There’s yet another metal luxury credit card available to American consumers, the latest the UBS Visa Infinite credit card.
It appears to be attempting to go toe-to-toe with Chase Sapphire Reserve, Amex Platinum, and the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve.
Yes, things are getting pretty busy at the top, which could be good news for those looking to cash in on big rewards and fancy perks.
UBS Visa Infinite Comes with 3-2-1 Point Earning Structure
First and foremost, you can earn 3X on commercial air travel, 2X on gas and groceries, and 1X on other qualifying purchases.
This is similar to the 3X earned on ALL travel via Sapphire Reserve and Altitude Reserve, and slightly less than the 5X earned on just airfare via Amex Platinum.
It should be noted that airfare purchased on websites other than the carrier’s own sites may not qualify for the 3X bonus.
In other words, the 3X category is pretty restricted, though it’s better than nothing.
The 2X on gas and groceries is also pretty much a throwaway because you can earn 2X on all purchases via a variety of credit cards. And even 3X for the first year with Discover it Miles and Alliant Visa Signature.
50,000 (or 25,000)-Point Sign-Up Bonus with UBS Infinite
The UBS Visa Infinite also offers 25,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first three months, which sounds pretty low compared to the competition.
But wait! There’s also a 50k sign-up bonus for the same spend, at least at the moment. So make sure you pick the right application if/when you apply.
My assumption is that it’s a special offer aligned with the launch of this card, and likely won’t last.
There is no cap to how many points you can earn and they don’t expire as long as your card remains open and presumably in good standing.
Now that we know how you can earn points, let’s talk about redemption.
You get all the typical options, including gift cards, merchandise, travel, charity, statement credits, and “unique experiences.”
For statement credits, the minimum is 10,000 points for a $100 credit.
For air travel redemptions, it takes 25,000 points to redeem a flight costing $350, or 50,000 points for a flight costing $900.
If the ticket happens to cost more than $350 or $900, you have to pay the difference using additional rewards points at a rate of 5,000 points for $50.
In other words, you’ll want to maximize this benefit by staying at or below the limits.
For the record, you have to book your flight through UBS and charge it to your UBS credit card. Not sure what prices are like via their travel center so it’s hard to value this redemption option accurately.
UBS Visa Infinite Offers Free Lounge Access and a $250 Airline Credit
If you enjoy traveling, the UBS Visa Infinite could be a winner for you. It comes with a free Priority Pass Select membership, which most of the luxury credit cards offer.
But to up the stakes, you also get up to a $500 annual reimbursement to any airline lounge for day or annual passes as long as you spend $50k annually on the card.
That will get you into more exclusive clubs like Centurion Lounges or United Club lounges. Of course, you may find that spending $50k on the card isn’t a worthwhile way to earn points.
You also get a $250 annual airline credit, which similar to Amex Platinum, requires you to select a domestic carrier in advance. However, it seems to work for airfare, not just incidentals.
The card also offers 12 complimentary GoGo In-Flight passes per year, and the typical $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre.
You get the typical travel insurance benefits, along with roadside assistance and primary rental car coverage, and handy stuff like purchase and price protection.
What’s more interesting is that the UBS Visa Infinite won’t charge cash advance or finance charges if funds are available.
By available, they mean repaid by “that night.” Seems like a time crunch to me, but there might be situations where it comes in handy?
Additionally, you get unlimited ATM fee rebates, though it’s a credit card and not a debit card, so like above, it probably shouldn’t be used for this purpose anyway.
If you need to transfer a balance, the card does offer 0% APR for 12 months, but with a 3% balance transfer fee.
Finally, there are no foreign transaction fees on this card, but there is a big annual fee of $495, which falls right in between Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum.
One interesting thing about the annual fee is that it can be waived by forking over 35,000 points. Also, authorized users are free.
All in all, the new offering from UBS doesn’t blow me away, and that’s not surprising because they’ve never been a major player in U.S. credit cards.
Still, it’s good to see more competition in the luxury credit card space to perhaps push others to offer more.
I’ll be passing on this one unless they either up the sign-up bonus or do something else spectacular.
UBS Visa Infinite in a Nutshell
- 25k sign-up bonus for $3k in spending in 3 months
- Earn 3X on air, 2X on gas and groceries, 1X elsewhere
- $495 annual fee (not waived first year)
- $250 annual domestic airline credit
- Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
- $500 any airline lounge reimbursement if you spend $50k annually
- Primary rental car coverage
- UBS dining program
- 12 free GoGo passes
- $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre
- Metal card
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