Difference between revisions of "Reciprocal museum programs"

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'''This page is still under construction.'''
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Many credit card companies offer “premium” reward cards that have high annual fees, but also provide valuable benefits, such as free airport lounge access. The most famous of these are the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards, but there are also several lessor-known premium cards available from other banks.
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<blockquote>
 
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These premium cards can be very valuable. At a minimum, you’ll want to eventually sign up for all these cards, to collect their extremely lucrative signup bonuses. By spreading these applications out over time, you’ll be able to freely access airport lounges for years to come. And, depending on your travel patterns, it can be worthwhile to make one or more of these cards part of your “permanent” credit card collection.
 
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{{TOC}}
 
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*[[#What all the premium cards have in common|What all the premium cards have in common]]
 
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*[[#You should (eventually) sign up for every premium credit card, to collect their signup bonus bonus|Collecting every premium card's signup bonus]]
 
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*[[#Keeping a card for its unique benefits|Keeping a card for its unique benefits]]
 
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*[[#Obtaining continuous airport lounge access|Obtaining continuous airport lounge access]]
 
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*[[#Holding onto a premium card for travel and restaurant spending|Holding onto a premium card for travel and restaurant spending]]
 
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*[[#Side-by-side comparison|Side-by-side comparison]]
 
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{{/TOC}}
 
  
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{{TOC}}
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*[[#xxx|xxx]]
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{{Main|article}}
 
{{Main|article}}
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=== What all the premium cards have in common ===
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=== How reciprocal museum programs work ===
  
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While each premium card has valuable unique benefits, they also share some general features.  
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When you become a member of any museum or attraction in the program, you get free access to all of the other participating locations. For example, if you join the Science Museum in your home town, you can freely visit dozens of science museums all around the country.  
  
 
<ul class="bulletlist">
 
<ul class="bulletlist">
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<li>'''Airport lounge access'''. Each card provides free access to over 1,000 airport lounges through the Priority Pass airport lounge program. You (and some number of additional traveling companions) can freely access airport lounges located all around the world. They aren’t the fanciest lounges around, and there may not be one in the terminal you are using for your flight, but you should still have plenty of opportunities to take advantage of this benefit. {{Link|lounge access}}.</li>
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<li>'''You usually are only entitled to "standard" admission'''. You usually need to pay extra for special exhibits, IMAX movies, and other valued-added attractions. Because these extras are often available as part of a discounted package, if you want the full experience, your discount might not amount to that much.</li>
  
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{{ImageX|AirportLounge1.jpg}}
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<li>'''Nearby museums are usually not included'''. With most programs, you WON'T get reciprocal access to any museums that are located close to your home museum. Sometimes "nearby" is defined by an official number of miles, other times it is any location in the same state, and sometimes it is ad-hoc. So, don't expect privileges with other museums in the same metropolitan area or state.</li>
  
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The Amex Platinum card provides access to some additional lounges, besides the ones that belong to Priority Pass. For example, you get access to Amex’s own collection of Centurion lounges, which are located at a handful of locations around the world, plus access to Delta’s lounges when flying Delta.
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<li>'''Joining an out-of-state museum can provide access to all the locations that are close to your home'''. If you want privileges at all the museums in your area, you can often join a museum in some other city, rather than your favorite nearby museum. While you'll be blocked at locations located nearby the institution you join, you won't be blocked at any of your local locations. There are some downsides to this approach. Your membership money will be supporting the museum you join, rather than the one in your area; and you won't be able to take advantage of many other membership benefits, such as access to special member's only visiting hours or events. With some programs, this approach isn't even possible, as you'll be blocked to local museums based on the address on your ID, rather than the address of the museum you belong to.</li>
  
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<li>'''Extremely valuable signup bonuses'''. All the premium cards have excellent signup bonuses—typically worth anywhere from $600, to more than $2,000, depending on current promotions, and the way you choose to use the points. Because of the signup bonuses, it is worth signing up fro all of these cards, even if you aren’t interested in holding onto them for the long run.</li>  
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<li>'''Reciprocal benefits are not available with many less expensive memberships'''. You'll need to join your local museum at a certain level. Each of the programs enforces a minimum membership cost to access reciprocal benefits. For example, no museum in the program can provide reciprocal benefits with any membership level that costs less than $100 per year.</li>  
  
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<li>'''Some sort of credit that reduces the amount of money it costs each year to have the card'''. Every premium reward card comes with a “credit”, which rebates some of the travel charges you put on the card. Except for the Ritz Carlton card, these credits are automatic. For example, the first $300 you spend on travel with your Sapphire Reserve card every year is automatically subtracted from your credit card bill, without having to take any additional action. You pay $450, but you get back $300 in free travel.</li>
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<li>'''You can often get a membership discount'''. The best place to check is Groupon, but other promotional codes are sometimes available.</li>  
  
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With some cards, it is trivial to take advantage of their travel credit. For example, everyone who is reading this is likely to spend at least $300 on travel. As long as you use your Sapphire Reserve card to pay for that travel, you’ll wind up earning the credit. With other cards, it is considerably harder. The $200 credit from the Amex Platinum card only pays for incidental expenses, like checked bag fees and inflight food and beverages, on a single airline (that you have to choose at the beginning of the year). There is a good chance that you won’t have a natural opportunity to take full advantage of this credit. Although, there are ways to maximize the Amex credit using airline gift cards. {{Link|incidental credits}}.
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<li>'''The number of guests depends on the type of membership you have'''. Typically, if you have an individual membership, you'll reciprocal benefits only apply to one person. If you have a family membership, you'll receive benefits based on the family membership of the museum you are visiting, not your home museum.</li>
  
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<li>'''Global Entry rebate'''. Each high-end card (and some lower-end cards) will also pay up to $100 for your Global Entry / TSA PreCheck application fee. Since, you only need to pay these fees once every 5 years, each card’s credit can only be used once every four to five years. If you need to pay fees for family members, you may need to take advantage of the TSA fee credit from multiple cards. The Hilton Aspire cards is the only premium card that doesn't offer a TSA credit. </li>  
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<li>'''Memberships are NOT typically based on the calendar year'''. They usually last for one year after you join. With some museums and attractions, it can take some time for you to receive your membership card. So, you'll need to apply weeks before you you plan to take advantage of any reciprocal benefits.</li>  
  
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{{ImageX|TSAPre.jpg}}
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<li>'''To get access, you'll need to carry your membership card'''. There is no way to look you up in some "member database". You'll need to have a valid membership card and photo ID.</li>  
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<li>'''Some sort of elite car rental status'''. Most of the high-end reward cards entitle you to elite status with a few car rental companies. While this is nice to have, it isn’t much of a reason to go out and get the cards. Elite car rental status usually just amounts to a one-car class upgrade, and some extra bonus points from the rental company’s reward program.</li>
 
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
  
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=== You should (eventually) sign up for every premium credit card, to collect their signup bonus bonus ===
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=== Major reciprocal museum programs ===
  
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The short answer to which premium card you should sign up for is “all of them”.  
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While there are many smaller or more specialized reciprocal programs such as the Empire State Museums Reciprocal Program (mix of museums in New York state) or Connections (photography museums around the country), that may be interesting based on your location or interest, the following programs include the widest range of the most popular museums and attractions.  
  
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<ul class="bulletlist">
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==== Art Museums ====
  
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<li>'''All the premium cards have generous signup offers'''. For example, a typical signup offer for the Amex Platinum cards ranges from 60,000 to 100,000 Membership Reward points, valued at {{Value|MR|60000}} to {{Value|MR|100000}}. If you highly value premium-cabin frequent flyer awards, the signup bonuses are even more valuable.</li>
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Unlike Science Museums, Zoos, and Children's Museums, Art Museum reciprocal programs are pretty fragmented. Some of the more significant programs include.  
  
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<li>'''Annual fees are high, but they can be offset by travel credits'''. For example, the Sapphire Reserve has a $450 annual fee. But, it comes with an automatic $300 travel credit. So, while you need to pay the $450 annual fee to earn the signup bonus, you’ll get back $300 in free travel, dropping your effective out of pocket expense to $150.</li>  
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<ul class="checklist">
 +
<li>'''[//www.metmuseum.org/join-and-give/membership/faqs Metropolitan Reciprocal Membership Program]'''. Includes 15 of the top art museums in the country, anchored by the Met in NYC.</li>
  
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<li>'''In some cases, you can take advantage of the travel credit twice in your initial year'''. The Amex Platinum, Citi Prestige, and Ritz Carlton cards allow you to earn the travel credit each “calendar” year. The CNB Infinite card allows you to earn the travel credit each calendar year, and offers separate credits for each authorized cardholder.</li>  
+
{{Image|MET.jpg}}
 +
 +
<li>'''[//www.artic.edu/support-us/membership/member-faqs Art Museum Reciprocal Membership Program]'''. Includes 15 of the top art museums in the country, anchored by Art Institute of Chicago. A few museums belong to both this program and the Met's program. </li>  
  
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You can take advantage of the credit twice during your initial sign-up year. For example, if you sign up for the card in August, you can get the full credit for your travel spending between August and December, and then again for your spending between January and August. For some of these cards, you can get back more in credits, than you need to pay in annual fees—and that doesn’t even include the value of the sign-up points or ongoing benefits.
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<li>'''[//sites.google.com/view/marplist/participating-museums Museum Alliance Reciprocal Program]''' (MARP). Includes 32 major US art museums, but not quite at the same overall level as the Met and Art Institute programs.</li>
  
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<li>'''You can earn the signup bonus from multiple different versions of the Amex Platinum card'''. Amex has partnered with a number of other companies, to offer slightly different versions of their Platinum cards. While you can only earn each Amex signup bonus once per lifetime, you are entitled to earn the bonus from each different version of the Platinum card.</li>
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{{Image|Guggenheim.jpg}}
  
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There are three personal versions of the card that are available for most readers. The regular and Ameriprise versions are available to everyone with solid credit (although the Ameriprise version usually doesn't have a signup bonus). The Schwab version is only available to people who have a Schwab account, but you can easily open a Schwab account without any fees. There is also a business version that is available to anyone who has any type of small business.  
+
<li>'''[//thewalters.org/support/membership/art-museum-reciprocal-network/ Art Museum Reciprocal Network]''' (AMRN). Similar to the MARP program, but a different cluster of major museums. </li>
  
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There are some other versions as well. The Morgan Stanley version requires a Morgan Stanley account that will either require a little effort, substantial fees, or a large amount of assets. The Goldman Sachs version is only available to existing employees or high-value customers. The Ameriprise version waives the first year’s annual fee, rather than providing a substantial signup bonus.  
+
<li>'''[//whitney.org/Support/Membership/ReciprocalProgram The Whitney Reciprocal Program]'''. Unlike the other programs, this isn't a mutual alliance amongst a group of museums. Rather, joining the Whitney ($140/2) gives you access to 16 other museums in the US and Europe, and joining any of those museums gives you access to the Whitney. But the various partner museums don't necessarily have any reciprocal benefits between themselves.</li>
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
  
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=== Keeping a card for its unique benefits ===
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==== Others ====
 +
<ul class="checklist">
 +
<li>'''[//www.astc.org/passport/ Association of Science and Technology Centers Travel Passport]''' (ASTC). Provides benefits at over 350 museums in North America, plus a smattering of museums elsewhere in the world. Includes almost every large science museum, with the notable exceptions of the Exploratarium and the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and the Academy of Natural Sciences in New York. You won't have privileges at museums that are within 90 miles of your home address or your membership museum. [//www.astc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/ASTCTravelPassport_6pt_Nov2018-Apr2019.pdf Participating Museums].</li>
  
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'''Every premium card makes sense for the first year, due to their lucrative signup bonuses. The question is whether it make sense to make the card a more permanent part of your core credit card collection'''.  
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{{Image|BostonGenerator.jpg}}
  
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Several high-end cards have unique benefits that are potentially very valuable. Depending on your travel patterns, the unique feature of each card can be enough to warrant holding onto the card, and paying the annual fee every year.  
+
<li>'''[//narmassociation.org/ North American Reciprocal Membership]''' (NARM). This is the largest reciprocal museum program, with over 1,000 participating art, history, and specialty museums, primarily in the United States. Most of the hightest-profile museums are not members, but you'll get free access to many excellent museums in every corner of the country. [https://a1pir3oc6nm1k9qfq28au9qx-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/NARM_Winter_2018-2019.pdf Participating Museums].</li>
  
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<ul class="bulletlist">
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Most '''[//sites.google.com/site/roammuseums/home Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums]''' (ROAM) members are also part of the much larger NARM program. But, if your membership includes both, you'll have access to some additional museums that are members are ROAM, but not NARM.  [https://sites.google.com/site/roammuseums/home/list-of-roam-museums Participating Museums].
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<li>'''When deciding whether it is worth holding onto a premium card, you can usually ignore the Priority Pass airport lounge benefit'''. Chances are that you will already have Priority Pass access through another card. For example, if you decide to hold onto the Citi Prestige card for its 4<sup>th</sup> night free benefit, you’ll get no additional value from the Sapphire Reserve’s airport lounge access. Even if you aren’t interested in holding onto one of the other cards, you can get airport lounge access for many years, by simply spreading out your applications over time, collecting the signup bonuses, and then cancelling the cards after the first year.</li>
 
  
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<li>'''Since you will probably be signing up for these cards to collect the signup bonus, you’ll get a “free” year to decide whether the ongoing benefits are worthwhile'''. Don’t worry to much about evaluating whether you’ll get enough value from the card’s benefits to make it worthwhile to continue to pay the annual fee. When you sign up to collect the bonus, you’ll have the card for a year, and will have plenty of opportunity to evaluate the ongoing benefits.</li>
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<li>'''[//www.aza.org/reciprocity Association of Zoos and Aquariums]''' (AZA). Provides reciprocal benefits at over 150 North American zoos and aquariums. It includes most major zoos, but a few of the most significant zoos (including the San Diego Zoo Bronx Zoo, and Brookfield Zoo) don't participate, and it doesn't provide benefits at most major aquariums.  [//www.aza.org/assets/2332/reciprocitychart.pdf Participating locations].</li>  
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</ul>
 
  
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==== Citi Prestige Card ====
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Unlike most of the other major programs, you usually only receive a 50% discount, rather than free admission. However, memberships with a smaller set of participating zoos and aquariums will give you free admission with that same set of locations (and 50% off everywhere else). 
  
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'''If you expect to stay four nights or longer at a hotel, at least two times per year, make sure to get the Citi Prestige card'''. Whenever you use this card to book a four night stay at almost any hotel, you’ll get the average cost of one night refunded to your credit card statement. As of now, you can use the benefit as many times as you want, at anything from a $70 per night roadside motel to a $800 per night ski lodge. Starting in 2019, you'll be limited to two uses per year (of your choice)
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{{Image|KansasCityZoo.png}}
  
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{{Image|4thNightFree.jpg}}
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<li>'''[//findachildrensmuseum.org/reciprocal-network/  Association of Children's Museums]''' (ACM). Provides benefits at around 200 different children's museums. Like the Zoo program, and unlike the other programs, you'll only receive 50% off the regular admission. Nearly every US children's museum participates, admission is good for up to six people, and the conveniently don't block privileges at nearby museums.  [http://childrensmuseums.org/images/Reciprocal-Brochure_1.17.19.pdf Participating Museums].</li>
  
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For example, if you pay $1,200 for a four night stay at a beach resort, Citibank will give you $300 back. Later in the year, if you pay $900 for a four night stay at a downtown hotel, Citibank will give you another $225 back. Depending on your travel patterns, this is the most valuable benefit that you can get from any credit card, savings hundreds of dollars per year. {{Link|4th night free}}
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<li>'''[http://timetravelers.mohistory.org/ Time Travelers]'''. Provides benefits at more than 300 historical sites and museums throughout the United State. [//csv.mohistory.org/static/pdf/institutions.pdf Participating Locations].</li>
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{{Card|CitiPrestige|guide}}
+
</ul>
  
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The Citi Prestige card costs $450 per year, but comes with an automatic $250 airfare credit, making the effective annual fee $200. If you are a preferred Citibank customer, you save an additional $100 off the annual fee. The card is also the only credit card (other than its sibling) to give bonus points on entertainment spending.
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=== Access multiple programs with a single membership ===
  
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If you can use the 4<sup>th</sup> night free benefit twice per year, it is almost always worthwhile to get this card, even if you have other premium cards.
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Many museums belong to multiple reciprocal programs. Becoming a member one of these museums lets you enjoy the benefits of multiple programs for a single membership fee.  
  
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==== Amex Platinum Card ====
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==== Art Museums ====
  
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'''The Amex Platinum card can be very attractive to some people, and is much less attractive to others'''. Unfortunately, it is less straightforward to determine whether the unique benefits of the Amex Platinum card are worth the annual fee. Unlike the other cards, it has several different unique benefits, that you will need to value separately. It is also less clear how much value you can get from its travel credits.
+
<ul class="checklist">
−
{{Card|platinumcard|guide}}
 
  
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<ul class="bulletlist">
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<li>'''Both the Met and Art Institute Programs'''. A few museums belong to both of the most prestigious art museum programs.</li>  
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<li>'''The Amex Platinum card gets you into more Airport Lounges than the other cards'''. The Amex card comes with a Priority Pass membership, but also provides access to Amex’s new Centurion lounges, to Delta lounges (when flying Delta), and to a small set of additional lounges. That makes it particularly valuable if you live in a Delta hub, or a city with a Centurion lounge. {{Link|lounge access}}.</li>
 
  
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Just be aware that, unlike most of the other cards, you are limited to 2 free guests when you visit Priority Pass lounges (and when you are visiting one of their own Centurion lounges); and only the cardholders receive free access to Delta lounges. So, if you frequently travel with a family, and don’t pay the $175 additional fee to add authorized cardholders, the Platinum card’s lounge benefit can be less valuable than the lounge benefit from other cards.
+
<ul>
 +
<li>Qualifying membership at [//www.philamuseum.org/membership/?page=2 Philadelphia Museum of Art] costs $250 and also includes a membership in AMRN.</li>
  
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{{Image|CenturionLounge.jpg}}
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<li>The [//www.lacma.org/membership/join/levels/friend Los Angeles County Museum of Art] (LACMA) costs $250 and also includes reciprocal benefits with the Whitney.</li>
  
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<li>'''The Platinum card gives you automatic Gold status at Hilton, Marriott / Starwood hotels'''. At Hilton that’s good enough for free breakfast. While you can easily get Hilton Gold status from one of the Hilton credit cards, they have a $95 annual fee. {{Link|free breakfast}}.</li>
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<li>The [//www.dma.org/support-partners/dma-members Dallas Museum of Art] costs $250 and also includes a membership in the Western Reciprocal Museum Program and ROAM.</li>
 +
</ul>
  
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{{ImageX|ContinentalBreakfast.jpg|480}}
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<li>'''One of the Met or Art Institute plus more'''. A few museums belong to either the Met program or the Art Institute and one of the next tier programs (MARP or AMRN).</li>
  
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<li>'''The Platinum card earns the highest reward rate on airfare'''. You’ll earn a whopping 5x Membership Rewards points on your airfare purchases. For every $1,000 that you spend, you’ll earn approximately $40 in extra rewards by using the Platinum card, instead of using one of the best travel reward cards, like the Sapphire Reserve. On the other hand, the Platinum card doesn't offer the extensive set of free travel protections that you can get from the other premium cards. (The Platinum card's 5x reward rate on hotels isn’t worth much, because of the drawbacks associated with needing to purchase pre-paid rates on a 3<sup>rd</sup> party booking site.)</li>
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{{Table|Basic}}
 +
!Museum
 +
!style="width: .5in;"|Fee
 +
!style="width: .5in;"|Met
 +
!style="width: .5in;"|Chicago
 +
!style="width: .5in;"|MARP
 +
!style="width: .5in;"|AMRN
 +
!style="width: .5in;"|WRMP
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!style="width: .5in;"|NARM
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!style="width: .5in;"|ROAM
 +
!style="width: 1in;"|Other
 +
|-
 +
|[//denverartmuseum.org/membership-support/membership-details-benefits Denver Art Museum]
 +
|$150||y|| || ||y|| || || ||[//museumswest.org/ Museums West]
 +
|-
 +
|[//discovernewfields.org/give-and-join/become-member Newfields] (Indianapolis Art Museum)
 +
|$250||y|| ||y|| || ||y||y||[//ahsgardening.org/gardening-programs/rap/find/statebystate AHS]
 +
|-
 +
|[//www.clevelandart.org/join-and-give/membership-and-circles/about-membership Cleveland Museum of Art]
 +
|$250|| ||y||y||y|| || || ||
 +
|-
 +
|[//www.mfah.org/membership/levels/ Museum of Fine Arts] (Houston)
 +
|$185|| ||y||y|| || || || ||
 +
|-
 +
|[//walkerart.org/support/membership/ Walker Art Center] (Minneapolis)
 +
|$125|| ||y||y|| || || || ||Whitney
 +
|-
 +
|[//nelson-atkins.org/join/member-benefits/reciprocal-membership-programs/ Nelson Atkins Museum] (Kansas City)
 +
|$250|| ||y|| ||y|| ||y||y||
 +
{{/Table|Basic}}
  
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If you spend a lot of money on airfare, the extra rewards you earn from the Platinum card will offset a significant portion of the card's annual fee.
 
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<li>'''“Fine Hotels & Resorts” is a great program, but you can often get similar benefits elsewhere'''. If you stay in luxury hotels, you can get great benefits with the Platinum card’s highly-touted Fine Hotel and Resorts program. But to be fair, many of the hotels in the program participate in similar programs run by the other credit card programs or luxury travel agents. On the other hand, Amex’s Fine Hotel & Resorts does more frequently provide 3<sup>rd</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup> night free offers, compared to the other programs. While the potential upside can be high, you might not get any real value from this in any given year, especially if you don’t often pay for the most expensive hotels and resorts. {{Link|luxury hotels}}.</li>
 
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
  
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The annual fee for most versions of the Platinum card is $550. Like the other high-end cards, it comes with some credits that can offset that fee, but unlike the Citi Prestige, Altitude Reserve, and Sapphire Reserve cards, it isn’t easy to get full value from these credits.
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==== Others ====
  
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<ul class="bulletlist">
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<ul class="checklist">
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<li>'''The Uber credit is automatic, but not everyone uses Uber every month'''. The card comes with up to $200 in Uber refunds per year—$15 per month, and an extra $20 in December. The credits only apply to rides within the US, or food delivered via Uber Eats. If you frequently use Uber, this credit will wind up coming right off your bill, and the effective annual cost of the card will drop by up to $200. However, if you only use Uber infrequently, you’ll only get a partial benefit (you can "gift" your Uber credits to someone else, by letting them register your Platinum card, if you trust them with your card information).</li>  
+
<li>'''Science museums and zoos'''. A handful of places are members of both the Science Museum and Zoo programs.</li>
  
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<li>'''The Saks credit is automatic, but not everyone shops at Saks'''. The card comes with a $50 credit for purchases between January and June, and another $50 credit for purchases between July and September. You'll need to spend at least $50 in a single transaction to qualify for the credit. Once you've activated this feature, it works automatically when you use your card at Saks or on Saks online.</li>
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<ul>
 +
<li>Qualifying membership at the [//www.boonshoftmuseum.org/membership/ Boonshoft Museum of Discovery] (Dayton, Ohio) costs $115 for a family, but provides the option to join at a $145 level and also qualify for the Children's Museum program. Both include free admission, rather than 50% off, at a subset of the participating Zoos.</li>  
  
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<li>'''It is hard to get full value from the airline credit'''. The travel credit on the Amex card is much less useful than the travel credit from the Sapphire Reserve, Citi Prestige, and Altitude Reserve cards.</li>
+
{{Image|BoonshoftMembershipLevels.png}}
  
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It only covers incidental expenses like baggage fees and onboard food, not airfare, or even seat upgrades. And it only pays for fees on a single airline that you choose at the beginning of the year. Odds are you have ways to avoid these fees on airlines you fly frequently, and you might not be able to take full advantage of the credit, if you choose a less frequently flown airline. It is very rare for people to be naturally able to take full advantage of this credit.
+
<li>Qualifying Membership at the [//wildwnc.org/membership Western North Carolina Nature Center] (Asheville, NC) is only $34 for one person, $49 for two, and $69 for a family, and your membership entitles you to free admission, rather than 50% off at a subset of participating Zoos. At the [//www.lszooduluth.org/visit/membership/ Lake Superior Zoo] (Duluth, Minnesota), qualifying family membership is only $75.</li>
  
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{{Image|DeltaGiftCard.jpg|360}}
+
<li>Other options are he [//curiodyssey.org/membership/reciprocal-program/ CuriOdyssey] (San Mateo, California), [//www.mos.org/membership Museum of Science] (Boston, Massachusetts), [//www.greensboroscience.org/get-involved/membership/index.html Greensboro Science Center] (Greensboro, NC), and [//www.lifeandscience.org/benefits Museum of Life and Science] (Durham, NC).</li> 
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However, if you are willing to work harder, there is a “trick” that allows you to get full value from the airline incidental credit. Even though it is technically against the terms-of-use, Amex often refunds gift card purchases from certain airlines. You can then use these gift cards to pay for airfare at a later time. So, if a little web research indicates that small-denomination gift card purchases are still being credited for your favorite airline, you take the time to purchase the gift cards, and then remember to use them later, you can easily take advantage of the entire credit, dropping the effective annual fee by another $200. {{Link|incidental credits}}.
 
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
  
−
Depending on how fully you can use the Uber and Airline Incidental credits, the effective annual fee ranges from $150 - $550. If you don’t frequently use Uber, and don’t want to play gift-card games with the airline incidental credit, you’ll might get very little benefit, and bear the full brunt of the $550 annual fee. On the other hand, if you can take full advantage of both credits, you’ll get the annual fee down to $150—the same range as the other cards.
+
<li>'''Science, Art, History, and Specialty museums'''. A handful of museums are members of both the Science Museum program and of the North American Reciprocal Museum program. You'll need to pay at least $100 for any membership that includes NARM privelges. If you aren't interested, there are some Science Museum only options that are as low as $50/family, such as the [//www.eaa.org/shop/Membership/Join.aspx Experimental Aircraft Association].</li>
  
−
Once you estimate how much of the credits you are likely to use, you should also subtract the amount of extra rewards you expect to earn, by using the card to make your out-of-pocket airfare purchases. Then you need to decide whether you value the extended lounge access, elite hotel status, and Fine Hotel and Resorts program enough to justify whatever is left of the annual fee.
+
<ul>
 +
<li>The [//kerncountymuseum.org/membership-1/ Kern County Museum] (Bakersfield, CA) also includes benefits in ROAM and at Children's Museums. Qualifying membership is $125/family, and also includes benefits at a hundreds of historical sites through the [//timetravelers.mohistory.org/ Time Travelers] program.</li>
  
−
==== Amex Platinum Business Card ====
+
{{Image|KernCounty.png}}
  
−
'''If you decide to get the Amex Platinum card, you should consider the business version instead'''. The business card costs $100 less, and gets all the valuable unique benefits of the personal card, except for the Uber credit. And it gets a few interesting extra benefits, that you only get from the business version.  
+
<li>The [//www.cmog.org/get-involved/membership Corning Museum of Glass] (Corning, NY) and [//www.burkemuseum.org/membership Burke Museum] (Seattle, WA) also include benefits in ROAM, but memberships are more expensive. </li>
−
{{Card|PlatinumBiz|guide}}
 
  
−
<ul class="bulletlist">
+
<li>The [//greatex.org/memberships/ Great Explorations Children's Museum] (Saint Petersburg, FL) and [//www.theclaycenter.org/join/membership/ Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences] (Charleston, WV) also include benefits at Children's Museums. Qualifying memberships are $150 per family.</li>  
−
<li>'''It lets you redeem any of your Membership Reward points, to pay for certain airplane tickets, at a value of 1.54 cents each'''. While you should be able to get more value than this, by transferring your Membership points to airline partners to redeem for frequent flyer tickets, having the Business Platinum card gives you the option to get solid value from your points, with hardly any effort. It makes the Membership Rewards program much more attractive for people who don’t want to mess around with frequent flyer tickets.</li>  
 
  
−
<li>'''You’ll also get 10 Gogo Inflight Internet passes per year and a few other minor benefits, that you don’t get with the Personal card'''.</li>
+
<li>A qualifying membership at the [//evansvillemuseum.org/product/patron-membership/ Evansville Museum of Art, History, and Science] (Evansville, IN) only costs $100, and includes the [//timetravelers.mohistory.org/ Time Travelers] program as well as NARM and ASTC.</li>
−
</ul>
 
−
 
 
−
'''The annual fee is $450, which is $100 less than the fee for the personal card. However, you don’t get the $200 Uber credit'''. If you would get full value from the Uber credit, the business card will wind up costing you more. If you get no value from Uber credit, the business card will wind up costing you less.
 
−
 
 
−
You need to have some sort of business to be entitled to get this card. It can be a part-time gig, and you don’t need a special Tax ID number. Amex requires that the business revenue is at least $1,000 per year, but many people believe that is a projection of revenue over the next year, and not a summary of revenue over the previous year. {{Link|business cards}}.
 
−
 
 
−
There is one other consideration. '''With the business version, it costs $300 to add an authorized user. With the personal version, you can add up to 3 authorized users for $175 total'''. If you need to add someone else on the card, so that they get airport lounge access when they are traveling alone, the pendulum can swing back to the personal card.
 
  
−
==== Altitude Reserve ====
+
<li>A qualifying membership [//minnetrista.net/home/about-minnetrista/get-involved/membership/ Minnestrista] (Muncie, IN) costs $125/family and also includes reciprocal benefits at [//ahsgardening.org/gardening-programs/rap/find/statebystate American Horticultural Society] members.</li>
  
−
'''The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card is the least expensive high-end card, and can earn back its cost, with extremely high rewards on mobile wallet payments'''. The Altitude Reserve’s signature feature is a 4.5% reward rate whenever you use a mobile wallet, like Apple Pay or Google Pay, to make a payment. This is much higher reward rate than you would get from any other card. For each $1,000 you spend with your mobile wallet (at brick and mortar stores, in apps, or online), you’ll earn somewhere between $15-25 in extra rewards. {{Link|mobile wallet}}.
+
<li>Other options include the Powerhouse Science Center (Sacramento, CA), Yale Peabody Museum (New Haven, CT), Delaware Museum of Natural History (Wilmington, DE), Hagley Museum (Wilmington, DE), Museum of Arts and Sciences (Daytona Beach, FL), South Florida Museum (Bradenton, FL), Peoria Riverfront Museum (Peoria, IL), Indiana State Museum (Indianapolis, IN), Grout Museum District (Waterloo, IA), Berkshire Museum (Pittsfield, MA), Springfield Museums (Springfield, MA), Air Zoo (Portage, MI), Farmington Museum (Farmington, NM), Cape Fear Museum of History & Science (Wilmington, NC), The Works (Newark, OH), University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History (Eugene, OR), Reading Public Museum (Reading, PA), McDonald Observatory (Fort Davis, TX), The Reach (Richland, WA), and Wenatchee Valley Museum (Wenatchee, WA).</li>  
−
{{Card|altitude|guide}}
 
−
 
 
−
<ul class="bulletlist">
 
−
<li>'''Plus, you’ll get 12 Gogo Inflight Internet passes per year'''. The Altitude Reserve costs $400 per year, but comes with an automatic $325 travel credit, making the effective annual fee $75.</li>
 
−
 
 
−
<li>'''Keep in mind that this card only has limited airport lounge access'''—you only get 4 visits per year (and 4 total guest visits). Since you are likely to want at least one of the other cards that offers full access, this isn’t a big deal. But if this is going to be your only premium card, you’ll need to live with more limited lounge access.</li>  
 
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
  
−
For many people, the unique benefits aren’t amazing, but they easily outweigh your $75 in out-of-pocket expenses.
+
<li>'''Science and Children's Museums'''. There is a lot of overlap between the Science Museum and Children's Museum programs. Many museums belong to both. As listed above, the Boonshoft museum also includes membership in both programs plus the the Zoo program, the Kern Museum in both programs plus NARM and ROAM, and the Great Explorations and Clay Center in both programs plus NARM.</li>  
−
 
 
−
'''We consider it indispensable for people who can spend at least $5,000 on mobile wallet payments each year, and who want to fully optimize their reward earning. But it is an easy card to pass on, if you don’t want to deal with the  added complexity of integrating this card into your point-earning routine.'''
 
−
 
 
−
==== The Hilton Aspire Card ====
 
−
 
 
−
'''The Hilton Aspire card provides good value for anyone who can take advantage of its free night certificate and various annual credits'''. You get an annual $250 airline incidental credit, that is otherwise identical to the one from the Amex Platinum card, an annual $250 credit for paying your bill at a Hilton Resort, and an annual free weekend night certificate good at almost any of Hilton's most expensive hotels.
 
−
 
 
−
{{Card|hiltonaspire|guide}}
 
−
 
 
−
If you are willing to use the "gift-card trick", or can otherwise get good value from the Amex Incidental Airline Credit, and can expect to use the resort credit and free hotel night certificate every year, you can easily get more value than the $450 annual fee. The credits alone are worth $500 per year, and the free hotel night can be worth even more than that. In addition, you'll get automatic Hilton Diamond status, good for free breakfast and lounge access.
 
−
 
 
−
==== The SPG Luxury Card ====
 
−
 
 
−
'''The SPG Luxury Card is somewhat interesting for its annual free night certificate. For some people it also provides a possible path towards high-level Marriott / SPG Status, and/or can be the most cost-effective way to get airport lounge access.'''  Its $300 Marriott / SPG credit can be used to offset actual room charges, and not just incidental expenses. Most people should be able to take full advantage of this credit, and lower their out-of-pocket cost for the card to $150.
 
−
 
 
−
{{Card|SPGLuxury|Guide}}
 
−
 
 
−
Every year, you'll receive a free night certificate. Unlike the certificates from the "regular" Marriott and SPG cards, the Luxury card's certificate is capped at 50,000 points. 50,000 Marriott / SPG points are valued at {{Value|Marriott|50000}}, and can be used for free nights at many nice hotels, even in expensive locations. Of course, the certificate is less valuable, because it has less flexibility than 50,000 actual points, and expires in 1 year. You also get Marriott / SPG Gold status, which comes with some minor benefits.
 
−
 
 
−
Given that the annual free night certificate and hotel credit are somewhat more valuable than the annual fee, the SPG Luxury card can be a very inexpensive way to get airport lounge access, if you don't already have it from other cards. However, it would be worthwhile to investigate the Hilton Aspire card as a potentially better alternative.
 
−
 
 
−
Marriott / SPG Platinum status is the level that comes with free breakfast and lounge access (at most hotels), and free room upgrades to the best available room (including regular suites) at check-in. The Luxury card allows you to receive Platinum Status by spending $75,000 with the card in a year. Assuming you have a way to generate this amount of spending, it could conceivably be worthwhile to take this path, as this is a compelling status level and can last for up to two years. You'll need to stay frequently enough to get enough benefit, but not so frequently that you would naturally earn this level of status.
 
−
 
 
−
==== CNB Infinite Card ====
 
−
 
 
−
'''Some people should consider the CNB Visa Infinite card (if you can get it) for its reusable $100 airfare credit'''. This card is one of only three cards, along with the UBS card and the no-longer-available-to-new-signups Ritz Carlton card, that comes with the valuable “Visa Infinite $100 Airfare Benefit”. Every time you book a domestic economy airplane reservation for two or more people, you get a $100 refund. For example, if you booked a quick getaway for two people on flights that cost $180 each, you would wind up paying $260, instead of $360. If you fly as a couple or family on several domestic flights per year, these rebates can really add up. You’ll also get 12 Gogo Inflight Internet passes per year. {{Link|Visa Infinite}}
 
−
{{Card|CrystalInfinite|guide}}
 
−
 
 
−
However, it can be difficult to get this card. You need to apply in-branch. Most of the branches are in California and Nevada, but they have “entertainment industry” branches in New York City, Nashville, and Atlanta, and a trust office in Wilmington. You are also likely to have to produce paperwork detailing your financial position, rather than just filling in a quick application form.
 
−
 
 
−
The annual fee is $400, but you get a $250 automatic airline incidental credit on domestic flights (per cardholder). Unlike Amex’s credit, this works for any airline. Depending on how much money you spend on these purchases, or how willing you are to try to get around the terms-of-use by buying airline gift cards, this credit can put a big dent into the annual fee. Uniquely, every authorized user of the Crystal Infinite card gets their own travel credit. Therefore, it is possible to take advantage of multiple credits per year, and more than completely offset the annual fee. {{Link|incidental credits}}.
 
−
 
 
−
==== UBS Infinite Card Guide ====
 
−
 
 
−
'''The UBS Infinite Card is a less desirable option for taking advantage of the Visa Infinite $100 airfare credit'''. It has a $495 annual fee and a $250 airline incidentals credit that is good on only a single airline. In addition, there is no online access to manage your card or your points, unless you have a separate cash management account with UBS (and no online applications either).
 
−
{{Card|ubsinfinite|guide}}
 
−
 
 
−
On the plus side, it does come with up to 24! free authorized users, primary rental car insurance, 12 Gogo inflight wi-fi passes, and airport lounge access.
 
−
 
 
−
====The Sapphire Reserve Card ====
 
−
 
 
−
'''The main reason to hold onto the Sapphire Reserve card is for its reward earning rates'''. If you’ve read our {{Link|General Purpose|recommendation for the best general-purpose reward card}}, you know that we recommend that most people get the Sapphire Reserve / Freedom Unlimited combination to earn great reward rates on travel, restaurants, and any purchases which doesn’t qualify for a category bonus on your other credit cards. The Sapphire Reserve has a $450 annual-fee, but an automatic $300 travel credit makes the effective annual fee only $150.
 
−
 
 
−
'''If you decide on an alternative option for your general-purpose reward card, it can still make sense to get the Sapphire Reserve, just for the high reward rates on travel and restaurant spending'''. However, unless you spend a lot of money in these categories, or don’t expect to have lounge access through another card, you may be better off using other cards instead. For example, the {{Card|Uber|only}} has no annual fee and earns 4% on dining. For every $1,000 you spend on restaurants, you are only getting an extra $20 on rewards from the Sapphire Reserve. The {{Card|CitiPrestige|only}} and {{Card|Altitude|only}} earn compelling rewards on travel. If you are getting either of these, you’ll get less value from the Sapphire Reserve’s bonus rewards.
 
−
 
 
−
=== Obtaining continuous airport lounge access ===
 
−
 
 
−
Free access to airport lounges is one of the most valuable benefits of premium credit cards. Most people are going to always want one card that provides this benefit.
 
−
 
 
−
{{ImageX|PriorityPassCard.jpg}}
 
−
 
 
−
<ul class="bulletlist">
 
−
<li>'''If you decide you want to make one of these cards part of your core credit card collection, you’re all set'''. If you are planning to hold onto the Citi Prestige for its 4<sup>th</sup> night free benefit, the Amex Platinum or Ritz cards for their unique blend of benefits, the Sapphire Reserve for its reward earning rates, and/or one of the Infinite cards for the Visa Infinite Air Credit, you’ll already have a card that gives you ongoing lounge access.</li>
 
−
 
−
<li>'''You may want to spread out your Amex Platinum applications for access to additional lounges'''. The Amex Platinum card provides access to additional lounges, beyond the Priority Pass program, most notably the Amex Centurion lounges. If this is important to you, you should spread out your Platinum card applications.</li>  
 
−
 
 
−
There are currently four different versions of the Platinum card that don’t have access restrictions, and that either have a valuable signup bonus or a waived first-year annual fee—the regular, Schwab, Ameriprise, and small-business versions. By signing up for a different one each year, you’ll have ongoing access to the additional Amex lounges (and the other benefits), while you are collecting each card’s signup bonuses. Hopefully, other versions will become available sometime over the next five years, and you can extend this strategy even further. Alternatively, you could try cancelling the Ameriprise version after the initial year, waiting a few months, and then re-applying.
 
 
   
 
   
−
Even if you want to permanently hold onto an Amex Platinum card, you are better off signing-up for a different version each year, and saving your favorite version untill last.
 
−
 
−
<li>'''Each person will need their own card, if they want to access lounges while travelling separately'''. While each card lets the cardholder bring in at least one guest, this doesn’t let another member of your family access a lounge without you. To do this, they will need their own card, or you will need to pay to add them as an authorized user. Only the Ritz Carlton card allows you to add authorized users for free, and gives them lounge access.</li>
 
−
 
−
<li>'''If you need lounge access for more than two people, you may need to spread out your non-Amex applications'''. The Platinum card provides access to the largest number of lounges, but it only allows two guests per visit. Many of the other cards allow an entire family, or even an unlimited number of travelling companions. If both adults have access to their own Platinum card, you are set. However, if that isn’t possible, and you aren’t holding onto another premium credit card, like the Citi Prestige, you can spread out your applications, to extend the period of time, when you have at least one card that provides the right level of guest privileges.</li>
 
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
  
−
=== Holding onto a premium card for travel and restaurant spending ===
 
−
 
−
The best reward rates for travel (and restaurant) spending are primarily available from high-end reward cards.
 
−
 
−
{{ImageX|Restaurant3.jpg}}
 
−
 
−
<ul class="bulletlist">
 
−
<li>'''If you have an Amex Platinum card, you probably want to use it for your airfare purchases'''. You’ll earn 5x Membership Reward points, valued at {{Value|mr|5}} cents per dollar, which is much higher than any other card. However, unlike other options, such as the Sapphire Reserve and Citi Prestige card, the Platinum card doesn’t provide most automatic travel insurance benefits. So, depending on the risk of covered trip cancellation or delays, you may want to settle for a lower reward rate. Also, unless you have the business version of the Platinum card, there are no good redemption options other than frequent flyer tickets.</li>
 
−
 
−
<li>'''It can be worth getting the Sapphire Reserve card, just for it's bonus rewards on travel and restaurant purchases'''. It earns 3x Ultimate Reward points, valued at {{Value|UR|3}} cents per dollar, on both of these categories. For every $1,000 you spend on restaurants, you'll earn an extra $10 in rewards, compared to the no annual fee {{Card|Uber|only}}. For every $1,000 you spend on travel, you'll earn an extra $20 in rewards, compared to the Uber card, or an extra $5 in rewards compared to the Altitude Reserve card. Even if you already have the Citi Prestige card, it is somewhat better to earn 3x Ultimate Reward points, than 3x Thank You points.</li>
 
  
−
Depending on how much you spend on restaurants and travel, it can be easy to earn more in additional rewards, than the Sapphire Reserve's effective annual fee of $150. For example, if you use your Sapphire Reserve for $5,000 restaurant spending, and $3,000 of travel spending, you will be around breaking even.
 
  
−
<li>'''If you can't get the Sapphire Reserve, don't spend enough money on travel per year, and already want to get the Citi Prestige or Altitude Reserve card, you’ll probably want to use one of them for your travel spending'''. However, you’ll need to avoid the Citi Prestige card, if you aren’t interested in redeeming your points for frequent flyer tickets, as that is its only reasonable redemption option.</li>
 
  
−
<li>'''If you can't get the Sapphire Reserve, and don’t have one of these cards, you might want to get one just for your travel spending'''. For every $1,000 you spend on travel, you'll earn about $15 in extra rewards compared to the Uber card. For example, if you spend at least $5,000 on travel with the Altitude Reserve card, you'll earn enough extra rewards to offset the card's $75 effective annual fee. </li>
 
−
</ul>
 
−
 
−
=== Side-by-side comparison ===
 
−
 
−
{{Table|basic|6in}}
 
−
!
 
−
!style="width: 1in;"|Chase Sapphire Reserve
 
−
!style="width: 1in;"|Amex Platinum Card
 
−
!style="width: 1in;"|Citi Prestige card
 
−
!style="width: 1in;"|U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve
 
−
!style="width: 1in;"|Hilton Aspire
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="6" style="background-color: ghostwhite;"|Points Earning
 
−
|-
 
−
|Type of points
 
−
|Ultimate Rewards
 
−
|Membership Rewards
 
−
|ThankYou
 
−
|Altitude
 
−
|Hilton
 
−
|-
 
−
|Bonus Categories
 
−
|3x Travel
 
−
 
−
3x Restaurants
 
−
|5x Airfare, prepaid hotels through Amex travel
 
−
|3x Airfare
 
−
 
−
3x Hotel
 
−
 
−
2x Restaurants
 
−
 
−
2x Entertainment
 
−
|3x Travel
 
−
 
−
3x Mobile Wallet
 
−
| 7x Flights and rental cars with Amex travel
 
−
 
−
7x Restaurants
 
−
 
−
14x Hilton
 
−
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="6" style="background-color: ghostwhite;"|Lounge Access
 
−
|-
 
−
|Locations
 
−
|Priority Pass
 
−
|Priority Pass
 
−
 
−
Centurion
 
−
 
−
Delta
 
−
|Priority Pass
 
−
|Priority Pass (4 times only)
 
−
|Priority Pass
 
−
|-
 
−
|Guests
 
−
|2
 
−
|2 (none at Delta)
 
−
|Family or 2
 
−
|1 per visit
 
−
|2
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="6" style="background-color: ghostwhite;" |Other Benefits
 
−
|-
 
−
|Primary Rental Car Insurance
 
−
|Yes
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|Yes
 
−
|
 
−
|-
 
−
|Global Entry Fee Credit
 
−
|Yes
 
−
|Yes
 
−
|Yes
 
−
|Yes
 
−
|
 
−
|-
 
−
|Hotel Elite Status
 
−
|
 
−
|Hilton Gold
 
−
 
−
Marriott Gold
 
−
 
−
SPG Gold
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
| Hilton Diamond
 
−
|-
 
−
|Gogo inflight Internet passes per year
 
−
|
 
−
|10 (business version only)
 
−
|
 
−
|12
 
−
|
 
−
|-
 
−
|$100 off domestic coach airfare for 2 or more people
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|-
 
−
|4<sup>th</sup> night free at any hotel
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|Yes
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|-
 
−
|Other notable benefits
 
−
|
 
−
|Fine Hotel Resorts
 
−
 
−
Amex Offers
 
−
 
−
Discount Airfare Program
 
−
 
−
Boingo Wi-Fi
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|Annual free night certificate
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="6" style="background-color: ghostwhite;" |Credits
 
−
|-
 
−
|Travel Credit Applies
 
−
|$300, any travel
 
−
|$200, airline incidentals w/1 airline
 
−
|$250, any airfare
 
−
|$325, any travel
 
−
|$250, airline incidentals w/1 airline
 
−
|-
 
−
|Per Year
 
−
|Cardholder year
 
−
|Calendar year
 
−
|Calendar year
 
−
|Cardholder year
 
−
|Calendar Year
 
−
|-
 
−
|Other credits
 
−
|
 
−
|$15/month ($35 in December) for Uber rides or Uber eats. 2x $50 credits at Saks.
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|$250 resort credit (cardholder year)
 
−
|
 
−
|-
 
−
|Applies
 
−
|Automatically
 
−
|Automatically
 
−
|Automatically
 
−
|Automatically
 
−
|Automatically
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="6" style="background-color: ghostwhite;" |Signup Bonus
 
−
|-
 
−
|Bonus
 
−
|50,000 points
 
−
|40-100,000 points
 
−
|40-50,000 points
 
−
|50,000 points
 
−
|100,000 points
 
−
|-
 
−
|Spending Requirement
 
−
|$4000
 
−
|$5000
 
−
|$4000
 
−
|$4500
 
−
|$4000
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="6" style="background-color: ghostwhite;" |Annual Fee
 
−
|-
 
−
|Base Fee
 
−
|$450
 
−
|$550
 
−
|$450, $350 for Citigold
 
−
|$400
 
−
|$450
 
−
|-
 
−
|Authorized card Holder
 
−
|$75
 
−
|$175 for up to 3
 
−
|$50
 
−
|$75
 
−
|$0
 
−
{{/Table}}
 
  
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How reciprocal museum programs work

When you become a member of any museum or attraction in the program, you get free access to all of the other participating locations. For example, if you join the Science Museum in your home town, you can freely visit dozens of science museums all around the country.

  • You usually are only entitled to "standard" admission. You usually need to pay extra for special exhibits, IMAX movies, and other valued-added attractions. Because these extras are often available as part of a discounted package, if you want the full experience, your discount might not amount to that much.
  • Nearby museums are usually not included. With most programs, you WON'T get reciprocal access to any museums that are located close to your home museum. Sometimes "nearby" is defined by an official number of miles, other times it is any location in the same state, and sometimes it is ad-hoc. So, don't expect privileges with other museums in the same metropolitan area or state.
  • Joining an out-of-state museum can provide access to all the locations that are close to your home. If you want privileges at all the museums in your area, you can often join a museum in some other city, rather than your favorite nearby museum. While you'll be blocked at locations located nearby the institution you join, you won't be blocked at any of your local locations. There are some downsides to this approach. Your membership money will be supporting the museum you join, rather than the one in your area; and you won't be able to take advantage of many other membership benefits, such as access to special member's only visiting hours or events. With some programs, this approach isn't even possible, as you'll be blocked to local museums based on the address on your ID, rather than the address of the museum you belong to.
  • Reciprocal benefits are not available with many less expensive memberships. You'll need to join your local museum at a certain level. Each of the programs enforces a minimum membership cost to access reciprocal benefits. For example, no museum in the program can provide reciprocal benefits with any membership level that costs less than $100 per year.
  • You can often get a membership discount. The best place to check is Groupon, but other promotional codes are sometimes available.
  • The number of guests depends on the type of membership you have. Typically, if you have an individual membership, you'll reciprocal benefits only apply to one person. If you have a family membership, you'll receive benefits based on the family membership of the museum you are visiting, not your home museum.
  • Memberships are NOT typically based on the calendar year. They usually last for one year after you join. With some museums and attractions, it can take some time for you to receive your membership card. So, you'll need to apply weeks before you you plan to take advantage of any reciprocal benefits.
  • To get access, you'll need to carry your membership card. There is no way to look you up in some "member database". You'll need to have a valid membership card and photo ID.

Major reciprocal museum programs

While there are many smaller or more specialized reciprocal programs such as the Empire State Museums Reciprocal Program (mix of museums in New York state) or Connections (photography museums around the country), that may be interesting based on your location or interest, the following programs include the widest range of the most popular museums and attractions.

Art Museums

Unlike Science Museums, Zoos, and Children's Museums, Art Museum reciprocal programs are pretty fragmented. Some of the more significant programs include.

  • Metropolitan Reciprocal Membership Program. Includes 15 of the top art museums in the country, anchored by the Met in NYC.
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  • Art Museum Reciprocal Membership Program. Includes 15 of the top art museums in the country, anchored by Art Institute of Chicago. A few museums belong to both this program and the Met's program.
  • Museum Alliance Reciprocal Program (MARP). Includes 32 major US art museums, but not quite at the same overall level as the Met and Art Institute programs.
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  • Art Museum Reciprocal Network (AMRN). Similar to the MARP program, but a different cluster of major museums.
  • The Whitney Reciprocal Program. Unlike the other programs, this isn't a mutual alliance amongst a group of museums. Rather, joining the Whitney ($140/2) gives you access to 16 other museums in the US and Europe, and joining any of those museums gives you access to the Whitney. But the various partner museums don't necessarily have any reciprocal benefits between themselves.

Others

  • Association of Science and Technology Centers Travel Passport (ASTC). Provides benefits at over 350 museums in North America, plus a smattering of museums elsewhere in the world. Includes almost every large science museum, with the notable exceptions of the Exploratarium and the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and the Academy of Natural Sciences in New York. You won't have privileges at museums that are within 90 miles of your home address or your membership museum. Participating Museums.
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  • North American Reciprocal Membership (NARM). This is the largest reciprocal museum program, with over 1,000 participating art, history, and specialty museums, primarily in the United States. Most of the hightest-profile museums are not members, but you'll get free access to many excellent museums in every corner of the country. Participating Museums.

    • Most Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM) members are also part of the much larger NARM program. But, if your membership includes both, you'll have access to some additional museums that are members are ROAM, but not NARM. Participating Museums.

  • Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Provides reciprocal benefits at over 150 North American zoos and aquariums. It includes most major zoos, but a few of the most significant zoos (including the San Diego Zoo Bronx Zoo, and Brookfield Zoo) don't participate, and it doesn't provide benefits at most major aquariums. Participating locations.

    • Unlike most of the other major programs, you usually only receive a 50% discount, rather than free admission. However, memberships with a smaller set of participating zoos and aquariums will give you free admission with that same set of locations (and 50% off everywhere else).

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  • Association of Children's Museums (ACM). Provides benefits at around 200 different children's museums. Like the Zoo program, and unlike the other programs, you'll only receive 50% off the regular admission. Nearly every US children's museum participates, admission is good for up to six people, and the conveniently don't block privileges at nearby museums. Participating Museums.
  • Time Travelers. Provides benefits at more than 300 historical sites and museums throughout the United State. Participating Locations.

Access multiple programs with a single membership

Many museums belong to multiple reciprocal programs. Becoming a member one of these museums lets you enjoy the benefits of multiple programs for a single membership fee.

Art Museums

Others

  • Science museums and zoos. A handful of places are members of both the Science Museum and Zoo programs.
    • Qualifying membership at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery (Dayton, Ohio) costs $115 for a family, but provides the option to join at a $145 level and also qualify for the Children's Museum program. Both include free admission, rather than 50% off, at a subset of the participating Zoos.
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    • Qualifying Membership at the Western North Carolina Nature Center (Asheville, NC) is only $34 for one person, $49 for two, and $69 for a family, and your membership entitles you to free admission, rather than 50% off at a subset of participating Zoos. At the Lake Superior Zoo (Duluth, Minnesota), qualifying family membership is only $75.
    • Other options are he CuriOdyssey (San Mateo, California), Museum of Science (Boston, Massachusetts), Greensboro Science Center (Greensboro, NC), and Museum of Life and Science (Durham, NC).
  • Science, Art, History, and Specialty museums. A handful of museums are members of both the Science Museum program and of the North American Reciprocal Museum program. You'll need to pay at least $100 for any membership that includes NARM privelges. If you aren't interested, there are some Science Museum only options that are as low as $50/family, such as the Experimental Aircraft Association.
    • The Kern County Museum (Bakersfield, CA) also includes benefits in ROAM and at Children's Museums. Qualifying membership is $125/family, and also includes benefits at a hundreds of historical sites through the Time Travelers program.
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    • The Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, NY) and Burke Museum (Seattle, WA) also include benefits in ROAM, but memberships are more expensive.
    • The Great Explorations Children's Museum (Saint Petersburg, FL) and Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences (Charleston, WV) also include benefits at Children's Museums. Qualifying memberships are $150 per family.
    • A qualifying membership at the Evansville Museum of Art, History, and Science (Evansville, IN) only costs $100, and includes the Time Travelers program as well as NARM and ASTC.
    • A qualifying membership Minnestrista (Muncie, IN) costs $125/family and also includes reciprocal benefits at American Horticultural Society members.
    • Other options include the Powerhouse Science Center (Sacramento, CA), Yale Peabody Museum (New Haven, CT), Delaware Museum of Natural History (Wilmington, DE), Hagley Museum (Wilmington, DE), Museum of Arts and Sciences (Daytona Beach, FL), South Florida Museum (Bradenton, FL), Peoria Riverfront Museum (Peoria, IL), Indiana State Museum (Indianapolis, IN), Grout Museum District (Waterloo, IA), Berkshire Museum (Pittsfield, MA), Springfield Museums (Springfield, MA), Air Zoo (Portage, MI), Farmington Museum (Farmington, NM), Cape Fear Museum of History & Science (Wilmington, NC), The Works (Newark, OH), University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History (Eugene, OR), Reading Public Museum (Reading, PA), McDonald Observatory (Fort Davis, TX), The Reach (Richland, WA), and Wenatchee Valley Museum (Wenatchee, WA).
  • Science and Children's Museums. There is a lot of overlap between the Science Museum and Children's Museum programs. Many museums belong to both. As listed above, the Boonshoft museum also includes membership in both programs plus the the Zoo program, the Kern Museum in both programs plus NARM and ROAM, and the Great Explorations and Clay Center in both programs plus NARM.






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