Can’t Get A Black Card?
If you’re like me you don’t spend nearly enough to qualify for the Black Card. I mean seriously, unless you have a business, I have to imagine it is difficult to spend 250k in a year. Granted, many people can charge their mortgages to AMEX cards now. Ok maybe not so difficult, I am sure I could go out with a bang in a few days in Vegas, probably due to my gambling, alcohol, drug, and prostitute addictions. I am trying to quite, promise. Anyway, so if you can’t get the Black Card, which card should you get?
I have compiled a fairly exhaustive list of AMEX cards on my “Other AMEX Cards” page. You can use this page to pick which American Express card is right for you. I have even set up direct links to applications to make it more user friendly.
Personally, I use the American Express Blue Cash card. I have used this card for several years now and been more than happy with it. I get about 5% cash back on most of my purchases and it has a good buyer protection program. If I buy something with my AMEX and I break it, lose it, or it is stolen within 90 days of the purchase they will refund me the cost. I just used this after I dropped and cracked my iPhone about 60 days after getting it. I would definitely recommend the Blue Cash Card. It is a pretty decent looking card too.
For my non-black cardholder readers (which I have to imagine is most of you) , which AMEX, or other card do you use?
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Comments
The Blue Cash is my card of choice as well. The benefits (double manufacturers warranty on everything you purchase on the card, the aforementioned return guarantee etc), combined with the cash back that you get after reaching $6,500. in spending is outstanding.
There are cards that give you more cash back in certain speding categories, such as the Chase Freedom card, But they don’t include the benefits and customer service that ther AMEX Blue Cash does.
I have 2 AMEX cards right now. I have the preffered rewards gold charge card and the optima platinum credit card. I like the gold charge card because it keeps my spending under control knowing I have to pay it all off when the statement arrives. And, the optima card is good for making a large purchase (in the thousands) becuase I can carry a balance. Also there is no annual fee with the optima platinum card. I get reward points with both cards and have used them mostly to buy gift cards/certificates at very good restaurants and retailers.
-Eddie :o)
I almost forgot to mention, I have a titanium centurion promo card I purchased off of eBay. It has no value on it, (obviously), but it is a nice collectors’ card.
-Eddie :o)
After using my amex cards over the past 2 years I have been pre-approved for a platinum charge card, but amex refuses to wave any of the $450.00 or so annual fee, so I just stick with my gold card and optima platinum. You know, the gold cards were the ultimate status symbol prior to the introduction of the platinum card in 1984. Just a lil’ amex retro-f.y.i. there.
-Eddie :o)
I got the Green Card in June last year. After using it for about three months, Amex rang me up and invited me to the Platinum Card. I know you can apply, but in my case they offered it to me. It was due to my level and type of spending . I’ve had the Platinum Card since late September and I’m really pleased with it. It isn’t cheap, but you CAN make it pay for itself. The concierge service has got me tables in several ‘fully booked’ restaurants, and the hotel, insurance and airline lounge benefits make it worth the money if you know how to use them. In a world where EVERYONE has a platinum card of some description, it is nice to be able to use the original and best. It even turns the odd head from time to time.
does anyone know of amex you can get with REAL bad credit? if they will let you transfer balances??? please help! email- sadiebraxdon @ yahoo . com
any help is highly appreciated..thanks
Amanda,
I would suggest looking at the list of cards on http://www.amex-black.com/other-amex-cards/.
Based on what you are describing I would apply for the Blue, Blue Cash, or Clear cards on that page. All of them will allow you to transfer your balance.
I am not sure how bad you mean by bad credit, but you could always apply and find out.
Gareth, the standards must still be pretty high over in the U.K. because my credit was nothing super here in the U.S., (not terrible either), when I was first sent a pre-approved application for the amex gold card about 3 years back. I was only 21 at the time. I don’t spend anything exceptional on my amex cards, but was still sent a pre-approved platinum charge card offer from AMEX about a year and a half later…I do ALWAYS pay on time, however. Anyway, I think the standards of AmEx as a whole in the U.S. have gone down some. Decades ago they were among the very exclusives, with Diners Club, Carte Blanche, etc. Nowadays, they are sending out gold card applications like crazy it seems. *I also did use a lot of those stupid amex gift cards in the recent past, maybe that helped, too.* LoL, but seriously.
P.S. I agree totally with your last 2 sentences in your last post…well said.
-Eddie :o)
Eddie, your post is interesting to read. I’m not really sure how high the standards are over here for the Platinum Card, but they’re certainly not that strict. I’m 20 (21 next month) and I had the Green Card about three months before getting the call to upgrade. To be eligible for the Platinum Card, AmEx want you to be earning £40,000 per annum. Well, my annual income is around £20,000. American Express know this too as that’s what I declared for the Green Card, and I didn’t fill out a new application for Platinum. I do however have an exemplary credit history which I know AmEx IS very strict on. To be honest I was very surprised when they called me - I had expected to have a Green Card for several years, and at least until I had begun earning around £40K. I think the prestige of the Platinum Card has declined, especially since the card was opened to applications and the Centurion Card was released. Even so, I have only ever seen one other person with an AmEx Platinum Card. I wouldn’t say they’re a common sight, but I would agree that American Express may not have quite the same kudos it once did. Overall however, I think they are still thought of as the card company for the discerning, higher income earners who travel and have an excellent credit history. In other words, the company has just about managed to retain its ’snob value’!
Hehehe Gareth, I agree. Despite what I said earlier about those Amex gold card applications becoming quite common here (which they are), I still seem to be the only person in my circle of friends who carries an AMEX. (2 actually). Lol I’m so vain. Seriously though, like you said, Amex does still retain its premium status. Since i’ve had mine, they make me look more established than my non-amex holding friends and go quite well with my pretentious lifestyle.
:o/ (grins).
-Eddie :o)
I have the Delta Gold Amex. I applied for an Amex for my business and got denied, saying must be a card holder for a year before they can approve me for another card?
Never heard of that … have you?
Darin
Ummm…isn’t this the reason you have bad credit? Because you can’t control your spending habits yet you want a AMEX card?? WTF is wrong with you??? Trying to be a social climber???
“amanda
does anyone know of amex you can get with REAL bad credit? if they will let you transfer balances??? please help! email- sadiebraxdon @ yahoo . com
any help is highly appreciated..thanks”
hey my family all have black cards……..my dad recived his and me and my mom got ours 4 days later they are a very nice ………..ps im only 16 years old …………..
Michael:
You sure spell like a 16 year old.. no credit card in the world will help you……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ps im only 9 years old
http://www.johnchow.com/the-ultimate-bling-black-amex-centurion
Jerry, above is a link with mostly what you’ve requested. Enjoy!
-Eddie :o)
I started with the Optima card in college. They eventually “upgraded” it to a Blue account. A couple years back I got the Rewards Gold Card and soon received the neat little Gold “Butterfly Card” that literally folds in half to fit on my keychain. I just applied for and received a Blue Sky card because…
Seems to me the main advantage the Gold Card has over the Green and One charge cards is that it gives me additional access to certain entertainment and sporting events. This is a feature I last used … er, never. Also, they’ve just announced they are cancelling the Gold Butterfly Card pilot program as well, which was one of the last cool features of the Gold Card IMHO. I’ll miss that thing. 
Blue Sky also has a great non-Membership Rewards loyalty program in which I only have to rack up 7,500 points before I can use them as a $100 statement credit toward any travel expense (flights, hotels, cruises, hopefully trains too). That’s an over 1% return rate, and I love the redemption flexibility (most anything travel related).
Anyway, as a replacement “premium” (read: not free) charge card, I’m planning to cancel my Gold Card account and apply for a One card instead. Most of the features and benefits are the same, but it only costs $35 annually with free cards for family/friends compared to the Gold Card’s $125 annual fee with an additional $35 fee for up to five additional cards. I my also cancel my dormant Blue card eventually, but haven’t made up my mind on that one yet.
I also recently got the new Saks Fifth Avenue World Elite MasterCard. It seems to come with some features similar to the AmEx Platinum Card, but with no annual Fee (plus it’s matte black, so it has definite eye candy value).
I have the Costco American Express card w/ an executive membership to Costco so I get 1% - 3% of purchases back each year. Considering I work for Costco therefore do not pay for my membership I think it’s a win-win situation for me.
I am strongly considering the Blue Sky Amex; an invitation for the card popped up in the mail about a 10 days ago. Normally I shred c.c. offers, but that one jumped out at me, probably because I’m planning a vacation to Disney World. It has a lower interest rate then most of the other Travel reward Amex cards and is not place or airline specific, no annual fee, bonus points etc.
Still thinking about it, I don’t like to have a lot of c.c.’s but my current 2 (3 if you include the Sear’s card I never use.) do not offer any travel rewards.
I am a current AMEX Platinum Card holder. The information on the web about the Centurion Card seemed inconsistent so I called my Plat. concierge to get the information from the source. They transferred me to a Cent. concierge who said this: 1. AMEX does not even release the benefits of the Cent. Card (or an application) unless you’ve been a AMEX card holder for 12 months and have met the spending requirement of $250K within the last 12 months. 2. Once you have met those two requirements, AMEX will contact you to invite you to be a Cent. Card holder (though you can request an application yourself any time after you’ve met the requirements). 3. (And this was the new information) You do not have to continue to spend $250K a year (and this has never been a requirement). This was all the AMEX Cent. concierge would tell me (I’m a new Plat. Card holder). So, you can’t get the card unless you’ve spend $250K within the last 12 months, but you don’t have to keep up that pace each year to keep the card.
I use the American Express Platinum Charge Card, and honestly I love my card. I do the invite from AmEx for the business centurion card here in my room because they offered it to my pops a few years ago (he spends about 100k a month on the platinum one) but he declined it because he doesnt feel he would uses any of the benefits but it is definetly one of my mini goals in life to actually obtain my own black card.
I was wondering if anyone can tell me the criteria to be invited to get the Centurion card in the UK? I have heard conflicting information about this; such as the yearly spend not being anywhere near the $250k it is in the US, to it being the same the world over so the rough equivalent being £128k…and I have even heard it is no longer available in the UK?? also that it is being re-launched here?? I have just applied for a platinum card and was just wondering what exactly you have to do, spend, re-pay etc. to get invited to get the black card in the UK? When applying for my platinum card I did inquire however the only information the guy would give me is ‘you have to be invited’ Any help from someone who knows what they are talking about would be appreciated.
How are people able to charge their mortgages to their AmEx cards? I know that AmEx recently started allowing it on a very specific type of mortgage, but can regular people do this? That’s the holy grail.