FoundersCard Review 2024 (Membership & Rewards Details)

A regular FoundersCard membership goes for $595 a year, and you’ll have to shell out an extra $95 just to get started.

But you can snatch a discount if you have a referral code.

Most traveling cardholders will find value in the FoundersCard’s excellent hotel benefits:

• Hilton Gold Status: This status will give you free breakfast, increased bonus points, room upgrades, early check-in, late checkout, and complimentary premium internet.

• Marriott Platinum Elite Status Challenge: You’ll receive Platinum Elite status that includes free breakfast, room upgrades, increased bonus points, early check-in, and late checkout (after 15 paid nights in a 90-day period).

FoundersCard members can also benefit from its partnerships with different hotel chains.

Get discounted rates at specific properties, including:

• 30% off at Four Seasons Seattle.

• 20% off at the Ritz-Carlton, Osaka, Japan.

• 20% off at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia in Comcast Center.

• 20% off at Kimpton® Hotels.

• 15% off at Park Hyatt Melbourne.

• Discounts at Four Seasons Montreal, Mandarin Oriental London, and Park Hyatt New York.

As a FoundersCard member, you’ll receive a complimentary Caesars Rewards Diamond Elite Status, which offers tons of valuable benefits (check out our Caesars Credit Card review for all the details):

• Enjoy a free four-night stay at Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

• Receive complimentary valet and self-parking services.

• Resort fees are waived for all hotel stays.

• Get a 15% discount on room rates.

• Receive two free show tickets every month.

• Access priority lines for hotel check-in, restaurants, the Caesars Rewards Center, and casino cages.

• Enjoy guaranteed room availability within 72 hours.

• Choose between a $100 annual celebration dinner or a $50 UberEats credit after earning 100 Tier Credits.

• Receive a 20% discount at casino shops.

• Enjoy a 20% discount on Norwegian cruises.

• Gain access to the VIP reservation phone line.

• Access the Laurel Lounge (entry requires 1,000 Reward Credits).

In addition to these benefits, having elite status with Caesars lets you match your status with other affiliated chains:

• Caesars UK: Diamond Caesars members can match their elite status to Caesars UK.

• Eldorado: Enjoy a reciprocal partnership between Eldorado and Caesars, letting you link and match your Caesars status to both Fan Club and Club GVC.

• Turning Stone: Diamond elite members can match their status to a Turning Stone Resort Casino for Onyx status.

• Wyndham: Take advantage of the partnership between Caesars and Wyndham by directly matching your Caesars Diamond status to Wyndham Rewards Diamond elite status.

You get FoundersCard complimentary membership to airline elite statuses like Cathay Pacific and Virgin Atlantic:

Cathay Pacific Airlines

You can get a one-time upgrade to Marco Polo Club Silver elite status as a FoundersCard member. The status is valid for twelve months after you get it.

To be eligible, you must have:

• A US mailing address.

• A future-purchased Cathay Pacific ticket (no partners).

• An Asia Miles account.

Cathay Pacific Silver members will also scoop a Oneworld Ruby rank.

Although not as lucrative as Emerald or Diamond level, Oneworld Ruby members can still enjoy cool privileges, including access to business or first-class check-in, access to preferred seating, and priority standby status.

Virgin Atlantic

FoundersCard holders are also eligible for elite status with Virgin Atlantic. You’ll snag a one-time upgrade to Flying Club Silver elite rank.

As with Cathay Pacific, there are some eligibility requirements for this benefit:

• You’ll need to submit a request to join.

• Proof that you’ve paid for the flight.

• You must board the flight within 12 months of requesting the upgrade.

There’s also a way to fast-track to Gold elite status by earning 500 tier points in six months.

While Virgin Atlantic isn’t a member of any airline alliance, its agreement with Delta Airlines means that Silver members get priority boarding, priority luggage, and priority check-in.

Those with Gold status on Delta will get far more:

• Allowance for additional baggage (up to 3 articles in business class).

• Check-in with priority.

• Priority mail.

• Boarding priority.

• Access to the Delta Sky Club with any connecting transatlantic trip to the UK.

• Complimentary access to Comfort+ at the gate (based on availability).

If you’re a frequent flyer, you’ll appreciate these discounts on standard flight rates:

• Qantas Airlines: Up to 25%.

• Singapore Airlines: Up to 15%.

• Cathay Pacific: Up to 15%.

• United Airlines: Up to 12%.

• British Airways: 10%.

• Etihad Airways: Up to 10%.

• Alaska Airlines: 5%.

Renting a car can bring you tons of benefits, but let’s face it—dealing directly with rental car companies can sometimes be hit-or-miss.

These rewards from the FoundersCard may make it worth the gamble:

• Avis Car Rental: Free upgrade along with a 15% discount.

• Empire CLS: Generous 15% discount on your rental.

• Hertz: Exclusive Gold Plus elite status plus a 20% discount.

• Audi on demand: Reduce costs with a 15% discount.

• SIXT Rent a Car: Get a Platinum status and a 15% discount.

• Zipcar for Business: A 15% discount for your corporate car needs.

Remember when we said the FoundersCard caters to small businesses?

Here are some rewards business owners can leverage:

• Stripe: 20,000 fee-free dollars.

• Dell: 40% off everyday products.

• Lenovo: Up to 40% off select products.

• Salesforce Essentials: 50% off the first annual subscription.

• UPS shipping: Up to 47% off.

• Shopify: 20% off on plans.

• Office Depot: Up to 55% off.

• Phone.com: One-year complimentary subscription to the Basic Users Plan.

• Slack: 30% off on plan upgrades for the first 12 months.

• Zirtual: $150 off the first month of any plan for new sign-ups.

• Fiverr: Waived membership fees on the Business Platform Membership for 2 years.

• Zendesk Support: 6 months of free usage.

• Dropbox Business or Plus: 40% off on annual subscriptions.

• Oasis membership: Up to 50% discount.

• Shutterstock: 20% off on Image & Footage Subscription Plan.

• Chargebee: $500k in revenue for free on the Chargebee Launch Plan.

FoundersCard has an upgraded level of membership—the FoundersCard Elite card.

This membership level comes with some awesome extra perks.

Pricing for this tier usually costs $995 in annual fees, but this can vary based on your individual situation.

So what additional FoundersCard benefits do you get for the extra dough?

The FoundersCard elite benefits include:

• Omni Select Guest Platinum elite status for one year (offering room upgrades, evening turndown, late checkout, double earnings for award nights, and more).

• Hertz President’s Circle elite status.

• Avis President’s Club elite status.

• VIP hotel upgrades and amenities.

• $50,000 in fee-free payments on Stripe.

• 5 hours per year in concierge services.

• $5,000 in Amazon Web Services (AWS) Activate credits.

• 25% off Bang and Olufsen.

• Complimentary companion FoundersCard membership.

The last benefit is probably the most intriguing. The free companion cards are full-blown membership cards, which means whoever you give it to is going to enjoy the same perks as you.

So, they’ll have Caesars Diamond Elite Status, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Silver status, Cathay Pacific Marco Polo Club Silver status, and more.

Several travel benefits

FoundersCard hooks you up with awesome travel benefits, like discounts on flights and VIP treatment at hotels and airlines.

So not only do you save dollars on your trips, but you also get perks like priority boarding, free upgrades, and access to premium lounges.

Discounts on business essentials

Slash your operational costs and make your entrepreneur dreams come true with the FoundersCard.

It can give you significant discounts on essential services like software subscriptions, marketing tools, office spaces, and more.

Also, check out what typical business credit cards like the Chase Ink Unlimited can offer you.

Community of 100,000+ members

You’ll join a community of over 100,000 members and entrepreneurs when you sign up for FoundersCard.

It’s a networking wonderland where you can connect with fellow members, get insider discounts, and maybe even find business partners.

Apply regardless of credit score

No matter your credit score or where you live, you can qualify for the FoundersCard.

Unlike most best credit cards, you can leverage benefits from the FoundersCard even if you aren’t US-based.

New perks added regularly

FoundersCard keeps things fresh by adding new perks all the time.

You’ll have something exciting to look forward to, and your membership may become more valuable.

Tons of popular retail partners

FoundersCard has ongoing partnerships with big-name retail brands.

So when you shop with those retailers, you’ll get exclusive discounts and killer deals.

Not a typical credit card

FoundersCard isn’t an actual credit card.

It’s more like a club that gives you access to top discounts and perks. So don’t expect to charge your purchases directly with it.

Want a great credit card instead? Check out our list of the best cashback credit cards.

High annual fee

FoundersCard comes with a hefty annual fee.

If you don’t think you’ll use the benefits enough to make it worth the cost, it may not be the best fit for you.

Top travel credit cards offer some of the same travel perks.

You can find some of the travel perks you get from FoundersCard with regular travel rewards credit cards.

So if you already have one of those, you might find some overlapping benefits.

For instance, if you already own the Amex Platinum card, you may want to do a thorough side-by-side comparison.

Become a member to see the full list of benefits

To check out the full list of perks, you have become a member first.

FoundersCard likes to keep it a bit mysterious, which can make it hard to decide if it’s worth the membership fee.

Not everyone will qualify

Not everyone who applies for FoundersCard gets the green light.

They’ve got some criteria (which aren’t publicly available) you need to meet, so you might get denied.

Perks can disappear quickly

While they add new perks regularly, sometimes they take away existing ones without warning.

It can be a downer if you rely on certain benefits and then they disappear.

Some perks have fine print

Like any membership program, FoundersCard might have some fine print with certain perks.

Make sure you read all the nitty-gritty details in the terms and conditions to know if there are any limitations.

If there’s one card that can match up to the FoundersCard in terms of benefits, it’s the Amex Platinum.

Here’s why:

You could argue that comparing the FoundersCard to a traditional credit card is a bit unfair.

Well, here’s a closer match—the Select World Elite Mastercard is a membership card dressed as a credit card.

Here’s how they compare: