If you want a top-of-the-line travel rewards card with benefits such as a 24/7 concierge service, airport lounge access, including an airport meet and assist program, plus a credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck, the Mastercard^® Black Card™ might be right for you.

This is the middle tier of the three Luxury Cards issued by Barclays. The Mastercard^® Black Card™ offers more benefits (for a more expensive annual fee) than the Mastercard^® Titanium Card™, but doesn’t quite break the bank like the Mastercard^® Gold Card™.

The Mastercard^® Black Card™ also comes with some physical heft to match its perks. It weighs in at 22 grams and is made of a black-PVD-coated stainless steel front and carbon back. PVD stands for Physical Vapor Disposition, and to put it simply, involves metal being vaporized in a vacuum chamber. Having a card covered with vaporized metal is certainly a way to make sure you’ve always got a conversation starter on hand.

However, this card falls short in some areas compared with other luxury travel cards, such as its low earning rate and not being able to transfer points to airline and hotel partners. Unless you really want the high-end travel benefits like the concierge services, you might be better off with a card such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® or The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

• Extra value on airfare redemptions

  Cardholders get 2% value for airfare redemptions with no blackout dates or seat restrictions. 1.5% value for cash back redemptions. Earn one point for every one dollar spent. For example, the card’s rewards web page notes that redeeming 50,000 points can get you a ticket worth $1,000 (on any airline) with no blackout dates or seat restrictions. If you prefer to redeem points for cash back, you can get a deposit to a United States bank account or a statement credit to your card. Other redemption options include hotel stays and car rentals.

• Luxury Card Concierge

  Barclays describes this service as a “complete lifestyle management tool.” If you enjoy having representatives available 24/7 to assist with everything from travel bookings to finding exactly the product you’re looking for, you’ll love this benefit of the Mastercard^® Black Card™. Some of the situations concierge representatives have helped cardholders with include rescuing jewelry left in a hotel room, researching school districts ahead of a move, and arranging for a late-night delivery of Tylenol for a sick child. Access the concierge via live chat, phone or email.

• Global Entry or TSA Precheck application credit

  If you want to avoid long lines at security checks at the airport, you may want to apply for Global Entry ($100) or TSA Precheck ($85). Luckily, this card offers a credit of up to $100 to cover the application fee of either service. Note that if you get Global Entry, TSA Precheck is included.

• Airport lounge access

  The Mastercard^® Black Card™ offers a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership (a $99 value). Access more than 1,300 airport lounges located in 500 cities throughout the world for free.

• Up to $100 in annual airline fee credits

  These credits can be applied toward flight-related purchases such as:

  • Airline tickets
  • Baggage fees
  • Upgrades

• Intro APR on balance transfers

  Enjoy a 0% introductory APR for the first fifteen billing cycles following each balance transfer that posts to your account within 45 days of account opening. After that, (and for balance transfers that do not post within 45 days of account opening) your APR will be 19.49%. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Be aware there’s a balance transfer fee: either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

• Low earning rate

  For a card with an annual fee as expensive as this one has, you’d expect a higher rewards rate than one point per $1 spent. Granted, you effectively earn 2% back if redeeming points for airfare or 1.5% back if redeeming points for cash back. But it’s worth noting there are cards with no annual fee that earn 2% back on every purchase.

• Can't transfer points to partners

  Some of the top luxury travel cards give you the option of transferring points to travel partners. That way if you have a preferred airline or hotel loyalty program, you can use your credit card rewards to book travel the way that you like. With this card, you can only book travel via InComm InCentives on myluxurycard.com or by calling the customer service number on your card.

• Expensive annual fee

  This card’s annual fee is $495 ($195 for each authorized user added to the account). With an annual fee that high, it’s competing against some of the top travel cards on the market, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® ($550 annual fee) or The Platinum Card^® from American Express ($695 annual fee), both of which offer a wide range of travel benefits and better rewards rates and welcome offers than the Mastercard^® Black Card™.

  To see rates & fees for The Platinum Card^® from American Express please click here.

Compare it to The Platinum Card^® from American Express

 

The Platinum Card^® from American Express is one of the top travel cards on the market. It comes with a long list of benefits, including:

• The Global Lounge Collection, with access to more than 1,300 airport lounges across 140 countries.
• Get a fee credit to cover the cost of Global Entry (up to $100 every four years) or TSA Precheck (up to $85 every four-and-a-half years) when you charge the application fee to this card.
• Platinum Travel Service with counselors to help with custom itineraries and tailored recommendations.
• Platinum Card Concierge for help with dinner arrangements, ticket purchases, and more.
• Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status.
• Global Assist

It also comes with a generous welcome offer: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Points can be transferred to 18 airline partners and three hotel partners, often at a 1:1 value.

Beware that this card comes with a hefty $695 annual fee. However, if you travel regularly and take advantage of the various benefits and credits The Platinum Card^® from American Express offers, you can easily get enough value out of the card to offset the annual fee.

If you want luxury service packaged in a stylish black metal card, and you won’t balk at an expensive fee, you may like the Mastercard^® Black Card™. Those who want the concierge service but are willing to live without some of the travel benefits might prefer the cheaper Mastercard^® Titanium Card™, with an annual fee of $195 ($95 for each authorized user added to the account), while those who want to go all in for a premium card might like the more expensive Mastercard^® Gold Card™, with an annual fee of $995 ($295 for each authorized user added to the account).

For travelers who want a top-of-the-line card that earns more rewards, as well as the flexibility to transfer points to airlines and hotel chains, either the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® or The Platinum Card^® from American Express may be a better option.

The information related to Chase Sapphire Reserve^® has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.