topic Re: Visa Infinite in Credit Cards

Visa Infinite

CountryLad — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 19:11:06 GMT

Does anyone know of another issuer besides USBank that offers a Visa Infinite? I rarely see it -- other than USBank's Altitude card.

It's only my curiosity that's asking -- I'm not applying.

Thanks! Be well, all!

Re: Visa Infinite

silver_idle — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 19:16:00 GMT

I believe one of chase cards offers visa infinite. ~~I want to say the Sapphire Reserve but i really dont know.~~

EDIT: It is https://www.chase.com/personal/credit-cards/sapphire-reserve-benefits

Re: Visa Infinite

FinStar — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 19:17:31 GMT

Ritz Carlton VI (JPM), United Club VI (Chase), Sapphire Reserve, Crystal VI (CNB), UBS VI, etc.

Re: Visa Infinite

coldfusion — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 20:05:40 GMT

Off the top of my head Finstar got them all in the US except the HSBC VI.

Note that Visa Infinite is also a card type that exists internationally but has a significantly different benefits structure with lower AF. Technically this also includes (included? unsure if it's still offered) the one from Banco Popular du Puerto Rico as part of their Black Dual package.

Re: Visa Infinite

Loquat — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 20:36:08 GMT

I'm still sad about losing the $100 airfare Visa Infinite discount that I use A LOT on my Ritz Card. *sigh*

Re: Visa Infinite

UpperNwGuy — Sat, 21 Nov 2020 02:28:56 GMT

Just remember that not every Visa Infinite card has all the benefits listed on the visa.com website. Each bank cuts its own deal with Visa, and the banks select from a menu of options. The more options the banks select, the higher their costs. Visa.com has the following disclaimer on their website: "Check with your Visa Infinite card issuer to learn more about your specific card benefits."

Re: Visa Infinite

Aim_High — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 02:33:14 GMT

@coldfusion wrote:
Off the top of my head Finstar got them all in the US except the HSBC VI.

@coldfusion, I've looked at HSBC a lot before and don't remember seeing them offer a Visa Infinite in the US, only abroad. I think all their US cards are Mastercards. The HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard seems to be their top offering and has their best travel offerings. Or am I missing something?

Re: Visa Infinite

wasCB14 — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 02:59:30 GMT

@UpperNwGuy wrote:
Just remember that not every Visa Infinite card has all the benefits listed on the visa.com website. Each bank cuts its own deal with Visa, and the banks select from a menu of options. The more options the banks select, the higher their costs. Visa.com has the following disclaimer on their website: "Check with your Visa Infinite card issuer to learn more about your specific card benefits."

@Loquat wrote:
I'm still sad about losing the $100 airfare Visa Infinite discount that I use A LOT on my Ritz Card. *sigh*

And without the airfare discount, is there really anything that special about VI?

CSR/RC travel insurance is great, but Altitude Reserve kind of skimped there last I checked.

Re: Visa Infinite

Loquat — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 03:40:08 GMT

@wasCB14 wrote:
@UpperNwGuy wrote:
Just remember that not every Visa Infinite card has all the benefits listed on the visa.com website. Each bank cuts its own deal with Visa, and the banks select from a menu of options. The more options the banks select, the higher their costs. Visa.com has the following disclaimer on their website: "Check with your Visa Infinite card issuer to learn more about your specific card benefits."
@Loquat wrote:
I'm still sad about losing the $100 airfare Visa Infinite discount that I use A LOT on my Ritz Card. *sigh*
And without the airfare discount, is there really anything that special about VI?

CSR/RC travel insurance is great, but Altitude Reserve kind of skimped there last I checked.

@wasCB14 My thoughts exactly. When the airfare discount went away I stopped caring about Visa Infinite as it offers nothing that I'm not already getting elsewhere.

Re: Visa Infinite

Aim_High — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 15:05:05 GMT

@Loquat wrote:
@wasCB14 wrote:
@UpperNwGuy wrote:
Just remember that not every Visa Infinite card has all the benefits listed on the visa.com website. Each bank cuts its own deal with Visa, and the banks select from a menu of options. The more options the banks select, the higher their costs. Visa.com has the following disclaimer on their website: "Check with your Visa Infinite card issuer to learn more about your specific card benefits."
@Loquat wrote:
I'm still sad about losing the $100 airfare Visa Infinite discount that I use A LOT on my Ritz Card. *sigh*
And without the airfare discount, is there really anything that special about VI?
CSR/RC travel insurance is great, but Altitude Reserve kind of skimped there last I checked.
@wasCB14 My thoughts exactly. When the airfare discount went away I stopped caring about Visa Infinite as it offers nothing that I'm not already getting elsewhere.

As always, whether the Visa Infinite card (in general) is a good card can be highly variable to profile, depending on your other card options, your lifestyle and spend, but also those exact benefits on your Visa Infinite card of choice.

Chase's travel protections on it's two Visa Infinite cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Ritz Carlton, are best-in-class*. If good travel protections are important to you, Visa Infinite is usually the way to go.

*For more info, see this recent thread where I posted info I summarized about travel protections:

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/CSR-updates-coming-10-5/m-p/6154710#M1748688

Beyond the Visa Infinite benefits provided by Visa, the additional perks or rewards offered on a card can be a compelling reason to get or keep a card. On my Chase Sapphire Reserve, regardless of the mentioned airfare discount, I enjoy the easy $300 credit back against a wide variety of travel charges, the Door Dash credits as well as the ability to combine UR points in my Quadfecta (CSR, CF, CFU, INK) cards. Plus others factors that I won't get into here but have discussed before.

While it's not a card for my lifestyle, the UBS Visa Infinite seems to be in whole other league among the Visa Infinite cards. It has some very unique perks for the wealthy traveler. While it has a $495 AF, that is less than AMEX Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve. It has a $250 airline fee credit and a TSA Global Entry reimbursement every 4 years ($100/4 = $25 annually), lowering the effective AF to $220. You also get 12 annual passes for Gogo Inflight Wifi redeemable for one flight segment. (Gogo costs $7 per hour or $19 per day, so this benefit is worth about $100 to $200, depending on use.) As with many Visa Infinite cards, you get Priority Pass Select airport lounge access, but if you're a high spender, the UBS VI also gives you a $500 annual credit towards any lounge fees of your choice (as long as you charge at least $50K annually to the card.) Like other VI cards, the UBS card includes a Concierge service, but instead of the Visa Infinite Concierge, you get the UBS Concierge which is reputed to offer superior customer service.

For rewards, the UBS VI is not a segment leader, but it's clearly designed more for the luxury perks described below. You earn 3x points on commercial air travel, 2x points on gas or groceries, and 1x point on everything else. Points redemption values are estimated at between 1 ccp and 1.8 ccp and best redemptions are for airfare at certain ticket price points. Or, you can redeem for gift cards, merchandise, travel, unique experiences, charity or a statement credit but usually for no more than 1 ccp. (Per the points guy estimates) Also, there aren't hotel or airline transfer partners to enhance your point valuation. If flexible travel rewards alone is your focus, this is not the best card on the market.

So let's get back to the really unique perks you just don't see on other cards, because there are reasons this card might have a much greater appeal to the right consumer. In fact, the potential return on the luxury perks below could far exceed that of the purchase rewards value of this or other premium cards. Of course, the UBS card has the full collection of the Visa Infinite benefits offered on other cards such as the complete suite of travel protections, primary rental car CDW, reimbursed Roadside Assistance calls, no FTFs, Purchase protection, Extended Warranty protection, and Return protection. But here are some luxury travel benefits you would receive which you don't see on other cards.

A Flight certificate (worth 12.5 hours) to use for flights on NetJets fractional business jet flights. And, you get a free flight hour on NetJets for every 25 you purchase, plus a complimentary annual upgrade certificate.
Inflight Credits (worth $7,500 to $12,500) when purchasing a personal membership in Wheels Up, a membership-based private aviation company with a fleet of over 85 aircraft. (For corporate memberships, that jumps to $15,000 to $20,000 in credits.)
On private jet charters with La Bas International, you get a $300 credit per flight towards chaufferred limosine transportation transfers and $300 per flight towards premium in-flight catering, plus other special perks.
Special discounts and perks on chaufferred limo services with Empire CLS, which includes their private airport lounge program, a $50 credit on first booking, a 10% discount on fares, and complimentary vehicle upgrades.
Special discounts with Luggage Free, which allows you to preship your luggage from your home to your destination with a complimentary second bag shipped on first shipment, 20% off shipments, and lost baggage insurance.
Coordination of a special network of Global Airport Meet and Greet Services, available at over 500 airports worldwide, for arrival, departure, or between flights with a 15% discount.
A $30 credit towards a Groundlink chauffered car service reservation, 15% rate discount and other discounts on services.
In addition to a full compliment of benefits and account credits on the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection and the Relais & Chateaux Luxury Hotel properties, the UBS Visa Infinite gives also special benefits and account credits in luxury hotel stays with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Groups, the Peninsula Hotels Group, the Conrad-Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts, the Villas of Distinction, and the Canyon Ranch Resort and Spa.

Some other unique non-travel benefits you don't see on other Visa Infinite cards include:

Price Protection up to $500 per item or $1500 per year, a benefit which many other cards have dropped.
Identity Theft Insurance, payable up to $15,000.
Event Ticket protection, payable up to $500 per ticket, $2,000 per event, $5,000 annually if you miss an event due to sickness, accidental injury, family death, traffic accident, or public transportation delays.
Both the Visa Infinite and the no-AF Visa Signature from USB have a Cash Connect feature that allows you to withdraw funds from an ATM with no cash advance fees or finance charges, and both rebate ATM fees up to $10 (VI) or $5 (VS).

For the wealthy traveler who may enjoys the more common benefits available to the masses on other premium cards but also frequents private jets, chaufferred limos, and the finest luxury hotels, the UBS Visa Infinite card would be hard to beat. It offers some ultra-premium benefits not seen on other cards in this price class. Plus, unlike some exclusive ultra-premium cards such as the AMEX Centurion, this card is not by invitation-only. It's not even restricted to UBS accountholders. It's open to anyone whether they have assets invested with UBS or not.

Re: Visa Infinite

Aim_High — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 21:54:14 GMT

@FinStar wrote:
Ritz Carlton VI (JPM), United Club VI (Chase), Sapphire Reserve, Crystal VI (CNB), UBS VI, etc.

@CountryLad, pretty sure this is the complete list of Visa Infinite cards available in the US right now.

US Bank Altitude Reserve

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Chase Ritz-Carlton*

(not available for new applications but eligible for product change from other Chase Marriott cards.)

Chase United Club

Crystal National Bank

UBS Visa Infinite

Re: Visa Infinite

Aim_High — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 03:24:47 GMT

@Aim_High wrote:
@FinStar wrote:
Ritz Carlton VI (JPM), United Club VI (Chase), Sapphire Reserve, Crystal VI (CNB), UBS VI, etc.
@CountryLad, pretty sure this is the complete list of Visa Infinite cards available in the US right now.

US Bank Altitude Reserve
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase Ritz-Carlton*
(not available for new applications but eligible for product change from other Chase Marriott cards.)
Chase United Club
Crystal National Bank
UBS Visa Infinite

Looks like there is a 7th Visa Infinite Card available in the USA.

I ran across this My Fico posting from 02/02/2020.

SunTrust has a VI available to their Private Wealth Managment Clients.

A quick websearch and it looks like $100K or more may qualify you.

Interesting thing is it's no AF if you're a PWM client, but $450 without.

And no AF for the first year for everyone.

And ... the APR is only 7.24% right now.

Does not show a SUB offering except the AF waiver.

Link to My Fico thread:

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/SunTrust-Truist-Visa-Infinite/m-p/5903155

Link to SunTrust Web page:

https://www.suntrust.com/wealth-management/solutions/private-banking/private-credit-cards/visa-infinite

SunTrust Visa Infinite Credit Terms PDF:

https://www.suntrust.com/content/dam/suntrust/us/en/private-wealth-management/2017/documents/pwm-visa-rates-and-fees.pdf

Re: Visa Infinite

randomguy1 — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 08:54:50 GMT

@Aim_High wrote:
@FinStar wrote:
Ritz Carlton VI (JPM), United Club VI (Chase), Sapphire Reserve, Crystal VI (CNB), UBS VI, etc.
@CountryLad, pretty sure this is the complete list of Visa Infinite cards available in the US right now.

US Bank Altitude Reserve
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase Ritz-Carlton*
(not available for new applications but eligible for product change from other Chase Marriott cards.)
Chase United Club
Crystal National Bank
UBS Visa Infinite

++ J.P. Morgan Reserve Card

Re: Visa Infinite

Ragdollkitty — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 09:16:29 GMT

There was a post about the Suntrust card on FT:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/31976676-post11.html

Poster linked two sources. One that had the $100k amount you quoted. The link to the Suntrust FAQ says typically $1m in assests.

Re: Visa Infinite

Citylights18 — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 13:56:08 GMT

@Aim_High wrote:
@Aim_High wrote:
@FinStar wrote:
Ritz Carlton VI (JPM), United Club VI (Chase), Sapphire Reserve, Crystal VI (CNB), UBS VI, etc.
@CountryLad, pretty sure this is the complete list of Visa Infinite cards available in the US right now.

US Bank Altitude Reserve
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase Ritz-Carlton*
(not available for new applications but eligible for product change from other Chase Marriott cards.)
Chase United Club
Crystal National Bank
UBS Visa Infinite

Looks like there is a 7th Visa Infinite Card available in the USA.
I ran across this My Fico posting from 02/02/2020.
SunTrust has a VI available to their Private Wealth Managment Clients.
A quick websearch and it looks like $100K or more may qualify you.
Interesting thing is it's no AF if you're a PWM client, but $450 without.
And no AF for the first year for everyone.
And ... the APR is only 7.24% right now.
Does not show a SUB offering except the AF waiver.

Link to My Fico thread:
https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/SunTrust-Truist-Visa-Infinite/m-p/5903155

Link to SunTrust Web page:
https://www.suntrust.com/wealth-management/solutions/private-banking/private-credit-cards/visa-infinite

SunTrust Visa Infinite Credit Terms PDF:
https://www.suntrust.com/content/dam/suntrust/us/en/private-wealth-management/2017/documents/pwm-visa-rates-and-fees.pdf

This bank is merging with Truist so I don't know if I would invest in this one.

Re: Visa Infinite

Aim_High — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 19:14:03 GMT

@randomguy1 wrote:
++ J.P. Morgan Reserve Card

True. But we had left that one off since it was "invitation only" and effectively a Chase Sapphire Reserve in fancy packaging for a slightly higher fee. The six mentioned in my earlier post I know that anyone can apply for. I mentioned the SunTrust card since it appears they may allow you to apply even if you're not a PWM client, since the web page mentions waiving the AF if you're a PWM client.

I know that Chase won't even talk to you about a Reserve card if you don't have significant investments, supposedly starting at the $10 Million dollar threshold as opposed to the piddly $1 Million or less with SunTrust! Probably not realistically-attainable to 99.999999% of the population, so this is as close as most of us will get ... lol

Re: Visa Infinite

Aim_High — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 18:02:02 GMT

@Ragdollkitty wrote:
There was a post about the Suntrust card on FT:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/31976676-post11.html
Poster linked two sources. One that had the $100k amount you quoted. The link to the Suntrust FAQ says typically $1m in assests.

Thanks for that. I thought $100K seemed like a low threshold for PWM, but then again SunTrust is smaller bank.

Re: Visa Infinite

Aim_High — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 18:07:01 GMT

@Citylights18 wrote:
@Aim_High wrote:
Looks like there is a 7th Visa Infinite Card available ...
SunTrust has a VI available to their Private Wealth Managment Clients.
This bank is merging with Truist so I don't know if I would invest in this one.

Yes, SunTrust and BB&T are merging to form Truist. And mergers or major realignments can lead to uncertainty. While there are risks with change, sometimes there are also opportunities. Getting in with SunTrust now may be easier than if someone waits until the dust settles. And if someone wanted this card product, they might be able to be grandfathered in if it happens to be on the cutting block. If you're so inclined, it might be a good foot-in-the-door IMO.

Re: Visa Infinite

wasCB14 — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 04:07:36 GMT

@Aim_High wrote:
@randomguy1 wrote:
++ J.P. Morgan Reserve Card
True. But we had left that one off since it was "invitation only" and effectively a Chase Sapphire Reserve in fancy packaging for a slightly higher fee. The six mentioned in my earlier post I know that anyone can apply for. I mentioned the SunTrust card since it appears they may allow you to apply even if you're not a PWM client, since the web page mentions waiving the AF if you're a PWM client.

I know that Chase won't even talk to you about a Reserve card if you don't have significant investments, supposedly starting at the $10 Million dollar threshold as opposed to the piddly $1 Million or less with SunTrust! Probably not realistically-attainable to 99.999999% of the population, so this is as close as most of us will get ... lol

About 0.1%-0.2% of estates owe federal estate tax (current 2020 exemption is $11.58M).

Of course, those estates can include privately held businesses and real estate, not just cash and securities. So that shrinks the eligible pool.

But that $10M requirement may potentially apply to a family, and not just a single individual. So that grows the eligible pool.

And then there may be some people who can get the card via JPM Private Client Direct. I last read that requires about $5M. That might grow the pool a fair bit.

(Though as I said earlier in this thread, there's really nothing that great about VI without the airfare discount.)

Re: Visa Infinite

Aim_High — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 18:06:28 GMT

@wasCB14 wrote:
@Aim_High wrote:
@randomguy1 wrote:
++ J.P. Morgan Reserve Card
... Chase won't even talk to you about a Reserve card if you don't have significant investments, supposedly starting at the $10 Million dollar threshold ... Probably not realistically-attainable to 99.999999% of the population
About 0.1%-0.2% of estates owe federal estate tax (current 2020 exemption is $11.58M).

Of course, those estates can include privately held businesses and real estate, not just cash and securities. So that shrinks the eligible pool.

But that $10M requirement may potentially apply to a family, and not just a single individual. So that grows the eligible pool.

And then there may be some people who can get the card via JPM Private Client Direct. I last read that requires about $5M. That might grow the pool a fair bit.

(Though as I said earlier in this thread, there's really nothing that great about VI without the airfare discount.)

Interesting statistics, and obviously lots of variables at play. You forgot to mention that those $5 or $10 Million need to be invested with Chase Bank, which would again shrink the percentage since they don't get to keep it all!

Perhaps I got a little carried away with the point-nine's. But I wasn't trying to be literal as much as make a point that it's a very very limited group of people, especially when you compare that the median household net worth in 2020 was only $121,411.

Yes, I had heard that some exceptions could be made for less than $10 Million. For the great majority of the population, $5 Million might as well be $5 Billion because they will never come close to either one. So for the rest of us, there are other cards like the Sapphire Reserve or the Altitude Reserve, and I'm fine with that.