While you might have signed up for your shiny new credit card for the cash back or the reward points, there are actually a myriad of benefits that come to you at no extra cost, just for having the card and keeping your account active. These benefits come to you, for free, not courtesy of the specific bank like Chase or Wells Fargo, but from Mastercard itself. 

Benefits like grocery discounts, free movies, fitness classes and even free shipping from online stores can all be yours. Let’s deep dive into some of the more unique benefits that your World Elite and World Mastercards provide.

What flavor of Mastercard do you have? 

Like options at an ice cream parlor, Mastercards come in various types.  Each type has a different set of toppings (benefits). Mastercard divides its cards into “Mastercard” (basic vanilla), “World Mastercard” (vanilla with hot fudge), and “World Elite” (a banana split). Look on your card to see which one you have, the card will tell you if its World or World Elite right up front. Take a look at your card’s guide to benefits to get the details on what your card has to offer. 

Don’t assume you have to pay big bucks to see big benefits: Many World and World Elite Mastercards have annual fees under $100 and some don’t have an annual fee at all. Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s dig into the goodies your Mastercard can give you. 

1. Travel protections

When things go well during your vacation, everything is great. When things go sideways, it’s nice to know that your credit card has your back. Most Mastercards come with travel accident, baggage delay, and trip interruption insurance with no extra cost to use them, so long as you’ve paid for the trip with your eligible card. The exact amount will vary depending on the type of card that you have, but know that you’ve got your Mastercard to help with some of the basics in order to get you back on your feet.

You can even get protected if your trip is canceled or you have to cancel your trip, for up to $1,500. It should be noted that these protections do come with a lot of ifs, ands, and buts, so make sure to read through your terms and conditions to see exactly what’s covered for your specific card.

2. Hotel discounts via Booking.com

With thousands of hotels and properties available via its platform, Booking.com offers you the chance to stay all over the world and now, with this Mastercard partnership, you can save even more.

When you book through the Booking.com designated page, you’ll save 7% on your stay for eligible stays, assuming that the property participates and is marked with the Mastercard logo. You’ll need to prepay for the reservation with your card, but the discount will be applied automatically.

3. Rideshare discounts with Lyft

If you hold a World or World Elite Mastercard, make sure to use your Mastercard to pay for your Lyft rides for a special discount. 

First, for every three rides you take in a month and pay with your Mastercard, you’ll earn a $5 credit loaded directly into your Lyft account. No special signup is required, just simply pay with any eligible card and you’re good to go. A great card to use for this is the Bilt Mastercard®, as a World Elite Mastercard it’ll qualify for the discount.

If you have a Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, the discount bumps up to $10 after three rides.

Also, if you want some peace of mind and schedule your airport ride ahead of time, you’ll automatically get a 10% discount applied to the fare. The discounts stack together, so you can get both the 10% discount and a $5 credit if you take three rides each month.

4. Luxury hotel getaways with ResortPass

If you’ve ever been sitting at your desk wondering if you could just get away, even for a day, ResortPass has the solution for you. With this unique partnership with Mastercard, you can earn a $20 statement credit for World Mastercard holders and a $30 statement credit if you hold the World Elite mastercard, all with a $200 minimum purchase.

ResortPass has a network of over 1,300 daycation and staycation experiences that you can access via its exclusive website, with no membership required. From day rooms to spa passes, you can relax for huge discounts.

Take the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, British Columbia. You can take your spouse and two kids for only $100 and have access all day to the indoor/outdoor pool, hot tub, sauna, locker rooms, free WiFi and discounted Valet Parking. If you book two of these experiences, it’ll trigger the $20 or $30 discount, making it an even cheaper getaway.

5. Priceless Experiences

The Mastercard Priceless collection is a vastly under-utilized curated list of special access tours, dedicated reservations, and all-around, well, priceless experiences. And any Mastercard holder, even a debit card Mastercard owner, is eligible to browse from this list of special events in a large group of worldwide destinations. 

Our Senior Editor Dia Adams had a dinner experience in Rome where she was served a meal from the first century while dining with a historian who was able to provide a unique perspective into Roman culture and history. Current offerings include an after-hours tour of Seville, Spain’s Palacio de los Duenos, exclusive early entry onto the Edge Skydeck in Manhattan, and an opportunity for your kids to train with Los Angeles Dodgers legends. The selection of events is constantly being updated, so bookmark Priceless.com to get in on the fun.  

6. At home fitness classes with Alo Moves

If you want to keep in shape but find getting to the gym to be a chore, Alo Moves comes to the rescue. With thousands of classes available on demand, you can work out on your schedule. As a World Elite Mastercard holder, you’ll get a 14-day free trial to Alo and then, if you decide to keep going, a 50% discount on your membership.

Recorded classes include yoga, fitness, wellness, and mindfulness sessions and each month you can join in on live classes as well, at no additional charge.

7. MoviePass discounts

Moviepass is a monthly subscription program that allows you to head to a wide array of theaters, nationwide, and watch movies for a big discount. Via the Mastercard offer, you can get 50% off your first two months and try out the service. After the first two months, you can choose to continue or cancel at any time.

You’ll earn credits with your membership, and those credits can be used for various theaters all over the U.S. 

8. Peacock streaming service discounts

Peacock is a streaming service from NBC Universal that has an expansive library of TV shows and movies and unique programming. If you sign up for Peacock Premium and pay with your World or World Elite Mastercard, you’ll snag a $3 monthly discount. If you’ve got a World Elite Mastercard and pay for the Peacock Premium Plus plan, the discount goes up to $5 a month.

The Premium Plus plan means that you can watch TV with no ads, get access to your local NBC station, and even download content to watch offline, like when you’re flying as an example.

9. Grocery discounts with InstacartBusiness

For small business Mastercard holders, getting discounts on your orders and membership deals couldn’t be easier. For new users, you’ll get 2 months of Instacart+ for free and, as an added bonus, you’ll get a $20 discount each month on your second order. This will all stack with other Instacart benefits like a 5% kickback on pickup orders and unlimited free delivery if you’re spending more than $35 on each order.

10. Free 2-day shipping with Shoprunner 

Like shopping online, but hate having to wait for your order? Tired of paying big shipping fees or having to hit minimums in order to get fees waived? Enter ShopRunner, a program that allows you to shop with wild abandon and get free 2-day shipping on dozens of online retailers like Allbirds, Macy’s, Bloomingdales, American Eagle, Under Armour, Ann Taylor and more.

Not only will your ShopRunner membership come with free shipping and discounts, but you’ll also be eligible for free returns as well, just in case those neon pink track pants don’t match the electric blue sneakers that caught your eye.

The takeaway

It’s surprising that so many extra benefits and discounts come with your credit card and don’t cost anything extra. Whether you want to save money on your next hotel stay, snag some free groceries, or just head to the movies with your friends for half the price, holding a Mastercard in your wallet can save you hundreds of dollars each year.