Barclays relaunches VISA Black Card (October 2013)
 

http://www.blackcard.com/

The new version still carries a $495 annual fee, but this time the card is made of Stainless Steel.

0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 months after account opening.

25,000 BONUS POINTS WHEN YOU SPEND $1,500 IN THE FIRST 90 DAYS. Reward points are worth $0.02 each if redeemed for airfare through their agency, otherwise $0.01 each.

Their initial ad focus on the value of a point compared to American Express Platinum and Citi Prestige. The comparison does not mention that Prestige earns Flight Points which effectively doubles the points per dollar.

No foreign transaction fees.

Airport Lounge access benefit sounds to be a Lounge Club membership: .
Concierge service is apparently provided by VIPDesk


The previous version of this card was not well received. Discussion here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...ighlight=black

Aw man, the new benefits look good, but no airline transfer partners still leaves this card behind Amex MR and Chase UR cards.

Does anyone have any information regarding the portal used to book airfare? Is it user-friendly? Full availability?

I'm interested in knowing what those 3000 hotels are where you get "VIP treatment".

Agreed. However, I would rather get the Chase Sapphire Preferred card next, but this could be interesting to have in the wallet.

Exorbitant annual fees mean I'm paying up front for the benefits. I'm still not impressed.

I agree- the annual fee is probably a killer for me. My go to card is Ritz Carlton Visa.

I wonder if the stainless steel card will have a similar problem as the Amex Centurion card. It's "odd" thickness had problems with some readers. Mostly at Gas Stations and some self-swipe stations.

New Visa Black Card?
 

Has anyone seen this new Visa Black Card? Made of stainless steal...

$495 annual fee and 25K points after spending $1000 within 90 days.

http://www.blackcard.com/Home/


BLACK CARD BENEFITS

Experience peace of mind with Black Card Benefits. Rest assured you are not accountable for any unauthorized purchases made with your card with Zero Liability protection. Receive reimbursement for expenses incurred while dealing with lost luggage or canceled trips. These benefits and more are available by using your Visa Black Card when booking a vacation, renting a vehicle or purchasing personal or household items.
Global Acceptance

For your convenience, your Black Card is accepted in over 170 countries worldwide with no foreign transaction fees.
Zero Liability

Provides complete protection against unauthorized purchases made with your Black Card.
Purchase Security

Black Card will replace, repair or reimburse up to a maximum of $500 per claim for eligible items within the first 90 days from the date of purchase.
Warranty Manager Service

Includes warranty registration and extended protection, which extends the original manufacturer's warranty up to one additional year.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement

Black Card provides you with peace of mind while traveling. Carry-on or checked luggage is covered up to $3,000 per trip if lost or stolen when you purchase your common carrier ticket with your Black Card.
Trip Delay

Allow Black Card to take the stress out of travel delays. When a trip is delayed more than 12 hours due to a covered event, expenses incurred as a result of the delay, such as meals and lodging, are reimbursed up to $300 per ticket.
Trip Interruption / Cancellation Insurance

Receive reimbursement up to $1,500 in the event of qualifying trip cancellation or trip interruption.
Travel & Emergency Assistance Services

Rely on Black Card for assistance in coordinating medical, legal and travel services while you are away from home.
Baggage Delay Insurance

Black Card will reimburse you for expenses up to $100 per day for three days for the purchase of essential items in the event of baggage delay.
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver

Offers reimbursement at no additional charge for damage due to collision or theft up to the actual value of most rental vehicles.
Worldwide Travel Accident Insurance

As a Black Card member, you receive $250,000 worth of insurance coverage for eligible travel. This benefit provides common carrier accidental death or dismemberment coverage at no extra cost.
Roadside Dispatch

Black Card protects you when unexpected circumstances occur by providing convenient 24/7 towing and locksmith referral services in the United States and Canada.

wonder if they will hang on as long as the Stratus Rewards White Card issued via US Bank

It's been around for a while and I've received solicitations for it by snail mail.

Unless I'm missing something, their business model seems to be hoping that people are willing to pay $495/year for a fancy looking card for their wallet, because I don't see any value in the benefits. Most of them look no better (and in many cases worse) than any number of Visa Signature or World Mastercard cards out there.

The one thing they tout as being better than the competition is that you get $0.02/pt value when redeeming for air travel. But I wouldn't be surprised if they have restricted availability. And I can get 2% cash back that I can use however I want with a no-annual-fee Fidelity Amex.

The Visa Black Card has been around since 2008. While they spend a lot of money mailing out fancy looking envelopes to target customers, I'm sure it's pennies compared to what Stratus Rewards spent on marketing (they had a completely over the top launch party in NYC back in the day). And Stratus Rewards had some actual benefits, which I can't seem to find in any of the Black Card offerings.

For those who travel on business, access to airport clubs, annual reimbursement of $200 misc airline charges more than justifies the AMEX Platinum $450 annual fee. It appears that Visa Black only provides Priority Club Select membership, which has limited value in the US, no comparison to AMEX (adds AA, DL, US club access), none of the other VB benefits will get me to switch.

American Express seems to have negotiated an exclusive deal on sponsored Priority Pass memberships in the USA. Based on the number of lounges mentioned in the VISA Black ad I speculate that they offer a Lounge Club membership. (Lounge Club is a subset of the Priority Club network.)

I'm shocked this wasn't rebranded as Visa Signature, so it's just a plain Visa Platinum? Very unusual decision by them. The card would look so much nicer with a silver VISA logo.