ways:
- Purchases: You earn rewards for eligible purchases. Some cards offer a flat reward rate on all purchases, while others offer two or more reward tiers based upon the merchant type.
- Signup bonuses: Many cards offer a reward when new cardholders spend a set amount on purchases during a specified introductory period (typically three months) following account opening.
- Promotional APRs: This is another popular benefit to new cardholders, consisting of a 0% intro APR on purchases and/or balance transfers for a set period after account opening. A balance transfer fee applies despite the 0% interest rate.
- Redemption bonuses: Some cards enhance the value of your rewards when you redeem them for specific uses, such as the arrangements you make through the card’s travel agency.
- Referral bonuses: Your credit card issuer may pay you rewards when you recommend new cardholders.
Credit cards can dole out their membership rewards using three schemes:
- Flat Rewards: The card pays a fixed reward rate, typically between 1% and 2%, on all eligible purchases. Flat rewards are unlimited.
- Tiered Rewards: The card pays two or more reward rates, typically between 1% and 5%, on eligible purchases from designated merchant categories. Some tiers may limit the rewards available within a set period.
- Rotating Rewards: A special reward tier in which the merchant category changes each quarter. You must register for each new category. Rewards are subject to quarterly limits.
Card companies cleverly apply limits on tiered and rotating rewards, so you may need a spreadsheet to figure out the best deal.
The three types of credit card membership rewards are:
- Cash back: Everyone loves cash. A cash back reward is a rebate equal to a percentage of eligible purchases you charge on the card. Cards may distribute cash back redemptions as a check, gift card, statement credit, direct deposit to your bank account, or bill payment.
- Points: This is a versatile reward you can redeem for cash, travel, or to purchase goods and services. Typically, you receive one to five points (i.e., 1X to 5X points) for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases, although some tiered rewards may offer 10X or more. Some cards let you transfer points to partner reward programs. Co-branded cards may offer their proprietary points as rewards.
- Miles: These are rewards you can use to pay for travel activities, such as buying an airline ticket or renting a car. Some cards offer general-purpose miles (typically in the 1X to 5X range) that you can use for airfare redemption on any airline. Alternatively, co-branded miles cards reward you with the associated airline’s frequent flyer miles you can use to buy an airline ticket. Many cards do not allow you to exchange miles for cash or gift cards.
The value of cash back redemptions is straightforward — a $1 reward is worth $1. But point and mile values may vary with a credit card’s reward scheme, especially among co-branded cards where airfare redemption values depend on the carrier’s frequent flyer program.
The rewards from virtually all credit cards that provide cash back or points do not expire while the account remains open. Some mileage cards require you to redeem your miles within a specified number of months or lose them.
What Is the Mastercard® Black Card®‘s Credit Limit?
As a World Elite Mastercard, the Mastercard® Black Card®‘s minimum credit limit should be $5,000, although Mastercard does not enforce this.
The forums have a lot to say about this card, but I haven’t found any suggestions for a maximum credit limit. Given its characteristics, I would estimate that limits above $30,000 are rare.
Are Black Cards Worth It?
The shiny Mastercard® Black Card® delivers a lot of bling. The PVD-coated metallic card weighs 22 grams, almost twice that of Citi Strata Elite℠ Card. You’ll love the heft, but the annual fee may weigh you down, as several competitors offer better value.
Mastercard® Black Card™ ownership isn’t about value. It’s about prestige. It belongs to a group of exclusive black credit cards that supposedly imbue status upon their owners.
These cards have a reputation for exclusivity, available only to the ultrarich. Some black cards are available only by invitation, carry high annual fees, and offer five- or six-digit spending limits.
The archetype of this genre is the American Express Centurion Card. Also known as the American Express Black Card, it’s not for you if you have to ask about its fees. The American Express Centurion Card serves the ever-growing population of multimillionaires who charge hundreds of thousands per year on their credit cards and demand the luxury card experience.
In reality, black cards don’t have to be black. The JP Morgan Reserve Card contains precious metals and is available only to customers of the bank’s wealth management brokerage (with a rumored $10 million account requirement).
Neither of these cards offer better benefits than the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card except for their extraordinarily high spending limits. In this light, the Mastercard® Black Card® seems pale. It is not hard to get and does not routinely offer six-figure spending limits.
(Non-Monetized. The information related to JP Morgan Reserve Card was collected by CardRates.com and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates.com does not receive commission for this product/card.)
Ultimately, choosing which credit cards to carry is a personal decision. We don’t judge cardholders’ motives but only seek to provide the information you need to make a knowledgeable selection.
Consider Your Alternatives Before Getting the Mastercard® Black Card®
This card review describes a compromise between cost and benefits. Well-heeled consumers may prefer the Mastercard® Gold Card™ with its higher rewards values and annual credits.
If you’re dying to own a Luxury Card but have a frugal streak and would rather put your money in a savings account, the Mastercard® Titanium Card® costs the least. It also delivers the least.
If you are looking for a solid premium credit card, consider the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, and the other alternatives reviewed above. They favor value over dazzle.
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