Black Visa / Mastercard

Nope, many have tried, but just don't have the "prestige" and services of the AMEX cards.

 

I thought Mastercard offered a "World Card."

 

I have a Black Mastercard. The benefits offered by it easily outstrip the annual cost.

 

I used to work in the banking/credit card biz and from what I remember Visa and MC both offer NPSL (No Preset Spending Limit) cards which are similar to an Amex card in that you can spend whatever you want as long as you pay it off in full every month or something to that effect, but they don't have the services the Amex Black offers. There is also the World Mastercard which GarnetRedCoupe mentioned and it's more along the lines of the Amex Black, but I've been out of the loop just a tad too long to really remember what it offers above an NPSL card. They also offer business/corporate-type cards which can have some special features on them as well, but they're a totally different animal from a personal account like an Amex Black. Anything above that I'm not sure of and would be rather special and rare that I never had the chance to deal with.

 

I don't pay much attention to this sort of thing, but I did receive a letter from Bank of America VISA the other day telling me that they're introducing a new card (which happens to be black, with a silver stripe at the top) next month and were sending me one at no additional charge over my current account. I can't tell you what the (alleged) benefits are or how they compare to AMEX, as I didn't much care and didn't read the stuff too thoroughly.

 

I have a question.

Ok, I have Platnium visa and master card. Both have I would guess ok limits for my age. But I always max them out at least once some times twice a month, on personal but mostly work related issues. It would be nice to have 1 card with a large limit!

So I called in and asked for it to be raised to my average spending per month and then I got a letter saying NO.

What gives I spend that amount everyone month almost. And I always PAY it off. Why would they say no because im still young? Not enough credit yet?

Is there something I can do?

 

I have a black U.S. Airways Visa, with no preset limit, that gives services like a 24 hour concierge, and automatic upgrades on flights.

 

I was just offerred this as well by Alaska Airlines...not sure why they are pushing it so hard. They offerred the upgrade at no charge, and would give me a bunch of free miles to boot, along with all the stuff you mentioned. I passed for now, cause I would get a new card number, and have to update my profile with Hertz, Avis, Expedia, etc..

 

I have MBNA's top tier mastercard, the MBNA Quantum. I've only had it for about a month and have yet to use the benefits...

http://www.mbna.com/quantum/index.html

 

Here's the Black Mastercard i have from Nat West Bank.I think the benefits are right up there with Amex;
http://black.natwest-creditcards.co.uk/

 

How do you recievet his so called black card? Do they just look threw reports then offer them to certain people?(who have lots and lots of money)or is it done by request?

 

Your bank invites you to apply if they like you!

 

Visa offers a Signature card. Amex Black still offers more benefits. If you don't travel alot neither is worth it. If you do travel alot and have the type of resources that afford you a Sig or Black card you most likely have a person that can take care of you on a one to one basis.

 

I have heard that one can apply for the Black AMEX. Anyone know?

 

I've had a black AMEX for about 2 years. It was offered to me by AMEX bcz of the previous 12+ months of speding. From what I was told, it's not something you can apply for, rather it's invitiation only. Personally, it's been of very little use to me. Then again, I'm not one who travels a couple of times per month. For somebody who does, I'm sure it would be more useful. The concierge service they offer is top notch, but I've honestly found that many times it's easier to take care of things myself, such as reserving a table or reservations.

 

I am not in that league but out of curiosity, what type of figures of spending are we talking about, in order to get a black card?

 

I asked a rep what made me or anybody else qualify and she said if you spend at least $20k/month for 12 or more months, you'll qualify. A friend of mine who has one said he was told he had to spend $100k/year on his to qualify.

 

F360@20: I'm 23 and have abut $40,000CDN in credit(3 cards plus a line of credit) and about $9000US on 2 cards. Not much by comparison probably, but the US one keeps going up more than the CDN one. Jumped from $5000 to $8000 on one of the cards in a month.
From what I've seen with CitiBank Canada, and asked about their policies, they will offer you an automatic upgrade every 9months based on the spending. If you want more than their automatic upgrade, they want to do a credit check, not something I'm too fond of really (the more credit checks a lender sees the less chance of you getting approved). My advice is instead of calling them, just wait a little bit. Or call them and ask how often you are eligible for an automatic increase.
I'm about to apply for the Amex Platinum and hope to have the black by next year as well.

JeffB: Does the concierge service (reservations and such) cost extra or is it included in the fee? I plan on using most of the services available anyways as I fly to/from the Caribbean 6times a year, plus other travelling too (med school). The companion ticket would come in handy too (sister is also in med school).

Finally
does anybody know if there is a CANADIAN provider that offers a black card? Or if Providian (US) offers one?

Gagan