Mastercard Black Card review: A premium card lacking a wow factor
Editor's Note
Mastercard Black Card overview
The Mastercard® Black Card™ is a premium card with decent benefits to elevate your travels. Perks include a $100 annual airline credit, reimbursement for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee and a Priority Pass Select membership. The card earns 1 point per dollar on all transactions, and points can be redeemed as 1.5% for cash back or 2% for airfare redemption with no blackout dates. Card rating*: ⭐⭐½
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG's editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
The Mastercard Black Card is made from metal, following the trend of well-known cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) and The Platinum Card® from American Express. As such, it allures people to join the ranks of metal cardholders.
Despite being similar in material to premium credit cards by playing on the nomenclature of Amex's Black (Centurion) Card, the Mastercard Black Card doesn't offer as many benefits. It comes with a steep annual fee of $495. As a premium card, it has a recommended credit score of 740 or higher.
Let's examine the Mastercard Black Card in depth to compare it to other premium cards and decide whether it deserves a place in your wallet.
The information for the Mastercard Black and Centurion Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Mastercard Black Card pros and cons
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Mastercard Black Card welcome offer
Despite calling itself a premium credit card, the Mastercard Black Card doesn't have a welcome offer.
This can be a huge detractor to many considering the high welcome offers of many cards in the travel credit card sphere. It's much harder to find substantial value in opening this card without any kind of welcome bonus to earn.
Mastercard Black Card benefits
The Black Card offers several benefits that can help offset its annual fee while also providing cardholders with some conveniences for their travels.
In comparison to other premium cards, the benefits are few but still provide some value to frequent travelers.
Cardholders receive a flexible $100 air travel credit annually. Flight-related purchases include airline tickets, bag fees, upgrades and other incidentals charged directly by the airline.
A plus of this benefit is that you don't need to select an airline to use it on, unlike the up to $200 airline statement credit available each calendar year with the Amex Platinum. Enrollment is required; terms apply.
The card also offers up to $120 as a statement credit for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee. As expected with a travel card, the Black Card has no foreign transaction fees.
It also comes with a Priority Pass Select membership, giving cardholders access to over 1,500 lounges worldwide. This is a very standard perk on premium travel cards, but it's a nice benefit if you don't have another card that grants access.
The card provides travel and purchase protections, including:
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: Receive secondary coverage for a covered round-trip purchase when you use the card. You can be reimbursed for the cost of the nonrefundable round-trip expenses up to $5,000 per person if an accidental, covered event causes you to cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason.
- Travel assistance: Receive travel, medical and legal assistance when you travel 50 miles or more from home.
- Baggage delay insurance: You can be reimbursed for covered items for up to $100 a day at a maximum of three qualifying days for delays of more than four hours from the time you arrive at your destination (arrival at your primary residence is excluded).
- Travel accident insurance: Receive up to $250,000 coverage for eligible common carrier accidental death and dismemberment when you charge your entire travel fare to your eligible card for a covered trip.
- Auto rental collision waiver: The card comes with secondary coverage for covered damages for a rental car when you pay for it using the card and decline the coverage offered by the rental agency.
The Black Card also comes with the following additional benefits:
- Cellphone protection: Supplemental coverage for damage or theft of your cellphone is up to $800 per claim and up to $1,000 per 12-month period. Cardholders are limited to two claims per 12-month period and a $50 deductible per claim.
- Lyft credit: Enroll and take three eligible rides in a month using the card to get a $5 Lyft credit (valid through Sept. 30).
- Shoprunner: Sign up for a complimentary ShopRunner membership with the Black Card to receive free two-day shipping and free return shipping on eligible purchases (valid through Sept. 30).
- Instacart: Enjoy two months of complimentary Instacart+ membership and $10 off your second order each month (valid through March 31).
- Peacock credit: Receive a monthly $3 Peacock streaming credit or a $5 Peacock Premium Plus streaming credit (valid through March 31).
While these benefits are nice, you can receive the same or similar benefits with another premium card, often with a welcome offer and extra perks thrown in on top of these.
Related: Should you get travel insurance if you have credit card protection?
Earning rewards on the Mastercard Black Card
Unfortunately, despite marketing itself as a premium card, the Black Card disappoints with its poor earning rate. Cardholders earn 1 point per dollar spent, with no bonus categories to boost your return.
With such poor earning rates, you're better off spending on a no-annual-fee cash-back credit card such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees), which earns 1.5% cash back on nonbonus earning categories.
Earning rewards at such a low rate is another reason why this card is on the sidelines when compared to other premium credit cards.
Related: Best cash-back credit cards
Redeeming rewards on the Mastercard Black Card
Rewards can be redeemed through two ways: cash back or airfare. When redeeming for cash back, you'll get a value of 1.5 cents per point.
You can redeem points for 2 cents each toward airfare, putting it ahead of the competition. Compare this to Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders, who can redeem points for up to 2 cents each, depending on the specific redemption, when booking through Chase Travel℠ (see your rewards program agreement for full details).
Of course, you can get significantly higher returns by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to airline partners as opposed to redeeming them directly through a portal.
Not being able to transfer points to an airline partner is a negative data point for me, as I find far more value in doing so, especially when paired with transfer bonuses, sales or sweet spot redemptions.
I will say that one of the biggest highlights of this card is redeeming for flights at 2 cents apiece, but apart from that, the Black Card really misses the mark in the premium credit card market.
Which cards compete with the Mastercard Black Card?
It's no secret that the Black Card isn't winning the praises of credit cards and points and miles enthusiasts. If you receive a mailer to apply for this card, check out the following cards instead, which offer far more value and annual fees similar to the Black Card.
- If you want to earn more miles: The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is your best bet with an annual fee of $395. The card offers 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars and 5 miles per dollar spent on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel. Meanwhile, all other purchases earn 2 miles per dollar, and you'll receive a $300 annual credit for travel booked through Capital One Travel. To learn more, read our full review of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
- If you spend a lot on food: The American Express® Gold Card offers 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App™, 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar) and on groceries at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 annually, 1 point per dollar thereafter), as well as 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline, amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App. Best of all, points earned can be transferred to 21 partners (18 airlines and three hotels). This card comes with an annual fee of $325 (see rates and fees). To learn more, read our full review of the American Express Gold Card.
- If you want a Chase card: The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 8 points per dollar spent on purchases through Chase Travel℠, 4 points per dollar spent on flights and hotels booked direct and 3 points per dollar on dining purchases, a flexible $300 annual travel credit and airport lounge access. Despite having an annual fee of $795, cardholders receive more valuable benefits than those with the Black Card. To learn more, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
For additional options, check out our full list of the best premium credit cards.
Related: Are premium credit cards worth the annual fee?
Is the Mastercard Black Card worth it?
I don't recommend the Black Card to those looking to enter the world of premium credit cards. This card only makes sense to those who want a stylish metal credit card with simple travel-related benefits and a higher redemption rate than other premium cards. Otherwise, receiving a hard inquiry on your credit report for a card with basic benefits, a poor earning rate, limited redemption options and a high annual fee is not worth it.
Bottom line
Lackluster benefits just to have a black card made from metal that plays on the legacy of the Amex Centurion Card make this a card that should be avoided. A card marketing itself as a premium credit card with a high annual fee must have a better value proposition.
I do place value on the ability to redeem points for 2 cents apiece for airline purchases, but apart from that, the Black Card really misses the mark in the premium credit card market.
Apply here: The Black Card
Related: How to decide if a credit card's annual fee is worth paying
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here.
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.