Forget plastic. This card, designed by Luxury Magazine and MasterCard, looks fancy and (obviously) luxurious. With its brushed stainless steel/carbon design, it is designed to stand out in the crowd, while allowing folks to earn points for every dollar spent with the card. Cardmembers get 1 point for every dollar spent with the card, with the option to redeem points for airfare (best deal), cash, gift cards, gift certificates, and merchandise. The card has a rather hefty annual fee, but you get an introductory period of 0% APR on balance transfers. Here are the details.
- Brushed stainless steel/carbon card design
- Earn 1x point on every purchase, get double points when redeeming for airfare
- Luxury Card Concierge service
- Members-only Luxury Magazine
- 15.24% Variable APR
- $195 annual fee, $95 for each additional account
How It Works?
Earn: Cardmembers earn a single point for every dollar spent with the card. This point is worth 1 cent, except when redeeming for airfare when it’s worth 2 cents.
Redeem: Points can be redeemed for airfare, cash back in the form of a statement credit, gift cards, gift certificates and merchandise. You will get the best deal when redeeming for award flights when 50 points will get you $1 worth of travel, and you get to redeem points in increments of 50 points. In comparison, cash back redemption starts at 100 points for $1 and you can redeem in increments of 100 points. As for gift cards, gift certificates and merchandise, redemption minimums vary based on what you are redeeming for.
Card design: This card is made out of brushed stainless steel and carbon; the design, which is patented, screams “fancy” and is definitely a head-turner.
Standard MasterCard benefits: These include a number of services that improve the shopping and travel experiences. For instance, you get extended warranty, price protection and purchase security.
Extra perks: As part of the deal, cardmembers get a subscription to Luxury Magazine, 24/7 concierge service and invitation to exclusive MasterCard Priceless events.
APR: 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for the first 15 months, after which a variable APR of 15.24% will apply. The same rate (15.24% variable) applies to purchases.
Annual fee: It’s $195 with each additional account costing $95 per year.
Costs
- 15.24% Variable APR on Purchases
- 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months, then 15.24% Variable
- 3% Balance Transfer Fee (minimum $5)
- 0% Foreign Transaction Fee
- $195 Annual Fee, $95 for each additional account
At Barclaycard’s secure website
Pros
- Fancy card design – only a few cards can compete with the MasterCard Titanium look and feel. And those also cost a lot to own.
- 0% APR on balance transfers for the first 15 months – it could help users save some cash on interest payments by moving the balance from a card with higher APR.
- No foreign transaction fee – this card is made for travel so you can use it even while visiting other countries without paying what is typically a 3% fee.
Cons
- No sign-up bonus – if there is an annual fee, we want to see the sign-up bonus to sweeten the deal. Similar cards offer it so we are not sure why MasterCard Titanium doesn’t have its own sign-up bonus.
- No 0% APR on purchases – and we would like to see it so that cardmembers could use this card to fund some big-ticket item without interest.
Is This The Card For You?
We think there are better cards out there, but they don’t include subscription to Luxury Magazine. If that counts for something in your book, you should consider getting this card. Otherwise, check out premium offerings from top banks – they offer similar rewards and benefits, and also include sign-up bonus. Or you could grab the Titanium; it’s not a bad card by any means, and along with it you’ll get to bragging rights to own the “fanciest card in the room.” 😉