The 11 Most Exclusive Credit Cards In The World,

By Unknown

Sunday 8 February 2015

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Most of us have credit cards (okay, maybe in these parts, not so many of us), and the ones that we use can be obtained by just about anybody with an average income. Credit cards can make our lives a lot easier when we are low on funds, but (more likely), they can also get us into a lot of trouble if we don’t use them wisely. In case you lose our wallet or it gets stolen, it’s much easier to call to cancel your cards than try to recoup your cash losses.

To us, a credit card with a low interest rate is about as exclusive as it gets. But there is a group of prestigious plastic reserved only for the extremely wealthy. You may have heard celebrities reference their credit cards before, especially in music, but how much do you actually know about them in terms of benefits, rewards and perks?

10 credit cards stand out as the most incredible and exclusive. You won’t see any advertisements for these cards because they don’t want the regular Joe Six-Pack swiping these cards, they only want the rich and famous. So which rarest of the rare cards are hidden within the wallets of the ultra-rich? Here are the 10 most incredible and exclusive credit cards in the world.

Barclays Visa Black Card

The Black Card is probably one of the more recognizable ones on this list. Whenever rappers talk about their credit cards, this is usually the first one that gets brought up. The Black Card is wanted by everyone that has ever had a credit card. The card is made of stainless steel, so it even looks cooler than all of the other cards that regular people (you) have in their wallet.

Remember the “99 Percent” movement which threatened to shut down Wall Street and New York a couple of years ago? Well, the 99 percent of the world isn’t able to receive a Black Card. You have to be able to prove that your income is in the other 1 percent. You will also have to pay for the exclusivity of the Black Card, a fee of nearly $500/year just to keep it.

See what we mean.

Citibank Ultima Card

When you are choosing a credit card, one of the first things you look out for is the reward system that comes with it. Sure, there are a lot of cards that offer some pretty good points for traveling, but the Ultima Card from Citibank takes the cake. Each year the recipients of the credit card receive 120,000 points just for the heck of it.

To make the card even sweeter, Citibank offers rounds of golf whenever you want at select golf courses, many of which are considered to be among the best in the world. The best part is that you don’t even have to pay for the golfing, Citibank will take care of that for you. Heck, if you want to use a yacht for a day, then you can do that with this card, too.

Merrill Accolades American Express Card

The top 1 percent globally make over $200,000 per year. If you make that much money, then you can join the exclusive Merrill Accolades club. While other cards on this list have annual fees of around $500, this card is significantly lower at just under $300. But if you’re making that much cash annually, you might not even notice.

Have you ever walked through the airport and wished that you could kill time in the VIP areas where the drinks flow freely? If you had the Merrill Accolades card, then you could just walk right in. Merrill will even help you out if you want to get your hands on some hard to get sporting event tickets (say to a Formula One race), or you want to get into restaurants that have long wait times faster.

Because Merrill can.

Coutts World Silk Card

The Coutts World Silk Card is even more exclusive than the Merrill Accolades Card, by a wide margin. Instead of having to make $200,000 in a given year to receive their card, Coutts World kicks it up a few notches. You need at least $1 million in your bank account each month to receive the Coutts World Silk Card. While having your net worth dip just under $1 million isn’t a time to panic for most, Coutts World would want nothing to do with you.

While this card doesn’t offer too much in terms of rewards and other perks, you’d basically just want it because it’s so exclusive. When you have one of these, you can say that you have the same credit card as Queen Elizabeth II. That’s some pretty solid company to be in, but at $1 million, you’re probably used to being in some good company anyway.

Arguably one the most sought after cards in the world, a Coutts World Card is rarer than hens teeth, so to be invited to become a member of this exclusive club is privilege indeed. The Queen’s bank only offers cards to those who have totted up at least a million in assets, and if holders spend over $90,000 (£50,000) per year the annual fee is waived. Perks include the usual priority passes at airport lounges, concierge service, annual travel insurance and a Coutts loyalty program where holders can earn one Coutts Courtesy Point for every £1 they spend at home or abroad.

Stratus Rewards Visa Card

If we were to ask you to spare us some travel rewards points from your credit card, there’s a good chance you would just laugh, right? But, if you had the Stratus Rewards Visa Card, you might actually agree to it. Some travellers have more points than they know what to do with, so it’s a nice gesture to be able to sling some in a pal’s direction.

The Stratus Rewards Visa Card has a very distinct look to it. This bright white card stands out from the others on the list so far, especially the Black Card. It’s also a lot more expensive than the Black Card, as it costs three times as much ($1,500 per year) just to hang onto it. Those that have this card frequently use it for private flights, which the rest of us can only dream of flying on.

Black Brazilian MasterCard (Santander Group)

Brazil has their own version of the Black Card, and this one is even more exclusive than its American cousin. In the American version, your income must be in the top 1 percent of the nation, which is about 2-3 million people depending on the employment rates at the time. With the Black Brazilian Card, you will need to be 1 of the 3,000 richest people in the country.

With more than 200 million people living in Brazil, that makes this card available to way less than 1 percent of the nation. There’s nothing eye catching about the card other than the fact that it’s black, and it’s not even made of stainless steel. But when only 3,000 of them are issued at a given time, that’s a club you want to be a part of.

At least that’s what we think.

JP Morgan Chase Palladium Card

Who wants a credit card made of steel when you can get one that is made of palladium? If you’re not sure of what palladium is, it is known by most as white gold. The JP Morgan Chase Palladium Card costs nearly $600 per year just to carry it because the card itself is worth $1,000 in gold and palladium.

You might be scared to dull this credit card by swiping it because it looks so nice, but you get a lot of bonus points for spending big. Each time that you spend six figures, JP Morgan is nice enough to give you 35,000 points. If you have the ability to spend $100,000, you might not care too much about the points since you can just buy private flights whenever you want to.

Still, the look of this card alone just screams “exclusive”.

Visa Infinite Card

One of the biggest ways in which credit card companies make their money is through cash advance fees. When people are a bit strapped for cash, a cash advance is a quick but expensive fix. It’s financially smart to avoid a cash advance unless absolutely necessary, but not if you have the Infinite Card from the Banque de Luxembourg.

If you want to take out some cash to spend on things that plastic just can’t buy, you can grab $15,000 every single day (not an error, not a year, a day!) from any automated teller machine (ATM) in the world with the Visa Infinite Card. If you visit a bank branch, then you can take out half a million with your card. Some of the cardholders aren’t that rich though, as they just need to be making $100,000 each year to get this card.

Dubai First Royale MasterCard

At some point, something from Dubai, the fast evolving luxury capital of the world was going to pop on our list.

The centre of the Dubai First Royale MasterCard features a solitaire .235 carate diamond. As if a diamond on the credit card wasn’t enough, the entire top and left sides of it have a gold trim.

You can’t just submit an application online for this card. No, this card is too exclusive for that. Dubai First has to invite you to apply. You read that right. Even then, it’s not a guarantee that you are going to get one. For those lucky enough to have been invited and accepted, you won’t have to worry about having a pesky credit limit, so spend away!

The catch is you’ve got to be living in Dubai. The rather flashy card was introduced on to the market in 2008, when Dubai was at its peak financially. The select group chosen to have one of these cards has to possess very specific criteria in terms of social standing and profile, and are allowed unlimited spending. Manufacturing the hand crafted card is a delicate process, with only nine cards being produced in a day.

There are thought to be less than 200 holders of this diamond-studded card. Lucky them.

American Express Centurion Card

Born as a result of an urban legend, this exclusive card is awarded by invitation only. This card’s history is interesting. In the late 1980s and ’90s, rumours circulated that a magic credit card existed that would grant the carrier instant luxuries, so American Express cleverly devised the Centurion Card, which allows owners to order pretty much anything they want through an elite concierge service. Potential card holders have their net worth and spending power scrutinised before being invited to join the exclusive card club.

The average household income, according to Journal International, is $940,000 and the average total net worth of holders is $6.5 million, with a disposable monthly income of $12,700. Carriers of the titanium card are charged a sign up fee of $5,000 and pay $2,500 annually for the privilege of having privileges.

A card born to satisfy a rumour? That’s what we call bad-ass exclusivity.

The Krungthai Card

If diamonds are your thing but you’re not yet ready to move to Dubai to sate your appetite for sparkles, maybe you could seek out the Krungthai Card, which is decorated with 0.06g carat diamonds and 6 carat gold. Launched through Thai Airlines in cooperation with Mastercard, this card ensures first class service on Thai Airlines – one of the world’s most luxurious carriers – and offers a number of travel benefits, including free upgrades, access to VIP lounges, discount hotel rates and emergency medical assistance when travelling. Like the other exclusive cards, holders enjoy the personal concierge service affiliated to the card, and membership is by invite only.

One more thing, ‘Krung’ is a Thai word that roughly translates into ‘national’ or ‘people.’ Thus, have access to some of the most lavish experiences money can buy courtesy of the good people of Thailand.

We hope that by salivating at these cards, you’ll be extra motivated to bend down and crunch the hours needed to amass the fortune and means to own one of these silky, plastic, sorry palladium (or diamond or gold or steel) playthings.

Sources: MyFirstClassLife and Finder Australia

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