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Chances are that you’ve got one, if not multiple, Visa credit cards in your wallet. While you don’t think of them much aside from their daily benefits, by virtue of you having those Visa cards, you could be taking advantage of a myriad of features that you might not have known even existed.
From free memberships to discount golf tee times, free wine and continued education, the things that your Visa card can do might surprise you. We’ll help you find some of the best hidden perks your Visa card can offer.
Visa Signature, Visa Infinite, what does it all mean?
Visa issues its credit card products in three tiers, Traditional, Signature and Infinite and their benefits get better with each in that order. With Visa Signature cards, you can expect middle-of-the-road standard benefits like no liability for fraudulent charges, travel and emergency assistance, rental car privileges and a concierge, with some banks issuing additional benefits like travel accident insurance.
Visa Infinite cards, being Visa’s top tier product, come with standard benefits including most of what Signature cards include, but add premium benefits ranging from trip cancellation or interruption insurance, a Global Entry statement credit, and auto rental collision damage waiver, and, generally, they excel in the travel protections and perks department.
Unlike its Mastercard counterpart, where it’s possible to find even top-tier World Elite cards with no annual fee, Visa Infinite cards will have high annual fees to match the top-tier perks. However, many Visa Signature cards are available with annual fees under $100 and even a few offer a no-annual-fee version. Your card should list if it’s Signature or Infinite on the card itself under the Visa logo, but for specific terms refer to your card’s guide to benefits.
SPONSORED PARTNER
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Intro bonus
75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.| Annual fee | $95 |
| Regular APR | 21.49%–28.49% variable |
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers an impressive welcome bonus, bonus value on travel redemptions and several transfer partners. If you’re looking for luxury travel perks, however, the card may leave you wanting more.
Rewards Rates
- 5x5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit)
- 3x3x points on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- 2x2x points on travel purchases not booked through Chase
- 1x1x points on other purchases
- 5x5x points on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025 (that's 3x points in addition to the 2x points you already earn on travel)
Pros
- Valuable welcome bonus
- Extensive list of transfer partners
- Extra value on travel redemptions
Cons
- No premium travel perks
- Has an annual fee
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- Additional perks: $50 annual hotel credit, trip cancelation/interruption insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, complimentary Doordash and Instacart+ membership along with quarterly Instacart+ credits
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- Foreign transaction fee: None
7 surprising things your Visa can do for you
Shipt membership
If you hold a Visa consumer credit card, you can take advantage of a temporary promotional period where you enjoy a free Shipt membership until December 31, 2024 if you hold an Visa Infinite card or for three months from enrollment if you have a Visa Signature card instead. If you don’t have a Visa Infinite or Signature, but have a Visa card, you can still take advantage of a 1-month free membership through this promotion.
This free Shipt membership will waive delivery fees for orders over $35 and is good whether you’re using Shipt online or through the app to order local store items and have them delivered to your home same-day, including groceries and other household essentials.
Sofar concert tickets
As part of Visa Infinite Experiences, Visa’s partnership with Sofar Concert allows its cardholders to enjoy some perks with this global music community. Visa credit card holders receive a free ticket for every concert with the purchase of at least one other admission, as well as access to Sofar’s 7-day advance presale so members can secure tickets to sought after events.
Even Visa debit card holders enjoy Sofar benefits through this partnership, receiving one free ticket per show, twice a year, with the purchase of another ticket and access to the same 7-day presale window for shows.
VIP hotel status
Your Visa Infinite card gets you access to the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotels Collection, where you can book from a curated list of hotels, including brands like Shangri-La, Park Hyatt and Peninsula, and obtain benefits like an automatic room upgrade on arrival whenever available, complimentary breakfast for two guests every day, late checkout upon request whenever available and a $25 food and beverage credit, among other benefits.
Wine Sonoma freebies
For anyone planning a visit to one of California’s premier wine growing regions, Sonoma, Visa Infinite has you covered, quite literally by covering the cost of your wine. If you hold a Visa Infinite card, you will enjoy a complimentary wine tasting at more than 50 wineries in Sonoma with the purchase of one tasting using your card. Additionally, you can receive preferred pricing on non-wine purchases of more than $50, discounts on bottles you can purchase at the tasting rooms during your visit, as well as discounts on reserve tastings or special pairings of wines and food.
Baggage and hotel theft protection
Because it’s always a great idea to protect against the unexpected, if you use your Visa Infinite card to book a ticket on an airline or train and your baggage or the contents of your bags are stolen or lost by the carrier, you can receive reimbursem*nt for your items up to $3,000 per covered trip. While this doesn’t stop you from ruining the first day of your vacation, at least you’ll get the cost of your new local fashion shopping spree covered by your Visa card.
When staying in a hotel in the United States or Canada, if you have personal belongings stolen from your room, you can be reimbursed for them provided the hotel stay was paid for using your covered Visa Signature card, adding an extra layer of protection. Items stolen from your hotel room should be covered by your hotel, but it is notoriously hard to deal with unwilling properties, and this additional coverage at no cost to you can come in quite handy.
Troon Golf discounts
Golf aficionados can rejoice in the additional perks that come with their Visa cards by receiving automatic elite status with Troon, a platform that allows you access to more than 150 golf courses in the United States and abroad. Visa Signature cardholders are granted Silver Status with Troon Rewards, which gets you 10% off on gold fees and discounts on merchandise, and Visa Infinite cardholders receive a 20% discount on golf fees instead, as well as access to over 20 high end, private golf clubs at a discounted rate.
Skillshare membership and discounts
Skillshare, a creative content platform that offers more than 25,000 online classes ranging from music, art, creative writing or photography, among many, also offers a free membership trial to Visa cardholders. Members with Visa Infinite cards receive 3 months free and a 30% discount on their annual membership to the platform, while Visa Signature cards will get members a 3 month free trial and 20% discount on their annual membership thereafter. During your first 3 free months, users will get unlimited access to as many classes as they want as well as to their creative community that can help them learn new skills even faster. (Note the terms say this offer expired in March, 2024 but the enrollment site is live at time of publication.)
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Intro bonus
Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening| Annual Fee | $395 |
| Purchase APR | 19.99%–29.99% variable |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | None |
at Cardratings.com
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card includes valuable travel benefits, like complimentary lounge access and travel protections, with an annual fee that’s up to $300 less than competitors. You’ll earn up to 10x miles, which can be redeemed for travel, statement credits or transfer to 15+ airline and hotel partners.
Rewards Rates
- 10X 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5X 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X 2x miles on everyday purchases
Pros
- Annual $300 travel credit and 10,000 Miles upon card anniversary make up for the annual fee
- Airport lounge access
Cons
- Capital One Miles require effort to maximize
- Limited cash redemption options
Other benefits
- Travel protections including car rental insurance, trip cancellation/interruption and travel delay protection
- Consumer protections including extended warranty and return protection
at Cardratings.com
The takeaway
As a credit card network, Visa doesn’t just give you extra bonus points or cash back like your bank can, but instead offers a range of benefits for daily users that go well beyond facilitating payments. Next time you’re thinking about going out wine tasting with friends or even taking in a local concert, pull your Visa card out to see if you could save a few bucks in the process.
Related reading
- Best credit cards for travel
- Guide to credit card travel insurance
- Things you didn’t know a credit card concierge can do
About the author
Ben is a credit card and luxury travel writer, an immigrant with three citizenships who speaks English, Spanish and Italian, has a background in linguistics and languages, and travels the world in luxury flying up front in first or business class all over the world. Ben unpacks the complexities of loyalty programs with his easy-to-understand, yet relatable, explanations.
Fortune Recommends™ has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends™ and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.
