Visa Black Card Secrets Revealed
The Visa Black Card is the latest entrant in the prestigious credit card market category and has created a lot of buzz in the industry. Is it just another luxury card with prohibitively high annual fees? Or do the benefits of the new Visa Black Card justify its expense? Read this review to find out whether or not you should get a Visa Black Card of your own!
First, let’s debunk some of the hype surrounding this card:
Black card?
This should not be confused with the AmEx Centurion “black” card. That one requires $7,500 in fees just for the first year ($5,000 initiation fee and $2,500 annual fee) and is invite only for AmEx’s biggest spenders (you have to spend several hundred thousand annually on another AmEx card in order to be invited).
In a nutshell, Visa Black Card is just Barclay’s trademarked name for the card… reportedly there is no such thing as a “black card” tier for Visa cards. In fact, the Visa Black Card is reportedly only the “Platinum Plus” tier (however I have personally not confirmed this, so it may or may not be true). That is usually the tier people get when they aren’t approved for a Visa Signature Card, so that in itself is far from prestigious.
Limited to 1% of U.S. residents?
Many people out there assume this means the Visa Black credit card is only for the wealthiest 1% of the population…. nothing could be further from the truth. Reportedly it only means they are limiting the total enrollment to 1% of Americans. Truth be told, 1% equals around 3 million Americans… that’s a lot of people. In all honesty, probably not more than 1% would ever want the Visa Black Card, so saying this really doesn’t mean much. Probably far less than 1% of Americans have the AmEx Platinum Card (a card this site advertises) but you don’t hear American Express saying that as a marketing gimmick, do you?
Exclusivity?
It’s marketed as something that is highly exclusive, but what are the Visa Black card requirements? According to numerous sources across the net, it sounds like they are not much different than most credit cards (for example, be a U.S. resident, have a qualifying credit score, etc). If indeed this card doesn’t have any extra special requirements (like the AmEx Centurion does) then it appears that a large number of Americans would easily qualify if they truly wanted the card. In fact, there are stories out there of people from many walks of life reportedly getting a Visa Black Card application in the mail, including rumors of college students with limited income, etc.
Carbon black card?
One of their selling points is that the Visa Black credit card is made of carbon. However after finally examining the card in person, it looks and feels similar to plastic. I don’t think that many people would consider the carbon material much different than normal plastic. In fact, my guess would be that some people wouldn’t even think anything of it.
First-Class Airport Lounge Access?
The Visa Black includes Travel Lounge Priority Pass, the largest airport VIP lounge program, which gives complimentary access to more than 500 luxury airport lounges across the world. However if you read the fine print, cardmembers only get 4 free visits per year! Compare that to the AmEx Platinum which gives you unlimited visits and at a lower annual fee!
Luxury Gifts?
The card touts various “luxury gifts” as perks that Visa Black Card members get. When the card first launched, it did sound like there were some decent gifts that some members got. However as of lately, a first gift that has been mentioned frequently in the blogosphere is a Cross pen set… most of us couldn’t care less about a pen and for $495 annual fee, we expect a heck of a lot more.
What the Visa Black card really is…
Just do the math: 3,000,000 (1% of Americans) x $495.00 annual fee = $1.48 billion dollars every year! The issuing bank, Barclays, is the real winner with this one. It’s hard to justify the annual fee when you consider the competition.
Skip the Visa Black Card application and go for…
…the AmEx Platinum. The annual fee is slightly cheaper and the benefits are far better than the Visa Black Card. As a sponsored affiliate of American Express, we also have a special signup offer for our readers. Check out the American Express Platinum Card benefits to see for yourself why it blows Visa Black Card out of the water!
Just use the Visa Black card to impress clients, ladies and for trips for the protection policy that covers 100%. they will waive the $495 and you will enjoy the airport concierge lounge. Don’t ever be late on it because they will stick it to you. That it is why I am never late and only use the card for special occasions. Most people think it is the Amex black card and I never tell them the difference. It also has no blackout period for travel which is awesome! Beware of the heresayers on this site they are just jealous or just can’t afford it!
Stefan
I’m happy with my BankAmericard Visa!
It funny people complain about the price of this card, and then in the next breath complain how its not that exclusive. So which is it? Is to pricey and not that many people can afford it? (exclusive) The price is what makes it exclusive.(duh) If the price is too high for you that means you can’t afford it.
I received an invitation yesterday. The interest rate and AMF quickly turned me off. I read the entire invitation to be fair and the expected better benefits for what I would have paid in an annual fee. My Sapphire card has the same benefits and better rewards. The only difference is the concierge benefits. I also have a higher limit on my Sapphire than what I see people have been getting with their Visa Black card. I also have no AMF and much lower APR. The customer service on my Sapphire is awesome! Someone picks up the line every time I call (which isn’t often), for any reason, and I never deal with an automated system. Visa Black needs to offer more to be TRULY different and worth the AMF.
I called the application line and asked what airport lounges are available. They asked me to pick an airport. I said Detroit and MSP I was told that at MSP (Minneapolis St Paul) that the United VIP Lounge is available. HOWEVER, when I went online to priority pass the fine print said: “If you received your membership via a financial institution (this card), you will not have access to this lounge” They did not say anything about DTW (Detroit). There are none available there either.
These people are VERY MISLEADING.
This card is a bad deal.
I just received an invitation to apply or the Black Visa card. With 15 months with 0% financing, it seems like a great deal. I also agree with others that while the Am Ex Platinum (have one of those also) is great, not all establishments accept Am Ex as they do Visa.
Thanks for saving me $500! What a joke! But as a marketer, I can kind of appreciate the exclusivity tactic. Who doesn’t want to be like Jay-Z?
I have been a merchant for 20 years always hated Amex FEES. So I don’t use Amex because I hate screwing the poor vendors! I received the VISA BLACK card and it came with an initial 20k limit.
I simply dont think its as nearly a big deal to get a black card from Visa as people are making it out to be. Let’s not pretend that status is suddenly unimportant in this society lol! If you dont want the card then shutup and don’t get one.
Wow people, bitter much? I got the card for the 14 month 0% balance transfer offer which well over does what I am paying in interest currently. I hope some of you see me swipe my carbon card and call me on it and then you can bite me. I may be the idiot who racked up another card, but I am definitely not the idiot to pay the interest. The benefits on my card are changing to coincide with the amex in Dec.
As I read this, I am just shocked by some of the postings. I’m in my 40′s, married with 2 kids, moderately successful with a 4 bedroom condo in NYC, a ski house in VT and a beach house in FL. Received my invite in the mail, my wife thought the card was cute, so here I am. I’m not a card kind of guy…..I prefer cash. It appears black card holders are trying to impress that someone. Really….do we need that with the fee and debt. In all the times that I go out with my boys, even for business, I got to say, the ladies are more impressed with other things and always CASH. When I do use my credit card, I have a low end Amex cash rebate card that I find is adequate for my purposes. After all, a card is just a tool to make purchases. How can a card make you special? I decided that I am going to say no to my wife on this one.
Hey Duped, call and tell you will cancel and they will waive the fee. I called and got the fee waived and they instantly up my credit from $7500 to $10,000. I was very happy with customer service. I’m going to keep card for a year and see how it goes. I think the benefits will be worth it, especially without the annual fee. 25,000 points gets you a $500 plane ticket, or you can get 1% cash back with no limit.
Received an invitation to the visa black card. Called the number to ask questions about benefits before I signed up. I was told that we would have access to lounges at airports, priority boarding and check in. She continued on to say that we could apply and wait for a response and that we would NOT be charged any fee (495 + 195) until we activated the card. After receiving a very nice box with the plastic cards, I called to ask questions about the airlines that we would get special treatment with and they refused to answer any questions until card was activated. I was transferred 6 times from customer service and benefits and so forth and never got a straight answer. So I called the first number I had contacted to apply for the card. I found out that it was a lie, we are already being assessed the fees, still did not get a straight answer on benefits. The concierge number was a little more helpful and respectful in trying to answer questions, but in the end I was sent back to customer service where they told me that the charge would be assessed on the 31st and that I could cancel until then. I honestly have no idea what is true or false. Really don’t think it is worth the money. And in terms of excellence in customer service, I must say that I am sorely disappointed. It is not at all what I would have expected, it is much less.
excellent post, I thought it was a strange mailing. thx much!
Not keeping up with the Joneses on this one. In this economy they offer this. Wow! Are people really that stupid. $495 annual fee.
Well, I guess there’s a fool born every minute. Why else would parents buy iphones for their kids in elementary school.
DO NOT BOTHER! Like many of you, I was curious/skeptical about the new Black Card. I received the invitation myself about 2 weeks ago but hesitated because the last thing I need is another credit card. To give you all a little back ground, my credit score is mid 700, income 170K a year, own 2 homes, 2 credit cards with $2500 balances on each with credit limits on them being 20k and 15k respectively. Own 5 cars all but 1 paid off with a monthly payment on that one of 120.00 a month. Debt to income ratio, 35% been with the same employer for 19 years. After reading all the blogs, I wanted to see for myself if this card was all its cracked up to be…… So I called.
Well, I was greeted by a very pleasant lady who congratulated me on being “Selected” to receive this prestigious card.. So far, so good. She took all of my information and answered all of my questions. I was told within 48 hours, I could visit a website that would let me know if I were approved and also, what my credit limit would be. Now, considering this is a credit card and not a charge card and the fact that I already have 2 cards with decent limits on them, I figured I would at least be upwards of 20k for starters, NOT! I was approved for just 5K, the very minimum…
Now, I know that 170k a year is not Brad Pitt Money but wow, 5k! I have never had a write off in my life, never had bad credit in my life. Needless to say, I called to cancel before my card has even arrived. I was told that I would have to wait till I received the card and then call the 1-800 number on the back to cancel. Good news is, I was also advised that I wouldn’t have to pay the $495 out of my kids college fund to just to hold the card.
ITS A LEGAL HOAX FOLKS!!! Can’t blame them for figuring out another 5 card monty scheme. Hmm, I wonder is it illegal for Madoff to be a CEO from prison???
I received my black card today, 10/11/2011. I called before I activated and complained about annual fee and they waived the $495 instantly! We’ll see if the perks are worth it. Overall very satisfied with customer support so far. $10,000 limit.
Excellent post. The Visa black card is a card for wannabe’s in my opinion. When the Centurion Card first came out, it was such an exclusive card that nobody even knew about it. Here they are advertising a “visa black card?” The benefits are complete crap.
The Amex Platinum card or a Visa Signature card will do much better then this Visa Black card.
I’m a millionaire and have the Visa Black Card. I’ve been able to land many deals with other millionaires by picking up the tab with this card. They know I’m a heavy hitter when I spank this plastic. My initial credit limit was only $500K, but after I called the exclusive customer service number, the upped it to over seven figures. I just bought a villa in France using my VBC – how sexy was that….AND impressive. I dropped my Amex Centurion card for this cute little number because the AC was slightly heavier than the carbon Visa Black…and my wallet was heavy enough housing hundred dollar bills. I’m a Visa Black Card owner and I’m proud of it.
I like both the blk card and the Amex cent……..the only thing that I can say negative about the Amex is that for such an expensive annual fee the card should be accepted by every merchant I go too
So this is funny. All the people who are saying the fee is to high don’t deserve the card. I have a Amex Plantium not waiting to get one cause you can’t apply for it. And I must say I love it. Till some small time merchant can’t take it. Then I use my debit card and get no points or cash back.
My wife and I got the card for the lounge access. Even Amex has limits on the lounge. But most of the people here don’t fly all the time so they sit with everyone else instead of VIP access to the lounge.
Amex is great because you pay them every month and they charge the poor merchant a boat load to do so. Everything american express does is to benefit them. Your card getting shut off. Is to protect them not you. You are protected regardless.
Point blank cards like this are for people who use the perks, travel alot, and can afford it. $500 dollars is a nothing really. If you spend what it takes to get a Plantium Amex card which is $50,000 you make up the fee.
If you visit one airport lounge you have to pay $ 37 dollars. In the lounge you get free non and alcohol beverages. Those drinks and snacks would cost you 7 to 15 dollars in the rest of the airport. Do that a couple times a year fee is worth it.
For me having a nice place to nap, place to power my laptop, and as many drinks as I want on a trip are priceless. And they cover lost luggage, trip delays, hotel accommodations. etc. And guess what VISA is accepted everywhere unlike America express!!
Just got my pre-approved application in the mail. At first, I thought it was for the AmEx Black Card – I was thinking are they freaking nuts? Opened it up and saw it was for Visa. Once I saw about the $495.00 annual fee, I tore it up and put it in the round file. Not possible that this card is limited to the top 1% of Americans. While I do have excellent credit (north of 800), I only make 60K a year. No way in the world that I am in the top 1%.
Life is short.
Don’t waste it trying to impress people you DON”T like – because they could care less about you. And don’t waste it trying to impress people you DO like – because that’s just like lying to them (and I thought you liked them?)
I have several Black Cards…..Went to the Card Design page, and choose a Black Background… cheers
As I have been a very loyal AMEX member since 2001, I have heard on and off about their Centurion/Black card and so when I got my first invitation for the VISA Black card… I made the assumption that it had to be similar in status and similar in difficulty in terms of approval.
Funny enough, at the time of my VISA Black invitation, I wasn’t even a VISA Platinum member on any of my VISA accounts (was Platinum on my Mastercard) and, coincidentally, I had -just- bought a new laptop computer (major purchase) about 2 weeks prior. Talk about timing. Furthermore, my older sibling received the same invitation about a week later. Yeah, talk about timing.
On the other hand, I have excellent credit across the board so I suppose VISA is trying to get more of my business because they know I have good credit habits.
What you said about exclusivity is spot-on, I think. I personally think that the VISA Black card is generally marketed towards people who show a high spending pattern and have decent credit and whom they think might be willing to foot the fees for the ‘benefits’.
Me? Well, everyone who knows me knows that I like benefits and rewards that make sense and that where I’m not generally keen on paying for rewards and perks, I am more than willing to pay if it makes sense.
If I ever got to the point where I could be approved for a Centurion and could validate getting one, I would because I love American Express and I love American Express for everything the company has done for me – including some out-of-their-way things.
But VISA Black?
… For paying that kind of money for a seemingly exclusive card and then seeing my own family members getting approved for the same card at the same time and then hearing about the benefits from other VISA Black cardholders…
Ergh.
They’ll have to really do some major convincing to get me anywhere close to accepting their offer. I don’t think it’s a BAD card at all, but… yeah. What exactly IS so special about it which requires the hefty fee?
And even more ironically, I would probably first get myself a Platinum American Express charge card before getting the VISA Black.
Just my own two pennies.
It does seem like the black card is available to more people than they let on; however this doesn’t make it at all useless! Because it’s marketed as exclusive, it still works as a status symbol….and ALL status symbols are largely worth what people think they’re worth
I just received an invitation for the Visa Black Card. I’m three months late on my mortgage payment. So, it’s pretty obvious this is not for rich people with great credit scores. I also received an invitation from American Express today for what seems to be a regular credit card. These card companies clearly just want to extend additional lines of credit to people who are struggling, so that they can make a profit from interest and late fees. I’m not judging them, just stating a fact.
Nobody looks at the color of a credit card. The merchant wants your card to be valid for the junk that you buy.
How many people will every use the airport lounges?–Few.
If you have $495 to waste, use the $495 to pay to reduce your outstanding debts–a better use of $495.
It seems that form always trumps substance in this current, sick culture.. Why do so many people have such a lack of self-esteem and lack of confidence that buying junk and thinking that having a black credit card that mimics the American Express Black card, which is truly exclusive, would give that person status?–It does not and never will.
If you need a black credit card because you need bragging rights, buy a can of black spray paint, cover with tape the essential areas of the front and back of the card, and spray paint the card black! Then, you have your black credit card without the $495 fee. Subsequently, you then then boast to all your shallow friends and acquaintances that you are a big shot by showing your ersatz black card!
“A fool and his money are soon parted”. This card proves it.
I opened it up (unlike most CC ad letters), saw the $495 annual fee, and the quote above immediately came to mind. The letter got ripped up and recycled, like the rest of them.
If you actually got this card, you are pathetically chasing after status. This card won’t bring it to you; if I ever saw someone using one I would laugh. Congrats to you for enriching Barclay’s marketing team.
For crying out loud – my unemployed wife got an invite for this card. Exclusiivity – i think not.
This card is A$$
I wish I had read about it before I got it.
-Horrible unprofessional customer service. According to the agent on the phone “Credit” Department refused to speak to me on the phone but told her what to tell me.
-Visa set a really low insulting limit when I have a strong credit score and income – What’s the point then…I’ll stick with my Amex platinum.
-Flimsy bendable card
-Cheap packaging – The platinum amex is better presented in its’ package
-Benefits are a joke
-Only nice thing this card has going is the commercial and the hot girl in it. I bet she doesn’t even have this black card and carries AMEX HA!
-The list goes on and on
Do not get this card…PERIOD!
Better off with AMEX or the Capital One Venture Card
@ srt@performance
Comment:
These things are way SICK!!!! You whip it out and BANG!!! Your a celebrity. Went to look at the new dodge ram and opened my wallet and my sales person seen it and BOOM!!!! In the back room signing papers. Took the truck home with the card.
I bet you also paid full price for the car as well! I am sure the car salesman knew that this card is for suckers, so no wonder he got you to sign those papers on that same day. Win for the salesman.
I read all these comments, and completely agree that this card is for insecure idiots!
My dog was given an invite & app for this card in the mail. Anyone with this card is as dumb as my dog.
The only thing about the American Express card is that NOBODY takes it! I had a gift card from Amex and I couldn’t give the thing away! Everywhere I went they only take Mastercard & Visa. That’s why I would want the Visa Black card because I wouldn’t be able to use the Amex one. And as for the $495 annual fee, that comes out to be less than $1.30 a day. If people add up the money they probably spend more than that a year on McDonald’s and Starbucks.
Agreed with many of the folks here! I can attest to Amex Platinum service as being truly exceptional! Yes, if you need a card pronto, you’ll get it overnight! Yes, they stand behind all purchases and purchase protection! Yes, if you roll large you’ll push the Bentley or Lambo out the door with a piece of plastic (providing you got mad cheeze to back your purchases!)
Having said that, this card is a clear winner from every direction! But you gotta use it wisely!
Visa Black Card vs AmEx Platinum
I have had both cards for two years as I travel internationally at least twice a month. There is no comparison between the two. The AmeEx is far superior. It has better customer service (responsive phone service, less hassle oeverall), better rewards (easier to use, more ways to redeem), a better decline algorithm (Visa is constantly being put on hold over legitimate international purchases) and a better airline lounge program (you can use it in nearly every large domestic airline vs the Visa which has limited use).
I sort of enjoyed having the Black carbon card – vanity, I know – but not worth it, really. To cap it all off, I was late in a $75 payment and they would literally call me 5-6 times a day. Pathetic.
Jay, if you really want to impress folks. Cash is still very impressive!
WOW!. This is why the USA is doomed. You freaking idiots, I just read through the responses and can’t believe people are this dumb to pay $495 for the dumbest card out there.
NO this is not an exclusive card. Unless you make over $380,000 per year YOU are not in the 1%.
Credit cards companies make enough money on idiots who spend and can’t pay back on time and now you people are willing to pay $495 a year just to think you’re cool? RETARDS!!!
They finally called back, after I sent 69 faxes to them, to remove the fee for services not provided.
Of course the typical Large Bank response. Sorry, but we will not remove it!
This is the Worst card I ever tried.
What a Total waste of money.
Don’t waste your time with this nothing of a card, offer!
I own a merchant account service. This article is 100% correct. I’m always amazed how fools will pay for FAKE status symbols. Their is nothing whatsoever advantageous about these cards! Take it from me. SAVE your money!
@Kyle W
Amex (no preset limit) is NOT a credit card, it is a CHARGE card. Which requires a full balance payment every month. CREDIT cards allows you to carry balances.
Just saying…..
I am only interested in the Black Card because, on a recent trip to Europe, I had a lot of difficulty finding businesses that would accept any version of American Express. I hold a Platinum AmEx.
I can’t believe that this card is not just a hoax to get $495 from people who are insecure and need something to impress people. My husband received the solicitation and he is deceased and that is documented in all areas of banking and credit. I would think something like this would have a more sophisticated way of creating a solicitation mailing list to find people who might buy it.
I have a card that has no fee at all and I get the same services as the black card for free. I also get reward points. I can use this card to pay for all my everyday expenses, pay it off and then I get my vacations and the services for that for free and my credit rating goes up.
If I had much more money than I needed and wanted to show off, I would make large philanthropic contributions to show off to the world at large and then I would buy a yacht and villa on the French Riviera, to impress the other billionaires and to get some pleasure out of it.
This is a joke! The card is plastic, the fee is prohibitive, the statement comes in with ink that smears if wet, also there is no travel insurance..I want a refund. Or I will start a lawsuit for false advertising.
I had this card and dropped it after one year. I have a visa signature and a plat. amex. Both provide better benefits and lower fees. I guess I was taken for my first year’s fees. The other thing to know is that additional cards are $295 a year.
Oh an American Express cards have no spending limit. If I want to buy a Benz on my card I can. They’ll probably call me to make sure I want to purchase the card but I’ll get it on the spot. They are the best credit cards. I’ve lost my credit card and needed a new one on vacation. What does AmEx do? They overnight me a new card. What other credit card companies do this? They really help you out and provide better benefits.
For a serious investment bank like Barclay’s one would expect better.
This is simply someone trying to take advantage of AmEx’s successful Black Card (which you can’t even find openly admitted to existing, and was by invitation only for a while but now apparently you can call and get someone to look into inviting you).
The AmEx black card is made of Titainium! It is a really different card.
Carbon is simply plastic. All plastic’s are made of carbon. All carbon is not plastic. Saying your card is made of plastic would be more descriptive than saying it is carbon. It might be some space age material but I bet it is just plastic. Your body is mostly carbon; in fact everything organic is made of carbon (that is the definition of organic!).
AmEx has an experienced customer service arm. Barclay’s is a new entry and simply trying to get something by ripping off AmEx’s success. If they had invented something new like the sapphire card I’d respect them more. This is like buying an S320 and putting S600 on the back of it. A cheap rip off.
the interests fees are prohibitive….
They keep going to charge interest when you use the card and even the amounts are not due…
smart but too expensive…
Black card Visa is not really interesting..
when you want travel dont change any date its like you have to buy a new ticket….
This article is very biased and it seems to me that the author is bitter and jealous, possibly he didn’t get approved for the card or maybe he works for another company…hmmmm.
should had read this before geting it..to bad..iguess amEx platnum card is next..
I had this card and in my opinion was not worth the fee. It does impress folks when you pull it out. But- If your late on one payment, they’ll boost your percentage rate to over 20%. It happened to me and I have excellent credit. I’m going back to Amex Platnum.
@johnthan
lol!
Ummm, Jacqueline, it says right in the article the annual fee IS $495! jeez…
These things are way SICK!!!! You whip it out and BANG!!! Your a celebrity. Went to look at the new dodge ram and opened my wallet and my sales person seen it and BOOM!!!! In the back room signing papers. Took the truck home with the card.
I would like to apply for a black card. Is there an annual fee?
I already have it.
Well, I got an invite & app for this card in the mail. I DO have great credit but I’m not looking to impress anybody. Should I blow $450 a year to impress girls???? MY wife doesn’t think so! Well…………?
The card – I got the offer in the mail, filled out the application and received the card about a week later. Its packaging was very nice and card looks and feels amazing.
The limit – My limit was $10,000 which is hilarious for a card where you’re supposed to have the power to make very large purchases.
The gifts – About a month later I received an engraved multipurpose pen, pencil and stylus.
The concierge service – I called inquire about hotel room reservations in Miami, FL. About 28 hours later I received an email with my options. Thats a long time to wait. I could’ve went on any internet based travel site and got the results in a fraction of the time.
The winner – Barclay’s. Think about it…Barclay’s states only 1% of the U.S. residents (308,899) will be approved for the card, which equates to $152,905,005 (308,899 x $495) in annual fees!
The verdict – The value of this card isn’t worth $495 a year and I will be canceling before the next membership fee is due. Save your money get a basic rewards card with no annual fee and comparable interest rate because the Visa Black Card isn’t worth the money.
I am a US resident but spend most of my time traveling outside the USA. I have terrible credit from some stuff that happened several years ago but I have over 60 million dollars and earn great amounts every year. Can I get the card?
I just received an invitation for this card today. My first reaction was ARE THEY F**ING NUTS! A $495 annual fee and ONLY $195 more if I want a duplicate card for my wife? Back in the 1980′s, my first Visa card sent me a letter stating that they were going to charge a $15 annual fee. I closed that account the same day. I have never paid an annual fee. Now I have 9 different cards with rebate programs. I select the card that pays the highest rebate for everyday purchases. I collected over $2,500 in cash and gas rewards from my cards in 2009. I always pay my balances in full and have never paid a penny in interest over the past 36 years I’ve used credit cards. I wonder why they sent me this invitation?
I have great card (NOT BLACK)with a 7% rate and no credit limit or anual fees. The things some people will consider such as this crazy black card to make them feel secure with their insecurities. What happens to you Black card folks after the person you impressed with it gets to know the real you once the Black card envy wares off in a day or two?
This card is not exclusive and a waste of money. I have one, and was 1 day late on my electronic payment, and they informed me my rate was going to 25.24%. This is against the law for credit card companies to do this starting in 2010. Guess they are trying to take advantage of people before the law goes into effect. Lame.
I agree with Holly, I don’t think this card is only for the 1% pop. I got a pre-approval on the mail and I’m still in college, I do have a great/excellent credit score, but not enough money to spend on this card.
Only an idiot would pay 500 dollars a year for a flipping credit card.
The Visa Black Card is for middle income earners that want to pretend they are wealthy.
Like the dolts that live in their mom’s basement and go out on Friday night to buy “bottle service” at some stupid club..
I have this card the annual fee is outrageous but its an awesome credit card. I love it.
Just got an offer in the mail for the black card. The $495 annual fee turns me off but the fine print says they they will give ‘a minimum of $250 line of credit to qualifying customers’. This card is marketed to suckers, both wealthy and poor. Avoid like the plague.
I got an invitation from the mail to be a member of the Visa Black. I was skeptical at first, so I had to check it on the web. But it looks like the real thing. Does it mean I belong to the top 1 percent of the US population?… that’s a complement.
do u have to have more than 1 messenger or can there be more. what are the gifts!!!!
I’ve checked with Visa and this is just a standard card. It’s doesn’t have all the bells and whistles like their Visa Signature. So, for $495 you are really paying for the pending patent carbon look. The 24/7 conierge service is not through Visa, a private firm.
Good luck!
PS When I cancelled my card, they don’t even ask why. Is this how an elite member wants to be treated?
The description of the black card’s benefits lists the “snob value” ahead of the tangible benefits, suggesting that is the main appeal. Couldn’t this considered off-trend and insensitive during this wave of public financial woe?