The Best Metal Credit Cards in July 2024

The Best Metal Credit Cards (Top Picks)

The Platinum Card^® from American Express (Best Card for Worldwide Lounge Access)

Our favorite metal card for personal use is the Amex Platinum card. And although it’s not a terribly surprising pick given the benefits, it’s definitely our absolute top choice.

The Amex Platinum card weighs around 17 grams, making it one of the heaviest ultra-premium cards in the world.

This classic metal card offers up 5x points for flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and 5x on prepaid hotels booked with Amex Travel, enabling you to get a return on spending of up to 11% by our valuations.

What’s really special about this card, though, is how you can get access to the most airport lounges in the world (1,400+) from a single card, thanks to the American Express Global Lounge Collection.

This includes the Centurion Lounges, International American Express Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (upon enrollment), Plaza Premium Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta same-day), Escape Lounges, Airspace Lounge, select Virgin Clubhouses, and select Lufthansa Lounges (when flying Lufthansa same-day).

Furthermore, you will enjoy other exceptional travel benefits, including access to Fine Hotels & Resorts and The Hotel Collection, complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status (enrollment necessary), and rental car benefits and/or status with Avis, Hertz, and National.

Enjoy travel credits, including up to $200 in airline fee credit, up to $200 in prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays, $189 in CLEAR credit, and up to $100 in Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit.

The perks extend beyond travel because you’ll also get up to $100 in Saks Fifth Avenue credits, up to $240 in digital entertainment credits, up to $12.95 monthly Walmart+ credit, up to $300 in Equinox credits, and $200 annually in Uber Cash for rides or Uber Eats orders in the U.S. Many benefits require enrollment, so be sure to explore your Amex account to get the most out of your card.

Remember, this card also offers access to Amex Offers, no foreign transaction fees, and zero fraud liability coverage (rates & fees).

American Express^® Gold Card (Best for Earning Points at Restaurants and U.S. Supermarkets)

The Amex Gold card is one of our top picks, especially if you spend a lot on food.

This 15-gram metal card offers a whopping 4x points per dollar spent at restaurants (up to $50,000 in purchases per year), 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per year), and 3x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or at Amex Travel. You’ll earn 1x points per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Plus, the card comes with some pretty great benefits:

• Up to $120 in Uber Cash for rides or eats orders in the U.S. (distributed as $10 per month)
• Up to $120 in dining credits at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, & Five Guys (distributed as $10 per month)
• Up to $100 Resy credit redeemable at any U.S. Resy restaurant and other eligible Resy purchases (distributed as $50 semi-annually)
• Up to $84 Dunkin’ credit redeemable at Dunkin’ locations (distributed as $7 per month)

Note that enrollment is required for some benefits, so make sure you’re enrolled to get the most out of your card’s benefits.

As you can see, this card is best for foodies — but travel benefits are available, too, including access to The Hotel Collection.

3. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card (Best Sub-$100 Annual Fee Card)

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card, weighing in at 13 grams, is one of our favorite credit cards of all time, especially if you’re looking for premium rewards with a smaller price tag.

Currently, Chase is offering a great welcome offer on the card, which is yet another reason you should consider applying for the best rewards credit card available for beginners.

Earn up to 5x points as shown below:

• 5x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on all travel booked through Chase Travel
• 3x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries
• 5x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on Lyft purchases (through March 2025)
• 2x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on travel
• 1x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on all other purchases

Earning up to 5x points is great, but you can even get a 10% anniversary rewards bonus every year.

This credit card has a $50 annual credit toward hotel stays booked through the Chase travel portal.

Also, get some of the best travel insurance available, including primary rental car coverage, trip delay insurance, lost baggage coverage, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, and more. You’ll get all of this, plus extended warranty, purchase protection, and no foreign transaction fees.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (Best With a Low Annual Fee)

The 16-gram (0.56-ounce) Capital One metal card is the lower-tier version of the Capital One Venture X card, and it offers a lot at a lower price point.

Start off with a lovely welcome offer and earn up to 5x miles:

• 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One travel portal
• 2x miles on every purchase, with no limits

As you can see, the ability to earn 2x miles on all purchases stays the same with this premium card, and you can also receive up to $100 in Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit.

This card comes with access to the Capital One Miles transfer partners and no foreign transaction fees (rates & fees).

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (Add Cardholders to Your Account for No Additional Fee)

Capital One offers an ultra-premium credit card that we really like — and it’s quite hefty.

The Capital One Venture X card earns 10x miles on hotels and rental cars and 5x miles on flights purchased through Capital One Travel. This fantastic credit card is also one of the best credit cards for everyday spending because it earns 2x Capital One miles on all other purchases with no caps without having to worry about bonus categories.

The rewards you earn are transferrable to airlines and hotels, which is why we value them at 1.8 cents each.

There’s also a $300 annual travel credit on bookings made through Capital One Travel, an account anniversary bonus each year of 10,000 miles, complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network, plus a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status, auto rental collision damage waiver, and trip cancellation/interruption protection.

Hot Tip: There are no foreign transaction fees (rates & fees), and you’ll even get cell phone insurance, extended warranty protection, and add cardholders to your account for no additional fee (rates & fees) — they can enjoy benefits and you will earn rewards on every dollar they spend. Authorized users receive the same lounge access as cardholders.

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

One of our favorite travel rewards credit cards is the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, which is one of the flagship choices in the ultra-premium market.

This metal card weighs a hefty 13 grams and comes loaded with a solid introductory welcome offer, as well as numerous different benefits.

You can earn up to 10x points on your purchases, and since we value Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 2 cents per point, you could get a return on spending as high as 20% with select purchases.

To be specific, you’ll earn:

• 10x points on car rentals, hotels, and dining booked through the Chase travel portal
• 5x points on air travel booked through the Chase travel portal
• 10x points on Lyft purchases (through March 2025)
• 3x points on all other dining and travel purchases
• 1x points on all other purchases

Additionally, you will get a travel credit of $300, though purchases covered by the $300 travel credit don’t earn points.

Premium travel benefits are included, too, Priority Pass Select membership, up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, the ability to get 1.5 cents per point in redemption value for travel booked through Chase Travel, and access to the Chase Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection.

One of the biggest selling points, though, is that you get some of the best credit card travel insurance possible, including primary car rental coverage.

The Best Metal Business Credit Cards

The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express (Best Business Card for Airport Lounges)

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome bonus offer of up to 170,000 points with the Amex Business Platinum. The current public offer is 150,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)

Our favorite metal business card of all time is the Amex Business Platinum card. The business version of the Amex Platinum card, this 17-gram beast of a card offers some of the best benefits and rewards for business owners out there.

Here’s what you can expect:

• 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
• 1.5x points on eligible purchases at U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, software and cloud system providers, shipping providers, and on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else (up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year)
• 1x points on all other purchases

This card offers over $1,400 statement credits every year, including:

This card comes with access to the prestigious American Express Global Lounge Collection, Fine Hotels & Resorts, The Hotel Collection, the Amex International Airline Program, and a 35% Pay with Points rebate (up to 1,000,000 points rebated per calendar year).

Lastly, there are no foreign transaction fees (rates & fees).

American Express^® Business Gold Card (Best for Earning Points)

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome bonus offer of up to 110,000 points with the Amex Business Gold card! The current public offer is 100,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)

The Amex Business Gold card is one of our favorite cards for business owners, weighing in at 15 grams.

This card earns 4x Membership Rewards points on the top 2 categories in which your business spends the most every month (up to $150,000 in combined purchases every calendar year):

• Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
•  U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
• Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
• U.S. purchases at gas stations
• U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
• Purchases at U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)

Best of all, your rewards are automatically adjusted, so no need to worry about selecting any categories.

Cardholders get access to The Hotel Collection, no foreign transaction fees, and no preset spending limit (rates & fees). No preset spending limit means your spending limit is flexible. Unlike a traditional card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.

Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card

The Delta Platinum Business card is an impressive airline credit card weighing in at 15 grams.

This card comes with a welcome offer to provide an infusion of Delta SkyMiles — plus, earn 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and on every eligible dollar spent on purchases made directly with hotels.

You can also earn 1.5 miles per dollar on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, up to 50,000 additional miles per year. On all other purchases, earn 1 mile per dollar spent.

There’s also the first checked bag free on Delta flights and Zone 5 priority boarding. Authorized users come at no additional cost, and you won’t be hit with foreign transaction fees (rates & fees).

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Enrollment required through Capital One website or mobile app. Upon enrollment, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024.  Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier.  Additional terms apply.