To get the most out of your premium credit card, consider using it for travel. Not only can it help you earn accelerated points on purchases, but it can offer many perks such as annual travel credit, a dedicated concierge service, complimentary lounge access and more. Just be ready to pay a high annual fee.
When making our selection for the best premium credit cards, we looked at a variety of factors a consumer might consider. Some of these factors included the types of reward programs, cash back or points per dollar spent, travel or bonus statement credits, annual fee, welcome offer value, balance transfer fees and other luxurious perks found in a premium credit card.
All credit cards on our list remained strong throughout the year.
If you're looking for a premium travel credit card with an intro APR period on balance transfers, the Luxury Card Mastercard® Titanium Card™ could be a good choice.
Pros
Rewards: 1x points on all purchases. Earn 1 point per dollar you spend on every purchase. Rewards points are unlimited, so every eligible purchase counts towards your balance. Redeem points for airfare at a redemption rate of 2%.
Intro balance transfer APR. 0% for the first 15 billing cycles following each transfer that posts to your account within 45 days of your account opening. Afterward, your balance transfer APR will be 17.24%variable.
Luxury Card Travel. Receive room upgrades, spa credits, complimentary food and beverage and more at over 3,000 properties when you book through Luxury Card Travel.
Luxury Card Concierge. Contact the Luxury Card Concierge 24/7 if you need help with travel plans, finding gifts, getting tickets to exclusive shows and more.
Cons
Annual fee: $195. The Luxury Card Mastercard® Titanium Card™ has a unique annual fee. It’s priced higher than most mid-tier travel cards but significantly lower than premium travel cards.
Annual fee
$195
Purchase APR
17.24% variable
Balance transfer APR
0% intro for the first 15 billing cycles (then 17.24% variable) Balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Welcome Offer
N/A
Rewards
Up to 1x points
Pros
Rewards: 1x points on all purchases. Earn 1 point per dollar you spend on every purchase. Rewards points are unlimited, so every eligible purchase counts towards your balance. Redeem points for airfare at a redemption rate of 2%.
Intro balance transfer APR. 0% for the first 15 billing cycles following each transfer that posts to your account within 45 days of your account opening. Afterward, your balance transfer APR will be 17.24%variable.
Luxury Card Travel. Receive room upgrades, spa credits, complimentary food and beverage and more at over 3,000 properties when you book through Luxury Card Travel.
Luxury Card Concierge. Contact the Luxury Card Concierge 24/7 if you need help with travel plans, finding gifts, getting tickets to exclusive shows and more.
Cons
Annual fee: $195. The Luxury Card Mastercard® Titanium Card™ has a unique annual fee. It’s priced higher than most mid-tier travel cards but significantly lower than premium travel cards.
Annual fee
$195
Purchase APR
17.24% variable
Balance transfer APR
0% intro for the first 15 billing cycles (then 17.24% variable) Balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The Luxury Card Mastercard® Black Card™ can be a great choice if you want luxury travel and elite Mastercard benefits like invitation-only experiences.
Pros
1x points on all purchases. This unimpressive rewards rate improves slightly when you consider the redemption rates.
Travel credits. Save on travel with up to $100 in annual airline credits and a credit for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application every five years. To access airline credits you must enroll in your Amex account.
24/7 concierge. Call the Luxury Card Concierge any time for dinner reservations, help procuring hard-to-find gifts, making travel plans and other personal requests.
Luxury Card benefits. Enjoy special amenities at select hotels, privileges with partner brands, premium travel benefits, access to world-class experiences and more.
Cons
$495 annual fee. You might question whether it’s worth paying this premium price.
No signup bonus. This is a severe weakness that places the Luxury Card Mastercard® Black Card™ far behind its competitors.
No point transfers. The lack of point transfers severely limits the value you’ll get from your rewards.
Annual fee
$495
Purchase APR
17.24% variable
Balance transfer APR
0% intro for the first 15 billing cycles (then 17.24% variable) Balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Welcome Offer
N/A
Rewards
Up to 1x points
Pros
1x points on all purchases. This unimpressive rewards rate improves slightly when you consider the redemption rates.
Travel credits. Save on travel with up to $100 in annual airline credits and a credit for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application every five years. To access airline credits you must enroll in your Amex account.
24/7 concierge. Call the Luxury Card Concierge any time for dinner reservations, help procuring hard-to-find gifts, making travel plans and other personal requests.
Luxury Card benefits. Enjoy special amenities at select hotels, privileges with partner brands, premium travel benefits, access to world-class experiences and more.
Cons
$495 annual fee. You might question whether it’s worth paying this premium price.
No signup bonus. This is a severe weakness that places the Luxury Card Mastercard® Black Card™ far behind its competitors.
No point transfers. The lack of point transfers severely limits the value you’ll get from your rewards.
Annual fee
$495
Purchase APR
17.24% variable
Balance transfer APR
0% intro for the first 15 billing cycles (then 17.24% variable) Balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® could be a great premium card if you frequently travel worldwide and dine out at restaurants.
Pros
Annual travel credit. Get $300 in statement credit as reimbursement for your travel purchases every year on your card account anniversary.
Signup bonus. Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months when you open your account. This is worth $900 if you redeem through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal.
Rewards points. Earn 5x points on flights booked through Chase, 10x points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase, 3x points on Chase Dining, 3x points on all other travel and dining and 1x points on all other purchases. These points are worth 50% more when redeemed through the Chase travel portal.
Cons
Annual fee. You'll pay $550 annual fee for the card.
No intro APR period. Like many other travel cards, you won't get a 0% intro APR period on purchases, balance transfers or both.
Excellent credit score required. Being a premium card, your chances of approval greatly increase with a credit score of 740 or higher.
Annual fee
$550
Purchase APR
19.24% to 26.24% variable
Balance transfer APR
19.24% to 26.24% variable
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months, from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
Annual travel credit. Get $300 in statement credit as reimbursement for your travel purchases every year on your card account anniversary.
Signup bonus. Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months when you open your account. This is worth $900 if you redeem through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal.
Rewards points. Earn 5x points on flights booked through Chase, 10x points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase, 3x points on Chase Dining, 3x points on all other travel and dining and 1x points on all other purchases. These points are worth 50% more when redeemed through the Chase travel portal.
Cons
Annual fee. You'll pay $550 annual fee for the card.
No intro APR period. Like many other travel cards, you won't get a 0% intro APR period on purchases, balance transfers or both.
Excellent credit score required. Being a premium card, your chances of approval greatly increase with a credit score of 740 or higher.
Annual fee
$550
Purchase APR
19.24% to 26.24% variable
Balance transfer APR
19.24% to 26.24% variable
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months, from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
If you want to travel in style and luxury, the Luxury Card Mastercard® Gold Card™ could be the right choice.
Pros
Luxury concierge service. Enjoy complimentary access to the best concierge service 24/7 via phone, email or live mobile chat on the Luxury Card App. Your request can vary from restaurant and travel bookings and recommendations to helping you find rare items within minutes.
Gold card. This card is truly a 24-karat gold-plated card. Nothing shouts luxury like a gold card on the counter.
Rewards. Earn 1x points on all purchases. However, you can get 2% back in redemption value on airfare, cash back or statement credits. This basically turns the rewards rate at 2x points when you redeem on these categories.
Cons
Annual fee. The card costs a whopping $995 annually, which makes it one of the most expensive cards you can get.
No signup bonus. Most premium credit cards come with a signup bonus worth $1,000 or more when you meet the requirements. For some reason, this card doesn't have a signup bonus of any kind.
Annual fee
$995
Purchase APR
17.24% variable
Balance transfer APR
0% intro for the first 15 billing cycles (then 17.24% variable) Balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Welcome Offer
N/A
Rewards
Up to 1x points
Pros
Luxury concierge service. Enjoy complimentary access to the best concierge service 24/7 via phone, email or live mobile chat on the Luxury Card App. Your request can vary from restaurant and travel bookings and recommendations to helping you find rare items within minutes.
Gold card. This card is truly a 24-karat gold-plated card. Nothing shouts luxury like a gold card on the counter.
Rewards. Earn 1x points on all purchases. However, you can get 2% back in redemption value on airfare, cash back or statement credits. This basically turns the rewards rate at 2x points when you redeem on these categories.
Cons
Annual fee. The card costs a whopping $995 annually, which makes it one of the most expensive cards you can get.
No signup bonus. Most premium credit cards come with a signup bonus worth $1,000 or more when you meet the requirements. For some reason, this card doesn't have a signup bonus of any kind.
Annual fee
$995
Purchase APR
17.24% variable
Balance transfer APR
0% intro for the first 15 billing cycles (then 17.24% variable) Balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The United Clubâ„ Infinite Card offers the best value for your money because you get to enjoy premium perks that more than make up for the annual fee.
Pros
Earn United miles. Earn 4x miles on United purchases, 2x miles on dining at restaurants, and travel purchases including airfare, trains, local transit, cruise lines, hotels, car rentals, taxicabs, resorts, rideshare services and tolls. Earn 1x miles on everything else.
Signup bonus. You'll earn 80,000 miles after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months.
United Club membership. Enjoy access to United Club and Star Alliance lounges for yourself and two additional guests, a $1,200 annual value.
Travel perks. You'll enjoy a variety of travel perks, including free checked bags, priority check-in, priority boarding and more.
One-year complimentary DashPass. This membership for both DoorDash and Caviar provides unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders. After that, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. Activate by 12/31/24.
Cons
Annual fee. This card comes with a high annual fee of $525. That said, if you travel often with United Airlines, you can easily offset the fee.
No intro APR period. You don't get a 0% intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers. This shouldn’t deter you, though, as intro APR period is rarely offered by airline credit cards.
Annual fee
$525
Purchase APR
18.74% to 25.74% variable
Balance transfer APR
18.74% to 25.74% variable
Welcome Offer
Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Earn United miles. Earn 4x miles on United purchases, 2x miles on dining at restaurants, and travel purchases including airfare, trains, local transit, cruise lines, hotels, car rentals, taxicabs, resorts, rideshare services and tolls. Earn 1x miles on everything else.
Signup bonus. You'll earn 80,000 miles after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months.
United Club membership. Enjoy access to United Club and Star Alliance lounges for yourself and two additional guests, a $1,200 annual value.
Travel perks. You'll enjoy a variety of travel perks, including free checked bags, priority check-in, priority boarding and more.
One-year complimentary DashPass. This membership for both DoorDash and Caviar provides unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders. After that, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. Activate by 12/31/24.
Cons
Annual fee. This card comes with a high annual fee of $525. That said, if you travel often with United Airlines, you can easily offset the fee.
No intro APR period. You don't get a 0% intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers. This shouldn’t deter you, though, as intro APR period is rarely offered by airline credit cards.
Annual fee
$525
Purchase APR
18.74% to 25.74% variable
Balance transfer APR
18.74% to 25.74% variable
Welcome Offer
Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
If you want to earn accelerated points on your hotel stays and airline tickets, The Platinum Card® from American Express could be your best choice.
Pros
Earn points. Earn 5x points on flights booked directly or through Amex Travel and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel. You can use your points toward gift cards, travel rewards, statement credit and more. Your 5x points on flights are capped on up to $500,000 annually, reverting to 1x points after. On other eligible purchases, you'll earn 1x points.
Welcome offer. Earn 100,000 membership rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of card membership.
Travel fee credit. Select a qualifying airline and earn up to a $200 airline fee statement credit each year on incidental charges, such as checked bags or in-flight purchases. Also earn up to $200 in statement credit on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings (two-night stay minimum).
Cons
Annual fee. As a luxury card, the Amex Platinum Card requires a $695 annual fee for use.
Narrow reward categories. This card is only particularly strong at earning rewards on travel.
Potentially limited acceptance abroad. American Express cards are not as widely accepted worldwide as Visa or Mastercard.
Annual fee
$695
Purchase APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Balance transfer APR
N/A
Welcome Offer
100,000 points after spending $6,000 in your first 6 months
Earn points. Earn 5x points on flights booked directly or through Amex Travel and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel. You can use your points toward gift cards, travel rewards, statement credit and more. Your 5x points on flights are capped on up to $500,000 annually, reverting to 1x points after. On other eligible purchases, you'll earn 1x points.
Welcome offer. Earn 100,000 membership rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of card membership.
Travel fee credit. Select a qualifying airline and earn up to a $200 airline fee statement credit each year on incidental charges, such as checked bags or in-flight purchases. Also earn up to $200 in statement credit on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings (two-night stay minimum).
Cons
Annual fee. As a luxury card, the Amex Platinum Card requires a $695 annual fee for use.
Narrow reward categories. This card is only particularly strong at earning rewards on travel.
Potentially limited acceptance abroad. American Express cards are not as widely accepted worldwide as Visa or Mastercard.
Annual fee
$695
Purchase APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Balance transfer APR
N/A
Welcome Offer
100,000 points after spending $6,000 in your first 6 months
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. All information about this card has been collected independently and application links are currently unavailable on Finder.
Better earn rates. Most premium credit cards have high earn rates because they award points based on how frequently you make trips or spend using your credit card.
Promotional offers. Many card providers offer premium credit cards to attract new customers with signup bonus points and additional perks which will increase your total rewards from the get-go.
Various reward options. Points accumulated from premium credit cards can be redeemed in a variety of ways, including airfare, airline class upgrade, goods and services, cash and more.
Added benefits. Premium credit cards with high income requirements are generally platinum or black cards, and this means they come with premium benefits such as complimentary insurance policies, discounts on services, airport lounge passes, dedicated concierge and more.
Cons
High annual fee. Generally, premium credit cards tend to have relatively high annual fees. This means you have to spend more on using the credit card to offset the annual fee with the value of your redeemed points. But using this type of card usually offers additional benefits that can outweigh the cost.
High interest rates. Many premium cards come with a high interest rate compared to regular cards. Make sure you pay your balance on time to avoid the high interest rates.
No intro APR period It’s rare to find a premium credit card that offers intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers. At the time of writing, the Luxury Card Mastercard® Titanium Card™ is the only premium card that offers an intro APR period on balance transfers.
Exclusive. As suggested by the name, premium credit cards are only available to high-income earners, restricting the number of cardholders who can take advantage of their benefits.
How to choose top premium credit cards
To choose the best premium credit card, ask yourself:
Do you want to earn accelerated points on hotel stays? The Platinum Card® from American Express gives you 5X points on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, which is a high rewards rate for hotel stays.
Do you want to earn accelerated points on dining? With the Chase Sapphire Reserve® you earn up to 4.5% in redemption value on dining and travel purchases worldwide.
Do you want to make balance transfers? Premium credit cards rarely let you transfer your balance interest-free for a limited amount of time, but all three Luxury Mastercard credit cards offer just that.
Do you want the ultimate credit card? With the gold-plated Luxury Card Mastercard® Gold Card™ you get access to invite-only events, chauffeur transportations, yacht or private jet services and more.
Should I get a premium credit card?
If you’re looking for top class perks and benefits, a premium credit card will be up your alley. The main thing to watch for is the annual fee. You should only pick up a premium card if you can use enough of the card’s perks to offset the cost of the annual fee. Otherwise, you’re likely better off with a standard rewards card.
Compare premium credit cards
Want a look at how these luxury cards stack up to one another? Use the table below to compare them side-by-side.
1 - 3 of 4
Bottom line
If you’re willing to pay a high annual fee, you can get the best premium cards. These usually come with an annual airline credit, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, accelerated points on travel purchases, complimentary lounge access and more.
However, if you believe there could be a better credit card for you, compare other travel credit cards until you find the perfect match for your needs.
Frequently asked questions
Which material is used to make the premium credit cards? All premium credit cards are made out of metal, mostly stainless steel. Only the Luxury Card Mastercard® Gold Card™ is plated with 24-karat gold.
Do premium credit cards have foreign transaction fees? Most premium credit cards have no foreign transaction fees.
Kliment Dukovski is a cryptocurrency and investments writer who has written over 700 articles to help readers find and compare the best financial options. Kliment has also written on money transfers, home loans and more. Previously, he ghostwrote guides and articles on foreign exchange and stock market trading.
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