Centurion Best Credit Card by American Express
Centurion Best Credit Card by American Express
In the 1980s a rumour circulated in the urban classes of America, about a black card that offered to celebrities unlimited spending power and access to high-end stores -after- hours.
In October 1999, American Express launched the Centurion Card. According to Wikipedia “the Centurion Card, popularly known as the Black Card, is American Express' most exclusive charge card” since “it is one of the most sought-after charge cards in the world”.
The Card was initially available by invitation only, to a small number of selected holders of the bank’s Platinum Card. The Centurion’s original annual fee was appointed to $1,000, but in the beginning of 2007, the fee was raised to $2,500. At the same time the invitation for the card stopped. Now in order to be approved for the Centurion, you must first make a request and then meet the strict criteria applied from American Express. For instance, from the 1st of June, one of the requirements is a spending limit set to $250,000 .
The most popular myth is that the card has no limits! Unfortunately the Centurion does have limits, which are not pre-set but based on the history of the cardholder. Every year the spending history and habits of all credit cards owners are reviewed by the bank’s credit department, which sets the spending limits for the following year.
According to card users, the benefits of the card is the fact that it covers all insurances when purchasing tickets with it, and of course that it is considered a major status symbol. On the other hand the fee and the minimum spending requirement are considered very high.
Therefore, the elegant black titanium card causes excitement and offers great purchasing power, still it does not worth the annual $2,500 fee, nor the spending limit of $250,000.
Centurion American Express Card Features and benefits
By Wikipedia
The card, available for both personal and business use, offers numerous exclusive privileges, including a dedicated concierge and travel agent, complementary companion airline tickets on International flights on selected airlines with the purchase of a full fare ticket, personal shoppers at retailers such as Escada, Gucci and Saks Fifth Avenue, access to airport clubs, first class flight upgrades, membership in Sony's Cierge personal shopping program, and dozens of other elite club memberships. Hotel benefits include a free one-night stay in every Mandarin Oriental hotel worldwide once a year (except for the New York City property), and privileges at hotel chains like Ritz-Carlton, Leading Hotels of the World, and Amanresorts. The card has recently added new amenities, including access into the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold, as well as US Airways Platinum Preferred status as of June 1, 2007.
A new Centurion card crafted from anodized titanium was issued as a replacement for all plastic U.S. Centurion cards in the first half of 2006, with the titanium version being rolled out to certain other countries as well.
American Express has removed certain benefits from the card in the years since it was introduced. For example, Hyatt Diamond Elite status was included up until January 2005, and Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum status was included up until January 2006. UK members had access to Virgin Upper Class lounges, but this privilege has been removed.
All of the benefits mentioned above are for United States-issued cards. American Express Centurion cards issued in other countries may include different benefits.
