Which Metal Card Should You Get?
Everyone wants premium. Everyone wants to appear better than their peers. Different brands or labels can help achieve this should you so desire. But how can a bank provide the image of anything more than mundane? Metal. Everyone’s got plastic cards in their pockets. When you hear the satisfying thud of a metal card on the shop counter or bar, you know something’s different. But which metal card should you get? There are a few contenders for you to consider.
Another thing about premium, is that people want it for the lowest possible price. If you can get something for nothing, even better. This almost instantly pushes the American Express Platinum metal card to the back of the queue with it’s £575 annual fee. We’ll ignore the American Express Centurion card for the purposes of this post too I think, nobody should be paying that much to have a flashy card.
Do you need a Metal Card?
With the above in mind, there’s a few companies that are currently in the metal card game. Some you may have heard of, some might suprise you. But what are their benefits and associated costs? Premium rarely comes for free!
N26 Metal Card
N26 were the first of the contender, or FinTech banks that introduced metal cards into it’s lineup as their premium offering. Currently available in three colours and at a price of £14.90/month (£178.80/year).
- Free Card Payments in any currency
- Free ATM withdrawals worldwide
- 10 Spaces
- Exclusive Partner Offers
- Loungekey Membership
- Travel insurance and purchase protection
- Dedicated Customer Support
Revolut Metal Card
Revolut are the second financial institution in my list to offer a metal card with many similar benefits to N26. Coming in at £12.99/month (£155.88/year) it is the cheapest in the list and offers a special discount for paying your subscription fees upfront (£120/year).
- Free Card Payments in any currency
- Free ATM withdrawals worldwide (up to £600/month)
- No limit currency exchanges in 29 fiat currencies
- Loungekey Membership
- Travel and medical insurance
- Priority Customer Support
- Access to CryptoCurrencies
- Virtual cards
- Concierge
Curve Metal Card
While it’s not a bank account as such, a Curve Metal Card still offers some benefits. If you haven’t heard of Curve, you’re missing out on a great tool (and a free £5) where you can find out more here. But the metal card, available in three colours, will cost you £14.99/month (£179.88/year) or £150 for the year if you pay up front. It may not be a real bank, but there are definately some perks to getting on the Curve bandwagon.
- Supports MasterCard and Visa
- Free Card Payments in any currency
- Free ATM withdrawals worldwide (upto £600 month)
- Time travel upto 14 days
- 1% cashback at 6 premium retailers
- Loungekey Membership
- Worldwide travel insurance
- Electronic Gadget Insurance
- Rental car collision damage waiver insurance
That’s about it. I haven’t fully committed to a metal card yet. I’ve seen them, I’ve touched them and they’re nice. Soon my pretties. I’m waiting to see what Monzo are going to release, because they’ve teased a premium product too.
I have accounts with all of the above vendors and each has it’s little quirks, and they could be classed as really similar. I really love my Curve card and the ease it brings me for managing multiple cards so I’m really swaying in that direction. But when Revolut offers similar benefits, for less money, it kinds of sings to me.
Have you gone metal? Let us know in the comments with your thoughts!
