rewrite this title These Hidden Mastercard Perks Could Upgrade Your Next Trip – NerdWallet

You might be missing out on major credit card benefits. That’s because payment networks — like Mastercard and Visa — often offer perks beyond what issuers advertise.

Mastercard invited me to experience some of these perks firsthand during a 2026 trip to New York City, but all of the opinions in this article are my own. Here are the little-known perks I recommend checking out.

Soho House is a private members’ club with a modern country-club-style experience. You can visit members-only restaurants and lounge spaces, and at some locations, book overnight stays.

With a Mastercard World Legend card, you can get an annual $100 discount toward a stay booked at an eligible Soho House location, plus a free year of Soho Friends membership, which includes access to lower member rates for stays. Even for just a one-night booking, these benefits could be worth hundreds.

Most locations are in major cities, but some are in more rural areas, such as the famous Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire, England.

I stayed at the Soho House New York in the city’s Meatpacking District, and I was impressed with the Big Classic room. It was a massive hotel room by New York standards (700 square feet) with a standalone bathtub across from the bed.

Because it’s a members’ club, you can sit at a table as long as you like, reading a book with a coffee or sipping a cocktail by the rooftop pool. It was all unhurried — a welcome reprieve from the rest of my trip.

Why it’s worth using

The type of room I stayed in regularly goes for more than $1,500 at full price, but with a Soho Friends membership, you’ll get up to a 20% discount. You can also redeem your $100 Mastercard World Legend discount to save on some of the cost. In this case, that could add up to $400 in savings for a one-night stay.

Even with the discounts, many of these locations are still expensive. But if you’re looking to splurge on a luxury hotel, the savings could more than make up for an annual fee on one of your eligible credit cards.

There are also other lower-priced Soho Houses, particularly abroad. I found some rooms under $300 with the Soho Friends membership at the time of publication.

How to book

Then you’ll need to enter your personal details, and the page will still show the cost as $130 to join until you input your eligible Mastercard and click the continue button.

Then the cost will update to $0.

Still, it’s unnerving to enter credit card information when the page still shows a cost, and I was concerned about getting charged the full amount. (It will show an error message if you input an ineligible Mastercard.) Also, enrollment isn’t live for Bilt Palladium Card holders just yet, though Mastercard confirmed it should be available in the next month or so.

After you complete enrollment, you’ll receive an email with your $100 credit. To use it, present the voucher to the reception. It is not an automatic credit during the booking process.

The Soho Friends membership needs to be activated by Dec. 31, 2027.

Mastercard also offers a selection of cardholder-only dining and entertainment experiences. World Elite and World Legend cardholders can make high-end dining reservations, while all Mastercard holders are eligible to book experiences.

Just keep in mind that locations are limited, and restaurant reservations aren’t available in every major city.

Experiences, which can be booked by any Mastercard holder, also have a relatively limited geographic footprint — but there’s a wide variety to choose from. Options include cooking classes, dinner and a theater show, F1 races, early access to museums, and architecture tours. The list goes on and changes regularly. The cost generally ranges from $25 to $400, though some cost several thousand dollars.

Why it’s worth using

For travelers who feel like they’ve done it all, snagging a hard-to-get reservation or booking an exclusive class feels well worth it.

I got a preview of the bagel-making class at the iconic Russ & Daughters bagel shop, which has been around since 1914. The after-hours class is available only to Mastercard cardholders and has about 10 participants per class.

That level of attention — and the chance to learn in-person from such a well-known bagel maker — makes this class more high-end than anything similar you could book with a tour operator.

At $80 per person, I’d gladly trade an expensive dinner in New York for a seat in this class. The instructor knew every detail of both bagel-making and the business behind it. I even got to try catching bagels off a machine and taste fresh-out-the-oven bagels during my tour.

While I didn’t participate in the event itself, participants usually get to take their own batch home.

How to book

Booking an experience is much more straightforward than booking a Soho House reservation. You go to the Priceless website, browse options by city or category, select your event or reservation for your preferred date and time, and pay with your Mastercard.

Keep in mind that availability is limited, and sometimes inventory sells out quickly.

Mastercard’s more luxurious benefits are great — but while you’re taking advantage of them, don’t miss out on the network’s more practical perks. For example, World Legend Mastercard and World Elite Mastercard holders get a 10% discount on scheduled Lyft rides to the airport through Jan. 31, 2027.

Plus, World Legend and World Elite Mastercard holders can stack this offer with another Mastercard benefit: Take three Lyft rides within a calendar month and pay with your eligible Mastercard to earn $5 in Lyft credit. If you have the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, you’ll get $10 in Lyft credit after three rides.

Even if you aren’t booking a Soho House stay or a curated experience anytime soon, practical benefits like these could save you money. And like the higher-end experiences, they’re not widely advertised by card issuers — but using them could be worth the effort.

Top photo courtesy of Soho House.

About the author

Meghan Coyle is an editor on the Travel Rewards team and the co-host of the Smart Travel podcast. She covers travel credit cards, airline and hotel loyalty programs, and how to travel on points. Meghan is based in Los Angeles and has a love-hate relationship with LAX.