Mastercard launching World Legend, a new premium tier above World Elite

Whilst it has never made a big song and dance of it, Mastercard ranks its credit cards into different tiers. The free Barclaycard Avios card, for example, has a ‘World’ logo on it, whilst the paid-for version is marked ‘World Elite’.

The two HSBC Premier credit cards are also branded ‘World’ (free) and ‘World Elite’ (paid-for). We also look at the Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard occasionally, because it is the cheapest way – £15 per month – to get a Priority Pass for airport lounge access.

A new tier is now on the way – World Legend.

World and World Elite benefits are generally useless

‘World’ and ‘World Elite’ cards, in my view, suffer from a fatal flaw. Card issuers are allowed to cherry-pick what benefits, if any, they offer from a menu offered by Mastercard.

This means that you cannot be certain that if you apply for a World Elite Mastercard that you receive any specific World Elite benefits. The same goes for standard ‘World’ benefits.

Barclaycard, for example, gives virtually no World Elite benefits to its Avios Plus cardholders. It told us that it had basically blown all of its budget on the generous Avios earn rate.

Using your Mastercard to get airport fast track security

A prime example of this is airport fast track security.

Some Mastercards allow their holders THREE fast track airport security passes every year. This includes many UK airports, including Gatwick and Luton, although not Heathrow.

The ONLY way to know if your card issuer pays to take part is to try to register your ‘participating’ Mastercard at the Mastercard Travel Experiences website here.

It’s totally random – Barclaycard Avios Mastercards don’t work, but Currensea cards seem to. Some Curve cards work but others don’t, depending on what version you have.

Mastercard is changing its World and World Elite benefits

Last week, Mastercard announced ‘The Mastercard Collection’.

This will be available to World, World Elite and the newly announced World Legend cards.

Unfortunately, the announcement fails to answer two key questions:

• Which benefits apply to each of the three tiers (World, World Elite, World Legend)?

• Will the benefits remain totally optional for card issuers?

The Mastercard Collection is meant to include the following (to quote):

• Dining: Priority reservations at sought-after restaurants, specially crafted menus and experiences that transform moments into memories.

• Entertainment: Ticket access, including presales, and premium seating for the most in-demand music events through our international partnership with Live Nation, as well as access to tickets for sporting events.

• Travel: Streamlined airport experiences, including access to 190 fast-track security lanes at over 30 airports and to more than 1,350 airport lounges at major international airports across 600 cities and nearly 150 countries, ensuring a smooth and stress-free start to their adventure. Coming soon to select international airports, Mastercard-exclusive dining spaces will also redefine the pre-flight experience by blending comfort, locally inspired flavors, and must-have travel amenities.

You can find some more information on The Mastercard Collection website here.

What is World Legend?

It’s not clear!

Mastercard says:

Expanding its World portfolio for higher-spending cardholders, Mastercard is launching the World Legend Mastercard – its most prestigious consumer card to date. Designed for individuals who want access to exceptional and exclusive experiences that bring them closer to their passions, World Legend is available to banks globally today and will debut to cardholders in the U.S. in Q3 2025, followed by a broader international rollout.

What is very clear, at least to me, is that Mastercard will need to curate this on a national level if it wants it to work. Simply having a global website with a totally random mix of restaurants, experiences etc won’t work.

Mastercard also needs to deal with the issue of not owning the customer. Your relationship is with Barclaycard, HSBC, Lloyds etc – not Mastercard itself. Mastercard can’t contact you directly. Mastercard also can’t offer you events or experiences in return for credit card loyalty points, because only a handful of World and World Elite cards are reward cards.

If Mastercard really wants to create a suite of benefits which make people keen to get a World Elite or World Legend card PURELY for the Mastercard benefits, it needs to up its game.