If you are living the high life with millions of dollars in your account balance, you’ve got an exclusive opportunity to become the owner of one of the world’s most exclusive credit cards. So what’s the most prestigious credit card in the world?
Most prestigious credit cards Source: Pexels
Having this card means gaining access to various privileges, such as: no pre-set spending limit, loyalty programs, exclusive access to private jets etc. Most frequently, banks themselves might offer such a card. PaySpace Magazine offers you the list of the world’s most prestigious and exclusive credit cards.
1. J.P. Morgan Reserve Card
JPMorgan Chase introduced their Palladium Card in 2009. This card was developed in order to meet the needs of very special clients. Bloomberg claims the Reserve Card is the «card for the 1% of the 1%». Most J.P. Morgan clients who carry this card have no less than $10M in assets under J.P. Morgan’s management and an average account balance of $100M.
The J.P. Morgan Reserve Card was one of the first US credit cards to use the EMV (smart chip technology). The card is made of brass with palladium plating, so its weight (28 grams) exceeds five times that of an ordinary plastic card.
J.P. Morgan Palladium cardholders paid an annual fee of $595. After the re-branding to the J.P. Morgan Reserve Card the annual fee reduced to $450. There are fee-free international transactions, returned payments, and late payments, while the card has no pre-set spending limit.
2. Coutts World Silk Card
It will be sufficient to have $1 million in your bank account to be invited to carry the «Silk» card. Of course, there is one condition: a prospective cardholder must keep these funds only in Coutts accounts. The annual interest rate is established individually and varies. As a bonus, a cardholder will gain access to real VIP-stores, travel benefits, expert help 24/7, a rewards programme with exclusive gifts and much more. There are only around 100 Coutts World Silk Card holders in the world, and most importantly, is the card used by Queen Elizabeth II.
3. Dubai First Royale Mastercard
This premium card is literally precious. It has a gold border, and there is a diamond embedded in the front side of the card. To have this card, you must be resident in the UAE, and it is available by invitation only. There are no more than 200 cardholders. What about special bonuses? There is no pre-set spending limit, offers the best service, expert help 24/7 and much more. Now here is the punchline – this card gives 4% cashback on all purchases and there is no annual fee (there is no reason to charge billionaires around $400-$600 a year, like other banks do). It means cashback of $40,000 from every $1M spent.
4. American Express Black Card Centurion
The issuance of this card costs around $5000-$7500 (depending on country) and there is an annual fee of $2500. A cardholder must spend a minimum of $250,000 annually to be invited. A holder of the American Express Black Card Centurion, gets all of the American Express Platinum features (personal service, airport lounges etc) with much better car rentals, hotels, and flight upgrades. According to estimates, there are more than 100,000 American Express Centurion cardholders worldwide.
5. Stratus Rewards Visa
Mostly, black is the prevailing colour if we are talking about premium cards. However, there is a Stratus Rewards Visa exclusive card that will please those who prefer white. A prospective cardholder must be personally invited to apply for this card and also needs to be wealthy. The card has an annual fee of $1500. Stratus Rewards Visa cardholders receive reward points, which they can use for private jets, luxury hotel bookings, and a personal concierge expert help 24/7 (for anything from booking a flight to picking up dry cleaning).
6. Citigroup Black Chairman Card
You may carry this card only if you have significant investments and hold a Citigroup brokerage account. The annual fee is $500, while the credit limit is up to $300,000. The perks of the Citigroup Black Chairman Card are quite impressive – 24/7 concierge service, access to private airport lounges, travel upgrades and more.
7. Merrill Accolades American Express Card
It is one of those cards which is not so easy to get. A potential cardholder must be the client of Merrill Lynch with an account balance of no less than $250,000. However, satisfying the conditions necessary for this card does not guarantee you an invitation. It is purely at their discretion. The annual fee is surprisingly small – it is just $295. Merrill Accolades American Express cardholders can expand their credit limit up to $500,000. There are a lot of bonuses included, such as concierge service, savings on booking private jet flights, no maximum spending limits, and travel-related perks.
8. Mastercard Black Card
The Mastercard Black premium card is made of stainless steel (front) with a carbon back. The annual fee is $495. Paying annual fee cardholders get benefits, such as luxury card concierge, 2% value for airfare redemption, 1.5% value for cashback redemption, luxury gifts, global luggage delivery, charter service, VIP airport lounge access, and privileged access to exclusive Mastercard Priceless loyalty programme.
9. Citi Prestige Card
This card was engineered to meet the demands of the avid traveller. The Citi Prestige Card offers its cardholders “scores” for every dollar spent. Also, cardholders earn $250 travel credit annually, the 4th night free at a hotel (when you book through the Citi Prestige Concierge or ThankYou.com), and no foreign transaction fees on purchases. The annual fee is $450.
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