Centurion here I come.....

[Stephen65]

The insurance limits are higher but are they worth paying an extra $3400 for? The excellent insurance cover is a major attraction of the Amex cards but the Centurion is only incrementally better than the Platinum which seems to offer exactly the same coverage but with lower limits. If I am really concerned about this I would take out my own extra cover at a fraction of the cost.

I've been reading the thread over a flyertalk were Canadians discuss their version of the centurion and a lot of the same comments come up as apply to the Australian card:

- they are expected to pay more for a card that is significantly weaker in benefits than a US card

- the benefits over a Plat seem marginal

- benefits have been declining over time

- Amex seem to be offering the card much more widely (even I got an invite!) which is reducing the premium people are willing to pay for exclusivity

- the cheapening down of the invitation quality (with no reduction in annual fee) is contributing to an impression that the card is becoming less exclusive and that Amex are only interested in collecting more memberships

If this card were say double the cost of a Plat then it would be easily justified but at almost five times the cost the justification seems thin.

 

[k3nnis]

Here's hoping that AMEX plat charge will offer Hilton Honors Gold!

The insurance limits are higher but are they worth paying an extra $3400 for? The excellent insurance cover is a major attraction of the Amex cards but the Centurion is only incrementally better than the Platinum which seems to offer exactly the same coverage but with lower limits. If I am really concerned about this I would take out my own extra cover at a fraction of the cost.

I've been reading the thread over a flyertalk were Canadians discuss their version of the centurion and a lot of the same comments come up as apply to the Australian card:

- they are expected to pay more for a card that is significantly weaker in benefits than a US card

- the benefits over a Plat seem marginal

- benefits have been declining over time

- Amex seem to be offering the card much more widely (even I got an invite!) which is reducing the premium people are willing to pay for exclusivity

- the cheapening down of the invitation quality (with no reduction in annual fee) is contributing to an impression that the card is becoming less exclusive and that Amex are only interested in collecting more memberships

If this card were say double the cost of a Plat then it would be easily justified but at almost five times the cost the justification seems thin.

 

[Stephen65]

I just got off the phone having spoken to a chap from Amex Centurion for about 30 minutes about my Centurion offer. I asked him to specifically identify the benefits over the Plat charge and explain why the fee was A$4300 when the fee was only US$2500 in the US for a card with what seemed to be better features.

He went through the benefits, not telling me anything I didn't already know, and I commented that they seemed pretty marginal over the Plat benefits. In particular I pointed out that QP and PP membership was of no value to people who either routinely travel J or who have at least one world
sapphire status which most of his invitees are very likely to do or have already.

He couldn't explain why the fee was so much higher here and pretty much conceded that for somebody in my situation the benefits don't justify the extra cost. To his credit he didn't try and sell it to me as prestige wallet jewelry.

He asked me what changes would make the card attractive to me and I list two - either a fee more in line with the US fee or a benefit of OWE status as long as you hold the card with any OW airline. He promised to pass the rather detailed feedback I had given him up the line. I told him I was in effect declining the offer but that if changes were made I wouldn't mind being re-invited. He said that wouldn't be a problem. All in all it was a very pleasant conversation.

 

[JOC469]

p15 of the invitation brochure says:

"Portfolio of Cards - Centurion is much more than just a Card. It's an entire Card portfolio. Available to you is one additional titanium Centurion Card and one Supplementary Card, as well as four Platinum Supplementary Cards."

I'm wondering does this mean you get two Centurion Cards (with the benefits attached) and a Supp Card? Would you get two Marco Polo memberships, QP membership, etc? If you and a partner travelled seperately at times you might be able to justify the cost of the fee between two of you (getting double the benefits).

 

[pshepvic]

p15 of the invitation brochure says:

"Portfolio of Cards - Centurion is much more than just a Card. It's an entire Card portfolio. Available to you is one additional titanium Centurion Card and one Supplementary Card, as well as four Platinum Supplementary Cards."

I'm wondering does this mean you get two Centurion Cards (with the benefits attached) and a Supp Card? Would you get two Marco Polo memberships, QP membership, etc? If you and a partner travelled seperately at times you might be able to justify the cost of the fee between two of you (getting double the benefits).

In short, no. You get one QP membership which can go to either member but not both.

The Primary cardholder also gets an "additional card" - ie. Two cards for different spending (eg. Business and personal). The additional says "A/C" on it.

Both the additional card and the Centurion Supplementary card, as well as the main card, are titanium.

 

[pshepvic]

Mind you I'm going to argue about the QP membership on mine - the T&Cs say "available to any of the supplementary cardholders" - pretty clear this is plural and does not specify it must be the supp centurion card. Call centre is saying it's the centurion card only.

I want to give it to another family member, with a supp Plat card as both my partner and I are QF WP. Call centre says no but T&Cs say yes so will fight this one I think!

 

[sparoz]

...He went through the benefits, not telling me anything I didn't already know, and I commented that they seemed pretty marginal over the Plat benefits. In particular I pointed out that QP and PP membership was of no value to people who either routinely travel J or who have at least one world
sapphire status which most of his invitees are very likely to do or have already.

He asked me what changes would make the card attractive to me and I list two - either a fee more in line with the US fee or a benefit of OWE status as long as you hold the card with any OW airline. He promised to pass the rather detailed feedback I had given him up the line...

couldn't agree more. Qp and pp is useless to me as I travel pretty much exclusively on J. While MP diamond is useful in HKG as most of my route don't have F, I still wont requalify as I pretty much travel with points. Permanent OWE will definitely be great, and SPG Plat would definitely be useful as I already am Gold.

 

[33rpm]

Sounds to me that if you already have OWE, not much real benefit over Plat Amex. Having been a member of Amex since 1987 and with close to 8 years with a Plat charge card and spend of 90 to 100K on the card each year, am yet to ever receive an invite. Probably never will because I question the value of the card each year at renewal time and they give me a big discount off the $900 renewal to stop me leaving. The price I pay makes the Plat charge card worthwhile in the context of having OWE and generally only ever flying J and with OW carriers.

 

[haydensydney]

Mind you I'm going to argue about the QP membership on mine - the T&Cs say "available to any of the supplementary cardholders" - pretty clear this is plural and does not specify it must be the supp centurion card. Call centre is saying it's the centurion card only.

Can you quote the full T&C's? I'm sure there is a OR somewhere in there e.g. "available to the main cardholder OR available to any of the supplementary cardholders". It's always been x1, so i'd like to see you get another one out of them

 

[Diesellife]

Can you quote the full T&C's? I'm sure there is a OR somewhere in there e.g. "available to the main cardholder OR available to any of the supplementary cardholders". It's always been x1, so i'd like to see you get another one out of them

+1 but then again, QP is useless to most of us.

 

[pshepvic]

Can you quote the full T&C's? I'm sure there is a OR somewhere in there e.g. "available to the main cardholder OR available to any of the supplementary cardholders". It's always been x1, so i'd like to see you get another one out of them

Sorry I wasn't clear - yes there is only one QP membership available and that's what I want. But the call centre said it was only available to the primary or supplementary Centurion card holders, and not to the Plat supplementaries. But the terms clearly say ANY of the supplementary card holders, therefore that means I can choose to give it to one of the Pat supplementaries. It's impossible to have more than one centurion supplementary.

 

[sparoz]

Sorry I wasn't clear - yes there is only one QP membership available and that's what I want. But the call centre said it was only available to the primary or supplementary Centurion card holders, and not to the Plat supplementaries. But the terms clearly say ANY of the supplementary card holders, therefore that means I can choose to give it to one of the Pat supplementaries. It's impossible to have more than one centurion supplementary.

That's another thing with the Australian card - the HKG card gets four supplementaries.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Had Cent for 6 mths now - have experienced 4 benefits in that time:

1st benefit - upgrade from Y to J KHG-MNL on CX on Aug 20 due to complimentary Marco Polo Diamond

2nd benefit - access to F Wing Lounge in HKG due to complimentary Marco Polo Diamond

3rd benefit - access F section of Admirals Club in LAX last week due to complimentary Marco Polo Diamond - free drinks and reasonable food - way way better than Admirals Club on MIA.

4th benefit - returned to MEL to find offer of 1 free night at Conrad or Waldorf Astoria Hotels - I will use that in Shanghai some time soon.

So guys that is what $3,400 has earnt me in last 6mths ($4,300 Cent fee minus $900 Plat fee).

 

[sparoz]

Had Cent for 6 mths now - have experienced 4 benefits in that time:

1st benefit - upgrade from Y to J KHG-MNL on CX on Aug 20 due to complimentary Marco Polo Diamond

2nd benefit - access to F Wing Lounge in HKG due to complimentary Marco Polo Diamond

3rd benefit - access F section of Admirals Club in LAX last week due to complimentary Marco Polo Diamond - free drinks and reasonable food - way way better than Admirals Club on MIA.

4th benefit - returned to MEL to find offer of 1 free night at Conrad or Waldorf Astoria Hotels - I will use that in Shanghai some time soon.

So guys that is what $3,400 has earnt me in last 6mths ($4,300 Cent fee minus $900 Plat fee).

Would you be able to re qualify for diamond though? I found it hard to do it with MPC as I travel with points.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Would you be able to re qualify for diamond though? I found it hard to do it with MPC as I travel with points.

No chance - the paid CX flight in Y was only required because PAL would not allow me to change dates on my super cheap MEL-PEK / PVG-MEL $1,680 J flt - I too fly 90% MEL-PEK/ PVG / CAN on SQ with J savers - if I pay for flights they will be super cheap J with PAL / MU etc

 

[k3nnis]

Its not easy to requalify for cx diamond....

 

[Stephen65]

If the Centurion card offered CX Diamond as a standing benefit, rather than just a one-off, I would have signed up for it.

 

[sparoz]

Any way of doing F/JASA run but put sectors on MPC?

 

[oz_mark]

Any way of doing F/JASA run but put sectors on MPC?

I doubt it - the ones worth doing (point wise) book into non-earning classes for MPC.

 

[Diesellife]

I doubt it - the ones worth doing (point wise) book into non-earning classes for MPC.

You need point earning classes in order to get MPC sectors or club miles - the lowest earning bucket is class V.