The Heaviest Credit Card Money Can Buy
Despite the rise of digital wallets, credit card companies are increasingly producing heavy, opulent metal cards to serve as luxury status symbols. The article explores how these physical objects have transformed into high-end accessories for consumers.
Why it matters
It highlights a counter-intuitive trend where physical status symbols persist in an increasingly digitized financial landscape, driven by consumer psychology and marketing.
The “plunk factor” is getting out of hand.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. July 21, 2026, 7 AM ET Share Save Physical credit cards should be a thing of the past. Over the past few years, touchless services such as Apple Pay have driven a boom in the digital-payment industry: Digital wallets now account for about half of global online purchases and one-third of point-of-sale payments. You would think that credit-card companies might abandon investing in cards that weigh down your wallet—but you’d be wrong.
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