Guy Prank Calls Centurion Service
I will say up front that I found this article on a forum and can’t verify if it is real, but it seems to be real. Apparently, this guy prank called the Centurion service number and pretended to be a rep for Barack Obama and said Obama wanted a black card. To make a long story short, he got them to waive the 250k spend requirement to get Barack a black card, didn’t actually get a black card, and wound up getting a supplemental Gold card with Barack’s name on it. Pretty funny read/audio clip.
New Gift For Centurion Members
It was reported by a member on Flyertalk that Amex recently sent out gifts to certain black card members. A $1,000 Mikimoto gift card, supposedly with no minimum purchase, was sent out to selected Centurion members. As usual, this is for personal cardholders, and you have to be opted into marketing promotions (some previous gifts can be found here). If you aren’t sure, or aren’t opted into it, call your concierge and ask to be opted in. Has anyone received one yet?
Buying a Car with a Black Card
If you’re a black cardholder, the sky is supposed to be the limit on what you can purchase, within your means of course. Have you tried buying a car with it? Good luck. Many car dealers restrict the amount you can charge to a card, saving on the merchant fees they have to pay (2.1% & higher). Some people would like to purchase a car on their charge/credit card to get the points, the points could potentially pay for a vacation or a honeymoon. While dealers will almost always balk at letting you do this, there are some ways around it, but often times you will end up not being able to charge the car to your amex. In fact, you will probably have an easier time charging it to a Visa or Mastercard.
Tips on negotiating with the dealer:
- Negotiate a slightly higher price for the car if you really want to pay for it with a card. This will cover their merchant fees.
- If you’re trying to pay for the car using a Visa or Mastercard, show the dealer the terms of service that state they can’t impose a maximum charge amount. This will probably piss the dealer off, but when threatened, most will buckle. American Express however, is ok with a dealership setting a maximum they will charge to a card.
- If you’re trading a car in, a deal can be worked on the trade in value to allow them to accept a card.
The bottom line usually is that if you want the best deal possible, paying with a card is not going to allow it. If you do end up purchasing the card on your Amex, or even the majority of it, it is best to call Amex and notify them of a large incoming purchases, as they have been tightening the leash on spending abilities. There are some dealers though that will let you charge the whole car to a card, it isn’t unheard of, but odds are most dealers will limit you to <$10,000. Here is a video of a guy buying a new Rolls Royce and not being able to charge the whole thing to his black card.
Has anyone had success paying for the total amount on charge card?
By Invitation Only Events
Both the Black card and the Platinum card have access to Invitation Only events from American Express. Some of the current Invitation only events for Centurion and Platinum members are:
The 2008 Ryder Cup
- September 19-21, 2008
- $3,750 per person with two nights’ hotel accommodations or 468,750 Membership Rewards points
- $2,750 per person without hotel or 343,750 Membership Rewards points
- Max: 4 packages per Card member; 60 packages available
2008 San Diego Film Festival
- September 25 - 28, 2008
- $1,600 per person or 200,000 Membership Rewards points
- Max: 6 packages per Card member; 40 packages available
2008 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival
- October 10 - 12, 2008$
- 1,650 per Card member or 206,250 Membership Reward points
- Max: 6 Packages per Card member
2008 US Open Tennis Championships
- August 25-September 7, 2008
- Max: 4 per member (limit of 1 for Finals Weekend)
- 14 packages available per session, 2 people per package
| Pre-Finals | Session | Seat/Stool | Price |
| August 25-August 27 | Day | Seat | $1,315 |
| August 25-August 27 | Day | Stool | $1,100 |
| August 25-August 27 | Night | Seat | $1,160 |
| August 25-August 27 | Night | Stool | $950 |
| August 28-September 1 | Day | Seat | $1,960 |
| August 28-September 1 | Day | Stool | $1,550 |
| August 28-September 1 | Night | Seat | $1,810 |
| August 28-September 1 | Night | Stool | $1,320 |
| September 2- September 4 | Day | Seat | $2,420 |
| September 2- September 4 | Day | Stool | $1,650 |
| September 2- September 4 | Night | Seat | $2,270 |
| September 2- September 4 | Night | Stool | $1,550 |
| Semi-Finals and Finals | |||
| September 5- September 7 | Day / Night | Seat | $5,050 |
| September 5- September 7 | Day / Night | Stool | $4,860 |
New Kids on the Block VIP Package
- New York, NY; Los Angeles, CA; East Rutherford, NJ; Chicago, IL
- September 23, 2008; October 4, 2008; October 8, 2008; October 27, 2008
- $1,000 per person or 125,000 Membership Rewards points
- Max: 4 reservations per Card member; 20 reservations available in NJ, 30 in all other markets
Experience the wildly popular musical sensations at their finest with an exclusive VIP package featuring private dinner and prime concert tickets. New Kids on the Block will join guests at a private pre-show reception, where you’ll be able to have your photo taken with the group. Afterward, enjoy prime seating as the New Kids on the Block dazzle you with new and classic hits. Each guest will also receive signed merchandise to commemorate this superb experience. Please note that if you have already purchased tickets to this performance, exchanges will be honored.
Napa Valley Harvest Weekend
- September 25-27, 2008
- $2,600 per person or 325,000 Membership Rewards points
- 50 packages available
- Max: 6 packages per Card member
I personally have not done any of these events, but I was very tempted to get one of the packages for the upcoming US Open. Has anyone done of the invitation only events? What was your experience like?
Oh The Irony
I have Google alerts setup to notify me when people blog about “black amex”, “amex black”, “american express black”, etc. (I’m cool, I know). I got an alert today about a blog post, that normally I wouldn’t link out to, but the level of hilarity in this blog is ridiculous. Basically, someone created a blog to call out people who think “they’re someone” but in actuality they are not. This person apparently decided to call the blog “Yournobody.com” and proceed to trash people. Is he talking about my nobody? Or does he mean you’re a nobody. Regardless, he trashes on these two women holding a black card. I had post this because of the ridiculous nature of the site name, content, and post.
But it does beg the question, who at Google has a black card (as if there aren’t enough millionaires at the company), and why are they letting these girls run around with it?
Amex Earnings Drop, Defaults Rise
American Express announces its earnings earlier this week, posting a 38% drop in 2nd quarter earnings. An interesting quote from American Express CEO, Kenneth Chenault, shows the credit crunch/defaults are being seen across all types of customer bases. Chenault said:
Over the past month or so we have seen clear signs that the U.S. economy is weakening. Unemployment rates, as we know, took the largest jump in over 20 years. Home prices declined at the fastest rate in decades and consumer confidence is at one of the all time low points… This fallout was evident across all of our consumer segments, even our longer-term super prime card members… In other words, more and more consumers who are falling behind in their payments are remaining delinquent.
Does this mean it is hitting Black card members too? I don’t know for a fact, but it wouldn’t surprise me if some were included. As reported earlier, Amex has really been paying close attention to customer charging habits, not allowing some purchases in an effort to limit exposure to consumer risk. It will be interesting to see if they tighten the reigns on the ability to get a black card in the US. I have heard many voice an opinion that it has become increasingly too easy to receive a Centurion card in the US. Membership is current hovering somewhere around 20,000. What do you all think, will they tighten the reigns on Centurion memberships?
On a side not, Jeremy Enke made a list of the 10 things he can’t buy with his black card.
Titanium Money Clip Giveaway
That’s right, I am having a drawing for 3 lucky people to receive a free titanium money clip, the perfect accessory for any fat wad of cash or a black card. Our friends over at Superiortitanium.com, the internet’s top retailer for titanium money clips, were kind enough to sponsor this giveway with 2 natural finish titanium money clips and 1 black diamond titanium money clip (which should match a black card exactly).
What do you have to do to win you say? All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, using your email address, and I will enter you into the drawing. I will notify the 3 winners by email, so please use one you will check. The drawing will be at 7PM EST next Wednesday, 7/23.
Good luck to everyone and thanks again to Superiortitanium.com for sponsoring the contest. Be sure to check them out, their money clips make great gifts for birthdays, weddings parties, and father’s day.
Q&A Answers
Here are the answers to the questions received.
I hear that if you go about 6 months averaging 20k per month; on pace to get to the 250k…you are eligible for the black card. Is this true?
No this is not true for the US. They are very particular about meeting the spend and 1year holding a charge card requirement. I have heard of people being turned down just weeks or even a couple grand away from meeting the requirements.
I just received a Centurion Lifestyle Benefits booklet. I currently have a platinum card for 8 months. I’ve spent around 150k so far. Does this mean anything about me qualifying for a Centurion?
I’d be curious to see which booklet they sent you exactly. I wouldn’t think this necessarily means you qualify. However, you can qualify across multiple cards. Has your combined spend across other Amex cards equaled 250k in the last 12 months?
SOY TITULAR PLATINUM, Y NO SE QUE REQUISITOS TENGO PARA PODER OPTAR A UNA CENTURION EN ESPAÑA
GRACIAS
Yo llamaria al numero al reverso de su tarjeta de platino y le preguntaria al conserje. Los requisitos Centurion varian de pais a pais.
If anyone else has any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section on this post.
Chartering a Jet With Your Black Card
One of the benefits of the Centurion card, the Platinum card also boasts this benefit, is the ability to get jets, yachts, and villas through American Express’ Private Luxury Escapes. So if you have a black card, or a platinum card for that matter, how do you actually charter the jet and how much does it cost?
I just recently went through the process with American Express, so I will share my details of the process, costs, etc… for my trip which was planning a bachelor party to Vegas, from Charlotte, for either 8-10 guys or 6 guys.
The first step is to call the American Express number on the back of your card and inquire about a jet. Someone will ask you a few general questions like dates of the trip, preferred time of departure, destination, any animals, are you leaving the country, etc. All fairly basic questions. They will then send your request out to their “preferred vendors” and then send back the vendor quotes to let you choose your option.
For my planned bachelor trip, I received back 3 quotes as followed.
Quote 1 - Gulfstream II (Heavy Jet) seating up to 13
- 4hrs 20 minutes flight from CLT to LAS
- 3hrs 40 minutes flight back to CLT from LAS
- Estimated cost $95,000 - $105,000 ($7,307 - $8,076 per seat)
- Price includes flight charges, crew expenses, airport fees and Federal Excise Tax. Estimates exclude segment fees, flight phone charges and special catering requests.
Quote 2 - Hawker 1000 Jet seats up to 9
- same flight time supposedly
- Estimated cost $52,592.56 ($5,843.61 per seat)
- Price includes flight charges, crew expenses, airport fees and Federal Excise Tax. Estimates exclude segment fees, flight phone charges and special catering requests.
Quote 3 - Hawker 400XP seats 6 (Light Jet)
- same flight time supposedly
- Estimated cost $40,524.71($6,754.11 per seat)
- Price includes flight charges, crew expenses, airport fees and Federal Excise Tax. Estimates exclude segment fees, flight phone charges and special catering requests.
After you choose the option your want, you call and confirm your flight then you are good to go. I asked the jet specialist if “I had to get a jet immediately, how soon could I get one” and she responded “3-5hrs”. I was pretty impressed by that time, obviously it depends on where you’re located and availibility, and how much of a baller you are. I would assume a much bigger client than myself, someone who spends millions a year, or is high profile, could get a jet much quicker.
Black Cards and Wall Street with Tim Sykes
Things have been a little bland around here recently, which is my fault so please stop pointing fingers, so I wanted to spice it up a little. Who better to do it than the man on Wall Street who has an opinion on everything, Tim Sykes. If you know Tim, he doesn’t need an introduction, if you don’t know him - check out TimothySykes.com. Tim was featured in S1 of Mojo’s ‘Wall Street Warriors”, and is now trying to create past penny stock success by trading his way from $12,415 to $1.65M, you can follow his trades at his website. To do Tim justice, I didn’t edit his responses.
So Tim, what are your thoughts on the black card?
I think it’s got some great benefits and features and it’s definitely bragworthy, but I doubt it’s right for anybody who doesn’t own their own biz, is worth less than a few mil or for any cheap Jews. In fact, I think the Torah specifically states in Cheapjewonomy 3:23-7:11: “Thou shalt not spend $2,500/year on something so superficial”
In order to be in the Who’s Who on Wall Street, is a black card a requirement? If not, is there another card that people are starting to flaunt now?
No, in order to be WWoWS you just have to be a prick and willing to lie, cheat and steal—depending on the situation/client. A black card is just one of the many possible trophies you receive for being such a shitty human being/above-average financier.
The card now being flaunted around is the BOB card, or Banking On Bankruptcy card—as in “I’m banking from betting that your firm is going bankrupt.” It’s getting more popular by the day, especially among the hedge fund crowd.
Does it seem like everyone on Wall Street has one, or is still a symbol of having “arrived”?
Many of the true higher ups—and even moreso the wanna-appear-to-be-higher-ups-but-really-have-little-talent-importance-or-intelligence-just-family-money-connections-or-coke-problems-usually-all-three—definitely have one. Throw a bag of blow at anyone dining at Per Se, Masa or Daniel on any given night and chances are you’ll hit a black cardmember, not to mention you’d get a good laugh from watching the mad scramble for the bag itself as if it were Barry Bonds’ 756th home run ball. (If anyone takes me up on that suggestion, please put the video on Youtube, it’s got viral written all over it!)
Do your friends use the additional perks like booking jets, helicopters and travel benefits, or is it mainly for show?
Oh, I’ve known a few people who have it and they each use it differently—one likes it strictly for its perks, another impresses clients with it, another impresses girls and at least two of the above use it rather regularly to cut coke.
Mind you I only bring up coke so much because it’s really everywhere in finance and it’s amazing/sad that nobody seems to want to talk about it honestly. I have no problem chatting about it as my business model is all about brutal honesty and I suck at drugs—even Nyquil fucks me up!
What is the largest purchase, with the card, you have heard of someone making?
One of my fund manager acquaintances booked a week and a half stay at the Bellagio Villas, which at $6,000/night, came to $60,000 or so (see the pics here) and that was before all his costly “perks”.
I was invited to go, but there were three problems a.) I don’t do coke so I would’ve been the oddball of the group b.) I was in the middle of a big stock trade so I didn’t want any distractions and c.) I had just come down with a nasty sinus infection
Story of my life, my Jewishness, stock trading and lack of a drug addiction combined to prevent me from having fun at someone else’s expense. Life could be worse.
Have you heard of any outlandish stories involving black cards? Maybe including strippers or coke?
Damnit—I didn’t want this interview to just be about coke! Oh well—like I said in my WallStrip interview, I live my life by these two rules: “No coke, no hookers” so while I hear a ton of stories, I’ve never participated and I never will.
Here’s a lesson for you and your readers—and I speak from experience: making a ton of money is damn hard/fun/satisfying, but the best part about it is the journey/quest/fight, not the rewards.
The people I know who are into coke and strippers are incredibly unhappy with their lives/relationships so they act out and try to find fulfillment with these rebellious/adrenaline-based pursuits. They are neither healthy nor satisfied because their heads are all mixed up.
For too long, I spent too much of my hard earned money on superficial stuff—mostly just trying to impress girls—and it’s funny/ironic that it took a $300,000 loss for me to realize that my life had little meaning and I wasn’t very happy. You might even go so far as to say I subconsciously wanted to lose money because before that one bad investment—and it really was just one illiquid investment, the rumors of my “celebrity status” interfering with my trading are total BS—I was batting a thousand and it didn’t make sense that I still wasn’t satisfied.
Making money just for the sake of money or what it can buy you is no way to live—I was fortunate enough to learn that at a relatively young age. This is why the magazine Trader Monthly aka Traitor Monthly is rumored to be going under (see my blog post about how their sick twisted editor-in-chief Randall Lane bragged about their readers making $400k/year and spending all of it!)
With your new site, the book, and TimTV you got to be getting close to receiving one right?
I am getting rather close considering my income has been doubling each month lately thanks to my 70% return over the past few months even as the markets have been getting killed, thus spiking interest in my blog, real-time trade alerts, book An American Hedge Fund and my no BS DVD PennyStocking.
But all I really need to be happy is my sushi (Yasuda, Seki & Gari), which comes in under $50k/year. Travel, rent and other cuisines are important too, but add that all in and I’m still under $150k, so I’m gonna have to find other things on which to spend my money as my business is all internet-based and outsourced aka cheap/efficient as hell!
The day you get yours, what’s the first way you’re going to flaunt it? Knowing you, it must be something over-the-top?
The thing with me is that for whatever reason I don’t get along with luxury items. I had several little goodies and toys—BMW 745Li, lots of fancy sporting equipment, decked out hot tub, decked out air hockey table, limited Tag watch, the list goes on and on—and something bad has always happened with each of them. Don’t ask.
So, I’ve learned my lesson and now limit my buying to fine wining and dining, travel and other experience-related purchases. That always seems to work out well—as I find myself Forrest Gumping my way through life—and I enjoy it immensely!
But I do have a master plan for one particular expense that will be rather over-the-top, something that would make me unique among all these finance freaks—not that I’m not already, after all, I do have a soul—but this would solidify my uniqueness. And it’d actually work quite nicely with the Black Card, so when that happens, you and your readers will be the first to know!
Does having a black card go hand in hand with having “FU money” (As you so famously discussed on Wall Street Warriors)?
No, because as I discussed above, lots of wannabes have gotten their hands on this card, sullying its reputation forever, even if it was unavoidable because there are so many soulless bastards/daddy’s boys/cokeheads/wastes-of-space Upper East Siders/etc. out there.
AMEX should come out with a Soul Card that wouldn’t just be based on how much money you have/make, but would also require psychological and achievement-based testing to make sure you’re not a useless person, you contribute to society/help others, your priorities are in order aka you actually deserve recognition/perks/rewards.
