Best metal credit cards for December 2024

The best metal credit card for you will come with benefits that fit into your overall financial goals. Here are a few steps to follow to help you make your decision.

1. Double-check your credit score: Many metal credit cards are premium-tier cards, which would likely require a good to excellent credit score (670–850 FICO score). However, there are also a few mid-tier metal cards that may have lower credit requirements. The best approach is to see if you’re prequalified through the issuer before applying.
2. Calculate rates and fees: If you want to consolidate debt or finance new purchases, consider whether a card offers a satisfactory introductory APR or charges significant balance transfer fees or high ongoing interest rates.
3. Consider the design: A metal construction adds a luxury element to your credit card, elevating its look and feel. If you’re interested in a metal card for style reasons, you’ll want to carefully examine your options to see which design best captures your tastes.
4. Pick the right rewards program: To maximize your returns, consider a rewards program that offers high redemption value in categories that best align with your spending. Also, consider how your card might work in tandem with other cards.
5. Determine if the perks justify the annual fee: Many metal cards offer perks and benefits but also carry a high annual fee. You’ll want to pick a card that offers perks you’ll actually use to justify the annual fee.

Yes. This is a great alternative to applying outright, sidestepping a hard inquiry on your credit report. You can instead apply to the more accessible versions of the cards you’re interested in. Though not guaranteed, after the issuers see you demonstrating good credit habits over time, they may offer an upgrade or preapproval for one of their metal cards. 

There are stories all over the internet of people trying to destroy metal cards with blowtorches and tossing them into firepits. While it might be fun, it’s hardly a safe and easy solution. When your metal credit card expires or you close your account, the safest way to dispose of your card is to return it to the issuer.

Many metal cards only accept good to excellent credit scores (670-850 FICO score), so getting approved may be a little more difficult than other cards. Otherwise, there are no special requirements for most metal cards: if you have a good credit score and can pay the annual fee, metal cards are just as available to you as any other.

Since many cardholders looking for a metal card are eager to earn rewards, a key criteria for a card’s inclusion in our list is whether it offers impressive rewards value. This includes a card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

To estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings, we calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories, as well as how closely those categories match the average person’s spending habits. In other words: Does the card earn rewards at a high rate in the most popular spending categories?

We use consumer spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to get a reliable third-party measure of people’s spending habits. The most recent BLS data estimates average total spending in 2023 was $77,280 per consumer. We then narrow our focus to which purchases are likely to be put on a credit card and earn rewards, subtracting expenditures like housing, vehicle purchases and education. This gives us a total “chargeable” annual spend of around $22,500.  

This includes the following spending by category:

• Groceries: $6,000
• Dining out: $3,900
• Entertainment: $2,500
• Gas: $2,400
• Apparel and services: $2,000

Using this data, we assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. For example, a card’s grocery rewards rate receives a 26 percent weighting based on how much of the average person’s budget is spent on groceries. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your purchases — as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value

With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other cards in its primary category.

The better these values, the higher its score will be, making it more worthy of inclusion in our list and increasing its potential ranking.

Here’s a deeper look at the factors considered as part of a rewards card’s “Value” rating:

We rate all cards based on how their ongoing average APR compares to the average APR you’ll find other cards in their primary category. However, the impact of an especially high or low APR on a card’s overall score depends on its primary category.

For rewards-earning cards, this factor has only a minor influence on the card’s score and whether the card is included in our list, since rewards card users generally try to avoid carrying a balance. That said, rewards-earning cards may get a solid boost in score and be more worthy of inclusion in our list if they also offer an intro APR on balance transfers or new purchases, since such offers aren’t always present on these cards.

More important to these cards’ scores and their inclusion in our list is how their annual fees influence their overall value. We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value. 

Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value. However, if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score and a spot in our list even if it carries a high annual fee. After all, the highest rewards rates and most valuable perks are often found on cards with annual fees.

Interest rates and intro APR offers play a much larger role in a card’s score and whether it’s included in our list when the card is designed specifically for users looking to save on interest charges, such as dedicated balance transfer or low-interest cards. 

Other fees considered include cash advance and late payment fees, along with penalty APRs. 

Along with rewards value and cost, we consider other factors that could give cards great long-term value, like flexible rewards redemption and especially unique and valuable perks.

We rate rewards-earning cards based on the restrictions they impose on earning and redeeming rewards and consider this when deciding on a card’s inclusion in our list. 

These restrictions could include only allowing users to earn a high rewards rate on a small amount of spending or requiring users to meet a certain earning threshold before they can redeem rewards. We also examine whether points are worth less when you opt for some redemption options over others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners. 

We also evaluate each card’s perks based on their value, usefulness and uniqueness. Cards that offer top-tier benefits like airport lounge access or travel credits are likely to stand out, but we also aim to highlight cards that offer valuable under-the-radar perks, like cellphone protection or one-off credits for everyday expenses like dining and streaming services.