Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Credit cards can offer a wide range of benefits, from cell phone protection to airport lounge access. Although less talked-about, some even provide access to exclusive events and experiences. This can range from presale tickets for sports games and concerts to exclusive dinners and cardholder-only lounges, and nearly every major card issuer offers such benefits.
While these perks went largely unused during the pandemic lockdowns, issuers are now doubling down on these lifestyle and other non-travel benefits. Your credit card may be able to help you get special access at the U.S. Open in New York City, iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas, Sundance Film Festival in Park City and beyond.
Here are the credit card issuers that offer cardholders access to exclusive events and entertainment experiences, and how you can use these perks.
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Best credit cards for exclusive events and experiences
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Gold Card
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees)
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees)
- Capital One Savor Rewards Credit Card
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Citi Premier® Card
- Citi® Double Cash Card
Using credit cards to access events and experiences
Every credit card issuer handles access to exclusive events and experiences differently.
Issuers like American Express may require you to have a specific card, or an invitation, to participate in an event. Others may only require you to be an active cardholder of any of their cards.
So if you're looking to squeeze more value out of your credit card, consider the main credit card issuers below and their offers for cardholders to experience premium events.
American Express
American Express has a large array of events you can attend as a cardholder, but the more premium events are invitation-only. However, even without an invitation, there are many events you can grab tickets to including Broadway shows like Hamilton in New York and concerts like Katy Perry in Las Vegas. A number of major venues, such as Barclays Center and the Crypto.com Arena, also offer exclusive entrances for American Express cardholders.
The "By Invitation Only" experiences include access to The Centurion Suite at the U.S. Open, cardmember-exclusive fashion shows and tickets to the Palm Springs Film Awards. Some of these experiences are free while others are paid.
You can check out the various experiences here. But to access the more premium events and experiences, you'll need to have a higher-end card like one of these below:
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Rewards
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, 1X points on all other eligible purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
Annual fee
$695
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit Needed
Excellent/Good
See rates and fees, terms apply.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Rewards
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. Also, earn 1.5X points (that's an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchases at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.
Welcome bonus
Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership
Annual fee
$695
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
19.49% - 27.49% variable
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
See rates and fees, terms apply.
If you're a foodie, you might also want to consider the American Express® Gold Card as Resy periodically hosts special dining events and pop-up "drive-thrus" exclusively for cardholders.
American Express® Gold Card
Rewards
4X Membership Rewards® points at Restaurants (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first 6 months of card membership
Annual fee
$250
Intro APR
Not applicable
Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
See rates and fees, terms apply.
Read our American Express® Gold Card review.
Capital One
The Capital One Entertainment portal is filled with exclusive events and experiences for cardholders. The benefits for cardholders include early access to tickets, special on-site perks at specific venues and the ability to upgrade experiences at certain events using Capital One miles.
Some of the events include cardholder-only dinners at Michelin-star restaurants, presale tickets to sporting events like the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami, VIP packages at music festivals like the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas and more. Through a partnership with The Cultivist, Capital One credit cardholders are also eligible for a six-month complimentary "The Enthusiast" membership, which offers free access to top museums around the world, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art, and the Louvre in Paris.
You can visit the Capital One Entertainment portal to see what events are being offered, including Capital One Dining where you can get access to exclusive reservations and culinary experiences. While you don't need to have any specific Capital One card to access these benefits, here are some of our favorite credit cards from the issuer:
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Rewards
10 Miles on hotels per dollar and rental cars, 5 Miles per dollar on flights when booked via Capital One Travel; unlimited 2X miles on all other eligible purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
Annual fee
$395
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
22.24% - 29.24% variable APR
Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR, 3% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Foreign transaction fees
None
Credit needed
Excellent
See rates and fees. Terms apply.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Rewards
5 Miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 2X miles per dollar on every other purchase
Welcome bonus
Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Annual fee
$95
Intro APR
N/A for purchases and balance transfers
Regular APR
21.24% - 29.24% variable
Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR, 3% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
See rates and fees. Terms apply.
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Rewards
4% cash back on dining and entertainment, 4% on eligible streaming services, 3% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn a one-time $300 cash bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening
Annual fee
$95
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
20.99% - 28.99% variable
Balance transfer fee
3% for promotional APR offers; none for balances transferred at regular APR
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
Terms apply.
Read more: Here are the best Capital One credit cards
Chase
Chase offers its Chase Experiences to all cardholders. They include access to exclusive events and Chase Dining experiences, along with additional benefits at events like the U.S. Open and Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival and at venues like the Chase Field, Chase Center and Madison Square Garden. Special benefits can range from priority entry and preferred seating to access to VIP lounges with free refreshments. You can also choose to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for many of these experiences.
There's also Chase Dining, which give cardholders exclusive access to reservations at upscale restaurants through Tock. Additionally, if you're looking for tickets for an upcoming sporting event or concert, Chase Experiences comes with access to presales and preferred seating from Ticketmaster.
Those with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® get even more benefits, including access to the Sapphire Dining series.
So if you're interested in scoring additional experiences for being a Chase credit card holder, you may consider signing up for one of the cards below:
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Rewards
$50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3X points on dining, 3X points on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs), 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Annual fee
$95
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
21.49% - 28.49% variable on purchases and balance transfers
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
Terms apply.
Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Rewards
Earn 5X total points on flights and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3X points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases plus, 10X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
Welcome bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
Annual fee
$550
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
22.49% - 29.49% variable
Balance transfer fee
5%, minimum $5
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent
Terms apply.
Read our Chase Sapphire Reserve® review.
Citi
The Citi Entertainment portal offers Citi cardholders early access to ticket presales for concerts, sports and cultural events. At the time of writing, the platform appears to be geared mostly toward concerts.
Many tickets are considered 'Citi Preferred Tickets' where you will need a qualifying Citi credit card to purchase the tickets. The kicker of this program is that you'll have a chance to get tickets or VIP packages before non-Citi cardholders for specific events.
So if you see an event on the Citi Entertainment platform you're interested in, it may be beneficial to have a Citi credit card in your wallet to grab your tickets.
Citi Premier® Card
Rewards
3X points per $1 spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and on hotels and air travel, 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.
Annual fee
$95
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
21.24% - 29.24% variable
Balance transfer fee
5% of each balance transfer, $5 minimum
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Good/Excellent
See rates and fees. Terms apply.
Read our Citi Premier® Card review.
Citi® Double Cash Card
Rewards
2% cash back: 1% on all eligible purchases and an additional 1% after you pay your credit card bill
Welcome bonus
None
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
0% for the first 18 months on balance transfers; N/A for purchases
Regular APR
19.24% - 29.24% variable
Balance transfer fee
For balance transfers completed within 4 months of account opening, an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies; after that, a balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies
Foreign transaction fee
3%
Credit needed
Fair/Good/Excellent
See rates and fees. Terms apply.
Read our Citi® Double Cash Card review.
Bottom line
Credit cards are good for much more than simply earning points and miles or cash back. With benefits like travel insurance and exclusive access to events in your area, your credit card can be a great resource for both consumer protection and entertainment.
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Read more
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum® Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
