(Sponsored article) The Gold card is a premium payment card that gives access to a series of advantages: discounts with partners, assistance and insurance. Everything has a price that may surprise you. Here’s everything you can expect from a premium credit card.
The bank card is the preferred method of payment for individuals. But it is not only used to pay anywhere in the world. Depending on the range chosen, it offers many advantages. This is the case of the gold card. Whether it’s the Gold Mastercard or the Firstits equivalent version at Visa, these two bank cards give access to certain privileges compared to conventional cards.
Starting with the withdrawal and payment ceilings higher than those provided by the Visa classic and the standard Mastercard. Their level is set by each bank. This can also allow its customers holding a high end carda greater number of free withdrawals from distributors of competing brands.
Discounts on many goods and services
But that’s not all. Far from it. Holders of a Gold card sometimes forget it, but their bank card gives access to price reductions with partners. For example, the Gold Mastercard offers discounts for renting a vehicle such as from Hertz or Sixt, discounts on reservations made via the hotels.com website or even Disneyland Paris VIP experiences with privileged access to shows.
Mastercard has also developed a specific program called Priceless. Focused on urban tourism, it includes multiple proposals for visits, museums, concerts, hotel nights, all over the world. And also in France! For example, in Paris, it is possible to visit the jewelers of Place Vendme or to benefit from a 10% reduction to fly over the capital and Versailles in a helicopter.
The Visa Premier also provides many benefits. This card, offered as the Gold Mastercard by the vast majority of banking establishments, grants up to 25% reduction at the Avis car rental company, 30% reduction on the Adidas website, 25% reduction on DIY tools and gardening equipment from Bosch, 25% savings at Clarins, 10% reduction on all ski equipment hire at Sports 2000 or even a 10% discount at Go Sport and Citadium.
Assistance services and a wide range of insurance…
Beyond the benefits built into Gold cards, you can also count on an insurance and assistance package much more toff than for basic bank cards.
For assistance, premium cards give access to assistance such as medical repatriation in the event of illness or injury, hospitalization, legal assistance abroad with an advance for lawyer’s fees or a deposit, for example. To check the extent of the cover offered by your card, it is always recommended to consult the notice given by your bank or to go to the Mastercard or Visa website. And unlike insurance, it is not always necessary to have paid for your trip with your bank card to take advantage of the assistance guarantees it includes.
Re the insurance, the Visa Premier for example, notably covers civil liability abroad up to 1,525,000 euros for damage caused to a third party, delays and loss of luggage when traveling by plane or train. In the event of a delay, compensation of 400 euros is provided for the purchase of basic necessities, before finding your luggage. There is also, depending on the circumstances provided for by the Visa conditions, compensation of up to 5,000 euros per year if you are obliged, for personal or professional reasons, to cancel, interrupt or modify your trip.
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…which protects you for a car rental and even during a ski holiday
Premium cards also have a size advantage for the car rental: they make it possible not to necessarily take out the insurance offered by the rental company. If the renter pays for the rental of the vehicle with a top-of-the-range payment card, he may benefit, depending on the case, from certain guarantees, such as excess reduction/repurchase insurance, excess cancellation insurance, of the driver, the insurance of transported goods and personal effects… Before renting a vehicle, it is therefore important to know the guarantees available to you and their methods of implementation by paying with your payment card, details France Assureurs , the main professional representation body for insurance companies.
Another advantage of the Gold Mastercard and Visa Premier cards: protection during ski holidays. These cards cover both bodily injury related to civil liability, cancellations, medical expenses and even the rental of equipment. A series of insurances that can be expanded by your financial institution. As your bank has the option of taking out additional insurance, we invite you to request the Information notice documents from your usual adviser, explained for example in the FAQ on the Visa site.
A Gold card also reduced price
All of these advantages have a cost which is reflected in theory on the contribution of the bank card. A Gold Mastercard or a Visa Premier costs on average nearly 130 euros per year. The immediate debit card is barely less expensive than its deferred debit version. The price of these high-end cards is therefore a priori three times higher than for standard cards.
However, some financial institutions have chosen to make Gold cards accessible to as many people as possible, without income conditions, and prices equivalent to those of a classic bank card. Other players also offer free premium cards. But to access it, you must prove a certain level of income and make at least one payment per month, under penalty of having to pay inactivity fees.