The 12 Best Metal Credit Cards in August 2023 [Personal & Business]

Metal credit cards aren’t a new concept — although metal has been the standard for many prestigious credit cards over the years, metal doesn’t always mean it’s a great card. The truth is, this space has been crowded by a ton of issuers that offer a metal card with few benefits.

In fact, a few metal cards offer little in the way of benefits, and those who hold those cards are paying huge annual fees just for a piece of metal.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to get the best of both worlds: heft and perks.

Being smart about which metal card you get will go a long way to earning thousands of dollars worth of rewards for yourself.

Let’s get into it!

What To Look for in a Metal Credit Card

Some metal credit cards weigh more than others. But that doesn’t mean you should just look for the heaviest credit card out there.

Instead, look for the best overall value in a credit card. In addition to the aesthetic appeal and “feel” of the credit card, it’s important to choose the card that fits your situation the best.

For example, the products that are best for you will be different if you’re looking for a low annual fee card with decent rewards or if you’re looking for an ultra-premium card with the best travel perks in the world.

If you’re a frequent traveler, you’ll want to consider a card that offers the best luxury travel benefits available, such as lounge access, hotel credits, and access to benefits including free breakfast or room upgrades.

We’ll show you the best metal cards that offer lots of rewards and benefits, looking at personal cards first, followed by business cards.

The 7 Best Metal Personal Credit Cards

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card (Best Overall Value)

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 Ultimate Rewards
• 5x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 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.

2. 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 (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.), 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar 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, earn up to $120 in Uber Cash for rides or eats orders in the U.S. ($10 per month) and up to $120 in dining credits at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations ($10 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 which offers a room upgrade (subject to availability) and $100 property credit on bookings at eligible properties of at least 2 nights.

3. 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 from a single card, thanks to the American Express Global Lounge Collection. This includes Centurion Lounges, International American Express Centurion Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta same-day), Escape Lounges, select Virgin Clubhouses, select Lufthansa Lounges (when flying Lufthansa same-day), and of course, Priority Pass lounges upon enrollment.

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 Plus credit, and up to $100 Global Entry or up to $85 TSA PreCheck application fee statement credit. The perks extend beyond travel because you’ll also get up to $100 in Saks Fifth Avenue credits, $240 in digital entertainment credits, a monthly $12.95 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 purchase protection, extended warranty, access to Amex Offers, no foreign transaction fees, and zero fraud liability coverage (see rates and fees).

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

Capital One offers an ultra-premium credit card that we really like — and it’s quite a hefty metal card, at around 17 grams in weight.

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 an up to $300 annual travel credit on bookings made through Capital One Travel, an account anniversary bonus each year of 10,000 miles, a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, and access to Plaza Premium Lounges and high-end Capital One Lounges.

You also get a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit, complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status, no fees for adding up to 4 authorized users, trip cancellation and interruption, extended warranty protection, return protection, cell phone protection, baggage delay reimbursement, and trip delay reimbursement.

5. 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
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 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/TSA PreCheck application fee credit, the ability to get 1.5 cents per point in redemption value for travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 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.

6. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The 16-gram Capital One Venture 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:

• Earn 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One travel portal
• Earn 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 an up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit.

This card comes with access to the Capital One Miles transfer partners, and no foreign transaction fees.

7. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card

Our last personal card made out of metal is actually a hotel credit card. One of the only ultra-premium hotel credit cards out there, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card is a great card if you want premium perks at Marriott properties.

Earn up to 6x points per dollar spent:

• 6x points per $1 at Marriott hotels
• 3x points per $1 spent on flights booked directly with airlines and U.S. restaurant purchases
• 2x points per $1 spent on all other purchases

You’ll enjoy automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, a free night award after your card renewal (good for a stay up to 85,000 points), 25 Elite Night Credits each year, a $25 monthly dining credit, and a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership upon enrollment. It also comes with a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit.

Bottom Line: Our favorite metal personal cards are the Amex Platinum card, Chase Sapphire Reserve card, Amex Gold card, and Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

The 5 Best Metal Business Credit Cards

1. 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 120,000 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 (in addition to the huge welcome offer currently available):

• 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 great 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 (see rates and fees).

2. 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 70,000 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 metal card earns you 4x Membership Rewards points on the 2 select categories where your business spends the most every month (up to $150,000 in combined purchases per calendar year):

• Airfare purchased from airlines
• U.S. purchases for advertising in select media
• U.S. purchases made from select technology providers of computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions
• U.S. purchases at gas stations
• U.S. purchases at restaurants
• U.S. purchases for shipping

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 (see rates and fees).

3. 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 strong 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.

You can get closer to Medallion status with the ability to earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles after you spend $25,000 in a calendar year, up to 2 times per year.

There’s also the first checked bag free on Delta flights and Main Cabin 1 priority boarding.

Authorized users are no additional cost, and you won’t be hit with foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees).

4. Amazon Business Prime American Express Card

The Amazon Business Prime Amex card is a great rewards card if you spend a lot at Amazon. This 14-gram metal card offers up to 5% cash-back:

• 5% cash-back or 90-day terms on U.S. purchases at Amazon.com, Amazon Business, AWS, and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership (up to $120,000 in purchases each calendar year, 1% cash-back after that)
• 2% cash-back at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, and on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers
• 1% cash-back on all other purchases

There are no foreign transaction fees or fees for adding employee cards (see rates and fees).

5. United Club℠ Business Card

The last card we’ll discuss is the 12-gram United Club Business card, which is United’s ultra-premium credit card for businesses.

This card confers a United Club membership every year for the primary cardholder, access to Premier Access travel services, free first and second checked bags, and up to 2 miles per dollar spent:

• 2 miles per dollar spent on United purchases
• 1.5 miles per dollar spent on all other purchases

It comes with travel insurance, purchase protection, and fraud protection, as well as extended warranty and even return protection!

Final Thoughts

Overall, the space for metal credit cards has become increasingly crowded. A lot of metal credit cards offered today are effectively vanity items with little-to-no benefits.

So to get the best of both worlds in terms of aesthetics and utility, consider the cards outlined in this list. By sticking to the options at the top of each list above (depending on whether you’re looking for a personal or business card), you’ll come out ahead.

Hopefully, you found this guide useful and will be adding 1 or even a few metal credit cards to your wallet!

For the Hertz benefit for Capital One products, enrollment is 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.

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.

The information regarding the United Club℠ Business Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the American Express^® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card^® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express^® Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express^® Green Card, click here.