Amex Centurion Card. The Black Card [Archive] - HP Deals, Computer Coupons And Bargains

topane

08-06-2003, 04:57 AM

Originally posted by JackHammer
What's so good about it and how much will it cost me? A little blurb from its launch (http://home3.americanexpress.com/corp/latestnews/centurion_launch.asp). You get travel upgrades, private after-hours shopping at some stores (with a personal shopper), extra travel insurance, etc. I remember hearing it's $1,000 a year for the membership fee.

You can't apply for one, and they don't advertise it. If Amex thinks you "deserve" one, they'll just send you one in the mail.

blueindian

08-06-2003, 05:01 AM

i thought it was card for old folks.

psycho-

08-06-2003, 05:02 AM

It is by invitation. I think my dad has been invited before. But, then again, he used to spend over 100k/yr in travel expenses at the company he worked for. It's a good deal for frequent travellers

BTW, it's an attempt to rival Diners Club. Diners club is the defacto w00t! card for business travellers.

We were always offered free "personal" shopping trips to bloomingdales including time w/ fashion stylists and free private lunches. My parnts never took up on the repeated offers :angry: `

JackHammer

08-06-2003, 05:05 AM

Yeah but $1000 a year? That's too much.

faither

08-06-2003, 05:23 AM

A true life story...

I was in J and R during lunch one day in the fall, window-shopping over some camera flash I was too cheap to buy, when a guy walks up to the counter says he wants to get into digital photography. He proceeds to buy a new camera with all the accessories...

A Canon 1Ds, three lenses, a flash, and two 1GB CF cards, a tripod and case.

All together it was close to $12,500. It comes time to pay and he whipped out one of the Black Cards. I had never seen one before. I think my mouth was hanging open.

Once I was able to regain my composure I asked him if he would adopt me.

Nothing like a little lunch-time impulse-spending.

Centurion membership is by "invitation only."

Butch

08-06-2003, 05:30 AM

A little while back there was a story about the lengths some people would go to to get invited. They would give friends cards linked to their account so that their friends' spending would count towards their spending . . . then have their friends pay them back in cash.

Apparently the threshold is somewhere around $50k/year in spending on Amex cards to get yourself invited.

RichSPK

08-06-2003, 05:40 AM

Oooh!!! Shopping after hours at the A&P with a personal shopper! Dayum! Where do I sign up? :D

Originally posted by topane
You get travel upgrades, private after-hours shopping at some stores (with a personal shopper)

Cheesypuff

08-06-2003, 07:02 AM

I think that amex card uses the same signup form as the one where you sign your soul over to the devil!:hmm:

brain

08-06-2003, 07:59 AM

Originally posted by Butch
A little while back there was a story about the lengths some people would go to to get invited. They would give friends cards linked to their account so that their friends' spending would count towards their spending . . . then have their friends pay them back in cash.

Apparently the threshold is somewhere around $50k/year in spending on Amex cards to get yourself invited.

Nope. You have to spend $100k/yr and be an existing American Express cardholder. I got an invite last year but couldn't justify the annual fee, $1000 for the first card, $500 for each additional card. The invite came in a really nice package.

attgig

08-06-2003, 08:06 AM

brain

08-06-2003, 08:08 AM

Originally posted by attgig

hi mr rich man...would you like to adopt me? =)

Haha... Riiiiiiiight. I just use the card for all of my company's ad and travel expenses. I wish all those charges were going in to my pocket.

whitak24

08-06-2003, 08:13 AM

i think AmEx will always have a rough time rivaling diners club because they just don't have a broad enough array of airline/hotel/rewards partners.

of course, amex has the edge in that it is accepted at a broader array of retailers, but DC turns that into its own advantage in that you can pretty much assume that DC-enabled establishments are "prestigious" (ie expensive :hihi: )

Butch

08-06-2003, 08:16 AM

Originally posted by brain

Nope. You have to spend $100k/yr and be an existing American Express cardholder. I got an invite last year but couldn't justify the annual fee, $1000 for the first card, $500 for each additional card. The invite came in a really nice package.

I can't find the NY Times article anymore, but they cited people who spent on average $50k/yr and received the card. Some of them actively pressed AMEX to get it. Others, over a higher threshold (like yourself) received an unsolicited invitation.

Dirty Sanchez

08-06-2003, 01:08 PM

Instead of getting the Black card, join the "dark side" and get the "dark" card

http://www.starwars.com/collecting/news/2002/11/img/mbna2.jpg

BrewMaster

08-06-2003, 02:06 PM

what cracks me up is that they give you free upgrades on the Concorde flights. what a deal since all the concorde jets are being taken out of service...

Apex

08-06-2003, 03:19 PM

Originally posted by brain

Nope. You have to spend $100k/yr and be an existing American Express cardholder. I got an invite last year but couldn't justify the annual fee, $1000 for the first card, $500 for each additional card. The invite came in a really nice package.

$100k/yr average spending for several years with AMEX cards is considered their minimum. $150k/yr is supposed to be a more normal level for those who get invited. It is THE wow card to have. I've heard porsches & boats are reasonably common purchases with these cards.

brain

08-06-2003, 03:21 PM

Originally posted by Apex

$100k/yr average spending for several years with AMEX cards is considered their minimum. $150k/yr is supposed to be a more normal level for those who get invited.

Another way of putting it is 1% of their Platinum charge card holders... The people who pay the $395 annual fee or $300 for business owners since there is now a Centurion Business card.

hapoo

08-06-2003, 04:01 PM

$1000 annual fee is chump change when you spend 100K+ on a credit card alone. Plus i'm sure the benifits cost more than that.

brain

08-06-2003, 04:31 PM

Originally posted by hapoo
$1000 annual fee is chump change when you spend 100K+ on a credit card alone. Plus i'm sure the benifits cost more than that.

If you use the perks, then it's worth the fee. I personally don't which is why I have the platinum charge card. It's one of the few Amex cards that still offers BVG. I highly doubt people paying the $1000 fee ever care about BVG.

Windsor

08-06-2003, 04:44 PM

Originally posted by Apex
Anyone have one? ;)

Leads us to the obvious question...do YOU have one? :hmm:

Apex

08-06-2003, 04:54 PM

Originally posted by Windsor

Leads us to the obvious question...do YOU have one? :hmm:

HECK NO. :)

hapoo

08-06-2003, 05:47 PM

Originally posted by DarkFury

/me holds my hand out waitin' for someone to share their "chump change" with me. :D

don't look at me, i'm a starving college student!