What Are Invitation-Only Credit Cards? And What Do They Offer?

Today, the luxury of wealth and the happiness of money come packed in small platinum-coated & EMV chip-enabled cards.

Your credit card is not just an option of payment, but also has the potential to turn your day to day life into a luxurious experience. Benefits like exclusive offers, high credit limits, unlimited access and whatnot are common perks of these cards. You may get used to the fancy lifestyle and special treatment you are getting, but the offers & rewards won’t stop. These elite credit cards are generally for high net-worth individuals or HNIs because of the high joining and annual fees. You cannot apply for these cards as you do for the general ones; these are invite-only credit cards. 

Invite-only credit cards are uber-premium credit cards provided by almost every bank to affluent clients. These clients can be CXOs, CEOs or multimillionaire business owners. However, few of these cards are not even for multimillionaires, like the Dubai First Royale Mastercard is a card held by only 200 people in the whole world. This card is considered the most exclusive credit card in the world, only held by Dubai and Saudi royal families.

Here are some of the benefits these invitation-only credit cards offer in India:

Complimentary Airport Lounge Access

The most inquired & utilised benefit of any credit card is airport lounge access. While generic cards give only a handful of lounge accesses per quarter at international and domestic airports, these premium cards offer unlimited access to the cardholder. 

Golf Course Access

These premium cards offer special golf course access throughout the year. Apart from access to games, these cards also allow you to take 1-2 golf lessons per quarter. Cards that offer these accesses are HDFC Bank Infinia Metal edition, Axis Bank Reserve, HDFC Diners Club Black Card. 

VIP Travel Access

Other than flier miles, these cards offer exclusive access to luxurious destinations, including private islands. With perks such as dedicated concierge services, these cards also give you some irresistible offers for stays in some of the world’s most lavish hotels.

5x to 10x Reward Points

For using your credit card for payments at any merchant stores, company outlets, fuel pumps, or anywhere else, you get some rewards points. The generic credit cards offer 1 or 2 reward points on every 100- or 150-rupees spent, whereas, these super-premium cards offer 10 to 15 reward points on every 150- or 200-rupees payment.

Air Accident & Medical Expense Cover

What more than lounge access and reward points can these cards provide? Well, cover against air accidents up to 2 Crores and 50 Lakhs against the medical expense can be availed on this cards. Only a few cards offer these covers, a notable one being the HDFC Diners Club Black Card.

Fast Track Immigration Services at International Airports

Booking your travel tickets through elite credit cards allow you to overlook the lengthy immigration queues. Enjoy the celebrity stature; because today, almost every premium card offers this service for their exclusive clients.

The benefits mentioned above are enough to entice anyone, and who does not like a luxury lifestyle? However, these premium cards cannot be applied for and are only on an invitation basis – a privilege enjoyed only by high net-worth individuals. This desire creates an unmarked territory for all the banks to focus on.