Key takeaways
- Visa Infinite credit cards offer the most exclusive benefits of any Visa card.
- Most Visa Infinite cards are top travel credit cards with high annual fees.
- If you travel frequently and want to take advantage of travel insurance, airport lounge access and similar perks, a Visa Infinite card might be a good option.
Visa offers three levels of consumer credit cards: Visa Traditional, Visa Signature and Visa Infinite. Each level comes with an escalating series of cardholder benefits, with Visa Infinite serving as both the most exclusive and the most rewarding tier.
While there are many perks to Visa Infinite cards, be aware that Visa Infinite Cards usually charge high annual fees. Is the cost worth it? That depends on how you use your card and whether you take advantage of the benefits. For example, if you’re interested in travel, the best Visa Infinite cards offer a suite of travel protections that could save you time and money if your flight gets canceled and your luggage gets lost.
Use our Visa Infinite review to decide if Visa Infinite benefits are right for you — or whether you’ll be just as happy with a Visa Traditional or Visa Signature card.
What is Visa Infinite?
Each Visa credit card falls into one of three categories: Visa Traditional, Visa Signature and Visa Infinite. Of the three categories, Visa Infinite is the most exclusive and has the most valuable benefits. Because of this, cardholders need excellent credit to be eligible for a Visa Infinite card, which generally comes with hefty annual fees. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with an annual fee of $550.
To justify the higher annual fees that come with Visa Infinite cards, you’ll want to take advantage of their money-saving features, including access to travel insurance that covers cancellations, delays, accidents and lost bags.
Unlike credit card rewards programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards, you don’t need to collect points to earn or take advantage of Visa Infinite benefits. These benefits are included with every Visa Infinite card, although individual benefits may vary by card.
In fact, Visa Infinite credit cards often come with both Visa Infinite benefits and their own high-value rewards program. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card, for example, is a Visa Infinite card that also earns points that can be redeemed through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program — and the value increases by 50% when you redeem your points through Chase Travel℠. That’s why it’s important to understand all of the benefits that may come with your credit card, especially if you are considering a luxury travel card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Visa Infinite vs. Visa Signature
While Visa Traditional credit cards offer basic cardholder benefits like zero liability for unauthorized transactions and the ability to access Visa’s Roadside Dispatch®, both the Visa Signature and Visa Infinite tiers offer significant benefits to the cardholder. The Visa Infinite travel benefits are extremely valuable and may justify your decision to apply for a Visa Infinite credit card.
Here’s a quick rundown of the benefits offered by each level of credit card:
| Visa Traditional | Visa Signature | Visa Infinite |
|---|---|---|
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|
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Visa Infinite credit cards also come with additional travel benefits that vary by card, such as annual travel credits, airport lounge access and more — so in addition to maximizing your Visa Infinite rewards, you’ll also want to maximize the rewards that come with your particular credit card.
Visa Infinite hotel and travel benefits
In addition to the cardholder benefits listed above, Visa Infinite cardholders may be able to access additional hotel and travel benefits. Here are some of the Visa Infinite perks that might help you as you plan your next trip:
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Visa Infinite cardholders can take advantage of several luxury preferred hotel benefits, including VIP status, upgrades when available, complimentary breakfast and additional special amenities that vary by hotel.
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Visa Infinite cards entitle cardholders to VIP amenities and discounts with Avis, National and Hertz. For instance, cardholders can save 30 percent off base rates when renting from Avis and up to 25 percent with National.
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If you’d like assistance planning your next big trip or your next evening out, the Visa Infinite Concierge Services are ready to help cardholders plan itineraries, book tickets (for both travel and entertainment), make dinner reservations and more.
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Visa Infinite cardholders can receive a statement credit of up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA Precheck fees. These Trusted Traveler Programs help streamline your airport security experience and could save you a lot of time if you fly on a regular basis.
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With Visa Infinite, you can enjoy complimentary access to more than 1,300 Priority Pass airport lounges across the globe. Consider it one more way to make your next trip a little more comfortable.
Credit cards that offer Visa Infinite benefits
Two of the best credit cards offering Visa Infinite benefits include the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Card. Each of these cards offers premium benefits for frequent travelers with excellent credit who are willing to pay high annual fees in exchange for perks.
| Card name | Rewards | Welcome offer | Redemption bonus | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Reserve |
|
60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in your first three months from opening the account | Get 50% more value when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠ | $550 |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card |
|
75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months | N/A | $395 |
The Visa Infinite program adds and updates its credit cards on a regular basis, so watch for additional Visa Infinite credit cards in the future. Expect them to be similar to the current Visa Infinite cards: exclusive to people with excellent credit and designed for jet-setters with a large travel budget.
What else do you need to know about Visa Infinite?
Although we’ve made a comprehensive list of the Visa Infinite features, it’s up to the card issuer to extend these benefits to cardholders. Ensure you read the fine print to understand the circumstances under which you can take advantage of a benefit and when it may not apply.
It’s also worth noting that frequent travelers don’t always need a Visa Infinite card to get the most out of their trips. If you’re looking for a credit card that helps you save money on in-air purchases, offers TSA PreCheck statement credits or helps you qualify for hotel upgrades, you may be able to find credit cards that offer those benefits without having to pay for the high annual fees associated with Visa Infinite cards.
Take a look at our list of top travel credit cards and find a card that comes with the perks you want, whether you’re looking for priority boarding, free checked bags, trip cancellation insurance or all of the above. You might not get access to the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection, but you can still use travel rewards to make your next trip a little more enjoyable or less expensive.
Be sure to check out our latest Bankrate guides for more research on other credit card rewards programs.
The bottom line
If you travel on a regular basis, you might be able to get more out of your trip by applying for a credit card with Visa Infinite benefits. That said, the best Visa Infinite credit cards tend to come with high annual fees — so make sure you’ll be able to use your Visa Infinite perks before you apply for a Visa Infinite card.
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