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If you're looking for all the perks you can get, a luxury credit card is the clear choice. The best luxury credit cards are known for offering plenty of high-value features, from hundreds of dollars in spending credits to access to exclusive events and airport lounges. There are a lot of great luxury cards to choose from, and we've evaluated them all to find the top options.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Great for: Big value and easy to use
On Capital One's Secure Website.
On Capital One's Secure Website.
Excellent (740-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
Rewards Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases.
2X-10X miles
Annual Fee
$395
Welcome Offer 75,000 Miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
75,000 Miles
Our favorite premium travel card. Yes, there’s a premium annual fee here, but you get what you might expect from a luxury card, like up to 10X miles on spending through Capital One Travel, a $300 travel credit, experience credits, and a huge welcome bonus. Read Full Review
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Great for: Diverse travel and lifestyle benefits
On American Express' Secure Website.
Terms apply
On American Express' Secure Website.
Terms apply
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: n/a
Balance Transfers: n/a
Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Rewards Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Earn 1X Membership Rewards® Points on other purchases. Terms and limitations apply.
1X-5X Membership Rewards® Points
Annual Fee
$695
Welcome Offer Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
80,000
This luxury travel card has some of the most prestigious perks you'll find — access to over 1,400 airport lounges, elite status with Hilton and Marriott Bonvoy, and spending credits worth over $1,500 in value every year. Just be ready for the hefty annual fee, which can be offset in the first year with a welcome bonus worth $800 in points. Terms apply. Read Full Review
Great for: Flexible travel rewards
On Chase's Secure Website.
On Chase's Secure Website.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
22.49%-29.49% Variable
Rewards 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.
5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Travel℠.
Annual Fee N/A
$550
Welcome Offer Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
60,000 bonus points
This Chase card is your ticket to big rewards on travel spending and dining out, like up to 10x points on spending through Chase Travel, where your points are worth 50% more if you book through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You'll also score excellent perks, like a $300 travel credit, airport lounge access, and a Global Entry/TSA Precheck credit. The annual fee is hefty, but if you can use all its features, this card could be well worth the cost. Read Full Review
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Great for: Great for frequent flyers
On American Express' Secure Website.
Terms apply
On American Express' Secure Website.
Terms apply
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: n/a
Balance Transfers: n/a
Regular APR
20.99%-29.99% Variable
Rewards Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
1X-3X miles
Annual Fee
$650
Welcome Offer Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
60,000 Bonus Miles
This card comes with huge perks if you are a loyal Delta customer. The annual fee pays for itself in a hurry if you are able to take advantage of all this card has to offer. Read Full Review
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Great for: High-end hotel perks
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
20.99% to 29.99%, variable
Rewards 14 points per $1 at Hilton properties, 7 points per $1 on flights booked directly with the airline, rental cars booked through certain agencies, and dining in eligible U.S. restaurants, 3 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases
3X - 14x points
Annual Fee
$550
Welcome Offer 150,000 Hilton Honors points by spending $6,000 in the first six months of card opening
150,000 Hilton Honors points
This card comes with a high annual fee, but if you travel frequently and love to stay with Hilton, the benefits of the card can easily outweigh the fee.
Great for: Restaurants and U.S. supermarkets
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: n/a
Balance Transfers: n/a
Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Rewards Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
1X-4X Membership Rewards® Points
Annual Fee
$250
Welcome Offer Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
60,000
This card offers considerable value, as it earns 4X points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X) and 4X points at restaurants. Plus, earn 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on American Express Travel. Meanwhile, $120 in annual dining credits and $120 in Uber cash can offset almost the entire $250 annual fee. (Terms apply.) Overall, it’s an incredibly lucrative card for those who spend a lot in those categories. Read Full Review
Choosing the best luxury credit card is all about finding the one with the most features you'll be able to use. Here's how you can do that.
Start by figuring out which type of credit card you want. You can either get a card with a flexible rewards program that gives you multiple redemption options, or you can choose a card tied to a specific airline or hotel loyalty program. If you want as much flexibility as possible, look for a card in one of the following rewards programs, as they all have a variety of travel partners:
Looking for a card tied to an airline or hotel loyalty program? Here are some great options:
Next, start picking out credit card options. Since you know what type of credit card you want, you can make a list of candidates. Depending on what you're interested in, you could end up with one or two to five or more potential matches. Either way is fine -- more options just means you'll spend more time comparing card offers.
Compare those luxury credit cards and apply for your favorite. Review each card's features and their annual fees. The best credit card will be the one that has plenty of features you like and that you'll be able to use with ease.
FIND THE RIGHT LUXURY CARD: Compare Credit Cards
A luxury credit card is one that offers a variety of travel and lifestyle benefits in exchange for a high annual fee. Luxury credit cards generally have annual fees of $250 or more, and they're designed for cardholders who can make use of all their features.
There are two types of luxury credit cards:
Credit cards available to any consumer: These credit cards charge a high annual fee, but their applications are open to anyone. You can apply for these cards, or in some cases, get them by upgrading your credit card. Examples include the following credit cards:
Invitation-only credit cards: These credit cards are only available to select clients who meet certain qualification requirements. They don't have a public application available. You normally need to either keep a minimum amount of assets with the card issuer's banking products or spend a substantial amount with one of the card issuer's other card products to receive an invitation.
There are all kinds of benefits available with luxury credit cards. Here are some of the most common:
High rewards rates: Luxury cards usually earn more rewards on your spending than standard credit cards. Several of them offer rewards rates of 5% or more in bonus categories, and you can even find cards offering bonus rates of 10% or more on every eligible purchase.
Valuable sign-up bonuses: Many rewards credit cards offer sign-up bonuses for new cardholders, but once again, this is an area where luxury credit cards tend to offer the most. Bonus amounts are often much higher with luxury cards. Just keep in mind that these bonuses may also have high spending requirements, so make sure you purchase enough to qualify for the bonus.
Airport lounge access: It's rare to find a luxury card that doesn't include access to at least one airport lounge program. A Priority Pass membership has become especially common and allows access to that program's considerable number of lounges. If you spend a lot of time at the airport, a credit card that gets you into airport lounges is worth having.
Spending credits: One of the ways luxury credit cards balance out their high annual fees is by offering spending credits every month or year on certain types of purchases. For example, you can find cards with an annual travel credit worth hundreds of dollars, a membership fee credit for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck, or $15 to $35 monthly credits for rideshare services. On every eligible purchase, you receive a statement credit from the card issuer.
Concierge service: Premium credit cards often provide free concierge services to card members. A credit card concierge is there to help you with things you need. That could be travel planning, scoring event tickets, booking a restaurant reservation, or much more.
High credit limit: A luxury credit card typically offers more buying power. Since cardholders of luxury cards are frequently bigger spenders, luxury cards are normally also high limit credit cards. With some cards, there's not even a preset spending limit on your account. That means the spending limit is flexible and based on a variety of factors, such as your purchase and payment history.
You typically need a FICO® Score of at least 670 to qualify for a luxury credit card. Since these are some of the best credit cards on the market, they're aimed at consumers who have a credit score in the good or excellent credit ranges.
READ MORE: Best Credit Cards for Excellent Credit
Card | Rating | Great For |
---|---|---|
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Great For: Big value and easy to use |
|
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Great For: Diverse travel and lifestyle benefits |
|
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Great For: Flexible travel rewards |
|
Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Great For: Great for frequent flyers |
|
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Great For: High-end hotel perks |
|
2024 Award Winner
|
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Great For: Restaurants and U.S. supermarkets |
Premium credit cards frequently offer airport lounge access, high rewards rates, spending credits on specific purchases, elite status in airline or hotel loyalty programs, and concierge service. The exact luxury perks depend on the credit card.
Millionaires often use premium credit cards with higher annual fees and more benefits. Some use exclusive credit cards available by invitation only to clients with a high net worth, such as the American Express Centurion Card or the J.P. Morgan Reserve.
Every millionaire is different in terms of their credit card preferences. There are also those who use no annual fee credit cards and millionaires who don't use credit cards at all.
Luxury credit cards are usually worth the annual fee because of the greater benefits they offer. However, for a luxury card to be worth the cost, you need to be able to use the benefits it offers. Make sure to compare how much you'd save from the card's benefits to its annual fee to find out.
Our Credit Cards Experts
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.
For rates and fees for the The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here
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