Mastercard Titanium Card Review

If you’re looking for a stylishly-designed status symbol for your wallet that comes with some high-end travel perks, the Titanium Card could be a good choice. 

Look elsewhere, though, if you’re a rewards card aficionado.The Titanium Card is best suited for cardholders who want simple, low maintenance rewards and aren’t too concerned about maximizing their earnings. You should also be someone who wants to redeem their points for airfare since it’s the only way you’ll get a better-than-average return.

Cardholders will need a strong credit history to snag a Mastercard Titanium Card as it requires excellent credit to qualify.

Pros Explained

• Flashy card design & VIP service: Engineered to be several grams heavier than most premium metal cards, the Titanium Card is designed to feel weighty and substantial in your hand and looks conspicuously expensive. Luxury Card also touts its “next-level” customer service offering, including on-demand concierges (via app or phone) and airport meet and assist service.
• Hotel perks: Titanium cardholders who book a stay with select hotels may qualify for complimentary room upgrades, onsite restaurant credits, spa and resort credits, flexible checkout, free WiFi, and more.
• Simple rewards program with decent points value: Points earning with this program couldn’t be simpler—every $1 spent earns 1 rewards point. On the redemption side, points are worth 2 cents each when redeemed for airfare, and 1 cent each when redeemed for cash, statement credits, and hotels and rental cars booked through Luxury Card. You can do better with other rewards cards, but this program is clear and direct.  
• 0% balance transfer offer and low ongoing interest rate: You don’t typically see an interest-free balance transfer offer on high-end rewards cards. But if you’ve got some old debt and are wary of opening multiple cards, the Titanium Card’s 15-month 0% promotion could help clear it. Likewise, the card’s ongoing interest rate is relatively low compared to other travel rewards cards.

Cons Explained

• High annual fee: A number of premium rewards cards charge annual fees half as much per year, but offer similar rewards and benefits. Meanwhile, some cards with comparable fees offer substantially more rewards— as well as more generous benefits. 
• No bonus for new cardholders: One of the biggest downsides to the Titanium Card is that it doesn’t offer any special promotions in the first year. That’s a big contrast from other premium cards—many of which offer bonuses for new cardholders worth hundreds of dollars when used to book travel. 
• No points transfer to partner loyalty programs: That’s a huge downside if you’re a frequent flyer since you won’t be able to use your everyday spending to earn more travel miles or hotel stays. 

Earning Points & Rewards

Unlike many credit card rewards programs, the Mastercard Titanium Card doesn’t require you to track bonus categories or monitor your spending. All you have to do is use your new credit card and you’ll collect the same 1-point-per-dollar-spent rewards rate automatically. Although the Titanium Card’s rewards earning rate isn’t especially competitive with other travel rewards cards, its simple earning structure is ideal for cardholders who want a low maintenance rewards card. 

If you can afford it, the Titanium Card is also a good companion card for purchases that don’t earn a higher rate on other cards—as long as you redeem your points for airfare.

Redeeming Rewards

Redeeming rewards on the Mastercard Titanium Card is somewhat trickier than earning them. Although you can technically redeem your points for a variety of rewards, including travel, cash, gift cards, statement credits, and merchandise, you shouldn’t. 

Titanium’s points are most valuable if you redeem them for airline tickets. Redeeming points for airfare gives you a return of 2 cents per point. But if you redeem your points for anything else, your points will only be worth half that amount—and potentially even less if you go for merchandise.

To redeem your points for travel (or anything else), you’ll have to visit myluxurycard.com or call customer service.

How to Get the Most Out of This Card

Call your card’s concierge line and ask the concierge for a range of free services they offer. You may be surprised to find out how much your concierge can do. You can also chat directly with a concierge through the Luxury Card app. Also be sure to take advantage of the airport meet and assist service.

If you don’t mind using more than one credit card, reserve the Titanium Card for miscellaneous purchases that don’t typically earn rewards, such as bill payments, and use your rewards points to trim the cost of airfare. One nice feature is that Luxury Card allows you to use your points to cover part of an air travel purchase and charge the remaining balance to your card. You won’t need to amass enough points to cover the entire cost of the ticket before you can use them. 

The Mastercard Titanium Card’s Excellent Perks

This card includes a few perks we consider "excellent":

• Insurance coverage for lost or delayed luggage: If your baggage is delayed by more than four hours, Mastercard will reimburse you for up to $100 worth of emergency essentials, such as food or toiletries. The $100 per day coverage lasts for a maximum of three days.
• Insurance coverage for trip cancellation or delay: If your trip is cancelled or delayed through no fault of your own, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 worth of reimbursed expenses. 
• Travel accident insurance: Get up to $250,000 coverage for common carrier accidental death and dismemberment.
• Cellphone coverage (secondary)

The Mastercard Titanium Card’s Other Features

• Concierge for booking event tickets, travel, and other services
• Airport meet and assist
• Rental car collision insurance (secondary to your own policy)
• Travel and emergency hotline

Customer Experience

In addition to a 24/7 concierge, Luxury Card offers seven-day customer service, from 7 a.m. to midnight Eastern time. Luxury Card also provides an app for cardholders with which you can manage your account, chat with a concierge, make travel bookings, and explore “curated experiences.”

Barclays is this card’s issuer and that’s who administers your account. Barclays ranked fifth out of 11 big credit card issuers in J.D Power’s most recent survey of credit card satisfaction. 

Security Features

The Mastercard Titanium Card offers industry standard fraud protection and account security, including zero liability for fraudulent purchases. You'll also be protected by Mastercard’s ID theft protection program. If you’re a victim of identity theft, the service can help with card replacement and credit bureau notification if you are a victim of identity theft.

Mastercard Titanium’s Fees

We don’t think the Titanium Card’s annual fee is justified by its services and features. That said, the card’s other fees are standard for the industry, and you won’t pay a foreign transaction fee for purchases made abroad.