FoundersCard Review: A Fancy Coupon Book That’ll Cost Time and Money

FoundersCard, a membership community offering exclusive perks and discounts on travel, business expenses, entertainment and shopping, charges $595 per year for a standard membership. It’s marketed as a VIP pass for entrepreneurs and business executives. But to me, it felt less like a VIP pass and more like a coupon book that takes significant effort to use.

Although FoundersCard sounds like a credit card, it isn’t one. It’s a membership program that gives you elite status to certain airline and hotel brands and access to several discounts, plus business perks like members-only networking opportunities. Unlike the premium credit cards it competes with, you won’t earn a sign-up bonus or ongoing rewards with each purchase. And, notably, it doesn’t come with complimentary lounge access, a benefit travelers often use to justify the price of premium cards.

FoundersCard could be worthwhile for business owners wanting to take advantage of the business-specific benefits or loyalists of some of the participating airlines who spend upwards of $3,500 a year on flights. And if you can access membership for free (like I did) or at a discounted price, it might be a good deal. But at full price, it’s not a good value for most travelers.

What FoundersCard costs

FoundersCard has two membership levels:

• Standard: $595 a year. 

• Elite: $995 per year. 

It’s relatively easy to find promotions to test out the program before you pay. As of September 2024, you could receive a six-month free trial through the FoundersCard website. I received a free year of the Standard membership through my Clear membership.

Depending on how you sign up, you may have access to a different rate. For example, I was offered a renewal rate of $395 for the standard membership.

My experience

Once I filled out the application form for FoundersCard, I received an email stating that the membership board would look over my application and get back to me in one to three business days if I was approved. I received my approval email a little less than 24 hours later.

If you decide to accept a membership, you’ll need to provide your credit card information, but you won’t be charged until your trial period ends.

You can’t see the program’s full benefits until you’re approved. Once you are, you’re met with a dizzying amount of discounts, perks and elite status benefits. Here are some things you can expect:

• Up to 16% off flights through United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Qatar Airways. 

• Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy (Platinum status), Hilton Honors (Gold status), IHG (Gold status), Omni (Champion status), Sonesta (Gold status), Virgin Atlantic (Silver status), Hertz, Avis and Sixt. 

• Discounts on select hotels. 

• Preferred pricing at sporting events, concerts and plays. 

• Discounts at select retail stores, like Adidas, Mr Porter and COS. 

• Preferred pricing on gym memberships through Equinox, Crunch Fitness, SoulCycle and CorePower Yoga.

• Preferred pricing on electronics through Dell, Apple and Lenovo.

• Discounts and credits on business services, like Amazon Web Services, Google Workspace, Stripe, Square and Hubspot.

• Discounts on memberships and daily passes at select coworking spaces. 

• Up to 15% off select phone plans through AT&T.

Some of these benefits can be extremely valuable, especially if you have expenses that match what FoundersCard offers. Others are similar to deals you might get on $0-annual-fee credit cards.

What I like

As an avid credit card user, I was pleasantly surprised to find perks through FoundersCard that are harder to find on credit cards. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Up to 16% off United Airlines flights

United Airlines is rarely my first choice of airline, but since I live near a United hub, it’s often the best option. So that potential 16% discount on flights would be significant for me. It’s important to note, though, that you’ll only get this discount once you pay for a Standard membership. The trial period I currently have doesn’t come with this offer.

If you pay full price for the Standard membership, you’d need to spend over $3,700 on United flights each year to break even, which is more than most people will spend. But even if it doesn’t cover the entire cost of a membership, it can cover a significant chunk for travelers who often fly United.

Keep in mind the math doesn't apply to every participating airline with a discount. The discount varies by airline, so you might have to spend even more to break even if you're a devoted Alaska Airlines flyer (which only has a 5% discount) or British Airways flyer (which only has an up to 10% discount).

» Learn more: Best credit cards for United Airlines

Cheaper stays at smaller hotel brands

Don’t get me wrong: I love my hotel rewards. But sometimes it’s nice to stay at a boutique hotel that isn’t connected to a large hotel chain. FoundersCard gives you deep discounts at over 500 hotels, many of them smaller chains. You can often find 20% discounts, and several hotels even waive resort fees.

Up to 15% off Hyatt stays through Hyatt Leverage

FoundersCard gives you automatic Hyatt Leverage, a program designed for small businesses that gives participants up to 15% off qualifying stays. Anyone can sign up for Hyatt Leverage, but if you (or your employees) don’t stay at least 50 nights per year, you could get removed from the program. With FoundersCard, there’s no such requirement. Because of Hyatt's small footprint, I don't stay at the brand often. But a 15% discount definitely makes me seek out Hyatt hotels when it's available.

What I don’t like

Airport lounge access isn’t free

FoundersCard will get you into No1, Plaza Premium and The Club lounges for up to 20% cheaper than the general public pays. That’s not nothing. But considering the price of a membership that touts its premium travel benefits, I’d expect to sip cocktails in a free airport lounge.

Many credit cards — some with significantly lower annual fees — get you into airport lounges at no additional cost. For example, the $395-annual-fee Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes with access to Capital One lounges, Priority Pass lounges and Plaza Premium lounges. Even the United℠ Explorer Card, which has an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95, comes with two free day passes to United Clubs.

» Learn more: The best airport lounges in the U.S.

Low levels of elite status

FoundersCard offers automatic elite status for several hotels and rental car companies. This is a nice perk, but many hotel credit cards also offer an equivalent or higher level of elite status for a much lower price. For example: My $99-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card gives me Platinum Elite status for IHG. FoundersCard only comes with Gold.

Lack of transparency

FoundersCard doesn’t provide any meaningful information to prospective members. Sure, it’s relatively easy to get a free trial, but it would be nice to know what you’re signing up for — before you have to provide your credit card information.

Even with my free membership, I can’t view key information that would influence my decision to renew my membership or upgrade to the Elite level. Up to 16% off United flights is a major perk. But I can’t see what the “up to” entails without paying. If I could guarantee 16% off all United flights, it would definitely influence my decision to renew my membership. But what if this rate only applies to certain routes or certain classes? The actual benefit could be much less valuable than I’d hope for.

Inconsistent entertainment discounts

FoundersCard sometimes offers event tickets at a discounted rate. While a great perk, it wouldn’t be a selling point for me.

In September 2024, I looked at tickets to a Texas Rangers baseball game, several broadway shows and a Taylor Swift concert. The Rangers tickets were roughly half the price through FoundersCard. The Broadway shows were the same price or even more than booking through Broadway.com. And Taylor Swift tickets were selling for a whopping $2,000 more than you could book on SeatGeek.

For people who can justify the cost of FoundersCard, potential savings on entertainment is a nice addition. But for the price, I’d expect more guaranteed savings on this spending.

» Learn more: Best credit cards for entertainment spending

Calculating your potential value is complicated

Unlike many premium credit cards, FoundersCard doesn’t come with statement credits to help you cover the cost of the annual fee. You could luck out and score a great deal on a hotel room or a couple of first class flights to cover the annual fee. But if not, you’ll likely need to add up small, individual savings throughout the year and hope the value outweighs the cost.

Even the $695 annual fee on The Platinum Card® from American Express is easier for me to justify (see rates and fees). The Platinum Card® from American Express comes with complimentary lounge access, which gets me into Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges and Plaza Premium lounges, and it offers the same level of Hilton elite status (enrollment required). Terms apply.

On top of that, it's easy to calculate the value of the other benefits. I recoup $640 each year with expenses I’m already going to make by taking advantage of three main statement credits:

• $200 airline incidentals fee credit.

• $200 Uber credit.

• $240 entertainment credit.

• Terms apply.

That leaves just $55 to make up throughout the year — significantly less than the $395 (or $995) I’d need to justify with FoundersCard.

Is FoundersCard worth it?

If you can find a free trial, it’s worth opening an account to try out the benefits. Business owners will probably get the most use out of the membership, but most travelers would probably be better off applying for a credit card with rewards and perks that match their lifestyle.