How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.If you’ve received a preapproved offer for the Mastercard® Black Card™ in the mail or are considering applying for it, chances are you’re drawn to its promise of luxury benefits. While the card does offer 24/7 concierge service, airport lounge access and a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, it lacks key benefits found in other premium travel credit cards.
This card might attract those looking for a status symbol because it’s the middle tier of the three Luxury Cards issued by Barclays and is made of a black-PVD-coated metal, which is sure to be a conversation starter. However, it falls short in critical areas, including its low rewards earning rate, lack of a sign-up bonus and inability to transfer points to airline and hotel partners.
Unless you really want the high-end travel benefits like concierge services, you’re better off with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or The Platinum Card® from American Express. These cards come with excellent earning rates on popular travel categories, excellent travel and purchase protections, generous welcome offers and the ability to transfer rewards to travel partners for a higher value.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Welcome Offer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mastercard® Black Card™
 Apply Now
on Luxury Card's secure site |
$495 ($195 for each Authorized User added to the account) | 1.5% - 2%
| N/A |
Apply Now
on Luxury Card's secure site |
|
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
|
$395 | 2X - 10X miles
| 75,000 miles
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
| ||
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
$550 | 1X - 10X points
| 60,000 points
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
|
The Platinum Card® from American Express
|
$695 | 5X points
| 80,000 points
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
|
Priority Pass™ Select airport lounge access
One of the best features offered by the Mastercard® Black Card™ is a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, which allows for unlimited visits for you and your guests to over 1,500 airport lounges in hundreds of cities worldwide.
This luxury benefit justifies most of the cost of the card. Priority Pass membership plans start at $99 per year and charge $35 per member visit and $35 per guest visit. The top-tier plan costs $469 per year, with unlimited free member visits and guest passes for $35 each.
Priority Pass is commonly offered by the top travel cards, including the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express (enrollment required). It’s among the most popular airport lounge networks thanks to its extensive global coverage for eligible card members. Members get amenities like Wi-Fi, pre-flight bites and beverages and a comfortable place to relax or get some work done. Select lounges even offer extra perks like spa treatments and sleeping rooms.
The card’s Priority Pass access is a standout perk because guest access is unlimited. Most cards limit how many guests you can bring. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® allows complimentary access for up to two guests but charges a fee for additional guests.
See all of the best credit cards with airport lounge access.
Valuable travel credits
The Mastercard® Black Card™ offers the following travel credits, which can help offset the card’s annual fee:
However, it falls short of many leading travel credit cards. For example, The Platinum Card® from American Express offers more than $1,000 in credits, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a flexible annual travel credit up to $300.
Luxury card concierge service
Luxury Card concierge is a service available 24/7 to Mastercard® Black Card™, Mastercard® Gold Card™ and Mastercard® Titanium Card™ cardholders. You can work with a rep via live chat, phone or email for help with everything from travel bookings and dinner reservations to sourcing high-demand products.
Concierge representatives have helped cardmembers rescue jewelry left in a hotel room, research school districts ahead of a move and arrange for a late-night delivery of Tylenol for a sick child.
Concierge service is another standout perk of the Mastercard® Black Card™, according to cardholders on Reddit.
One user shared that they used the concierge to plan their honeymoon and secured a reduced rate on a Mediterranean cruise with added inclusions they wouldn’t have received booking on their own. The concierge also arranged discounted tour bookings for them.
Another user mentioned that they texted the concierge on their way to an anniversary destination to have champagne, glasses and flowers set up for them before they arrived. The concierge also found the best golf courses in Scotland and created a fully mapped-out itinerary for their trip. This user says that the option to text directly with the concierge is one of the most worthwhile benefits of the card.
Access to the Luxury Card Travel® program
The card’s Luxury Card Travel® program provides an exclusive suite of benefits and services at more than 3,000 properties worldwide. You can get an added value of about $500 per stay. Benefits include room upgrades at check-in when available, complimentary Wi-Fi and daily breakfast for two.
No foreign transaction fees
If you use your Mastercard® Black Card™ to make international purchases, you won’t be charged foreign transaction fees. By contrast, some travel cards charge fees ranging from 3% to 5% of the amount of each transaction when you use it to make purchases outside of the U.S.
Decent travel protections
The Mastercard® Black Card™ offers a solid list of travel and purchase protections including:
Although these protections are valuable, they’re not as comprehensive as those provided by some other travel cards. For example, Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers primary rental car insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, emergency evacuation and transportation coverage, trip delay reimbursement and purchase protections.
Additional value for airfare and cash back redemptions
You’ll get 2% Value for Airfare Redemptions. 1.5% Value for Cash Back Redemptions. Terms and Conditions Apply. For example, you can redeem 50,000 points for a $1,000 ticket, with no blackout dates or seat restrictions. Or you can redeem those points for $750 cash back in the form of a statement credit or deposit into a U.S. bank account. There’s no minimum threshold required for airfare or cash back redemptions.
Black-PVD-coated metal card
Metal credit cards are a status symbol for cardholders, and the Mastercard® Black Card™ has an especially sleek design: It’s made of black-PVD-coated metal. This puts it in league with other top luxury travel cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
Tip: If you need to destroy a metal card, beware that it’s not as easy as using scissors or a shredder. You’ll need to either mail the card back to the issuer, take it to a bank branch or use tin snips.
Many users find this perk underwhelming. Reddit users speculate that the card is designed to resemble the Centurion® Card from American Express. Many note that it’s unlikely to impress anyone familiar with credit cards.
See all of the top metal credit cards.
Pricey annual fee
With the Mastercard® Black Card™, you’ll be responsible for paying an annual fee of $495 ($195 for each Authorized User added to the account).
It’s not unusual for a premium travel card to charge a high annual fee. For example, The Platinum Card® from American Express has a $695 annual fee (see rates & fees), and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a $550 annual fee. However, each of those cards offers more robust and valuable travel benefits, as well as better rewards rates and welcome offers than the Mastercard® Black Card™.
| Annual fee | First-year card value* | Ongoing annual card value* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | $395 (see rates & fees) | $2,603 | $1,433 |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | $550 | $2,346 | $1,146 |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | $695 (see rates & fees) | $3,140 | $1,540 |
| Mastercard® Black Card™ | $495 ($195 for each Authorized User added to the account) | $639 | $639 |
Low rewards earning rate
For a card with a high annual fee, you’d expect a higher rewards rate. You effectively earn 2% Value for Airfare Redemptions. 1.5% Value for Cash Back Redemptions. Terms and Conditions Apply.
In comparison, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express offer elevated earnings in popular travel categories. As a result, the Mastercard® Black Card™ offers significantly lower rewards-earning potential compared to these cards.
Additionally, there are cards with no annual fee that earn 2% cash rewards on purchases, like the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. Essentially, the Mastercard® Black Card™ functions like a 1.5% or 2% card but comes with a significantly higher annual fee.
| Annual fee | Rewards earned per $1 spent* | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | $395 (see rates & fees) | $0.043 |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | $550 | $0.033 |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | $695 | $0.023 |
| Mastercard® Black Card™ | $495 ($195 for each Authorized User added to the account) | $0.020 |
| Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card | $0 | $0.020 |
No sign-up bonus
Unlike the majority of premium travel cards (and rewards cards in general), the Mastercard® Black Card™ doesn’t offer a sign-up bonus. In comparison, travel cards with higher annual fees often have more generous sign-up bonuses. According to a LendingTree study, the average sign-up bonus for a points or miles credit card is around 52,000 points/miles.
An example of a card with a solid welcome offer is The Platinum Card® from American Express. It gives you the chance to earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Can't transfer points to partners
One of the most substantial differences between the Mastercard® Black Card™ and other top travel credit cards is its lack of transfer partners. Points earned with the Mastercard® Black Card™ can only be redeemed for travel, cash back, bank deposits, gift cards, merchandise or experiences.
Transferring points to travel partners often provides the highest redemption value. For example, Capital One Miles are worth about 1 cent each when redeemed through the Capital One Travel portal. But, by our estimates, their value increases to around 1.8 cents each when transferred to one of 15+ airline or hotel partners. Similarly, transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to one of Chase’s transfer partners yields an estimated value of around 2 cents per point versus 1.5 cents per point when booking through the Chase TravelSM portal. American Express Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou® Points also allow you to transfer rewards to various airline and hotel loyalty programs.
The card also includes up to a $300 annual travel credit through Capital One Travel, which is highly flexible and can significantly offset the annual fee (see rates & fees). You’ll also gain access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One lounges, along with up to a $120 credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry. You can get the most value by transferring miles to over 15 airline and hotel loyalty programs.
You’ll earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Additionally, earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Benefits include a flexible annual travel credit up to $300, complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership and a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS application fee credit. You’ll also get access to more protections than the Mastercard® Black Card™, including primary rental car coverage, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase and return protection, extended warranty protection and more.
The card lets you earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®. Terms apply.
You’ll get the most value by transferring points to travel partners, which include British Airways Executive Club, Delta SkyMiles®, Marriott Bonvoy™ and Singapore KrisFlyer. In addition to extensive travel insurance1 and purchase protections2, the card provides over $1,000 in credits that can offset its annual fee. Eligible card members also get access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes Centurion lounges and Priority PassTM Select lounges (enrollment required).
The Mastercard® Black Card™ might be right for you if you value luxury perks like 24/7 concierge service and a sleek, black-PVD-coated metal design. The card’s design and exclusivity might appeal to those looking for a status symbol.
However, its low rewards earning rate, lack of a sign-up bonus and inability to transfer points to airline or hotel partners make it less competitive than other premium cards. You’ll get much better value out of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or The Platinum Card® from American Express.
To see rates & fees for American Express cards mentioned on this page, visit the links provided below:
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply
The information related to the Centurion® Card from American Express and Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.
