Amex Centurion Credit card Info ( this is the only way to get this Lugage card actually ) :
If you are reading a review of the Centurion® Card from American Express*, it's probably not for you. First of all, you can't apply for the card: you need to secure an invitation. The unique characteristics of the Centurion Card, both in costs and rewards, do not invite comparison. However, if you're in the select group that can get this card, the cost/benefit analysis might just work in your favor.
pros
The most exclusive card in the world
Elite, personalized concierge and shopping services
Unrivaled perks and benefits
Centurion International Arrival Services
cons
By invitation only
$10,000 initiation fee
$5,000 annual fee per cardholder
No bonus rewards categories
highlights
Complimentary elevation to elite status levels at several of the world's most important hospitality brands, including IHG Platinum Elite, Hilton Honors Diamond, Marriott Bonvoy Gold, and Relais & Châteaux 5C.
Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards points per dollar on purchases over $5,000 (Up to 1 million additional points per calendar year)
Earn 1X Membership Rewards points on all eligible purchases
Exclusive retail benefits, including the Centurion Shopping Program, Saks Fifth Avenue credits, InCircle rewards, and the MR PORTER and NET-A-PORTER Shopping Service
Complimentary Delta SkyMiles Platinum Medallion status, which includes priority waitlisting, enhanced mileage earnings, priority check-in and boarding, courtesy upgrades, and more
Enjoy access to the Global Lounge Collection, the only credit card airport lounge access program that includes proprietary lounge locations around the world, including the exclusive Centurion Lounges
Invitation to the exclusive Hertz Platinum status and Avis President's Club
How The Card Stacks Up
It's not feasible to do an apples-to-apples comparison of the Centurion Card to other cards, as it caters to such a small segment of the market and offers unique benefits. That said, the Business Platinum Card® from American Express offers a slice of what the Centurion does for a fraction of the annual fee.
The Amex Centurion "black" card makes other premium credit cards look downright affordable. With an initiation fee of $7,500 and an annual fee of $2,500, it's for big spenders. Oh, and the annual fee is jumping to $5,000 starting in April 2020.
It's also invite-only; you can't apply without permission from Amex.
The card offers some incredible benefits, like complimentary elite status across four hotel chains and with Delta, airport arrival services, and access to a concierge.
While some of these perks are exclusive to the Amex black card, you can enjoy many of them with the Platinum Card® from American Express and the Business Platinum® Card from American Express.
Read more personal finance coverage.
Also known as the Centurion card, the American Express "black" card is so prestigious that you have to be invited to use it. Yes, you read that right — you can't just apply for it and expect to get approved. You have to receive a private invitation from American Express.
So, how do you get an invite for a black card? While the requirements aren't officially published, rumor has it that you have to be a high earner who has spent and paid off between $350,000 and $500,000 across all of your American Express accounts in a calendar year.And once you're approved for the card, there's a $7,500 initiation fee, and a $2,500 annual fee. It makes premium credit cards like the Amex Platinum ($550 annual fee) and the Amex Business Platinum ($595) look downright affordable. Plus, as The Points Guy reports, the annual fee is increasing to $5,000 starting in April 2020!Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which will far outweigh the value of any points or miles. It's important to practice financial discipline when using credit cards by paying your balances in full each month, making payments on time, and only spending what you can afford to pay back.
Benefits of the Amex black card
Aside from the status symbol that comes with simply carrying an Amex black card in your wallet, you can enjoy these perks by having one.
Hotel elite status
With a black card, you can lock in hotel elite status at four major hotel chains: Marriott, Hilton, Intercontinental Hotels Group, and Relais & Châteaux. Hotel elite status gets you sweet benefits like room upgrades, late checkouts, resort and spa credits, and free breakfast.
The Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum offer status with Hilton and Marriott, but not with IHG and Relais & Châteaux.
Read more: Credit cards that get you hotel elite status just by having them in your wallet
Delta elite status
According to The Points Guy, the black card also offers cardholders Platinum Medallion elite status with Delta. You can't get this benefit with any other credit card, and it offers you perks like complimentary upgrades and bonus miles.
Airport lounge access
There's nothing better than knowing you have access to a comfortable airport lounge while you're traveling, especially if you have a long layover. The Amex black card gives you free access to more than 1,200 airport lounges around the world, including Amex Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs when you're flying Delta, and Priority Pass airport lounges. You can sit back and relax on the comfortable chairs while indulging in some good food and drinks.
The airport lounge access you get as a Centurion cardholder is virtually identical to the lounge access you get with the Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum.
Equinox membership
The Centurion card added several new perks in late 2019, along with the announcement that Amex would be raising the annual fee. One of the most valuable new benefits is Equinox Destination Access Membership, which lets Centurion cardholders use any of the 100-plus Equinox gym locations in the US, UK, and Canada. This membership costs $300 per month plus a $500 initiation fee, so it's quite valuable if you're a fan of the high-end fitness club chain.
Unsurprisingly, there's no comparable benefit on the Platinum and Business Platinum cards.
Up to $1,000 per year in Saks Fifth Avenue credits
The Amex Platinum offers up to $100 in credits for Saks Fifth Avenue per year, so it's only fitting that the Centurion has an even better version of this perk.
Starting in 2020, Centurion cardholders will get up to $1,000 in credits for Saks purchases — divided into four credits of up to $250 per quarter of the year. To get the credit, cardholders just have to make an eligible Saks purchase with their Centurion card, and they'll be reimbursed up to the quarterly and annual limit in the form of a statement credit.
The American Express Centurion Card, also known as the "black card," is the most prestigious and exclusive credit card in the world. It's so exclusive, in fact, that you can't even apply for it, and we don't know exactly what benefits cardholders can get. However, there are a few things we do know about the elusive black card that might surprise you.
No pre-set spending limit
Technically, the Centurion card has no pre-set spending limit. Instead, authorization for a purchase is determined by the cardholder's past credit behavior. There are reports of people using their Centurion cards to buy expensive cars and even homes. One cardholder even charged a $170 million painting to his Centurion card, earning a lifetime of free first-class airfare in the process.
The Centurion card has business and personal versions
As with most American Express products, there is a business version of the Centurion card in addition to the personal version. Qualifications for the business card are also unknown, but the consensus is that the annual spend requirement is about $500,000 on other Amex products.
The card is made of anodized titanium
While the Centurion card was originally made of plastic, just like most credit cards, since 2006 the card has been made of anodized titanium. This not only makes the card extremely durable, but gives it a little extra heft -- which seems appropriate, considering its colossal buying power.
The benefits are on another level
Perhaps the most unique benefit of the Centurion card is the elite status that it gives the holder among several airlines, hotels, and rental car companies. For example, cardholders automatically get the benefits of rewards programs including Delta SkyMiles Platinum Medallion, Hilton Honors Diamond, and Hertz Platinum, just to name a few. Cardholders also get access to airport lounges, including the ultra-luxurious Centurion lounges, as well as reimbursement for up to $200 in airline incidentals per year, among other perks.
Two horses running in a field.
Image source: Getty Images
7. The Centurion concierge service has a history of accommodating insane requests
The concierge service that comes with the card is one of the benefits Centurion cardholders value the most. Standard uses include dinner reservations (tables are held each night for Centurion cardholders at more than 1,000 of the world's best restaurants), travel arrangements, concert and show tickets, and more. However, there are some pretty outlandish stories of concierges going above and beyond for customers, such as the story of a concierge who actually tracked down Kevin Costner's horse from Dances with Wolves for a cardholder who wanted to purchase it, and then personally delivered it.
Another thing you probably didn't know
The Centurion card is one of the most powerful symbols of wealth and status. In fact, paying for something with a Centurion card is more likely to wow someone than paying with a stack of fresh $100 bills.
Having said that, if it's rewards and benefits you're interested in, then you may be surprised to learn that you can get many of the same perks of the Centurion card with other credit cards at a fraction of the cost.
The most logical alternative is the American Express Platinum Card, which is sometimes referred to as the "junior black card." For a relatively small $550 annual fee, you get the exact same airport lounge access (including the Centurion lounges), as well as benefits such as travel incidental reimbursement, hotel benefits, concierge services, and more. While the concierge is unlikely to go to the same lengths as they would for a Centurion customer, the consensus is that the service you'll receive with the platinum card is still pretty impressive.
The bottom line is that if it's status you're concerned with, and money is truly no object, get the Centurion card (if you can). If you just want a credit card with excellent benefits, you can get more value for your money elsewhere.
Among the wealthy of this world, the black American Express credit card is considered a real legend. Many celebrities such as Bill Gates own them, and rapper Kanye West even dedicated a song to them. Golf superstar Tiger Woods is said to be reluctant to relinquish his black card. But where does all this hype come from, which has already earned the card nicknames such as the “Ferrari of credit cards”?
Part of the black Amex myth no doubt stems from the fact that the card is very difficult to obtain, only by special invitation from American Express itself. In addition, American Express itself tries everything to keep the exact framework data of the credit card secret - that makes the card appear even more desirable. And then there are the numerous benefits of the card, which suggest that the reputation as "the most exclusive credit card in the world" is not entirely unfounded.
Everything about the company "American Express Company"
At this point we would like to give you a few basic data on the company itself before we turn our attention to the "black Amex" product itself. The American Express Company was founded in 1850 by the three entrepreneurs William G. Fargo, John W. Butterfield and Henry Wells. The company's current headquarters are in New York City, United States of America, and the company's current CEO is American Stephen Squeri.
One of the most important businesses of "Amex", as the company is also often abbreviated, is definitely the credit card program, which can have numerous different card variations. In Europe, however, American Express has been overshadowed by its direct competitors Mastercard and VISA for some time, but is strongly represented in the American market.
What benefits do a black American Express offer?
Did you know?As we mentioned earlier, American Express is very tight-fisted when it comes to information about its prestigious black credit card. The slogan "nothing is impossible", which the company uses again and again with regard to the Centurion Card, describes the card's range of services quite well. The services that are known with a relatively high degree of certainty to belong to the “Amex black” Spektrum include:
Concierge service (see FAQ section!)
Use of VIP lounges at train stations, airports, etc.
Comprehensive and worldwide insurance protection
Limousine Service
Hotel upgrades
If lost, replacement within 24 hours
Meet & Greet service at airports
Numerous membership rewards for every euro/dollar spent
With this list, we have certainly only described the tip of the iceberg of additional services. Above all, the card limit, which is not known but is always tailored to the customer, is a major advantage of a black American Express credit card.
The requirements for an American Express black
Tips & HintsThe problem is: You can't just "buy" all these great services and advantages. Because American Express issues its Centurion Card by invitation only. Unfortunately, it is not known exactly which requirements must be met for this. But one thing is clear: simply having a very good credit rating or a high annual basic income is not enough. However, American Express has already published statistics several times on the sums holders of a "Black Card" have previously moved with another Amex credit card. These numbers are probably very difficult to achieve:
Owners have spent at least 250,000 US dollars per year (some even speak of at least 500,000 euros(!))
Average household income: approx. 1.3 million U.S. dollar
Average household wealth: approx. 16 million U.S. dollar
In addition, as a user, you must have used a lower Amex card for at least five years
So you see: The "chosen ones" are allowed to bring something with them or have to show a lot before they can call a black Amex their own. In addition to heavy use of a lower Amex credit card, high income is also important. Once you have received the card, you only have to pay the annual fee, which is usually somewhere between 2000 and 5000 euros per year.
Should I also try to get a black Amex?
Therefore, you are very welcome to try to get a black American Express credit card yourself, but your efforts will be in vain. The only way to get a black Amex is to be very successful as an entrepreneur. However, since at least some of us can simply set up a financially strong company overnight, you should better say goodbye to the thought of a Centurion Card. The legendary black AMEX credit card Centurion Card is one of the most exclusive credit cards in the world. It is only accessible to selected people by personal invitation.
The requirements for the Centurion AMEX Card include annual credit card sales with the AMEX Platinum credit card of at least USD 250,000. Some sources report that six-figure credit card transactions must be generated in order to obtain the black Amex credit card. The exact admission criteria are not known.
The registration fee is currently 7,500 USD. As a Centurion Card holder, you pay an annual fee of $2,500.
The Centurion Card is made of titanium and is three times heavier than the usual plastic card.
The Centurion luxury credit card offers you a personal assistance service, flight upgrades to first class, free hotel bookings, travel consultants or personal fashion consultants in luxury stores. As a Centurion Card holder, you can have your favorite luxury shop closed to the public for undisturbed shopping. You also get an almost unlimited credit limit. Some sources report a credit card limit of $1,600,000.