Best and Worst Looking Cards

[toadsworth]

I’m pretty sure the cards are physically the same in terms of weight and stiffness for the Chase Amazon Prime and the CSP/CSR.

My pick for best looking card is the Ritz-Carlton rewards. Just the weight and stiffness of it, plus that insanely loud metal clank if you don’t set it down gently on a surface.

[Sloedough]

Amex Platinum +1

It looks awesome and it is very heavy.

CSR

Another metal card, light when compared to the Amex Platinum, but the card looks sweet.

[Shadowfactor]

My best looking card is the USB Altitude Reserve

My worst looking card is Amex EveryDay. I personally think it looks cheap

[Anonymous]

I agree about the BCE. At first I thought how cool and very different, a transparent card. But it is too difficult to read, especially with some wear on it.

As for best looking, or "worst". I haven't seen every card out there, but I tend to like ones with actual pictures of say Beaches etc.

So typical CC are boring to me. But I do like the looks of the CSP, Discover(purple), and QS1 isn't too bad as well as Diamond Preffered.

Of my own collection.

The rewards is what matters most, but it's nice to have something interesting to look at while using them.

[Anonymous]

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@UncleB wrote:

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@iced wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Amex by far is the nicest and the Platinum never fails to get compliments when I use it. Penfed quality is lacking for sure.  

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What part of the country still thinks the Platinum is an exclusive or elite enough card to compliment on?

Ignorance about Amex's underwriting is not limited to any particular part of the country.  I would argue that outside of this forum (and other similar credit/travel forums) knowledge about any card's underwriting is likely sparse.

At one time the Amex Platinum was somewhat-exclusive and out-of-reach for many people, and that thought is still common with many people.

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My experiences with American Express dates back to 1973 and the "somewhat-exclusive" was the cards lure. American Express was effective with pitching the "don't leave home with out it". Worked for Ford Motor Company and they arranged for certain management employees to get the American Express Gold Card with a "line of credit" from one of their bank relationships (bank name etched on the front in Black - looked impressive)  to use with the charge card. Talk about glowing with exclusive and importance. Yes, it was in our mind but, other people who saw the cards always seemed to ask and oogle it's shiny appearance.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

The most hideous cards in my opinion are any that are instant-issued from a bank/credit union. I have a Debit MasterCard from Security Service FCU that is downright awful and almost looks counterfeit! The numbers are printed in white with a black outline; there is a line running horizontally throughout the card during the printing process and despite being navy blue, the area where the mastercard logo is has been made white. I know I just described debit as opposed to credit-but SSFCU also issues credit cards. Awful. And they aren't the only CU that does that. Nearly all Credit One cards are bad (beach scenes on a credit card is so 1990s).

Best looking cards (besides the obvious Amex Platinum/Chase CSP/CSR/Ritz) are USAA. I don't think many people have actually seen one in person because membership is so closed...but they are very handsome cards.

As with anything, looks are subjective. 

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Will say, the USAA Limitless Cash Rewards Visa Signature has an exclusive look and the feel of brushed something?

[Anonymous]

Metal card by weight

https://www.uscreditcardguide.com/the-most-heavy-credit-cards-list/

[joltdude]

Best looking card... 

Kind of fond of Chase Amazon Prime Visa.... 

Also Discover in both the Matte gold and Mixtape themes...

The Ugliest

Blispay .. the card itself feels cheaply made, and the white on white....

The logo looks sharp but the back of the card has awful printing.. and the numbers need be embossed in foil or even better orange... Someone made their blispay look sharp just by coloring the embossed numbers with an orange sharpie...

Both of my credit unions credit and ATM cards...(HFCU)

Not sure which is worse.. the metallic grey card with a swoop design and a poorly transferred embossing of the logo, or the ATM card with green background and white text..... Its as if they picked a stock design from ELAN and put their logo on it...Liked hanscom's old design a bit better.. also more characteristic of the bank... the black text on the metallic card isnt bad.. but its just another grey plat card... 

Also im mixed on MIT's new design for their ATM cards. Used to have a distinctive burgundy colored card with a photo of the main campus building... Now its a stylized modernistic rendition of the dome building... Might be growing on me... 

[Cookiegrabber]

I have a DCU debit card and it feels like the 90s every time I look at it. There's a bit of glittery film on top that I'm not sure makes things better or worse.

Yeah, their credit card's not from the 21st century, either. If I end up applying for one down the road, it'll be because I love DCU, not because it's pretty.

[UncleB]

I still think the designs of the now-defunct AmSouth Bank credit cards were quite nice...

These pics make them look purple but in 'real life' they were navy blue with gold marbling. 

Oddly, their 'Gold' cards (for people making $35k+ at the time) were rather plain; completely uninspired compared to their 'Classic' level cards.

I had their MC for around six years... right up until my BK in 2000.