I recently signed up for a free annual FoundersCard membership through my Clear membership. I was curious about its benefits or discounts compared to my AMEX platinum, so I decided to give it a try.
What is FoundersCard?
It is a membership program that offers discounts and benefits for travel, shopping, experiences, and business services. While anyone can join, it markets itself as a membership program for entrepreneurs, business executives, and other professionals. In short, it’s a high-end coupon book. This is not a credit card.
Cost:
FoundersCard has a two tier membership:
- Standard for $595 a year
- Elite for $995 a year
What benefits does FoundersCard offer?
They offer various benefits related to travel, lifestyle, business, and experiences. Most benefits provide a discount code, and some fast-track you to elite status. I will highlight a few popular benefits from various companies:
- Travel benefits on the following airlines: Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Qantas, United Airlines, Surf Air, Aero, Qatar Airways, FXAIR, La Compagnie, JSX, and Air New Zealand.
- Loyalty Program Status Upgrades for: Marriott Bonvoy, Hertz, Hilton Honors, Avis, SIXT Rent a Car, Virgin Atlantic, IHG One, Omni, Sonesta, and Wynn Rewards.
- Premium Retail for: Mecedes Benz, BWI, Audi, and Jeep
- Experience Access to: Concerts, Sports, NHL, Theatre, Links2Golf and more
Here’s a glimpse of their benefits when logged in:
Signup Process:
When I signed up, it asked for my profession and company. After entering my details and submitting my application, I got a confirmation that my application was being reviewed. After about a day or so, my application was approved. To point out, I’m not an executive at my company, which is why I mentioned that perhaps anyone can join.
How do they stack up against premium travel cards?
I can’t speak to other travel cards except AMEX Platinum. In comparison, they don’t offer the same benefits. Here are some examples that FoundersCard does not have:
- Airport lounge access
- Car rental and hotel status
- You don’t earn points on purchases
- No travel credits
- Entertainment credits
- Uber credits
While I can use points for travel, FoundersCard does have discount codes for a few airlines, which I think is pretty cool. If you’re a frequent flyer of one of their partnering airlines, the codes could be useful.
Conclusion:
From the outset, FounderCard benefits overlap with some of my AMEX benefits, making it hard for me to justify the annual cost on top of my AMEX’s. However, this could be good for you if you don’t have a premium travel card. If you add up all the discounts you are offered, it could be worth the annual fee. I like to earn points on my purchases, which I can use later. While FoundersCard is not a credit card, you can earn FCPoints, which you can use towards gift cards. If you’re interested, check them out HERE
Happy and Safe Travelz!
travelfeelz 