10 Reasons You Don’t Want the Visa Black Card In your Wallet

 Visa Black Card

Flashing a Visa Black card might seem like the most prestigious thing you can do when making purchases, but it turns out that it might not be the best option overall. As far as credit cards go, the Visa Black card is certainly high-end, but it’s not the best of the best. In fact, it’s the worst of the most prestigious cards on the market, and that is just one of the many reasons consumers would be much better off with either the Citi Prestige or the American Express Platinum in their pockets. As a whole, both of the latter are superior to the Visa Black card in every aspect.

Issued by Barclay’s the company touts the Visa Black card as being one of the best on the market, but it’s not even close. Read on to find out why you absolutely do not want to carry the Visa Black card in your wallet. You’re going to want to go with either the Citi Prestige or the American Express Platinum as both cards offer superior benefits in every category.

No Private Jet Program

Who wants a credit card without a private jet program? The Visa Black card does not offer cardholders the same private jet program as the Amex or the Citi card, which might not seem like such a big deal to the average credit card holder; but it is a big deal to the exceptionally wealthy (and to corporations). It’s just one of the many reasons this card is inferior to the competition.

No Airline Discounts

Here’s where things get a little iffy for the average cardholder. Citi and Amex both offer their cardholders airline bonuses and discounts. For example, Amex allows cardholders to pick up a free companion ticket on any refundable ticket purchased and Citi offers a 15% discount on upgraded seats as well as a free companion ticket each year. The Visa Black card offers none of the above, or anything else.

Reward Points are Average

When choosing a new credit card, many people are most intrigued by the rewards points they can accrue when they sign up. With the Visa Black card, you’ll earn 25,000 points if you spend $1500 in 90 days. That sounds great, but it’s nothing compared to the 40,000 points and 50,000 points offered by Amex and Citi, respectively.

No Transfer Options on the Visa Black Card

There might come a time in your life when you’d like to take all those amazing reward points you’ve earned with your Visa Black card and transfer them. Unfortunately, this is not an option with this card, which really does limit your ability to use your rewards for precisely what you want. No one wants to ‘settle’ their rewards points for something they didn’t really want or need in the first place.

No Redemption Options

Redemption for your points with the Visa Black card are very limited, which means you’re likely not going to be able to redeem your points for what you want. Since the airlines and the reward hotels are limited – and many are located only overseas – this is not a great card to carry if you’re looking for great redemption options for all your points.

The Annual Fee is the Highest

If you want to keep the Visa Black card in your wallet, that’s fine. However, it’s going to cost you a lot more than it will to have the Amex or the Citi. The annual fee for the Visa Black card is a staggering $495 versus $450 per year for both the other cards. While an additional $45 per year does not sound like much, over the course of your lifetime the fee really adds up. If you’re 35 and have this card for the next forty years, you’re paying $1800 more to have this card than you are to have the other cards in your wallet. It all adds up.

Authorized User Fees are High

Additionally, you also pay an annual fee for all authorized users on your account. With the Visa Black card, you’ll pay $195 per year for each additional user. Amex charges only $175 per year for three additional users, and Citi charges on $50 per additional user per year. As you can see, the Visa Black card is not worth it in this case if you plan on having any additional users. It’s far less expensive in this category to go with the Citi Card.

The Bonus Points are not that Impressive

The Visa Black card offers all cardholders the opportunity to earn rewards points. You’ll receive 1 point for every dollar spent. It’s average; not bad, but not amazing. It ties here with the Amex, but the Citi card blows both away. The Citi card offers 3 times the points on hotel and flight purchases, 2 points for every dollar on anything entertainment related and then an additional 1 bonus point on every other purchase made with the card. It makes the Visa Black card reward points look paltry in comparison.

No Ground Transportation Program

Cardholders with such an elite credit card in their wallets want to have the best features possible when traveling. When it comes to ground transportation, the Citi and the Amex cards both offer a limo service designed only for cardholders that allows them to travel in style. The Visa Black card, however, does not offer any type of ground transportation service to their clients, which is jus tone more way in which the card shows less interest in their customers.

No Fee Credits

Airlines are notorious for charging passengers outrageous fees from baggage fees to overhead storage fees to every fee in between. With the Citi and the Amex card, however, customers are given a statement credit every year up to several hundred dollars to cover the cost of these excessive fees. However, the Visa Black card does not offer any type of fee credit for those who want to receive a little reimbursement for their fees when traveling.

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