FoundersCard Review 2023 (Membership & Rewards Details)

The FoundersCard seems like the most coveted, sleek, and elegant card to own. With a list of 500+ out-of-this-world rewards, it has got everyone talking.

Is the hype real? Or is there more to the story?

Let’s find out—

Read more:

Founders Credit Card Review: Quick glance

Full name: FoundersCard

Best for: A membership card (not a credit card) with premium benefits.

Issuer: FoundersCard

Required credit score: No required credit score, as this isn’t a typical credit card.

How Does the FoundersCard Work?

The FoundersCard likes to brand itself as a “lifestyle” card catering to entrepreneurs and small businesses. 

But what does that really mean? 

This isn’t a credit card that you can use to buy stuff—and it won’t earn you any fancy points or miles. 

Instead, the FoundersCard comes with some pretty cool perks that might catch your attention if you’re a savvy traveler. 

Of course, this comes with a hefty price tag of $595 a year. 

You’ll have to apply for it like any other card. And the approval isn’t instant—expect to wait for up to two business days to hear back. 

How much does FoundersCard cost?

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. 

FoundersCard: Quick Summary Review

Here’s our quick FoundersCard review and overall rating:

Founders Membership Benefits: Top Perks Explained

The FoundersCard takes exclusivity (way too) seriously. 

You can’t view the benefits of this card offers unless you’re a member (bummer). 

You’ll need to sign up for a “preview,” and FoundersCard will shoot you an email with a link to its benefits page. 

It’s a bit of a pain, so we’ve gathered all the top benefits we think are useful, sorted by categories:

Hotel benefits

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).

Discounted hotel rates

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.

Caesars Rewards Diamond Elite Status

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.

Airline 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).

Flight discounts

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%.

Founders Car Rental Benefits

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.

Small Business Benefits

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 Standard vs. Elite

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.

FoundersCard Fees

Here are all the key fees you should consider before getting your hands on this Petal 2 credit card:

FoundersCard: List of Advantages and Limitations

Pros—why we like it

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.

Read more: Top Travel Credit Cards of 2023

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.

Cons—things to consider

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.

FoundersCard Alternatives

Wondering how the FoundersCard compares to other top membership and travel cards? 

Here’s a detailed breakdown—

FoundersCard vs. The Platinum Card® from American Express

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

Here’s why:

FoundersCard vs. Select Card

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:

Founders Club Card: Useful links

FoundersCard Reviews

Here are some insightful customer reviews about the FoundersCard:

“I did not have an issue getting Bonvoy status or Avis Presidents tier, but a lot of their discount codes did not work like Adidas. A lot of the airlines’ discounts do not work/apply.”

“As someone who owns a tech business and travels a small portion of the year, I was able to find more than enough savings to make the yearly annual fee worth my investment and as I continue to travel more as the company grows, I see my yearly return rising.”

A bit of a mixed bag here. 

If you don’t mind a hefty annual fee and have a good credit score to back you up, consider applying for a top travel credit card like the Platinum Card® from American Express or the Capital One® Venture X® card.

Is the FoundersCard Worth It?

Comparing the FoundersCard to traditional credit cards is tough because they’re based on different ideas. 

The FoundersCard is a cool club for entrepreneurs, business owners, and frequent travelers who don’t have access to fancy corporate discounts. 

If you’re one of these folks, you can get the card as long as you have the time to dig through discounts and can afford the pricey annual fee. 

Plus, being a member doesn’t mess with your credit score or add to your credit card limits.

However, if you’re all about racking up miles or getting flexible rewards, you’re better off with a travel credit card.

Take the card_name, for example. It charges a $395 annual fee, but you get sweet perks like statement credits when you book through Capital One Travel, airport lounge access, bonus miles on your account anniversary, help with Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fees, and travel insurance. 

Likewise, the card_name has a $695 annual fee. But it offers a dedicated concierge, fancy benefits at hotels through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, elite status with hotel and rental car loyalty programs, and statement credits for travel and shopping.