Though metal has been the standard for many prestigious credit cards over the years, that doesn’t always mean it’s a great card. This guide explains which metal cards come with perks worth thousands of dollars.
Quick Overview of the Best Metal Credit Cards
Metal credit cards are made of stainless steel, titanium, brass, or gold alloys rather than plastic or other mixed materials (Source: Discover).
While a metal card can feel more premium, its rewards, benefits, and annual fee (ranging widely from $95 to $895) determine its overall value. In most cases, it’s recommended to have good to excellent credit to qualify for a metal card.
The top personal cards include the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which offers excellent travel rewards value at a moderate annual fee. The Platinum Card® from American Express has a top-end $895 annual fee (rates & fees) but offers thousands of dollars in annual value from premium travel, dining, and lifestyle benefits.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has the same design as the Amex Platinum card, with some overlapping rewards and luxury benefits, but with perks designed for business spending.
The Best Metal Credit Cards Right Now
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card ($95 annual fee): Weighs 13 grams; a well-rounded yet affordable travel rewards card that earns flexible points.
- American Express® Gold Card ($325 annual fee (rates & fees): Weighs 15 grams; earns points generously on dining worldwide and U.S. supermarkets.
- Platinum Card® from American Express ($895 annual fee): Weighs 17 grams; designed for frequent travelers who can maximize extensive travel benefits, including Amex Centurion Lounge access (enrollment may be required).
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ($395 annual fee): Weighs 17 grams; offers access to Capital One Lounge and Landing locations.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® ($795 annual fee): Weighs 13 grams; offers Chase Sapphire Lounge access.
What Is a Metal Credit Card?
Metal credit cards are essentially the same as other credit cards, but are made partially or entirely from metal rather than plastic, giving them a heavier feel and longer-term durability. Most metal cards weigh 13 to 17 grams, though exact weights vary by issuer.
Many metal cards are premium rewards cards, but they don’t all have massive annual fees. Popular options like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card are metal and have annual fees under $100.
Best Metal Credit Cards: Full Comparison
|
Card Name |
Personal or Business |
Weight |
Annual Fee |
Welcome Offer |
Best For |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card |
Personal |
13 grams |
$95 | 75,000 pointsChase Sapphire Preferred® CardEarn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. |
Flexible travel rewards at an affordable annual fee |
| American Express® Gold Card |
Personal |
15 grams |
$325 | As High As 100,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.American Express® Gold CardYou may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. |
Big rewards on dining worldwide and U.S. supermarkets |
| Platinum Card® from American Express |
Personal |
17 grams |
$895 | As High as 175,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.Platinum Card® from American ExpressYou may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount — all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted. |
Premium travel benefits, with access to Amex Centurion Lounge |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card |
Personal |
17 grams |
$395 | 75,000 milesCapital One Venture X Rewards Credit CardEarn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel. |
Premium travel benefits, with access to Capital One Lounge and Landing locations |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® |
Personal |
13 grams |
$795 | 100,000 pointsChase Sapphire Reserve®Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. |
Premium travel benefits, with access to Chase Sapphire Lounges |
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
Personal |
16 grams |
$95 | 75,000 milesCapital One Venture Rewards Credit CardEarn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel. |
2x Capital One miles on all purchases |
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card |
Personal |
15 grams |
$650 (rates & fees) |
LIMITED TIME OFFER150,000 points + $250Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® CardEarn 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points plus a $250 statement credit after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 09/30/2026. |
Luxury Marriott Bonvoy perks |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express |
Business |
15 grams |
$895 (rates & fees) |
NEW OFFERAs High As 300,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer. The Business Platinum Card® from American ExpressAs High As 300,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 300,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $20,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. |
Premium travel benefits for business owners, with access to Amex Centurion Lounges |
| American Express® Business Gold Card |
Business |
15 grams |
$375 (rates & fees) |
NEW OFFERAs High As 200,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.American Express® Business Gold CardAs High As 200,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 200,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. |
Big rewards on business spending |
| Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card |
Business |
15 grams |
$350 (rates & fees) |
70,000 milesDelta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express CardEarn 70,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. |
Premium Delta SkyMiles rewards and benefits |
| United Club℠ Business Card |
Business |
12 grams |
$695 | LIMITED TIME OFFERUp to 110,000 miles + 2,000 PQPUnited Club℠ Business CardEarn up to 110,000 bonus miles and 2,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. |
Premium United benefits, including access to United Clubs |
Best for Overall Value: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card delivers excellent value through flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards points, generous bonus categories, and a valuable welcome offer. It also includes travel perks that directly offset the $95 annual fee, including a $100 annual Chase Travel hotel credit and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS credit.
Best for Dining: American Express® Gold Card
The Amex Gold card earns 4x points at restaurantsworldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year) and 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year). It also comes with several dining credits and other benefits that outweigh the $325 annual fee.
Best for Worldwide Lounge Access: Platinum Card® from American Express
What’s most special about this card is access to the most airport lounges in the world from a single card, thanks to the American Express Global Lounge Collection. Other benefits and statement credits (enrollment may be required) naturally fit into the lifestyles of many frequent travelers.
Best for Priority Pass: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture X card offers an easy-to-use $300 annual travel credit on bookings made through Capital One Travel that immediately offsets much of the $395 annual fee. This premium card offers access to Priority Pass™ for participating lounges (with enrollment) and complimentary access to high-end Capital One Lounge and Landing locations.
Best for Travel: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns up to 8x points on eligible purchases, plus a $300 annual travel credit that can be used broadly for any flights, hotels, and more. The Chase Sapphire Lounge network is rapidly expanding, and cardholders get unlimited access with guest privileges — a rarity in premium cards.
Best With a Low Annual Fee: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture card is the lower-tier version of the Capital One Venture X card, but it still offers a lot for its $95 annual fee. It earns 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 2x miles on every purchase, with all rewards transferable to valuable partner programs.
Best for Hotels: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card is a great pick for premium perks at Marriott properties, including Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite status. The free night award, granted upon card renewal every year, is good for a stay of up to 85,000 points.
Best Business Card for Airport Lounges: The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer as high as 300,000 points with the Amex Business Platinum card. Find out your offer. Terms Apply.
The Amex Business Platinum card offers the best benefits and rewards for business owners, with thousands of dollars in annual value. This includes access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, handy for layovers on business trips.
Best for Earning Points: American Express® Business Gold Card
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer as high as 200,000 points with the Amex Business Gold card. Find out your offer. Terms apply.
The Amex Business Gold card earns 4x Membership Rewards points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most every month (up to $150,000 in combined purchases per calendar year) from multiple categories. Best of all, your rewards are automatically adjusted, so no need to worry about selecting any categories.
Best Delta Business Card: Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
The Delta Platinum Business card helps travelers reach their Delta SkyMiles Medallion status goals with $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD) each Medallion Qualification Year and 1 MQD for every $20 in card purchases. Other perks include free checked bags on Delta flights and Zone 5 priority boarding.
Best United Business Card: United Club℠ Business Card
The United Club Business card provides a United Club membership every year for the primary cardholder, access to Premier Access travel services, and free first and second checked bags.
What To Look for in a Metal Credit Card
Metal cards are a signal of the card’s tier, but not necessarily a reason to choose a particular card. Consider a metal card’s annual fee relative to its rewards and benefits. Consider whether the rewards bonus categories fit your spending, such as dining, travel, and everyday purchases, and whether benefits such as lounge access provide value you can use.
Metal cards typically require good to excellent credit for approval.
How To Get a Metal Credit Card
There isn’t a separate application process for metal credit cards. While some metal cards have stricter approval requirements than standard plastic cards, applicants with good to excellent credit typically have a strong chance of approval for most products. In general, premium metal cards with higher annual fees require better credit scores and histories than entry-level metal cards.
How We Selected Our List of Best Metal Credit Cards
We evaluated every metal card based on factors beyond aesthetics, including rewards, welcome offers, travel benefits, and redemption value. Additionally, annual fees and other potential costs were considered, along with how easy it is to redeem points or miles for strong value through cash back, travel portals, or airline and hotel transfer partners. Upgraded Points’ credit card rating methodology is available in our detailed guide.
Final Thoughts
The best metal cards make the cut because of the value they deliver through rewards, travel benefits, and long-term earning potential, and not simply because they’re made of metal.
The best entry-level choice is the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, the best midtier card is the Amex Gold card, and the Amex Platinum card wins in the ultrapremium category. Review the comparison table above to find the best metal card for your lifestyle.