Barclays relaunches VISA Black Card (October 2013)
Oct 20, 2013, 10:40 pm
#17
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 583
The annual fee is vastly overpriced given the ( lack of ) benefits.
Even their Barclays' own Arrival card is a better card, at 2% statement credit for all purchases.
For those who really want Lounge access, they are better off buying a Priority Pass membership directly or get the Mileage Plus Club card.
All the other benefits are just standard Visa Signature benefits. And actually even those are not as good as AMEX or Chase.
e.g. Their purchase security only covers up to $500 when Chase MileagePlus Explorer with a $95 annual fee cover up to $10,000 with their Purchase Protection.
Their roadside assistance seem to be just a referral service while AMEX and Chase MP Explorer actually covers the service charge.
Even their Barclays' own Arrival card is a better card, at 2% statement credit for all purchases.
For those who really want Lounge access, they are better off buying a Priority Pass membership directly or get the Mileage Plus Club card.
All the other benefits are just standard Visa Signature benefits. And actually even those are not as good as AMEX or Chase.
e.g. Their purchase security only covers up to $500 when Chase MileagePlus Explorer with a $95 annual fee cover up to $10,000 with their Purchase Protection.
Their roadside assistance seem to be just a referral service while AMEX and Chase MP Explorer actually covers the service charge.
Last edited by Ragnarok; Oct 20, 2013 at 10:53 pm
Nov 20, 2013, 11:46 am
#19
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 189
Even their Barclays' own Arrival card is a better card, at 2% statement credit for all purchases.
Dec 28, 2013, 2:11 pm
#21
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 15
Not Quite Sold, But Still Giving Them a Chance
I've owned and used the Black Card now for just over a year and had ample time to review. During my recent trip to Europe, I saw an American gentlemen lay down a AMEX Centurion card at a table just next to me. I complimented him on his credit card and we started talking about a number of things. It got me thinking about my copycat Black Card that I had been carrying in my wallet for over a year now which brought me to this site.
So far the experience has been pleasant but I would not say this is an exclusive card by any means.
I have a modest income by most exclusive card standards (less than $500k/year) and have only racked up $51,302 in charges in a 12 month time span - I just checked my account history and in some months I did not use the card at all.
I've had experience with the following:
Trip Reimbursement for Delayed Luggage - this is handled by Chubb as their insurance provider and they required a lot of documentation, emails and follow up. I have used this now twice in the past year and I have not received a single check just yet, but have not been turned down yet either.
Lounge Club Access - used this only once as I'm generally late to the airport and don't have much time to sit around in a lounge. I checked out the KAL Lounge at LAX and it wasn't too impressive. No Lounge Access at CDG in Paris which is major bummer.
Concierge Service - I've sent them on some errands including trying to secure the iPad Mini a day after it launched. They were not able to get it. I also tried having them handle my company party planning, but they are incredibly slow, taking 24 hours to respond - for example, sending them on a task to find a list of just 5 venues to book a holiday party took them 24 hours, in that same time my assistant was able to get pricing and contracts at several venues for review. They really tout this as a high caliber, personal service, but I got passed around through at least three different agents in a 24 hour span. I was assured that thorough note taking and reference numbers meant that my case was being handled on a personal level but each new agent proceeded to "recite" my original request to confirm they had it right from the notes that were taken by the original agent.
Rewards - haven't redeemed anything yet, but the partner rewards list in the hotel category have actually shrank since I've first reviewed. There are just five items in this category (Hyatt Rewards, Bitmore Estates, Marriott, Fairmont, and Ritz-Carlton) and most are just exchanging the points for certificates of value at $0.01 per point. You can exchange these same points for credit towards your balance as well, so I'm not sure what the point is. Previously there were maybe 7-8 items to select which is still pretty dismal, the only one worth considering was a club program with Ritz Carlton for a single night stay - that has since disappeared.
Airline Miles - redemption is is $0.005 pts per dollar, or half of the standard point redempetion (i.e. 50,000 pts is good for $1,000 in airfare). Must be booked through their system, online is free but booking through an agent is $45.00 extra. See comparison in costs with AMEX Platinum on next page.
Gifts - The first gift was a cross pen with my name engraved. The second gift was a New Era cap with the words "Black Card" stitched on the front. The cap and text were both black. Can you imagine a man in his early 30's wearing a cap like this?! What was worse was that the welcome letter the cap came with welcomed me to ownership of a quality backpack by Pattagonia, which I would have rather had. I guess someone messed that one up.
No Foreign Transaction Fees - I guess this is something for us newer members, but I've used this feature quite a bit and it's definitely a blessing. Other similar cards offer this as well, but I've relied on cards previously that did not have this feature, and usually get dinged with a 2% charge on the total purchase price which is still less than the 5% rate I get with Wells Fargo to purchase/sell from USD to any currency.
Black Card Magazine - nothing spectacular, the quality of the "journalism" is pretty subpar and the destinations they tout are equally so. Every issue there's an article about a car (say the new Mercedes E63), a series article about some recommended destinations, and perhaps some material items that I have little interest in.
The Card Itself - the marketing material said it was made of exclusive patent pending carbon. Feels more like matte plastic to me. Months later I hear about the stainless steel version and I actually had to put a request in for this before they responded - supposed to be arriving a few days from now via Fedex. Still, the card does make quite a statement, and if you're into those things, might hold some value. I'm a relatively young individual that runs with the motto "Fake it 'til you make it" so this sort of thing works well with me and probably the exact target market for Barclays' Black Card.
If you travel internationally on a frequent basis, this card might almost be worth it. Figuring in my lounge time, the baggage delay insurance and no foreign transaction fees, I think I might be able to get my monies worth out of the annual fee, but I suppose I would have to repeat this experience on an annual basis (having delayed luggage and all).
Again, with a relatively modest income and spending habits, there aren't too many exclusive cards our there that will have me, so I suppose this is a halfway mark. I've heard people with much more modest income ($50k/year) be accepted to Black Card ownership, so I'm not sure if they have any type of rigorous selection criteria. Most people are put off by the $495 annual fee, so if that's the price to pay for a sleek looking, black colored credit card, that's chump change next to what I've spent to accomplish much less.
So far the experience has been pleasant but I would not say this is an exclusive card by any means.
I have a modest income by most exclusive card standards (less than $500k/year) and have only racked up $51,302 in charges in a 12 month time span - I just checked my account history and in some months I did not use the card at all.
I've had experience with the following:
Trip Reimbursement for Delayed Luggage - this is handled by Chubb as their insurance provider and they required a lot of documentation, emails and follow up. I have used this now twice in the past year and I have not received a single check just yet, but have not been turned down yet either.
Lounge Club Access - used this only once as I'm generally late to the airport and don't have much time to sit around in a lounge. I checked out the KAL Lounge at LAX and it wasn't too impressive. No Lounge Access at CDG in Paris which is major bummer.
Concierge Service - I've sent them on some errands including trying to secure the iPad Mini a day after it launched. They were not able to get it. I also tried having them handle my company party planning, but they are incredibly slow, taking 24 hours to respond - for example, sending them on a task to find a list of just 5 venues to book a holiday party took them 24 hours, in that same time my assistant was able to get pricing and contracts at several venues for review. They really tout this as a high caliber, personal service, but I got passed around through at least three different agents in a 24 hour span. I was assured that thorough note taking and reference numbers meant that my case was being handled on a personal level but each new agent proceeded to "recite" my original request to confirm they had it right from the notes that were taken by the original agent.
Rewards - haven't redeemed anything yet, but the partner rewards list in the hotel category have actually shrank since I've first reviewed. There are just five items in this category (Hyatt Rewards, Bitmore Estates, Marriott, Fairmont, and Ritz-Carlton) and most are just exchanging the points for certificates of value at $0.01 per point. You can exchange these same points for credit towards your balance as well, so I'm not sure what the point is. Previously there were maybe 7-8 items to select which is still pretty dismal, the only one worth considering was a club program with Ritz Carlton for a single night stay - that has since disappeared.
Airline Miles - redemption is is $0.005 pts per dollar, or half of the standard point redempetion (i.e. 50,000 pts is good for $1,000 in airfare). Must be booked through their system, online is free but booking through an agent is $45.00 extra. See comparison in costs with AMEX Platinum on next page.
Gifts - The first gift was a cross pen with my name engraved. The second gift was a New Era cap with the words "Black Card" stitched on the front. The cap and text were both black. Can you imagine a man in his early 30's wearing a cap like this?! What was worse was that the welcome letter the cap came with welcomed me to ownership of a quality backpack by Pattagonia, which I would have rather had. I guess someone messed that one up.
No Foreign Transaction Fees - I guess this is something for us newer members, but I've used this feature quite a bit and it's definitely a blessing. Other similar cards offer this as well, but I've relied on cards previously that did not have this feature, and usually get dinged with a 2% charge on the total purchase price which is still less than the 5% rate I get with Wells Fargo to purchase/sell from USD to any currency.
Black Card Magazine - nothing spectacular, the quality of the "journalism" is pretty subpar and the destinations they tout are equally so. Every issue there's an article about a car (say the new Mercedes E63), a series article about some recommended destinations, and perhaps some material items that I have little interest in.
The Card Itself - the marketing material said it was made of exclusive patent pending carbon. Feels more like matte plastic to me. Months later I hear about the stainless steel version and I actually had to put a request in for this before they responded - supposed to be arriving a few days from now via Fedex. Still, the card does make quite a statement, and if you're into those things, might hold some value. I'm a relatively young individual that runs with the motto "Fake it 'til you make it" so this sort of thing works well with me and probably the exact target market for Barclays' Black Card.
If you travel internationally on a frequent basis, this card might almost be worth it. Figuring in my lounge time, the baggage delay insurance and no foreign transaction fees, I think I might be able to get my monies worth out of the annual fee, but I suppose I would have to repeat this experience on an annual basis (having delayed luggage and all).
Again, with a relatively modest income and spending habits, there aren't too many exclusive cards our there that will have me, so I suppose this is a halfway mark. I've heard people with much more modest income ($50k/year) be accepted to Black Card ownership, so I'm not sure if they have any type of rigorous selection criteria. Most people are put off by the $495 annual fee, so if that's the price to pay for a sleek looking, black colored credit card, that's chump change next to what I've spent to accomplish much less.
Last edited by chino1127; Jan 22, 2014 at 6:58 pm Reason: Incorrect Information
Dec 28, 2013, 3:27 pm
#22
Moderator: Chase Ultimate Rewards
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 2P, MR LT Plat, IHG Plat, BW Dia, HH Au, Avis PC
Posts: 5,456
Again, with a relatively modest income and spending habits, there aren't too many exclusive cards our there that will have me, so I suppose this is a halfway mark. I've heard people with much more modest income ($50k/year) be accepted to Black Card ownership, so I'm not sure if they have any type of rigorous selection criteria. Most people are put off by the $495 annual fee, so if that's the price to pay for a sleek looking, black colored credit card, that's chump change next to what I've spent to accomplish much less.
This paragraph, in particular, helped explain how this card still exists.
Dec 29, 2013, 12:11 pm
#23
Moderator
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
There are many cards with no foreign transaction fees, some with no annual fee.
Dec 29, 2013, 8:11 pm
#24
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Coconut Creek, FL
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum-2 MM Starwood Plat,Delta DM
Posts: 975
LOL. I had the Stratus card. One of the weirdest programs every. Especially how many hoops for me to get approved. I got to several celebrity events with A listers so it did work out well for me. I got friendly with some of the reps/employees of the company. It got me into a party at the Playboy mansion :-)
Dec 29, 2013, 9:02 pm
#25
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Some have reported over on FICOforums that they had applied for the card, and only got a $500 credit limit. You're hit with the $495 annual free right up as well.
Jan 1, 2014, 1:55 am
#26
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 15
Except that you could receive the same benefits for less cost elsewhere. For example, American Express Platinum offers no foreign transaction fees, better lounge access and a lower annual fee ($450) of which $200 is refundable.
There are many cards with no foreign transaction fees, some with no annual fee.
There are many cards with no foreign transaction fees, some with no annual fee.
I have and am still comparing it with a charge card like AMEX, and it's pretty close. The purchase protection on the BC is not nearly as good as the AMEX from what I understand - I haven't had to use it, but I think this is a very nice feature to have.
If you know of another card that has similar benefits as the Black Card besides the AMEX Platinum, I'm willing to learn more.
Jan 1, 2014, 2:01 am
#27
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 15
I should retract a previous review I made about the Black Card airline booking system. I've checked it again and the prices are very similar to what I can find online at a comparable booking site. In some cases the system will generate an odd result, returning a flight that is several thousand dollars more than what you would expect - it appears that when selecting less traveled destinations, they have less air carriers to choose from and thus return a route that becomes prohibitively expensive...for example, when trying to find a flight to Florence, Italy - the system routes me half way around the world.
At the moment, my experience has been slightly less than pleasant as it seems BC is trying to reject my claim for the 25,000 bonus points for reaching the $1,500 spent in 90 days. The promotion started prior to my enrollment and was one of the reasons I applied.
At the moment, my experience has been slightly less than pleasant as it seems BC is trying to reject my claim for the 25,000 bonus points for reaching the $1,500 spent in 90 days. The promotion started prior to my enrollment and was one of the reasons I applied.
Last edited by chino1127; Jan 1, 2014 at 5:19 am
Jan 1, 2014, 11:07 pm
#28
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 583
Many benefits are provided by cards that carries a lower annual fee.
They are just standard Visa Signature benefits. And actually even those are not as good as AMEX or Chase.
e.g. The Chase Ink Bold card, $95 annual fee, first year wavied, 50,000 Ultimate Rewards Signup bonus, Lounge Club membership, no foreign transaction fee, points transferable to United Airlines / British Airways / Korean Airlines / Hyatt / Marriot / IHG or redeemable at $0.0125 / point at UR Travel.
or the Chase Mileage Plus Club card , $395 annual fee, 1.5 UA Mile / $1 spent, no foreign transaction fee, full United Club membership that allows entry to United Clubs and other Star Alliance business lounges with a guest.
They are just standard Visa Signature benefits. And actually even those are not as good as AMEX or Chase.
e.g. The Chase Ink Bold card, $95 annual fee, first year wavied, 50,000 Ultimate Rewards Signup bonus, Lounge Club membership, no foreign transaction fee, points transferable to United Airlines / British Airways / Korean Airlines / Hyatt / Marriot / IHG or redeemable at $0.0125 / point at UR Travel.
or the Chase Mileage Plus Club card , $395 annual fee, 1.5 UA Mile / $1 spent, no foreign transaction fee, full United Club membership that allows entry to United Clubs and other Star Alliance business lounges with a guest.
Jan 2, 2014, 6:47 am
#29
Moderator
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
There is no limit on the number of visits with the Priority Pass provided with American Express Platinum. Guests are $27 per person per visit. The Priority Pass lounge network is much larger than the Lounge Club network. (Lounge Club is a subset of Priority Pass, same company.)
Jan 2, 2014, 6:55 am
#30
Moderator
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Receive a complimentary annual LOUNGE CLUB membership and 2 complimentary lounge visits each year, with access to over 350 VIP airport lounges in over 200 cities worldwide. Enrollment required.
However, it appears that the Lounge Club membership bundled with the Ritz-Carlton Rewards Card ($395) does not have a visit cap.
Last edited by mia; Jan 2, 2014 at 7:01 am