Surprisingly, I pay an annual fee for one card that isn’t a credit card: FoundersCard.
It is a membership community that offers discounts and benefits in many different lifestyle categories. This card offers many benefits, discounts and amenities that make traveling easier and improve my lifestyle.
You can enjoy these benefits without having to apply for a credit card, but is the card worth the membership fee? Let’s dig in.
The information for the FoundersCard credit card is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been verified or provided by the card issuer.
What is FoundersCard?
FoundersCard is a membership program that offers elite status, travel discounts, free subscriptions and special pricing on lifestyle brands. It is not a credit card and you cannot make purchases with it.
Despite the name, you don’t have to be a ‘founder’ or entrepreneur to have this card; everyone is welcome to apply. The application process is short and a decision is usually made within two days.
How much does a FoundersCard membership cost?
There are two membership levels:
- Standard: $595 per year
- All Access Elite: $995 per year
You will need to pay an additional initiation fee of $95.
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Discounted membership offers are occasionally available. I’ve seen the standard membership cost as little as $295 per year for life. In fact, I was able to secure that rate. Since the card offers me exceptional value, I will continue to renew my membership every year.
Here are the differences between the two membership levels:
The standard membership is more than sufficient for my needs. All benefits, credits and discounts I receive more than cover the annual membership fee.
It’s worth noting that many of the FoundersCard benefits overlap with the benefits I receive from my Business Platinum Card® from American Expresssuch as Hilton Honors Gold status and Hertz Five Star status*, but there are several benefits I use that are only available with FoundersCard.
*Enrollment in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program is required
Related: A new luxury membership card promises elite benefits. Is it worth the fee?
Benefits of FoundersCard
FoundersCard has more than 500 benefits divided into categories such as travel, shopping subscriptions and business services. Membership gives you elite status and benefits comparable to premium travel rewards credit cards, without having to add another credit card to your wallet. Some of these benefits include:
- Benefits for companies: Save up to 35% on business services like Amazon Web Services, co-working spaces, Shopify, Square and UPS.
- Car discounts: Receive discounts for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Jeep.
- Mobile phone discounts: Save up to 15% on your AT&T bill.
- Hotel status and affiliate partnerships: Enjoy Hilton Honors Gold status and a status challenge for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status. Additionally, FoundersCard has hotel partnerships through which members receive special rates and other elite-like benefits. These luxury hotels are located in cities such as Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Tokyo and include Mandarin Oriental, Park Hyatt and The Ritz-Carlton.
- Status and discounts of rental cars: Receive Hertz Five Star status and discounts and status with Sixt and Avis.
- Store discounts: Save up to 30% at stores like Adidas, Mr. Porter and Reebok. The discount can be stacked and used across shopping portals so you can earn points and miles and save money. I regularly use the 30% discount at Adidas to buy gym clothes.
By linking FoundersCard with credit cards you can really get excellent value.
Airline discounts
FoundersCard offers multiple discounts on airfare on many airlines around the world, including:
- Alaska Airlines: 5% discount on basic rates
- British Airways: Up to 10% discount on most return fares from the US and Canada
- Delta Airlines: 10% off
- Etihad Airways: Up to 10% discount on selected rates
- Qantas: Up to 15% off Qantas fares between the US and Australia or New Zealand (must be purchased in the US)
- Qatar Airways: Up to 10% discount on flights from the US
- Singapore Airlines: Up to 15% off select flights from the US
- United Airlines: Up to 16% discount
With these airlines you can book any cabin and get a discount.
United is my favorite airline to fly, and I have United MileagePlus Premier Gold status with the airline. Every time I used this discount I got exactly 16% off.
It’s important to note that these discounts will still earn you miles and qualify you for elite status with the airline. If you regularly fly with any of these airlines and book expensive fares, you can easily save the cost of FoundersCard membership by purchasing just one flight.
You can further maximize the value of this discount by using a cobranded airline credit card to earn miles.
Related: Best United Airlines Credit Cards
Caesars Diamond status
Keep in mind that this benefit may be gone as of February 2024, according to Miles to Memories. If this is the case, it significantly reduces the value of a FoundersCard membership.
Caesars Diamond is a very valuable status if you regularly travel to Las Vegas or Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Previously, you could match status with Wyndham Rewards and then with Caesars. Now you can only match status from Wyndham Rewards to Caesars if you’ve earned Wyndham status through stays or by having a Wyndham credit card.
Some highlights of Caesars Diamond status include:
- Free or discounted hotel nights (this depends on how much you gamble, as Caesars will send you offers to entice you back to a property)
- Early check-in and late check-out
- No resort fees, saving you up to $45 plus tax per day
- Free valet parking and self-service, saving you up to $50 plus tax per day
- Free stay at Atlantis, Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas
- A $100 celebratory dinner, an annual dining credit that can be used at restaurants on Caesars properties
The biggest selling point of Caesars Diamond status is the free stay at Atlantis, Paradise Island. The value of this alone covers the cost of FoundersCard membership. You get four nights free and you can purchase additional nights for $100 per night. However, you cannot use the free overnight stays in March, April and July. This isn’t a problem for me as I can use the benefit during the colder months to escape the chilly Pacific Northwest winters.
Last year I used the $100 credit for the holiday dinner at Mr. Chow’s at Caesars Palace; it was a very simple process as the restaurant only took $100 off my total bill.
Related: 15 Best Hotels in Las Vegas for a Sin City Getaway
Other useful benefits
- Dell business discount worth up to 40%: I stack this discount with the Amex Business Platinum card offers an annual Dell credit of up to $400. A 40% savings allowed me to purchase an additional monitor last year with my annual credits.
- Late check-out at IHG properties: This is helpful for me because I don’t often stay at IHG properties or have an IHG credit card to have IHG One Rewards status, but when I do visit an IHG hotel, the late checkout time is 2 p.m. hours an extra benefit.
- Sonesta Travel Pass Gold status: I’ve stayed at a few Sonesta hotels, but I don’t stay often, so having some extra perks for these one-time stays is an added benefit for me.
- Preferred pricing on Equinox: I was an Equinox member and this preferred pricing saved me about $100 off my monthly membership. If you have The Platinum Card® from American Expressyou can pair this discount with an annual Equinox credit of up to $300 (subject to auto-renewal).
- Free TripIt Pro Membership: A very useful app for planning a trip and tracking your itinerary all in one place. This flight tracking feature is useful for frequent flyers like me.
Disadvantages of FoundersCard
Although FoundersCard has many great benefits and advantages, there are some disadvantages, including:
- The full list of benefits is not visible before membership: You must sign up for a membership and pay before you can get the full list of benefits and features. So it can be difficult to determine how much value you get from each benefit.
- Robust annual compensation: The card has an annual fee similar to premium credit cards.
- Offers many benefits that credit cards offer: If you have premium travel cards like the Amex Platinum, you may notice that some of the benefits overlap. FoundersCard is also not a credit card, so you can’t make purchases or earn miles and still have to pay an annual fee.
FoundersCard is best paired with a travel rewards card to maximize discounts and earn points and miles.
In short
Many benefits with FoundersCard are accessible with premium credit cards like the Amex Platinum or the Chase Sapphire Reserve. However, many lifestyle and travel benefits provide me with excessive value worth the $295 I pay annually.
I think this card is worth applying for if you can get a rate below the standard membership fee. You may also find the card great value if you run a business and can take advantage of the various business discounts and benefits.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and costs of the Business Amex Platinum Card, click here.