Black Card Q&A Session
Have questions about the black card? Great! Ask them here. I am going to be doing a black card Q&A session, where you the readers can post questions in the comments section that you have about the black card, and I will answer them in a follow-up post. I will tapping into my knowledge, using American Express contacts, and asking current cardmembers to verify the answers,
So feel free to ask questions or inquire about rumors or myths that you need answers to.
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Comments
that’s not true (speaking from experience)…in the US they’re very particular about it needing to be at least 250k…I called when I was at like 240k and they said no…but my spending in the past 8 months had really accelerated so when the next month’s bill was paid I passed the 250k and they said ‘ok’ 
If you are even a few dollars off, they will not give it to you.
In fact, until recently, they even wouldn’t invite you if you were way over the 250k mark. You had to call and keep asking them to “bump you up” until they would finally agree.
I spent over 150k (way back when the requirement was 100k) and they wouldn’t invite me. Then I spent over 300k (when the requirment went to 250k) and still no card.
Finally, I called them up more than half a dozen times asking for an explanation why I was now spending between 350k and 400k annually and still no card… Strangely, without warning, one day I got a phone call from them asking to “confirm my details” (no explanation what had happened) and a few days later, the Centurion card arrived.
So - lesson learned is that you have to ask THEM, and you really do have to at least meet the minimum annual requirements (not just showing a “pace of spending of 20k per month over 6 months”).
There are too many people with the card now, and they know that. On the one hand, Amex wants to make $7,500 on each new person who gets one ($2,500 annual fee plus the new $5,000 joining fee which we “oldtimers” never had to pay), and on the other hand - Amex needs to be able to justify why people would pay $2,500 each additional year if the service keeps declining due to the glut of new Centurion members.
Short term - yes, the “opening up” of the requirements to generate revenue is a profitable thing to do.
Long term - those of us who are disillusioned by the declining service will either stop using the card (and then Amex lose the 3% merchant fees they receive on all of our charges) or leave Centurion (and Amex also loses the $2,500 membership fees).
Just do the math: The “real” members who actually spent 40k a month (for example) generated $1,200 PER MONTH in merchant fees for Amex. That’s about $15,000 a year !!!
Why jeopardize those kind of customers just to make a one-time $5,000 joining fee and bump up the numbers is simply baffling…
We should teach MBA students this as a future failed case-study in class…
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 have knowledge of a middle eastern gentleman who spends a million+ dollars a year on his ‘green’ card and has no desire for the illusion of prestige of the Centurion!If you have the spending and paying history there is no limit even on the basic ‘green’ and no one is the wiser,unless of course you have a need to show off!Really,who cares? The above was confirmed to me by an Amex executive.
Cheers,
Mr.A.
SOY TITULAR PLATINUM, Y NO SE QUE REQUISITOS TENGO PARA PODER OPTAR A UNA CENTURION EN ESPAÑA
GRACIAS
Does anyone know which Concierge company Amex Centurion and Amex Platinum use in the UK or Europe (and US) for their concierge services? Thanks.
Centurion USA uses “circles” as their concierge.
They are based mainly in Ontario Canada (all calls are routed there automatically) but sometimes it goes to a USA call center (maybe when Canada is too busy?)
Same company used for Platinum - but the employees who handle Centurion accounts are supposed to be more senior and get “graduated” to the Centurion level once they have completed a successful stint at Platinum and are recognized for a “promotion”.
Sou titular do cartão Platinum no Brasil e gostaria de saber quando o Centurion Card passará a ser emitido no brasil. Obrigado.
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?