The Brim World Mastercard has unique insurance policies; however, as a mid-tier card, it’s not always as obvious whether the benefits are worth the cost, compared to what you’d get with other credit cards.
Bonuses & Fees
This card currently comes without a welcome bonus.
The annual fee of $99 is not waived for the first year. In fact, if you can qualify on the basis of your income, you’d be better off applying for the superior Brim World Elite Mastercard, which has an annual fee of $89 and better insurance.
You can add authorized users at no additional cost.
Earning Rewards
This card offers a tiered rewards structure:
- Up to 30 Brim Rewards points per dollar spent on select Brim partners
- 1 Brim Rewards point per $2 spent elsewhere
Brim’s partners range from large brands to small local businesses. You can check which vendors are eligible for bonus rewards in the Brim app. You can read more about Brim’s individual partnerships program on their website.
If you shop a lot at partner stores, you can take advantage of special offers in the Brim app. In particular, look for Milestone Bonuses from specific vendors in the Brim Marketplace.
Otherwise, this card doesn’t have a competitive earning rate, which is in fact the same on the Brim Mastercard, which comes with no annual fee.
Redeeming Rewards
Brim Rewards can be redeemed at a rate of 1 cent per point at any time as a statement credit. Given how easy it is to redeem points, it’s safe to say they’re equivalent to cash back.
Redeem your points by clicking the “Redeem” button next to your transactions in the Brim Portal in the app.
Perks & Benefits
This card comes with a 1.5% foreign transaction fee, which is less than the standard 2.5%. However, since other cards don’t levy foreign transaction fees, you’re better off applying for one of them instead, especially since this card doesn’t have particularly strong earning rates or other features.
Also, as a World Mastercard, you’ll automatically get a DragonPass membership (although without any free visits included), as well as Boingo Wi-Fi.
Insurance Coverage
As the mid-tier card in the Brim line-up, this card offers a solid travel insurance package, but with few standout features.
Instead, Brim offers event ticket protector insurance, a unique policy that’s not seen on any other credit cards. If you can’t attend an event due to one of the covered reasons (such as emergency medical or common carrier accident), you’ll be reimbursed for the cost of your event tickets up to $1,000.
You’ll also get mobile device protection for loss, theft, or damage. That type of coverage is still quite uncommon, although it’s slowly showing up on more credit cards.
Fee is no longer waived. Paid the FULL fee only to find they dropped the annual fee by $110 1 month later. Also raised foreign transaction fees from 0 to 1.5% 1 month after signing up. Feels like a bait and switch. AVOID. No support from customer service. Cancelled the card. Look elsewhere for a good travel card.
Fee is no longer waved on either card since October of this year, it seems