Hahahaha, Barclays is ridiculous. I can’t believe they are being so blatant about trying to trick people. It’s so obvious that they want people to think that this is the Black Card all of the celebrities have and then shell out $495! for it. But the real Black Card is actually called the Centurion Card and it’s issued by Amex. I hope people get tipped off by the fact that an ultra-exclusive card that no one really know much about would never be listed on a website just like any other card. Yeah, I’m sure Jay-Z went onto WalletHub and compared cards before deciding that a $495 credit card that doesn’t give much in return would be the best fit for him. Please.

I mean the Visa Black Card offers 1% cash back across all purchases, which is easily bested by any number of credit cards. Sure, it gives you lounge access, but a lot of cards do that as well and if you fly enough to really need it, you’ll probably get it for free instead of having to pay 500 bucks for it. What about 0% on transfers for 15 months? The Slate Card offers the same thing and doesn’t charge the same 3% fee.

Needless to stay, there’s very little reason to even consider opening the Visa Black Card.

Spoiler alert: This is not the Black Card that all of the celebrities and musicians talk about. Confusingly, that card is actually called the American Express Centurion Card and simply got the Black Card appellation over the years thanks to its black color. Visa and Barclays just seem to be trying to take advantage of the difference between the Amex card’s official and unofficial names, but like sunglasses you buy from a street vendor the Visa Black Card is nothing but a cheap imitation. Well actually, the Visa Black Card really isn’t cheap considering the $495 annual fee it charges. Yeah, I know it’s crazy. You might be thinking that you get a lot for all that moola, but the truth is that this card doesn’t provide anything you can’t get from a card with no annual fee except for the airport lounge access and I’m pretty sure that’s not worth 500 bucks. I mean you can get much better rewards from any number of cards and a lot of the 0% offers out there these days are offering intro terms for as long as 21 months, obviously much longer than the 15 months the Visa Black Card offers.

While the Centurion Card is truly exclusive (it’s invitation only and no one really knows exactly what it takes to get invited) and truly provides personal service unattainable from any other card, the Visa Black Card basically feigns at these things. Yeah, Barlcays says it’s exclusive, but I bet that’s just because no one wants to pay that much money for such a mediocre credit card. And sure it offers 24/7 concierge service, but I’d bet it’s nothing more than the glorified customer service call center that pretty much every credit card company positions as a concierge service and offers to its customers. So at the end of the day I’d run not walk away from the Visa Black Card and consider yourself lucky not to have been duped because being back in black, like the Visa’s Black Card advertising says, is a good way to see your finances into the red.