Thread: Official Amex Centurion black card guide!

I don't think as many can afford to have this card in this environment now.

Originally Posted by Roni

I don't think as many can afford to have this card in this environment now.

You would be shocked how many people can. You have to remember that before you can even qualify to apply for this card you have to have spent and paid $250,000 in the past 12 months on their Platinum card. People who are spending a quarter million a year on their Platinum card don't care about a $2500 yearly fee. These are people who spend $600,000 on a week long vacation for them and their spouse just for air and hotel accomadations. They are people who have limos pick them up at the airport, drive them to the stadium, and then wait for the game to finish before driving them right back to the airport so they can fly home. $2500 is nothing to someone like the typical AMEX cardmember. They aren't trying to target the average joe like you and me. The Centurion card member is super elite and they can afford the fee. Like I said, the perks and benefits far outweigh the cost. That little guide isn't even talking about all the benefits. I saw a centurion card member get upgraded at a hotel just by showing his card and not even paying with it. The benefits are far beyond what get published or what American Express even knows about. Just having a promo black card that looks exactly like the real thing can actually get you some of the same perks, so imagine what having a card in your name can do.

Originally Posted by Cucumber

Nice!!!!

The two things I didn't know the Centurion offered were free same day delivery or shipping on purchases from the department stores they work with.

I was kind of disappointed to see they only can get you reservations at around a 1,000 restaurants. That's not that many when you consider how big this country is!! They should try and increase that number for sure.

But one thing I didn't see was the first class ticket upgrade??? I thought they had a thing where they would automatically upgrade your ticket to first class if there were first class seats available at the gate

Two points to be made on that... The restaurant thing is probably just limited by the directory that concierge has access to. They will call anybody that you have a phone number for. If you want resevations at Applebee's tomorrow then they can get it for you even if they aren't on the 1000 elite restaurant list. That is just an A list of restaurants if you will.

Secondly the upgrade thing is probably more myth than anything else. If the agent at the gate recognizes that you are a black card member and understands what that means, then maybe they will do it for you just to be nice, but the fact is that most (and this is absolutely true) Centurion card holders who travel extensively are booking in first class to begin with. I know people personally who work in the travel department for American Express and after years of working there they can count on two hands how many coach class tickets they have booked. Generally these people don't fly coach when they are forced to fly commercial.

You would be surprised how many AMEX cardmembers there are out there who qualify for the Centurion card, but they just don't have a value on the extra perks it provides. If you spend fifteen million dollars a year on your green AMEX and never get on a plane or leave your city, then having anything beyond a Gold card is probably just a yearly fee that gets you nothing. Some of the purchase protection benefits and things like that might make it worth it, but it really is one of those things that you have to be using to the fullest to make the initial $5000 initiation fee and $2500 yearly fee worth it. A lot of people would probably get it if they knew all the benefits, but then it wouldn't be as exclusive as it is.