Robinhood revealed its newest product line during its keynote speech earlier this week. The broker known for zero-commission stock trading has released a unique credit card. It offers 3% back on just about everything. That’s better than any other flat-rate credit card we’ve seen.
But what else does it offer? Quite a bit. Some folks might even consider switching cards. There’s a waitlist, but the cards will be delivered “soon” (date TBD).
We know the card offers a top-tier flat rewards rate and zero annual fees, apart from the mandatory Robinhood Gold subscription, which comes to $60 per year as of this writing. Here’s what else is coming to eventual Robinhood Gold Card holders in the upcoming weeks.
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Travel perks
A market-beating 3% rate is the baseline. According to the Robinhood website, the Robinhood Gold Card offers 5% back on bookings through the Robinhood travel portal. A portal that has yet to manifest. We’ll reserve judgment until we try it out for ourselves.
Other travel perks include trip interruption protection, roadside dispatch, and travel and emergency assistance. Plus, there are no foreign transaction fees. Users can swipe abroad on Visa’s massive network without worrying about costs or lacking coverage.
Family-friendly app
For better or for worse, Robinhood is releasing a second app to accompany its credit card. On one hand, it’s annoying that users must download yet another app. On the other hand, the app is stuffed with unique and potentially useful features.
Table stakes features include balance and transaction tracking from the home page. You can see what you owe and what you’ve purchased at a glance. Above and beyond that are Robinhood’s family-friendly perks, beginning with designating multiple users.
Cardholders can designate multiple users and give them their cards. You can establish limits per person and track spending. According to Robinhood CEO Vladimir Tenev, kids can use it to increase their credit scores. So can those who struggle with credit card approvals.
Disposable virtual cards
One of my favorite features is the power to create and cancel disposable cards. Free trials can be a pain to cancel. In the Robinhood credit card app, you can spin up virtual cards and cancel them by clicking a few buttons.
What that might look like is signing up for a Netflix trial with a “Netflix” virtual card. If you don’t like the service but don’t want to call Netflix or navigate the website to cancel, you can simply open your Robinhood app and cancel the disposable card. (You’ll still have access to your Robinhood Gold Card after you cancel disposable cards.)
How does the Robinhood credit card stack up?
The Robinhood Gold Card competes well with alternatives. Two that come to mind are the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card and the Capital One Venture Card.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers a flat percentage back, just like the Robinhood credit card. Its rate is lower — it only gives 2% back — but it doesn’t require a paid membership. Robinhood users who swipe often can probably recoup the $60 annual Robinhood Gold membership fee, and then some, but the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card may be the better bet for those who rarely swipe.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers top-tier travel perks. The annual fee is $95 per year (see rates and fees). Like the Robinhood Gold Card, rewards are simple to calculate. Though it’s limited to travel rewards, it offers a big welcome bonus that covers the first seven years of annual fees if you can swing it. That said, Robinhood’s credit card reward program is the more flexible of the two.
The Robinhood Gold Card falls somewhere between these two alternatives. It’s flexible and offers strong travel rewards, but it’s exclusive to paying Robinhood Gold members and doesn’t offer any type of welcome bonus.
Who is the Robinhood Gold Card right for?
The card is ideal for Robinhood Gold members who want to spend on whatever they’d like without worrying about rotating rewards. But your mileage may vary — shop around for top credit cards before defaulting to Robinhood’s fancy new credit card.
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