Metal credit card UK (A guide)

In this brief guide, we are going to discuss metal credit cards in the UK.

Metal credit cards are status symbols for those of us who have grown tired of our plastic cards. There aren’t many metal credit cards in the Uk except you are an American express centurion holder. This, of course, requires you to spend £200k per annum on the credit card and have an annual income of over £1m. Not your average credit card then.

What are metal credit cards?

Metal credit cards are credit cards which are made of metal. No, it isn’t simply a plastic card with a metal looking finish, these cards are genuinely made of metal and tend to be the most sought after cards in the world but the requirements for one of these cards are so high that it is unlikely you know anyone with a metal credit card. 

These credit cards will usually have high credit limits such as £200k and will have high annual fees which may reach the thousands. They will also usually have high APRs.

Metal credit cards will offer features such as:

Free travel insurance

Free health insurance

Free rental cover insurance

Free airport lounge access

Free tickets to exclusive events

Reward points on airline or travel spend

Concierge for any needs

When considering whether to get a metal credit card you should really look at the type of credit card user you are. If you tend to carry your credit card balance from one month to the other then will you be able to afford to pay the funds back given the high-interest rates.

Will the rewards you are getting back from the credit card be worth the cost of interest?

An example of a metal credit card:

The Platinum Card

The Platinum Card offers 30,000 points as a signing on bonus and you have an earn rate of 1 point per £1 spent. The credit card also has an annual fee of £575 per annum but it is a charge card which means you will need to top it up before you can use it.

You can pay your annual fee with reward points upon renewal.

You will also get an additional 30,000 points earned when you spend £4K within first three months of Card membership.  You can also earn 1 additional point for virtually every £1 spent at American Express Travel Online.

Your rewards points can be used as currency to buy flights and package holidays through Platinum Service.

Your reward points can also be redeemed for a wide range of products, experiences, travel and hotel stays. 

You can also earn 12,000 bonus points per friend/family that uses the Referral Programme and successfully applies for a card and spends £4K within first 3 months of Card Membership.

Is there a metal business credit card?

Yes! the Amex Platinum Business Card is made specifically for business use.

What are metal credit cards made of?

Metal credit cards are usually made of brass, copper, alloys, stainless steel and even gold and palladium. A variety or either of these materials is used to make a metal credit card. Most metal credit cards are then coated with plastic to make them easier to use.

Can you destroy a metal credit card?

Maybe you have closed your account which allowed you to have a metal credit card. The next obvious question is how do you destroy your metal credit card to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

Rest assured, the credit card provider should have made the card inactive and hence no one should be able to use it but let’s imagine you still have a need to destroy the card. 

In this case, you could simply melt the card or cut it with tin snips.

The easiest thing you could do is simply post the card back to the credit card provider via tracked post.

Metal credit cards are becoming much more fun and cool so it won’t be too long before most standard credit providers start offering metal credit cards to their everyday customers. As of now the only affordable metal card in the Uk may be the N26 metal card.

What to consider when getting your credit card?

Whilst the Metal credit card may be right for you, there could also be other potential credit cards which suit you better. It is always advisable to use a credit card eligibility checker 

Which provides you with all the credit cards you may be eligible for outside of the Metal credit card.

When comparing multiple credit cards; below are the things you should look out for before applying.

Eligibility

Each card issuer will have its own lending criteria that  you will need to meet before they will provide you with an offer of credit. 

There are now credit card eligibility checker platforms which let you know which credit cards you are eligible for and which you have a high probability of getting on application. 

Most credit card providers now have their own credit card eligibility systems in place which will let you know if you will be approved for a credit card with them  or not. 

These tools use a soft credit check t pull your credit file data and hence does not leave any footprints which are visible to the public or harm your credit score.

You should avoid applying for a credit card if you are not confident you will be accepted as rejections for credit could damage your credit score and history. This may then affect your ability to get further credit in the future.

Interest rates

When getting a credit card, the interest rates on the credit card are a very important factor and you should always lookout for the APR figure. The interest rates on the credit card are the rates that will be charged on any outstanding credit card balance which you carry over from one month to another. If you pay your credit card balance in full each month then you will not have any interest to pay.

Credit cards typically come with up to 55 interest-free days on purchases if you don’t carry a balance month-to-month.

Credit limits

You should look at the credit Credit limits when choosing a credit card provider as the credit card limits will determine how much you can spend on your credit card. 

Most credit card providers may offer you a credit limit increase if you can show good credit behaviour over a few months.

Rewards and perks

Credit card providers offer various rewards and perks but usually, these are reserved for applicants with high credit scores.

Fees

Some credit card providers will have annual fees on their credit cards but these are usually for credit cards with high credit card limits and lots of rewards or perks.

You should always check what fees are attached to your credit card. These can include annual or monthly account fees, cash advance (withdrawing cash using the card) fees, overseas transaction fees and others.

How to get your Metal credit card

To get your Metal credit card, check to see if you have a credit score first.

If you are unsure of what your credit score is then you should check your credit score from the four credit bureaus in the UK: Experian, Crediva, Equifax and Transunion.

Some of these credit bureaus may charge you a fee to view your credit report so what you can alternatively do is request a statutory credit report which is a free credit report which each credit bureau must provide to you upon you requesting it.

Alternatively, you can also use credit score services such as Checkmyfile and clearscore to check your credit report.

Once you have done this you should then check on a credit card eligibility platform to see what credit cards you are eligible for and then apply for the best credit card. This may be the Metal credit card or it could be another credit card from a different provider which suits you better.

In this brief guide, we discussed Metal credit cards in the UK.

If you need financial advice and you live in the UK then you could contact the Money Advice service over the phone or via chat for impartial advice.

You can also contact the debt charity “Step Change” if you are in debt and need help.