The 8 most valuable World Elite Mastercard benefits
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new information.
When we talk about the pros and cons of credit cards at TPG, we tend to focus on the sign-up bonuses, perks and bonus categories that make that card unique. However, regardless of who issues your card, it likely gets a number of its perks from the payment network it’s a part of. For example, all Visa Signature cards have access to the same suite of benefits — whether the card itself comes from Chase or Bank of America.
Mastercard, the second-largest card network in the world, has a similar setup. In addition to perks specific to each card (and its respective issuer), all World Elite Mastercards have access to a common group of benefits.
Today, we’re going to take a look at the most valuable World Elite Mastercard benefits to help you get some more value out of the cards in your wallet.
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Best World Elite Mastercard offers
While you may not have previously been familiar with the World Elite Mastercard branding, many top travel rewards cards are part of Mastercard’s World Elite program. Here are a few of the best offers currently available:
| Card | Welcome offer | Annual fee | Notable perks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citi Premier® Card | Earn 60,000 ThankYou points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. | $95 (see rates and fees). | For a limited time, earn 10x points per dollar on hotels, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ Portal through June 30, 2024.
Earn 3 ThankYou points per dollar on air travel, hotels, gas stations, restaurants and supermarkets. |
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® | Earn 50,000 miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. | $450. | Admirals Club membership, first checked bag free for you and up to four companions on eligible AA flights, priority check-in and early boarding. |
| JetBlue Plus Card | Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases and pay the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. | $99. | First checked bag free for you and up to three travel companions, 50% discount on inflight purchases, 10% of your redeemed points back. |
| Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard | Earn 60,000 miles after you spend $2,000 on the card in the first 90 days of account opening. | $99. | $100 companion discount after each account anniversary, first checked bag free. |
| IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card | Earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. | $99. | Anniversary award night worth up to 40,000 points, IHG Platinum status, fourth-night reward on award stays. |
The information for the JetBlue Plus and the Hawaiian Airlines cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: Comparing Visa Signature and World Elite Mastercard benefits
Exclusive discounts with select merchants
As the Amex Offers program continued to grow in popularity, other issuers began to offer similar money-saving deals at select merchants. While Mastercard doesn’t offer quite as wide a range as Amex, it has partnered with some popular merchants to provide savings on everyday expenses.
The most popular deals include a $5 Lyft credit when you take at least three rides in a month, a complimentary three-month DoorDash DashPass membership for waived delivery fees on orders of $12 or more and a $5 discount on your first two DoorDash orders each month. However, note that Mastercard's DoorDash benefits are set to end on Sept. 30, 2022.
If you max out these benefits every month, you can recoup the annual fees on many World Elite Mastercards before taking into account the other benefits.
World Elite Concierge
While everyone here presumably enjoys traveling, not all of us enjoy the legwork that goes into planning a good trip. Thankfully Mastercard is here to help with its 24/7 concierge service that can help you make travel plans, secure a hard-to-get reservation at popular restaurants or even track down items like concert tickets.
I’ve gotten a lot of value out of my credit card concierge services over the years, and I consider them to be one of the most underrated perks out there.
Related: The ultimate credit card concierge test: 3 cards, $300 and 1 night in NYC
Complimentary rental car elite status
World Elite Mastercard maintains partnerships with several rental car companies, offering complimentary elite status and benefits with Avis, National and Sixt. You’ll need to register through the Mastercard platform.
As travel demand continues to rebound, car rental perks have taken on newfound importance given the current state of the industry. Elite status can make a big difference in skipping the lines or even scoring a more comfortable ride on your next trip.
Related: How to never pay full price for a rental car
ShopRunner membership
With more and more purchases moving from physical stores to online, customers are placing increased importance on fast shipping. Thankfully, all World Elite Mastercards come with complimentary ShopRunner memberships, giving you free two-day shipping and return shipping at over 100 retailers.
Depending on how often you like to shop, this can add up to a considerable amount of savings over the course of the year.
Related: Get free shipping from your favorite retailers with these credit cards
Mastercard Luxury Hotel & Resorts Portfolio
This program functions very similarly to Chase’s Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection or Amex’s Fine Hotels + Resorts — but with even more properties to choose from. With over 3,000 luxury properties in Mastercard’s portfolio, customers will enjoy complimentary room upgrades (upon availability), complimentary breakfast, $50 to $100 in amenity credit, early check-in, late checkout and other unique benefits at thousands of hotels worldwide.
This program is an excellent way for less-frequent travelers to enjoy elite-like benefits.
Related: The best hotel credit cards of 2022
Hotel stay guarantee
World Elite Mastercard cardholders are ensured the best possible travel experience with the hotel stay guarantee clause. Should you run into problems after booking a three-star (or greater) hotel through the program, the 24/7 Lifestyle Managers will work to “make it right” and offer up to $1,000 to move you to a comparable property.
Related: Why I checked out of the Hotel Indigo Lower East Side after 15 minutes
Cellphone protection
You can rest easy if your phone is stolen or damaged, as you may be entitled to $1,000 in yearly coverage (up to $800 per claim, two claims per year). To activate this coverage, simply pay your cellphone bill with your World Elite Mastercard.
While some benefits are exclusive to the World Elite Mastercard program, card issuers can choose to opt out of offering cellphone coverage for their cards. Be sure to check your specific benefits guide to confirm the coverage amount (if any) and the yearly maximum.
Related: How I wasted $300 using the wrong card to pay my cellphone bill
Priceless Cities
For decades, Mastercard’s Priceless program has represented the company’s belief that experiences matter more than things. Priceless Cities is an online marketplace full of thousands of unique experiences in cities all around the world, curated exclusively for Mastercard customers. From sunset river cruises in Bangkok to a guided paddleboat tour of Sydney Harbour, Priceless Cities is likely to have experience waiting wherever you live or travel.
Other benefits worth mentioning
While these other benefits are more niche, World Elite Mastercard holders have access to other lifestyle and travel benefits. During the pandemic, the network introduced Book Club, a quarterly event that provides a book selection and an online Q&A session with the author of the novel. Additionally, cardholders can save up to $1,000 per round-trip on private jets thanks to Mastercard’s partners like Caledonia Jets and Vitesse Worldwide.
Bottom line
While the card network is generally one of the least important factors in evaluating a new card, it’s important to consider all the benefits of being part of a program like the World Elite Mastercard.
Many of these perks get overshadowed by card-specific ones like bonus categories and welcome offers. Still, whether you already have a World Elite Mastercard in your wallet or are considering applying for one in the future, you should try and take advantage of all the perks available to you.
Related: Choosing the best Mastercard for you
Additional reporting by Stella Shon and Christina Ly.