Visa is introducing a new credit card catered to consumers who spend $50,000 or more a year. The VISA Black Card looks similar to the American Express Centurion Card, which was created about a decade ago after that company wanted to capitalize on rumors of a super-exclusive black card. The Visa approach is more on par with the American Express Platinum Card, however.
The first thing you notice, beyond the carbon graphite blackness, is the $495 annual fee. This is well below the $2,500 fee for the Centurion Card, but close to the AmEx Platinum’s $450. If you qualify for the VISA Black Card, this fee will pay for a 24-hour, 7-day concierge service to help with restaurant recommendations and reservations, golf reservations, travel assistance, and specialty research and shopping. In other words, you can call the concierge and accomplish just about anything.
Here’s an example of the card’s concierge service mentioned on AdSavvy:
[A professional NFL footlball player] was on vacation with his family when a massive storm essentially shutdown the resort and island they were on, no commercial flights at all. He called his concierge and has a charter flight arranged, which allowed him to avoid the mayhem resulting from the storm crushing [the] island. Sure, he paid handsomely for the charter, but he watched the aftermath of the storm on his television at home instead of living through it.
Throughout the year, you will receive “luxury gifts” from Visa for no additional cost.
According to the card’s application, only 1% of U.S. residents will qualify. I’ve seen reports, however, that people who are not necessarily big spenders are applying for and qualifying for the card. Some who are accepted have average credit scores and low income. This is not what you would expect from a card that claims to be super-exclusive, but it’s bound to make certain people feel good about themselves.
The Visa Black Card offers 1% cash back or points redeemable for travel on all purchases. While you’re traveling, you can access airport VIP lounges affiliated with Priority Pass. Right now, Visa is also offering a 0% balance transfer offer, which includes a 3% fee. This fee is restricted with a minimum of $5, and while the current offers is in place, a maximum of $50.
For big spenders, the $495 annual fee is easily paid for by cash back and concierge services. As someone who has enough trouble making my Netflix subscription worthwhile, this card probably isn’t for me.
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I think I’ll take the $495 and keep it in my pocket. :)
If I really “need” a black credit card to feel good about myself, I’ll just color in my gold card with a sharpie. ;)
Bad timing on their part – excessive consumerism is on the way out (so I hear) – it’s been “out” in my house for a long time.
I’m applying for this one right away, NOT! LOL! I have never paid a yearly fee on any credit card (although for some reason our line of credit through the bank has recently charged us $25 for a yearly fee – note to self, call bank to have that reversed today). I guess if I was a millionaire I could go for something like this, but for the time being, I can manage making my own arrangements for flight off a resort on an island. No wait, I wouldn’t be there either. I guess I don’t need this card after all. And that’s a good one, Susan, I’ll color mine in with a sharpie, too. LOL.
I have a CapitalOne Platinum card that has no annual fees, and pays 2% cash back. It’s the one that lets you put your own picture on it once a month. I think I’ll just order my next one to be completely black :D
How is 1% cash back “exclusive rewards”? :)
Anyone else thinking of starting a business that just paints regular credit cards black for a $50 fee?
Do they have a credit card for people who save 50k a year?
Lets Start a Paint the Credit Card Black Club! I’ll keep my cash thank you, next…
We’ve had our black card for several months now and my wife received a Chanel hand bag as an “Exclusive Reward”. The bag is probably only worth $300, but that pays for most of the yearly fee.
The yearly fee is also waived if you charge more then $50k a year. That’s pretty easy to do if you use the card for everything and pay it off at the end of the month. We pay utilities, phones, etc. with our card.
We used the concierge service to book playoff football tickets that were sold out, but other then that haven’t really tried it out much.
A friend of mine that charges way more then me also received 2 First Class tickets anywhere he wanted to go. Definitely not things you have to have, but well worth the $495 and well beyond a typical “cash back” reward.
I call the Black VISA number to inquire about waiving of the $495 annual fee if the card holder spends $50K by the end of the one-year term. The representative told me that this was not true. Is the person I spoke with ill informed or did you receive information from them directly noting the waived fee? If yes, could you share the source? Thanks!
Sounds like a shill for the company trying to put some lipstick on this pig.
I have my Black Card for a few months now and all I have received is a $50 pen as a gift. I am sure my wife would have loved a Chanel bag or plan tickets but a pen? The concierge service is great as they were able to locate 50 yard line seats to the Super Bowl for me.
I am not only curious about what criteria are used to determine who will be the 1%, but even more so, how perspective members are found, for promotion by mail. I have a high credit rating and several credit and charge cards,in good standing,(with much better deals than this one), and I was not solicited for this Black Card. However, my late husband received a large, black envelope, with an application to apply. He’s been dead for 7 years and is listed as deceased with all matters of credit and banking. I thought it was a funny coincidence, for a deceased person to receive an ad for a BLACK card, in this funereal design, and when I saw that it’s only for 1%, I wondered if one of the criteria is being deceased? lol But seriously, it shows poor research technique, in marketing.
I have the Platinum American Express card. I’ve had it for years and swear by it. I got stuck in an airport during a bad snow storm. I called them up and while others were sleeping on the floor, AE got us a room in a hotel and even picked us up. The airport was closed for 3 days.
My mom is 94. Her only income is SS. She lives with me and I take care of her. You guessed it…she got a Black Visa invite. I didn’t.
Think I’d switch? Hah!
You are all mad because you are all poor. You all are complaining about a $500 fee. I laugh at you. Im guessing that most of you who have posted have horrible jobs making less than $10 an hour. Mabe all of you go to college and get better jobs. Again just to let you know, im laughing at all of you.
I hope ‘Mr. Better than you’ goes to school soon. Proper grammar would be a start. ‘im’ should be “I’m” and “mabe” should be ‘maybe’. I’m sure you’re the epitomy of Asher Roth’s “I love college”, but you should take your own advice: “mabe all of you go to college and get better jobs” (or go back if you’ve already been). I didn’t go to college and I don’t throw my ‘no college degree’ in peoples faces. I have a black Amex, drive a nice car, own my house, have several Mont Blanc pens (to use when I sign checks to pay for my cars…in full). Don’t be so quick to judge; we’re just talking about a f+!?#@*g credit card here.
Man!,,, That was so mean? Who would say this to a group of strangers they have never met? You may have money, but you DON’T have any manners!!! A very good grammar class would not hurt either !!
I think the claim that this card is for uber-rich high net worth individuals is nonsense. I received an offer for this card and I am nowhere near the so-called 1% of US population that is supposed to be the customer for this card.Infact I have not used a credit card in years and carry no debt other than mortgage. Barclay’s must be really desperate to offer me this card.
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Although the brochure is impressive in it’s design and writing and for a second I thought of getting this card until I saw the $495 annual fee,In no time I ripped the brochure and application form into peices
This card is a joke!
I got an “exclusive” invitation to apply for one, but they SPELLED MY NAME WRONG!
Wonder which 1% spam list they got my name from.
Oh, and the TERMS! LOL
13% interest, or prime plus 9.99. Same as Bank of America or Bob’s Fly-by-night Bank.
Worse than any other card I carry, including American Express.
Abnd what line of credit do you get? At least $250, far less than the $500 they charge you for a year.
A guarantee you will be over limit from day one?
Looks like.
Report this fraud to your state attorney general NOW!
I BURNED the offer and laughed the entire time!
I got one in the mail yesterday and read how it was only marketed to the top 1% of earners in US. I’m probably in the top 3% but definitely not in the top1% based on my research done during tax times, so strike 1. Strike 2 was how all the extras I am supposed to get meant crap to me. Concierge service? Are you f’ing kidding me? Not for me. Strike 3 was the $495 annual service. I actually laughed out loud when I saw that and took vicious pleasure in tearing that beautiful envelope and marketing materials up. I’m not in the market for this type of gimmick even if I was in the top 1% though being a geek at heart, I did like the fact that this one came in carbon fiber ;)
You have the audacity to ask for $495 a year. That is absolutely crazy, especially the way the economy is these days. People do not have that kind of money to spend a year on a visa card that was suppose to be designed to help. This card is out rages… What were you thinking and what was I thinking…?
I received the offer, IMO this is strictly for snob appeal. I have a no fee Fidelity VISA card that I charge almost every purchase we make and I get 1.75% back that I put into my investment account. This works out to about $1k/yr in my case. Better than paying the $495 up front for services I don’t really need. If I traveled more something like this may be worthwhile, but everyone needs to remember, exclusivity is an expensive indulgence and there are many that want to make your money their money by offering exclusiveness. Caveat Emptor.