Centurion here I come.....

[wandersen]

I had one in the very early days in the UK - the fee was 650GBP per year. Back then, they really could do anything for you. I was given an Audi A8 to drive for a month and an Aston Martin for a week. Also attended countless drive days from the likes of Bentley, Ferrari, etc. Lots of black tie movie premiers and guest lists and reservations just about anywhere. All the things that people think that the centurion gives you now.

After about 3 years (say 2005), the emails of events / specials stopped. I think the membership expanded somewhat and the offers simply dried up. They had no pull at restaurants / clubs anymore.

So in 2008 I moved back to Australia (transferring all my MR points back at 2.7, thank you very much) and I was shocked to fine the fee so high (was it about $2500 then ?). They comped me for a year and then during that time the fee increased to $4300. I dropped back to Platinum - I think the Centurion simply isn't worth it (though the new CX diamond is a good benefit). The best thing I got out of the centurion in Aus was the Ferrari drive day in the southern downs. That was brilliant. I don't think I'd ever pay $4300 a year for a credit card, no matter how much I earned.

 

[sparoz]

What it's worth depends on how much you spend on the card. Plat only have bonus points up to 200k, while Cent have it up to 500k. That's another 150k worth of points - worth about 5k on a J class fare. It is a no brainer compare to a $3400 extra tax deductible expense.

Cathay Diamond is great as it is useful for routes that hasn't got F like BNE-HKG, but it's only for 12 months. You will have to fly a lot to maintain it. I have got so many points that I rarely pay for a ticket so I will never requalify even IF I fly that much.

Also, there is a limit and everyone's different and it depends on your spending pattern. I have hit that limit once right before I need to head overseas on one of my business card on a Friday (i.e. can't even put cash in it), because I switched the charge from one card to another. Fortunately, each of your card also has a separate "limit", so one card won't affect another and since it was a holiday I was using my personal card anyway.

 

[ureshii_eric]

how to qualify for the black card?

 

[sparoz]

how to qualify for the black card?

No one knows , but we guess it is spends in luxury and travel.

 

[Dyslexic traveler]

To get the centurion card you need to offer your first born son to Amex, then you need to make offerings every month of a lot of money, then never divulge the secret hand shake (sorry the hand shake is the
Mason's ) You will need to tell other Centurion's just by looking at their wallet, if I tell you more they will
Come after me and try to kill me, so if you are prepared to sell your soul then your are the people we are looking for. That and you spend a **** load of money

This may be a plot by the Illuminati or NOT

 

[Stephen65]

What it's worth depends on how much you spend on the card. Plat only have bonus points up to 200k, while Cent have it up to 500k. That's another 150k worth of points - worth about 5k on a J class fare. It is a no brainer compare to a $3400 extra tax deductible expense.

You can effectively get 300k spend with a Plat charge card because the free plat credit card that comes with it gives you another 100k spend allowance.

This issue became much less important to me when Commbank issued me with a free diamond Amex card with $333,000 spend allowance at the same conversion rate as the amex plat cards.

IMHO even with tax deductibility the slight advantages of the Centurion over the Plat charge don't justify the difference in fees.

 

[sparoz]

You can effectively get 300k spend with a Plat charge card because the free plat credit card that comes with it gives you another 100k spend allowance.

This issue became much less important to me when Commbank issued me with a free diamond Amex card with $333,000 spend allowance at the same conversion rate as the amex plat cards.

IMHO even with tax deductibility the slight advantages of the Centurion over the Plat charge don't justify the difference in fees.

As I said before, it depends on how much you put through Amex. .

 

[3eef]

As I said before, it depends on how much you put through Amex. .

I agree and also WHAT you value!

Some people like buying wine, others clothes, some seeing an increasing balance in a savings account etc etc.

If you find value in something, then it is worth what you pay!

 

[sparoz]

I agree and also WHAT you value!

Some people like buying wine, others clothes, some seeing an increasing balance in a savings account etc etc.

If you find value in something, then it is worth what you pay!

I love to travel - i.e. it pays for itself. I haven't paid for a plane ticket for a while. .

 

[pshepvic]

Got an invite in the mail yesterday.

I have a Tax question if someone can help - if I take up the card and use it solely for business travel and expenses (not for my own company, but I travel a lot for work) - is the annual fee tax deductible? I can't quite justify $4300 for the annual fee, but if I could claim that as a work expense off tax if the card is used for work expenses then the tax refund would justify it.

 

[samiam]

I think this card is losing the exclusivity claimed.

Despite reading this and other threads that discuss 'who' is offered the card (and often the 'type' of spend going through- ie. Discretionary, travel,etc) in my opinion that's garbage- they are either running short of members or on a cash grab for multiples of $4300.

Why do I purport this? I also received the invitation in the mail, and if you believe the tripe written in the booklet then you deserve to part with the $4.3k for very little more on offer than the benefits of other available cards.

 

[sparoz]

I think this card is losing the exclusivity claimed.

Despite reading this and other threads that discuss 'who' is offered the card (and often the 'type' of spend going through- ie. Discretionary, travel,etc) in my opinion that's garbage- they are either running short of members or on a cash grab for multiples of $4300.

Why do I purport this? I also received the invitation in the mail, and if you believe the tripe written in the booklet then you deserve to part with the $4.3k for very little more on offer than the benefits of other available cards.

Its value is certainly only justifiable to just a few. Most of the benefits are already on the Plat for a lot less $, but not everyone circumstances is the same as yours and can justify it's value - either in its extra benefits (like a few members here who travels extensively to certain countries), the extra points (I max out the points and appreciate the extra free J fare the points are worth), or its status symbol (getting into like the private clubs in HK, and flashing the card in front of clients can increase the chances of closing business deals in certain line of work where you sell "success"). Your blanket comment is probably a bit unnecessary.

 

[samiam]

Its value is certainly only justifiable to just a few...

Thanks for your opinion- if you re-read my post you might notice that I stated "I think" that the card is losing the exclusivity it purports, based upon it being offered to 'me'. I made no comment about whether the card was gaining or losing value- that's a somewhat different proposition and not what I stated.

Valuable= Certainly. Exclusive= Not as much as a card holder might be led to believe.

Your blanket comment is probably a bit unnecessary.

Nor did I make a blanket comment- so please reconsider making a statement such as this when I have posted about my perspective and not others'.

 

[sparoz]

if you believe the tripe written in the booklet then you deserve to part with the $4.3k for very little more on offer than the benefits of other available cards.

I was refer to this comment, but I must have a wrong interpretation of your implication. Forum is always about ones opinion anyway .

 

[cove]

Even though I cannot use this card I read the excited posts made by Centurion card holders. In life you go with what makes you happy and so this card does it for quite a number of AFF members.
Our family runs on Ultimate purely because it gives us uncapped points so we are not running on empty when we are booking trips.

 

[Stephen65]

Between my Amex plat charge and Cth Amex Diamond I have $633,000 of annual spend covered at 1.5 QFF per $1 with (from 1 September) $250,000 more at 1.25 QFF per $1 on the Citibusiness Gold Visa as a backup for non-Amexable expenses. That's enough to cover my business costs so the attraction of the Centurion for its higher points cap of $500,000 is diminished. For the price you pay for a supposedly super-exclusive card there shouldn't be any earning cap.

 

[sparoz]

Between my Amex plat charge and Cth Amex Diamond I have $633,000 of annual spend covered at 1.5 QFF per $1 with (from 1 September) $250,000 more at 1.25 QFF per $1 on the Citibusiness Gold Visa as a backup for non-Amexable expenses. That's enough to cover my business costs so the attraction of the Centurion for its higher points cap of $500,000 is diminished. For the price you pay for a supposedly super-exclusive card there shouldn't be any earning cap.

Agreed, especially there are no cap in other countries.

 

[cove]

Yes I agree that points cap keeps me loyal to Ultimate.

 

[sparoz]

Yes I agree that points cap keeps me loyal to Ultimate.

Is it a credit card or a charge? I don't fancy QFF points though, as I already have more than what I would use from my visas.

 

[cove]

I have just split my Ultimate limit that gets QF points when I took up the Amex Velocity.
I am now at 70k limit on the Ultimate and the rest is on the Velocity card for pointy end Virgin and Etihad flights (responsible lender rules apply to credit limits these days). So both are credit cards that I refill every 3 business days to pay larger bills seeing Amex won't allow you to put their direct accounts into credit.
I use Westpac Kris Flyer Amex Platinum for Kris points as you can cash a cheque at the bank counter and then immediately pay big bills.
Centurion would be way too limited for our family with that cap.