Mastercard Black Card Overview
The Mastercard® Black Card™ is a premium card with significant benefits to take your travels to the next level. Benefits include a $100 annual incidental credit, reimbursement of your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee, and Priority Pass Select membership. The card earns 1 point per dollar on all transactions, and points can be redeemed as 1.5% cash back or 2% on airline ticket redemptions without blackout dates. Card rating*: ⭐⭐½
*The card rating is based on the opinion of the TPG editorial staff and is not influenced by the card issuer.
The Mastercard black card follows the trend of well-known cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve and The Platinum Card® from American Express made of metal. As such, it entices people to join the ranks of metal card holders.
Despite being similar in material to premium credit cards that play under the Black (Centurion) Card nomenclature from American Express, the Mastercard Black Card doesn’t offer as many benefits and comes with a high annual fee of $495. As a premium card, it also requires a credit score of 740 or higher.
Let’s take a deeper look at the Mastercard black card to see how it compares to other premium cards so you can decide if it deserves a place in your wallet.
The information for the Centurion Card has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been verified or provided by the card issuer.
Mastercard Black Card pros and cons
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Mastercard Black Card welcome offer
One of the biggest disadvantages of the Mastercard black card is the lack of a welcome offer.
Despite calling itself a premium credit card, the Black Card does not offer a lump sum of points for opening the card. This could be a major negative impact for many, given the high welcome offers many cards have in the travel credit card space.
Mastercard Black Card Benefits
The Black card offers several benefits that can help offset the annual fee while providing cardholders with a number of conveniences during their travels.
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Compared to other premium cards, the benefits are limited but still offer some value for frequent travelers. Cardholders receive a $100 annual air travel credit, which is quite flexible. Flight-related purchases include airline tickets, baggage fees, upgrades and other incidentals charged directly by the airline. A plus to this benefit is that you don’t have to select an airline to use it, unlike the up to $200 airline credit available with the Amex Platinum. Registration is required.
The card also offers up to $100 as a statement credit toward the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee. As expected with a travel card, the Black Card does not incur any foreign transaction fees.
It also comes with a Priority Pass Select membership, which gives cardholders access to more than 1,400 lounges worldwide. Unlike memberships with a few other credit cards, the card does not include access to Priority Pass restaurants or spas.
The card offers travel and purchase protection, including:
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: Receive secondary coverage for a covered return purchase when you use the card. You may be reimbursed for the cost of non-refundable return fares up to $5,000 per person if a covered accident event causes you to cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason.
- Travel assistance: Receive travel, medical and legal assistance when traveling 50 miles or more from home.
- Baggage delay insurance: You may be reimbursed for covered items up to $100 per day up to a maximum of three eligible 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 of coverage for eligible common carrier accidental death and dismemberment when you charge your entire trip to your eligible card for a covered trip.
- Exemption from car rental: The card comes with secondary coverage for covered damage to a rental car when you pay for it with the card and decline the rental company’s coverage.
The Black Card also offers the following benefits:
- Mobile protection: Additional coverage for damage or theft of your cell phone 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: Sign up and take three eligible rides in a month with the card to get a $5 Lyft credit.
- Shop runner: Get free 2-day shipping and free returns on eligible purchases when you sign up for a free ShopRunner membership with the Black Card.
- Instacart: Enjoy two months of free Instacart+ membership and $10 off your second order every month (valid through March 31, 2025).
- Peacock credit: Receive a $3 monthly Peacock streaming credit or a $5 Peacock Premium Plus streaming credit (valid through March 31, 2025).
- McAfee protection: Enjoy a 13-month discounted subscription to McAfee Total Protection (valid through March 31, 2024).
Related: Should You Get Travel Insurance If You Have Credit Card Protection?
Earn rewards with 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 returns.
With such poor earning rates, you’re better off spending money on a cash back credit card with no annual fees, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited, which earns 1.5% cash back on non-bonus earning categories. Earning rewards at such a low rate is another reason why this card is on the sidelines compared to other premium credit cards.
Related: Best Cash Back Credit Cards
Redeem rewards on the Mastercard Black Card
Rewards can be redeemed in two ways: cash back or airline tickets.
You can redeem points for airfare for 2 cents each, giving you an edge over the competition. Compare this to Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders, who can redeem up to 1.5 cents each when booking through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal. Of course, you can get a significantly higher return by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to airline partners, rather than 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 much more value in doing so, especially when combined with transfer bonuses, sales or sweet spot redemptions. I will say one of the biggest highlights of this card is redeeming it for flights for 2 cents each, but other than 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 praise of credit card or points and miles enthusiasts. If you receive a mailer requesting this card, check out the following cards below, which offer much more value and annual fees similar to the Black Card.
- If you want to earn more miles: The Capital One Venture is the best choice with an annual fee of $395 (see rates and fees). The card offers 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars and 5 miles per dollar spent on flights 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 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the US) and on groceries at US supermarkets (up to a limit of $25,000), as well as 3 points per dollar spent on airline tickets purchased directly with an airline or booked via amextravel.com. Cardholders also receive a dining credit of up to $120 and an Uber cash credit of up to $120. Best of all, points earned can be transferred to 21 partners (18 airlines and three hotels), and this card has an annual fee of $250 (see rates and fees). For more information, read our full review of the American Express Gold Card.
- If you want a Chase card: The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers higher earning rates on travel and dining purchases of 3 points per dollar, a flexible $300 annual travel credit, and airport lounge access. Despite having a $550 annual fee, cardholders receive more valuable benefits than those with the Black Card. For more information, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
For more 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?
The Black card is a card I wouldn’t recommend to people looking to enter the world of premium credit cards. This card only makes sense for those who want a stylish metal credit card with simple travel-related benefits and a higher redemption rate than other premium cards. Otherwise, it’s not worth getting a hard inquiry on your credit report for a card with basic benefits, a low earning rate, limited repayment options and a high annual fee.
In short
The lack of benefits of just having a black card made of metal that plays on the legacy of American Express’s Centurion Card makes this a card that should probably be avoided. A card that markets itself as a premium credit card with a high annual fee must have a better value proposition.
I will say one of the biggest highlights of this card is redeeming it for flights for 2 cents each, but other than that the Black card really misses the mark in the premium credit card market.
Submit your application here: Mastercard black card
For Amex Gold Card rates and fees, click here
