5 Things to Know About the Atlas Card

Perhaps you have that one friend who’s blessed with the good looks and money to get them past the velvet ropes. And because they find you amusing, they take you along on their wacky, expensive adventures.

If you have no such friend, don’t worry. You can fake it with the Atlas Card — assuming you can afford its nearly quadruple-digit annual fee, that is.

The Atlas Card is a charge card issued by Lead Bank, and in exchange for you forking over almost $1,000 per year, it advertises a selection of fancy benefits (in an Apple-esque font) that unfortunately won't be worth that kind of outlay for most people. The card began its life as the PointCard Titan, another high-end product that would have let you redeem rewards for Bitcoin, had it actually made it to the market.

(Alas, crypto credit cards stopped being cool, so the PointCard Titan took a hiatus and emerged as a reimagined product.)

For now, you can request an invitation to apply for the Atlas Card by providing your contact information, estimated monthly spending and, confusingly, your Instagram handle (thankfully that part’s optional).

Here are five things to know about the Atlas Card.

1. The annual fee is ridiculous

Let’s put this out there first: The Atlas Card costs $999 per year to carry. You read that correctly! It’s $999, as in $1 less than $1,000. At that point, it’s not so much an annual fee as it is a country club membership.

There are other "luxury" cards with annual fees in the high triple digits, many of them similarly not worth the cost. And even among the ones that are, you won't find a price tag quite that high. For instance, the granddaddy of luxury — The Platinum Card® from American Express — tops out its annual fee at $695. Terms apply.

If you’re willing to cough up (almost) a grand for the Atlas Card, here’s what you get in return.

» MORE: NerdWallet’s best premium credit cards

2. You’ll earn points, but no bonus

There’s no sign-up bonus for new cardholders, which is a shame because that’s a pretty straightforward way to offset a card’s annual fee in the first year you carry it. On an ongoing basis, you’ll earn:

• 5 points per $1 spent on BLADE, a service that lets you charter helicopters, jets and seaplanes in select cities around the world.

• 3 points per $1 spent in your top eligible spending category. Eligible categories include dining, flights, hotels, ridesharing services, nightlife, fashion, groceries, wellness, health, home and auto services.

• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

What’s unclear on the Atlas Card’s website is what you can redeem points for, and what they’re worth upon redemption.

In any case, if helipads and pontoons are crucial parts of your daily commute, then maybe the Atlas Card makes sense for you. For the rest of us, we can enjoy $0-annual-fee cards that earn up to 5 points per $1 spent — and they offer sign-up bonuses, too.

3. It offers highly specific perks

The Atlas Card’s focus is less on traditional rewards and more on experience and access, especially if you live in certain cities. Here’s what you can get as a cardholder:

• Atlas Supper Club: Reservations at partner restaurants, last-minute bookings and the ability to snag a table during peak hours. Currently, the Atlas Card’s website lists only a small number of participating restaurants in New York and Los Angeles, so the utility of this perk is limited.

• CLEAR Plus membership: Get a $189 statement credit after using your Atlas Card to pay the annual fee. CLEAR Plus allows you to more quickly move through security at select airports, arenas and stadiums — but you can find this perk on far less expensive travel credit cards.

• Flight cancellation reimbursement: If you need to change or cancel a flight for any reason, you can get up to $600 in fees reimbursed per year, in the form of six $100 reimbursements. 

• Limited Priority Pass lounge access: Get two free visits to Priority Pass airport lounges, courtesy of a complimentary 12-month program membership. Compared with other premium travel cards, this isn’t a standout benefit. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card both grant cardholders and authorized users unlimited access to eligible airport lounges, plus the ability to bring two guests in for free. Plus, their annual fees are much lower — $550 and $395, respectively.

• Visa Infinite benefits: This includes concierge services, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, rental car discounts, cell phone protection and more. Other cards in the Visa Infinite collection also provide these extras (this includes the aforementioned Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card). 

• One Medical membership: Get a $199 statement credit when you join One Medical, a membership-based primary care practice with locations in dozens of cities.

• Erewhon Cafe membership: Get a $100 statement credit to cover the cost of a membership to Erewhon Cafe. Erewhon is an upscale grocery store with locations in Los Angeles. Cafe membership gets you discounts and a complimentary monthly drink. 

• FUTURE fitness training membership: Get up to $300 in statement credits per year, in $25 monthly installments, toward a membership with FUTURE, a personal training service that costs $199 per month, with discounted options for longer-term memberships.

» MORE: Visa Infinite: What is it, and what are the benefits?

4. Get access to a personal advisor

Cardholders can text, call or schedule a video call with a personal advisor, who can assist you with restaurant bookings, event tickets and more.

Sounds a lot like the concierge service you can get as a holder of The Platinum Card® from American Express, which (again) isn't as expensive to hold per year as the Atlas Card.

5. Appearances matter

If you want to look rich, your credit card has to play the part. The Atlas Card is made of metal, naturally, because plastic is so déclassé. It boasts a hefty weight of 21 grams and is polished to a mirror-like shine, so in a pinch you can use it to check to see if you have food in your teeth.

No credit card number appears on the card for security purposes, a feature you’d also find on the no-annual-fee (and metal) Apple Card. But with the Atlas Card, you can choose a “personalized icon” to appear by your name.