Summary

  • FoundersCard offers travel, business, and lifestyle benefits for entrepreneurs and business owners globally.
  • The card has an annual fee of $595 plus a possible $95 initiation fee, but sometimes offers discounts.
  • Benefits include flight discounts, instant airline loyalty status, hotel elite status, and networking opportunities.

There are many different membership cards around these days. Airline and hotel elite memberships offer great benefits when traveling (but generally require significant brand loyalty and spending to acquire). Credit cards increasingly reward holders with lifestyle, finance, and travel-related benefits as well.

FoundersCard is an interesting addition to this. It is a paid membership card offering travel, business, and lifestyle services and discounts. It is targeted at entrepreneurs and business owners, and it could be a valuable tool for the right person.

The FoundersCard

The FoundersCard was launched in the US in 2009. It was launched by a US entrepreneur, Eric Kuhn, who had grown an early internet business from the late 1990s. He had seen the opportunities and access privileges that executives at larger companies received and wanted to make this available to startups and entrepreneurs.

The card was designed to provide business leaders and entrepreneurs with valuable benefits and access to aid business and lifestyle. It is a paid subscription card that is available globally and now has over 100,000 members. In many ways, the card acts as a community and hub for members, not just a list of defined benefits.

The company describes the card as follows:

“A Membership community of over 100,000 entrepreneurs and business executives who receive unprecedented benefits and networking opportunities.”

Who is the card designed for?

The card is theoretically available to anyone in any country. As it is not a credit card, there is no credit check, credit score, or income requirements. No transactions can be made with the card, so there is no financial link.

In practice, though, it will appeal to select customers. It is marketed to startup business owners, entrepreneurs, and innovators. This makes sense as the card offers not only travel perks and discounts, but aims to create a community and offer networking opportunities within these groups of people.

FoundersCard

Image: FoundersCard

The card is unlikely to be worth it just for the benefits and discounts. The additional value comes from the networking, socializing, and business opportunities offered. As such, applications should consider what is of use to them and what is available in their location and industry.

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Photo: cunaplus | Shutterstock

How to apply for a card

There is a simple online application on the FoundersCard website. As already discussed, there is no need to submit financial information or undergo any form of credit check. Applications will then be reviewed. As the aim is to create a like-minded community, it is possible that applications could be rejected if they are not from the right industry or business type.

FoundersCard Membership benefits when traveling

The FoundersCard offers a wide range of benefits – including travel perks and discounts, retail and business services offers and discounts, lifestyle and VIP perks, and networking opportunities.

FoundersCard does not publicly list an overall set of benefits and discounts – these are only made available to members. Several sources have collated and shared these however – our listings here are based on details from Business Insider and The Points Guy. Bear in mind that offers can change frequently or not apply in all locations.

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Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

The travel benefits will likely be of high interest to Simple Flying readers. Some of these include:

  • Flight discounts with many airlines. These include Cathay Pacific, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Qatar Airways, British Airways, JetBlue, Qantas, Emirates, and Singapore Airlines. The discounts are often around 5% (although some, such as Qantas, can be up to 25%). Many have restrictions to only apply to US fares.
  • Instant status with airline loyalty programs. This includes Cathay Pacific’s Cathay program (Silver status) and American Airlines AAdvantage (Platinum status).
  • Free three-month trial with JetSmarter private jet service.
  • Hotel elite status with several chains (including Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Platinum) and preferred rates at some hotels.
  • Car rental benefits, with Avis Preferred Plus and Hertz Five Star status.
  • Free TripIt Pro membership.
Qantas A330 landing at Melbourne Airport

Photo: ymgerman | Shutterstock

Many more membership benefits

This is a business and lifestyle-focused card, not just a travel card. Other useful benefits and discounts include:

  • Discounts on business services and retail – including Dell (up to 40%), UPS, MOO, LegalZoom, Office Depot, Amazon AWS, and Apple.
  • Discounts (25%) on classes with General Assembly.
  • Preferred pricing with Equinox.
  • Access to networking events in several cities.

Is the FoundersCard worth it?

As with many loyalty memberships or premium credit cards, the value of the card will really depend on the individual. The fee is certainly high. Many high-end credit cards (such as the American Express Platinum card) have similar fees and offer an excellent range of benefits. The fact that you cannot confirm benefits before taking out the card is also a challenge.

Related

The 5 Best Credit Cards To Get Airline Elite Status Fast

These credit cards provide a quicker way to earn elite status with airlines.

The flight discounts are useful, especially for US-based travelers flying internationally, and more wide-ranging than a credit card would offer. The retail and service benefits can also be valuable for certain businesses as they grow. Don’t forget that one of the main selling points of the card is the community and network opportunities – if you do not see value in this, the card may not be worth it.

Do you have a FoundersCard membership, or are you considering getting one? What do you think of the card, and to whom will it best appeal? Feel free to discuss further in the comments section below.

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