AmEx Centurian

[Brooke01]

Hi all,

I received an invitation in the mail today to become a Centurion Card Member.

I currently have a Gold AmEx Charge Card, and to be honest, am a little puzzled as to why I have received the invite.

I have been a member of AmEx for over 10 years, and whilst I use my card a lot - always pay it on time etc - I can guarantee you my spending pattern per annum is probably only half of what the criteria is for receiving an invite.

I would have been happy with a Platinum Charge card invite !

Having said that, after I picked myself up off the floor over the $4300 annual fee, I will look into it further and see if it really is worthwhile for me. I do travel a lot for my work, and do rent a lot of cars.

Don't jump down my throat please, and I know many will say "if you can't afford to pay the fee, you shouldn't have the card" - it's not that I can't afford it, but just whether I want to pay it. Does anyone know of anyone that has had some luck ringing AmEx and getting the fee reduced ?

Or, would I have any luck declining the Centurion and asking for Platinum instead ?

I have read the threads on here pertaining to the Centurion card - but my situation seems a little unique in that I don't already have a Platinum card ?

Please be kind with your replies

Best Regards,

Brooke

 

[simongr]

First up it's Centurion - sorry that was just really annoying me.

I too got an offer (Plat to Black) last year which I too scoffed at - my spend in the prior year had been about $80K.

Be careful about the travel benefits as you have t book travel through them to get free airport transfers etc.

I think it is fine to weigh up the cost benefits of the card. If you receive replies along the lines of "if you need to ask you can't afford it" just ignore the person giving the reply.

I think personally it is a worthwhile consideration if you can manage your own travel and hotels as that is where I think you can break even on the fee.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Interesting timing.

I was offered Cent on Aug 13, 2009 but declined - but have had a change of heart since then. (I kept the Plat Offer Package intact and have had a heap of mileage out of it showing it off to some friends who seem to think their position on the ladder of life might be slightly higher than mine)

I have $300K spend on Plat Charge and Credit Cards - I spoke to AMEX yesterday over the actual reset date for the Plat Card and the guy I talked to told me that things have changed slightly in Amex regarding Cent as now you can kinda ask to be invited and they will do so.

I said ok stick me through to Cent guys to proceed - Cent guys told me this is incorrect and there is indeed a limited number of Cent members that they do not want to increase greatly - basically an existing member has to fall off the perch or decline renewal before potential new member invited in.

I said ok - invite me in - 3rd time in 2 months I have requested so.

I too feel the $4,300 fee way over the top - but I intend to take it up for one year and just see what value I can wring out of it over 12 months. It's actually only a $3,400 punt if you deduct the $900 Plat fee.

Will keep you guys posted as the saga unfolds - shadows of days of our drearys huh?

 

[yohy?!]

Criteria for invitation to Centurion is not necessarily based on super-duper spend, it's more a matter of quality rather than quantity.

IE long tenure with Amex, your bills are paid on time, your charges are not of business-supply nature, no returned payments etc

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Criteria for invitation to Centurion is not necessarily based on super-duper spend, it's more a matter of quality rather than quantity - thats what I tell all the girls / IE long tenure with Amex - 22 years / your bills are paid on time - 100% / your charges are not of business-supply nature - got me on that one / no returned payments etc - never

As I say - was invited once - hope first date refusal doesn't make them too shy

 

[Diesellife]

Got my cent card last year and love it (as I do stay in MO very often), so the 2 for 1 deal is pretty good.

However, the Aussie Cent is more expensive and provides less benefit compared to the US one.

PS: I'm thinking of transferring my AUD Cent to the USD one next year.

 

[AWA2602]

My partner was invited to take up the Centurion about 18mths ago after 5+ years using the Platinum Charge Card with an average annual (non-business) spend circa $150k across primary card and two complimentary cards. Partner's small business also has Gold Business Charge and Credit Cards with average annual spend circa $350k.

But we were still quite curious about the invite given we thought you needed a much higher annual spend and significant personal wealth. So we spoke to a rep at Centurion and were told that basically because most of our spend was on travel and quality lifestyle products/services that we have the desired profile for Centurion membership.

Partner took up the invite, paid the (gulp) $4300, and hasn't looked back.

The key benefit for us is the travel service, which we find is really brilliant compared to the high street shops we'd been using up until going Centurion. Partner's travel plans change frequently while he's away so being able to call the same team 24/7 and have everything dealt with in one phone call is a blessing!

Also get good mileage out of the Concierge service for booking tickets, restaurants, etc which are in essence are many of the minor tasks that his Assistant used to help with. So he sees a cost-benefit in being able to use Centurion to do all that stuff and getting his Assistant to do other things.

 

[alemdohorizonte]

Re: AMEX Centurion

Got my cent card last year and love it (as I do stay in MO very often), so the 2 for 1 deal is pretty good.

However, the Aussie Cent is more expensive and provides less benefit compared to the US one.

PS: I'm thinking of transferring my AUD Cent to the USD one next year.

i did this last may. you cannot get the us centurion but can get the icc centurion in either usd or euro. i had to fax them the most recent 6 months of my australian centurion statements and then they sent me an application (there is an application for the icc centurion).

for any fellow aussie centurion members thinking of doing this, if you travel internationally, i think the icc centurion is a much better card. compared to the australian centurion, the icc centurion benefits are head and shoulders better in terms of travel benefits, service levels and the fee is "only" US$2800 (considerably less than the anaemically benefitted australian version).

the icc centurion service is truly exceptional and frankly embarrasses the australian centurion service levels. they call you back when they promise, they know what they are talking about and it's a dedicated centurion line (i.e. no other card levels calling it and causing long hold times). the phones are manned by the same people so they recognise you when you call. service from the icc centurion is what i think centurion service should be--not the "shined-up platinum" benefits and spotty service that we get here in australia.

one potential downside is that only the icc centurion primary card is issued in titanium. the supplementary centurion card (if you have one on your account) is issued in black plastic which can cause disappointment to your significant other (speaking from experience). the a/c card on the primary account is also black plastic (which i see as a benefit when i have to stick my card into a machine that i'm afraid might choke on the titanium version). also, you can have up to 18 (or something like that) additional cards and they won't question when/if you ask for an additional green card in your name as i did when you want to fly under the radar (when i asked for an addtional green card in my name here in australia i was refused since i had an a/c titanium already).

in my opinion we aussies are getting screwed in terms of high annual fees, bad service levels and lack of benefits in comparison with what other countries offer with their centurion cards.

the icc centurion offers much better service, better benefits and is costs about 30% less than its australian cousin. so if you travel internationally, i highly recommend it.

 

[Diesellife]

Re: AMEX Centurion

i did this last may. you cannot get the us centurion but can get the idc centurion in either usd or euro. i had to fax them the most recent 6 months of my australian centurion statements and then they sent me an application (there is an application for the icc centurion).

I'm talking about the global transfer as I have US SSN and address. The reason that I want to get the US one is because the recent change of waiving the FX charge. So it will be quite handy as I use my card mostly in overseas.

Other Aussies with no US address and SSN will need to go for the IDC options. I agree the IDC option is better compared to the AUS one.

 

[alemdohorizonte]

Re: AMEX Centurion

I'm talking about the global transfer as I have US SSN and address. The reason that I want to get the US one is because the recent change of waiving the FX charge. So it will be quite handy as I use my card mostly in overseas.

Other Aussies with no US address and SSN will need to go for the ICC options. I agree the ICC option is better compared to the AUS one.

unfortunately, if you want a usa issued amex charge card the highest you'll be able to get with a global transfer is the platinum card. the usa will not transfer into a centurion. the usa platinum still gets the 0% forex.

 

[AWA2602]

Re: AMEX Centurion

the icc centurion offers much better service, better benefits and is costs about 30% less than its australian cousin. so if you travel internationally, i highly recommend it.

Thanks for the tip re icc cent! Will get on to that on ASAP. 80% of our spend is overseas and EURO so makes sense to swap

 

[Hawkeye]

This is somewhat OT, but given the many discussions about the AMEX Centurion focus on the "eligibility" criteria that trigger an invitation, may I ask if any members on this forum who have received invitations happen to reside outside Sydney or Melbourne, or perhaps the Gold Coast?

My question is indeed motivated by personal (perhaps, egotistic) intrigue; I think I fit the "hypothetical" profile.

Another factor I've considered is the relative spend of the primary AMEX v supplementary cardholders. My wife and I tend to have a 50:50 split, which may dilute AMEX's perception.

 

[Diesellife]

Re: AMEX Centurion

unfortunately, if you want a usa issued amex charge card the highest you'll be able to get with a global transfer is the platinum card. the usa will not transfer into a centurion. the usa platinum still gets the 0% forex.

Thanks for letting me know about that...
I guess I will still get it because of the 0% FX fee. I could probably use the FX saving to pay for my aussie cent.

 

[wumpyr]

fyi I have put my centurion card I've had for a while now under "review". I am now questioning the value provided to me and will decide prior to renewal in September. Sure I hear people saying if you are questioning the value, it's not for you. rubbish. I think the latest rather useless orient express offer tipped me over the edge. I can count on one hand the actual offers I have taken up with the card, the hyatt free night last year being the most recent. Often, you need to spend much much more than "saved" (no surprise), the travel dates are without sufficient notice and most of the special invitations just aren't that relevant to me, especially the women's jewellery and clothing events.

Actually I was annoyed with the titanium card itself, including the original one they issued, that was physically too thick for certain eftpos machines (the dunking type often found in cabs) and either got stuck or scratched the signature area/magnetic strip. Even the replacement thinner version is still too thick for machines (try sticking it in some council parking meters!). Yes, I had alternative plastic versions issued as well. Then there is the issue of the inability of simply cutting up the metal card when it expires or after fraud issues. You are asked to scratch the magnetic strip and send it back to amex at their regular GPO box with no particular person to attention it to.

Regarding amex in general, the card acceptance issue continues to roll on. I can't even use it for basic services i.e. my local supermarket (Harris Farm), my strata company, some utility bills, passport payment at aus post to name just a few. I have submitted 20+ lead generation forms over the years, so far none have made any difference. Only one is "in negotation" however this has been in play for almost 18 months.

Anyway, back to centurion. On the positive side, the travel service is okay, the complimentary pickup/drop-off from the airport and tickets for events service are good services. (one exception to this with the pickup service is that the car company has some mercedes models that seem big, but actually have rather small boots, so often bags are inside the vehicle after protest from the driver if you or you and your partner travel more than "light" even after prior warning of baggage requirements to amex.)

If you are looking to outsource a lot of PA work, then I can see how it could be of value. If you are an occasional concierge user/traveller, then there are probably better ways to use $4,300 pa in my opinion.