Thread: Centurion card invitation. $5000 initiation? Are you joking?

So I received an Centurion card invitation kit (although it doesn't say "black" anywhere), but the Initiation fee is $5000 and there's a $2500 annual fee!

Who on earth (other than trust fund babies and famous actors) would actually pay these kinds of fees? Especially when reviewing the benefits and comparing to current Platinum benefits I cannot see a difference.

Or is there some special codeword I'm supposed to know and they waive these fees? Because as they say, "I didn't get rich by paying a lot of fees" :-)

In before "bravo1" chimes in on how great the Centurion is~

According to him, the Centurion carries greater traveling benefits than the Platinum.

Originally Posted by Keysmasher

According to him, the Centurion carries greater traveling benefits than the Platinum.

Maybe because it does

Now not only do you have US Platinum, you get Delta Platinum Medallion - 5 day advance upgrades to First Class... seems like a benefit, certainly one Platinum does not give you.

Originally Posted by bravo4

Maybe because it does

Now not only do you have US Platinum, you get Delta Platinum Medallion - 5 day advance upgrades to First Class... seems like a benefit, certainly one Platinum does not give you.

Might be helpful if your routes include a Delta hub, but mine do not.

I have a friend who has a Centurion, and he couldn't even get into the Delta lounges with his Centurion card because he wasn't flying on Delta. I've had the same experience with my Platinum; so the whole "Access to airport lounges" benefit is somewhat useless anyway, since you can only get into the lounge of the airline you're lying on anyway.

I've also seen too many exclusions for the Centurion... like the room upgrades, which are blacked out in Hawaii for example.

I guess if you're flying around Newark on Delta a lot, it might be useful, but that's not my situation.

Originally Posted by Mogul of Pineapples

10 years ago when the card offered automatic first class upgrades on domestic flights...

Wasn't it done the same way it is now? With US Platinum and Delta Platinum status as given by centurion, you get free upgrades (if available) confirmed 4 and 5 days, respectively, before the flight.

Originally Posted by davepl

So I received an Centurion card invitation kit (although it doesn't say "black" anywhere), but the Initiation fee is $5000 and there's a $2500 annual fee!

Who on earth (other than trust fund babies and famous actors) would actually pay these kinds of fees? Especially when reviewing the benefits and comparing to current Platinum benefits I cannot see a difference.

Or is there some special codeword I'm supposed to know and they waive these fees? Because as they say, "I didn't get rich by paying a lot of fees" :-)

Out of curiosity, without giving specifics what kind of money do you spend a year on your platinum? Over 50k? 100k? More? I thought one of the requirements for the centurion was spending over 250k a year. So I was just curious what it took to get the attention of Amex for the invitation. Thanks.

Originally Posted by davepl

So I received an Centurion card invitation kit

Are you in Canada? If not, if it was for a USA card, do you mind posting pics? Supposedly, Amex did not send out a single invitation for the Centurion card in the States, only Canada.

Originally Posted by Mogul of Pineapples

Are you saying for 2011 they brought back the free first class upgrades, at least on Delta?

Sorry for the extremely delayed response, I have not been getting my thread subscriptions for some reason.

You get Delta Platinum status through Centurion free now, as of sometime in 2011. So yes, based on availability, you get free upgrades. I am 85% for free upgrades on Delta for 2011, and my ratio for free upgrades for companion(s) accompanying me has been 75%. Compare that to US Airways Platinum where I have been 95% on free upgrades for 2011 and 70% for companions. Does that answer your question?