Centurion Invitation

[dplp1]

Hi All,

First post here.

I have just received an invitation to recieve an amex centurion card. I currently have the platinum charge card. Is it worth the extra $3400 above the $900 charge card annual fee? I use the concierge service regularly, and the customer service team seem to be the same. The girl I spoke to when I called the centurion number, is one I have spoken to several times calling the charge card number. I was hoping for additional benefits above and beyond the charge card. SPG program is still only gold on centurion, which is suprising to me.

SOOOO... could any centurion card holders enlighten me as to REAL tangible benefits above the platinum charge card ?

Thanks!

 

[Homer]

I went through the same decision process a number of years ago - back when the annual fee was only half what it is today. I can't remember exactly what the Platinum benefits were (are) so maybe some of what I consider to be Centurion benefits also applies to Platinum membership.

Firstly, if you travel a lot (and you're on AFF so you probably do) the Centurion travel insurance covers you for higher amounts than Platinum. If you use the travel service I understand that Centurion Travel is a separate team to Platinum Travel - but you do still run into inexperienced travel agents from time to time. I think the travel insurance coverage is the key travel differential.

If you're into fine dining then the Centurion dining program includes specific tables for Centurion members at some restaurants so you aren't competing with Platinum members for guaranteed tables. Centurion members also get additional benefits such as complimentary glasses of champagne and even deserts at some restaurants. Also this year American Express introduced more domestic Centurion clubs - in addition to places like The China Club in Hong Kong, etc - so you can now get a table plus complimentary coughtails at Hemmesphere, Zeta Bar and about two others in Sydney plus a few in Melbourne. Oh and while on that topic it helps if you are in Sydney and, to a slightly lesser extent, Melbourne, in terms of maximising the Centurion benefits.

You will also get an Avis President's Club card which guarantees you a two-class upgrade with Avis worldwide plus a dedicated booking line. I have found Avis to be excellent with these upgrades. In about five years I've had at least a two-class upgrade every time I've booked a car. You will also get a Priority Pass card plus one for your supplementary cardmember which will get you into DJ lounges domestically plus a whole lot more internationally. Having said that if you have status with OneWorld, for example, you will only use these in some out-of-the-way places where there is no partner lounge. We've used ours in South America. Oh and speaking of South America there are a couple of Centurion lounges at airports - such as Buenos Aires - which are small pockets of exclusion within the airport's American Express lounge. You essentially get the place to yourself with a dedicated waiter service and your own bathroom facilities.

Now there's a bit more but I have to run to an appointment. I'll have a think while I walk and if some more comes to mind I'll post a follow-up.

 

[straitman]

You will also get a Priority Pass card plus one for your supplementary cardmember which will get you into DJ lounges domestically plus a whole lot more internationally.

This is also a Platinum Charge Card benefit.

 

[dplp1]

Thanks Homer. I live on the gold coast but frequently travel to Melb & Sydney. I used Plat Concierge to get me into Rockpool on a Saturday night on the same day I called them. When I called Rockpool direct, they advised fully booked. Have you been given the free drinks, entree's etc at the places you mentioned? I have also read on other forums they give "gifts" to card holders- have you recieved any? Priority Pass is great, I use it all the time when not flying Qantas, especially OS.

On that, Qantas does not fly out of Coolangatta, when I was flying jetstar the other day QQ doens't get you into the Jetstar lounge- not happy with that!

I do rent cars from time to time. I received a avis preferred card when I got the PCC and Ive used it a few times. However I mainly use cabs/trains when I travel interstate as my visits are normally overnight.

Any more thought on the matter would be great- $4300 annual fee, I want to make sure it will be value for money before I accept.

 

[Homer]

Have you been given the free drinks, entree's etc at the places you mentioned?

Yes, restaurants such as Aria, Becasse and Icebergs provide free champagne to up to four people at a table as a Centurion benefit and we've received this benefit many times at each of these places. Our favourite restaurant, Est, used to do it as well but then Merivale stopped taking American Express and were dropped from the program. They rejoined a couple of months ago but the Centurion benefit hasn't returned at Est . As a variation, Quay provides free deserts and desert wine for up to four people which we have also enjoyed many times.

In addition, as I mentioned in my earlier post, De Nom, Hemmesphere, Piano Room and Zeta Bar - all in Sydney (plus The Long Room in Melbourne) - provide VIP access (or entry to the VIP area/a VIP booth) plus a complimentary coughtail for the Centurion cardholder as well as the supplementary cardholder plus their guests - so that works out at four coughtails each time you visit with another couple so you're about $100 in front!

I have also read on other forums they give "gifts" to card holders- have you recieved any?

I don't know what those other forums would be referring to. There are gift certificates for shopping at certain stores, for example Bally, Canali, Canturi (I'm just going in alphabetical order from the Centurion web site) - these are all stores that I try to keep my wife out of . You get a gift certificate worth 10% of your purchase. But that's not a "free gift" - you need to spend money first. Other stores like Space and Poliform offer a permanent discount for Centurion members. For example I was in at Space last Friday buying a furniture item and when I presented the Centurion card they took 15% off the item price. That's across the board for furniture and it drops back to 10% for accessories. Most of the stores are in Sydney, New York and London so again it might be tricky to use this benefit on the Gold Coast.

Also I should have mentioned earlier when discussing travel that there is a Centurion En Route service which provides a free limo transfer to and from your home and the airport and once again at your destination from the airport to the hotel. However you need to book a J or F fare through the Centurion Travel Service to get this benefit. In addition there is Centurion Fast Track which is a free, assisted arrival process once per journey. Someone with the appropriate credentials will meet you, and up to four other family and friends, at the aerobridge as you get off the plane and escort you either to the front of the line or to a dedicated line so you can skip through immigration and customs. I have used this at CDG, DXB and NRT and it is an excellent service if you expect to be in a hurry or are arriving late at night, etc, and you just want to get out of the airport as fast as you can.

 

[Travel Guru]

Out of interest, what sort of annual spend were you putting through your Platinum AMEX prior to being invited to join Centurion??

TG

 

[Homer]

Out of interest, what sort of annual spend were you putting through your Platinum AMEX prior to being invited to join Centurion??

TG

I'm not sure who you are asking Travel Guru but in my case - and I have to think back around five years - it would have been in excess of $100K, perhaps up to $150K.

 

[Travel Guru]

Just a general question to whoever wanted to answer, purely out of curiosity.

Thanks for posting.

TG

 

[Batesy]

This is also a Platinum Charge Card benefit.

I dont think you get a priority pass card for the supplementary card holder as well?? If so Then I am missing out on the extra card for Mrs Batesy.

Just answered my own question from the Amex website

1.For airport lounge access, ticket must be for same day travel. Codeshare flights and affiliated lounge agreements do not apply.
2. Priority Pass membership does not apply to Platinum Small Business Services Card members.
3. You must present your valid Priority Pass membership card, government-issued ID, and airline ticket to club agents. Codeshare and affiliated lounge agreements may not apply in all cases. One complimentary membership applies per Platinum Card account.

 

[Nutcase]

Hi All,

First post here.

I have just received an invitation to recieve an amex centurion card. I currently have the platinum charge card. Is it worth the extra $3400 above the $900 charge card annual fee? I use the concierge service regularly, and the customer service team seem to be the same. The girl I spoke to when I called the centurion number, is one I have spoken to several times calling the charge card number. I was hoping for additional benefits above and beyond the charge card. SPG program is still only gold on centurion, which is suprising to me.

SOOOO... could any centurion card holders enlighten me as to REAL tangible benefits above the platinum charge card ?

Thanks!

The thing with Centurion is that if you have to justify the cost - then your'e probably not the kind of customer that AMEX wants to have the card. Think about it - $4300 for a card - or $900 for that matter. Sure you could justify it like this

Travel insurance $1000
Return economy airfare (with free plat cc) $300
Priority pass $300
But....
The value of carrying the card - priceless

The last point is what youre trying to justify - Concierege service and a few other feel good things is about it.

I WOULD go for it!

 

[Alanslegal]

Homer, the Amex Centurions sounds awesome and you have just SOLD it to me! (Now I need to wait for the invite but I bet I'd be waiting my whole lifetime and still not come).

 

[Homer]

Homer, the Amex Centurions sounds awesome and you have just SOLD it to me! (Now I need to wait for the invite but I bet I'd be waiting my whole lifetime and still not come).

You never know when you might get that invitation...

However, I'm a bit concerned that I have sold it to you because that wasn't my intention. So to balance out my answers to the original questions, I should say that every year when the renewal is due I do have a bit of a think about whether I really need the card. I usually try to work out what services I have used over the past year and add them up (in my head - so as to not be too accurate and therefore make me decide in the negative ). I usually reckon that I have used/saved maybe two grand in direct, tangible benefits and then I put the rest down to convenience, service and entry into places that I would not normally get to go. Oh and there's also the ego factor...

 

[nlagalle]

I'm not sure who you are asking Travel Guru but in my case - and I have to think back around five years - it would have been in excess of $100K, perhaps up to $150K.

There must be other criteria, as my annual spend has been over 500k per year. No invite for me just yet, but i think I'll pass on it if i do....

 

[QF WP]

Oh and there's also the ego factor...

Homer, that is so not you

 

[Homer]

Homer, that is so not you

Hey Lindsay that's unfair!

(Because you know me)

 

[Homer]

There must be other criteria, as my annual spend has been over 500k per year. No invite for me just yet, but i think I'll pass on it if i do....

Wow that's a big spend. Is it all personal? If so, do you mind if I ask "What the hell do you buy???"

Seriously though, AFAIK the annual spend *pattern* is pretty much all that they base it on. For example, if you have consistent spending at a certain level - and particularly personal as opposed to putting your small business expenses on the card - then that seems to be how they identify you for the card. At least that's what I've been told.

 

[obrienja]

To answer an earlier poster's question about the "gifts" I believe they're referring to the US version of the card where you receive things such as iPod Touches and similar small gifts around Christmas, birthdays and renewal dates - although that's not very good justification for the annual fee

 

[NYCguy]

... AFAIK the annual spend *pattern* is pretty much all that they base it on. For example, if you have consistent spending at a certain level - and particularly personal as opposed to putting your small business expenses on the card - then that seems to be how they identify you for the card.

Worked for me.

Personal spend can add up pretty quickly, for instance, I pay my $15K monthly Coop fee with my Amex account. And then there's the airfares - the airfares ! :shock:...

 

[straitman]

I dont think you get a priority pass card for the supplementary card holder as well?? If so Then I am missing out on the extra card for Mrs Batesy.

Just answered my own question from the Amex website

1.For airport lounge access, ticket must be for same day travel. Codeshare flights and affiliated lounge agreements do not apply.
2. Priority Pass membership does not apply to Platinum Small Business Services Card members.
3. You must present your valid Priority Pass membership card, government-issued ID, and airline ticket to club agents. Codeshare and affiliated lounge agreements may not apply in all cases. One complimentary membership applies per Platinum Card account.

You are of course correct :!:

I simply looked in the Platinum Card booklet and their is an application form for the Supp Card holder. When I read the fine print it talks about payment :!:

I should have read it before posting.

 

[haydensydney]

I have a supp black amex and I get the priority pass - it's great for the DJ lounges, although they aren't much to write home about. The only annoying thing for me from a Priorty Pass perspective is that there are no international lounges on the network in Australia, so if your flying Y you have no lounges at all. My partner and I usually fly J at minimum, so carrier lounges are usually utilised (PP lounges are usually pretty average in comparison).

Travel insurance is a bonus and its quite convenient not having to worry about buying standalone cover. We had great service when our bags got raided in Cuba and a Louis Vuitton jacket went AWOL - quick turnaround of the claim and a centurion rep was on hand to liase with the underwriter. The baggage delay figure of $700 was handy also and was applicable should your bags not arrive after 12 hours at your destination. Another $700 applies after 36 hours I believe.

Restaurants are a bonus, but keep in mind that they aren't always able to get you in at short notice - we have been dissapointed on a number of occasions. I have never received free champagne or any other special type of benefit (maybe you need to ask for it?). On the other hand i've usually noticed better table service when booking through Centurion compared to booking direct throug the restaurant, so it can be plus. They occasionally hold Centurion only functions (like champagne events) which are great value and usually end up rather trashy... lots of fun / good networking opportunity.

Basically the biggest benefit is having a hot black card in your wallet and having the occasional Woolworths checkout chick buzz out at how heavy it is...