These offers are no longer available on our site: Mastercard® Titanium Card™, Mastercard® Black Card™, Mastercard® Gold Card™

1. Credit Cards
2. Insights
3. Mastercard® Titanium Card™ review: Made of steel, but ultimately a lightweight

Image: image_683755

8

reviews

4.4

Rating: 4.4 out of 5.

Great for flashy design

Annual Fee: $195; $95 for each additional user

This content is curated by Intuit Credit Karma’s Editorial team using data from members who were approved for this card or similar cards, or who self-matched this card or similar cards. Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our third-party advertisers don’t review, approve or endorse this content. Information about financial products not offered on Credit Karma is collected independently. Our content is accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted.

Here’s the average credit limit of members who matched their Mastercard® Titanium Card™ or similar cards.

% of members by credit limit range

The average credit limit for members who have matched with this card or similar cards is $12,409, with $30,000 being the most common.

Here’s the average credit score of members who matched their Mastercard® Titanium Card™ or similar cards.

% of members by credit score range

The average credit score for members who have matched with this card or similar cards is 703, with 765 being the most common. Note this is just one of the deciding factors when it comes to getting approved.

Member stats

Updated daily

26.4%

Average credit utilization (or what percent of the card’s credit limit is being used) of members who matched with this card or similar cards.

41 years

Average age of members who matched this card or similar cards.

$105,357

Average annual income of members who matched this card or similar cards. Note: Income may be estimated for some members by Credit Karma and may differ from members’ actual incomes.

Pros and cons

Image: yes

2% value for airfare redemptions

Image: yes

Luxury concierge and booking services

Image: yes

No blackout dates for travel redemptions

Image: Con

Annual fee of $195; $95 for each additional user

Image: Con

Reward rates are low compared with other premium cards

Image: Con

Reward points only redeemable through the card’s travel booking portal

What you need to know about the Mastercard® Titanium Card™

The Mastercard® Titanium Card™, like its high-end siblings Mastercard® Black Card™ and Mastercard® Gold Card™, is made of metal (stainless steel, in this case) and built to impress cashiers anywhere you use it. But the perks and rewards program don’t live up to the value promised by its annual fee of $195; $95 for each additional user.

A lackluster rewards program

The Mastercard® Titanium Card™ promises a 2% airfare redemption rate, which would give it a high point valuation compared to other rewards programs. Unfortunately, this rate doesn’t give an especially clear sense of the rewards value you get for your spending.

For one thing, it will take a lot of spending to earn your points, because each $1 you spend on purchases with the Mastercard® Titanium Card™ earns just one point. Although that’s a common rate for the “all other purchases” categories of other rewards cards, those cards often feature bonus categories or a two-points-per-dollar rate for all purchases that can help you build up points more quickly. Also, you can’t earn fractions of points, so a $49.50 purchase would be rounded up to 50 points and a $49.49 purchase would be rounded down to 49.

In practice, then, the Mastercard® Titanium Card™ will give you 2 cents of rewards value for every $1 you spend on purchases only if you redeem your points for airfare. If you redeem your points for cash back or other travel expenses like hotel stays or car rentals, you get a standard value of 1 cent per point.

Compare these rates to a no-frills cash back card like the Citi Double Cash® Card, which offers 2% cash back on every purchase you make (1% when you use the card and 1% when you pay your bill). You could likely get more value from the Citi Double Cash® Card, and it doesn’t charge an annual fee.

Restrictions on your redemptions

While that 2% rate on airfare sounds like a good deal, there are restrictions on what you can book to get it.

All flight redemptions must be made through the Luxury Card portal, which gives you access to a similar range of flights you’d see using any major travel search engine. That means you can book travel with no blackout dates or other restrictions common to airline and hotel reward programs.

But you can use your rewards points only for airfare through this portal. You can’t transfer to any partner airlines or hotels to redeem through their programs, and you can’t make a travel purchase elsewhere and then apply your points as a statement credit to cover that expense.

You get access to luxury, but it will cost you

Although rewards might stand out on other cards, it’s the many benefits you can access via the Luxury Card concierge that make up the core feature of the Mastercard® Titanium Card™. The concierge offers many services, including booking flights and hotels to arranging a flower delivery to a loved one.

Just keep in mind that most of these services aren’t complimentary and some may lead to additional charges. Although you won’t pay anything for the concierge specifically, you will pay for a chartered yacht or the stay at your favorite hotel.

In other words, the card could get you smoother access to luxury services, but it won’t always cover the cost of the service itself. You can get similar concierge service from other cards.

What’s missing?

The Mastercard® Titanium Card™ lacks some key perks and benefits we’ve come to expect from a card with an annual fee of $195; $95 for each additional user.

For instance, numerous travel cards offer a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit of up to $100 every four or five years. It doesn’t have to be a fancy card, either — Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card includes this perk with a $95 annual fee.

Given the low rewards rates, we would expect some additional higher-level benefit for an annual fee of $195; $95 for each additional user. That could be a membership to an airport lounge, or even an incidental fee credit with an airline of your choice. In short, we think there should be something in the rewards program or list of perks to help offset the cost of the annual fee.

Who this card is good for

The Mastercard® Titanium Card™ is best for people who want the look of luxury and don’t mind paying for it. Clearly, private jets, chauffeurs and airport guides are not for everyone. But if you want easy access to those services with a quick call to one phone number, the Mastercard® Titanium Card™ has you covered.

If your biggest concern is getting rewards value, though, you’d probably be better off with another card. Based on our calculations, you’d have to spend $9,750 and redeem all of your points for airfare to break even on the annual fee. This card catches the eye and advertises some flashy perks, but you might not get enough value to justify the cost.

Not sure this card is for you? Consider these alternatives.

If you want a card that offers a combination of strong rewards and perks, consider these options.

• Chase Sapphire Reserve®:
Luxury travelers who want premium experiences and valuable rewards could benefit from this card.
• American Express® Gold Card:
This card offers an attractive metal design with extra value for dining out.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card:
This option isn’t flashy, but it could be right for those who want a simple and straightforward rewards card experience.