Requirements and Benefits of the AMEX Black Card
In the previous post we covered how the Black card came into existence. Now that the background is covered, here are some of the requirements to obtain a card and the benefits it offers.
Requirements:
1) Charge $250,000 or more a year to AMEX
2) Be invited by AMEX or ask to join
3) Pay the $5,000 initiation fee
4) Pay the $2,500 (US) annual Fee
Benefits:
1) Very high spending limit. Each card has a different limit and the limit is based on the income of the individual. The most expensive purchase known to date on a black card, is that of a $30M private jet.
2) 24hr personal concierge. They can make reservations, plan weddings, or score tickets.
3) Private shopping services at the finest retailers. It is known that Tiffany’s offers up private shopping for Black Card customers.
4) Invitations for special events, such as a round of golf with Tiger Woods.
5) Complimentary companion airline tickets on international flights.
6) Access to Airport Clubs.
7) Free hotel stays.
8 ) Subscription to Black Ink magazine.
9) International emergency health care .
These are the benefits received from being in the elite circle of about 17,000 people.
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Comments
I haven’t heard of that one persay, but there is an AMEX Red in the Uk which has cash back go to charity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Express_Red
I am a centurion card holder. Today I called them and cancelled my card becuase to be frank, its the poorest customer service I have experienced.
Well over 75% of the time, customer service fail to return calls. In the past two weeks I called to RSVP to a centurion event (after hours) to be told that a day team member would call me the next day. No call back.
I called the travel insurance team, which was answered by a voice message service. It said to expect a call back within 48 hours. 1 week later no call.
I called to find the best possible suite in Uppsala, Sweden for my wedding. They say it will take two weeks to get back to me. One month later, heard nothing.
This is after months and months of continual terrible service. The executive customer service manager offered to reduce my annual fee by $1000 dollars (here in Australia its $4300 per year). I advised that my other consumer credit card had similar features, but far better service.
I am now in contact with Kenneth Chenault’s office. I refuse to pay $3300 for a chunk of titanium which is attached to horrendous service.
The only thing it has been good for is getting access to any nightclub VIP area. But even that has now started to decline. Many clubs will give you VIP list, but you must still pay to get in and doesnt give you Access All Areas.
The card is all about mystery, but more stories of reality will surface. You should not aspire to this card. You wont get the ego boost you think you will… most decent shops have seen the card before, the rest have no idea what it is and dont really care. It doesnt get you access to the good airline lounges either. Most people with this card will already have better lounge access.
The centurion events they organise are way overpriced and available through other consumer channels at cheaper prices.
The notion that they will make anything happen is complete rubbish. I asked them to coordinate travel for a group of friends to my wedding in Sweden (25 people). They said they could only help with the primary card holders travel.
The hype is unwarranted people.
Don’t forget the 1 year tenure requirement. You can spend 250k in your first month with Amex, but you won’t get the card.
Wow, I am really surprised to hear that. I would have to say the exact opposite.Amex has gone above and beyond what I would expect from any company and the centurion is better than any other card I have had. Maybe it just sucks in your country.
Amex is a finance company, nothing more.
The only things it has over the other banks is that it issues charge cards and controls all elements,from card issue and credit control to network access and processing whereas Mastercard and Visa just operate the network.
I’ve found that Amex has the same lousy service you mentioned. They pride themselves on all this service, but mostly they don’t get back to you w/in a reasonable timeframe.
quick question… what if somebody had poor credit but had millions and issued a cashier’s check to American Express for $250k because they wanted a BLACK AMEX Centurion Card, do you think they’ll give him one??
I was the person who put the 30M on my Blackcard. The card has been great for me and they always look out for me.
I am curious as to what exactly you bought 30m on your black card. As a holder for several years and pilot I think you are not the one who made this purchase. If you are the N number would make it beliveable
Just received a Black Amex Titanium Black card today - it was plastic in the UK - couriered in a black box with a purple ribbbon inside - very nicely packaged and a letter that half way down said - and by the way - the fee is increasing to just over 3 times what it used to be….errr….I rang up and told the Amex rep I’ll be switching. How about a downgrade sir? Nope - switching - a downgrade - means you still get my full cashflow going through your accounts with none of the benefits for me..so now I will take my business elsewhere… damn cheak.
All Hype, customer service is horrible. If you really need a card to boost your ego then by all means get this but basically any where you would use this do not care what color the card is but if you need to impress friends or family then get the card.
To: Admin. or Anyone who can Help:
I have some questions regarding applying for the Black Card:
I have been a member with Amex since 2004, and i currently have a Platinum Card. I have 790 FICO score, 1% debit on all cards, and never delayed any payments. My credit history is 9 Years. Average spending for the last 4 years $120,000.
1) As we all know that one of the requirements is to spend $250,000 within a Year. Does this mean one Year from the date of applying ex. if i apply today they will begin counting from the 10-8-2008 till 10-8-2009 or I have to wait till end of this year and then they will count all 2009?
2) Will they count the spending of the additional cards under my account or only my card spending?
3) Since 2004 till date i didnt spend 250,000 in One year, if i spend this money now and reach to 250,000, will i be considered or i have to be spending such amount (250,000) for couple of years to qualify.?
4) I am currently working in London, so i have changed my address from US to UK. Will this affect me in getting my Card being my address is outside the US.?
Thanks
I think we need some more restrictions on credit card companies but I don’t know that you can outlaw charging for payments over the phone. A lot of these companies are using a third party service to handle the ACH payment, like BillMatrix. They charge the company a fee which is then passed on to the consumer. Are they going to make postage free as well, it already costs you 42 cents to mail your payment in…
People need to stop worrying so much about the damn status of a piece of plastic and more about the value. The service is horrible, the cost of the card is outrageous. Enough said. Who’s going to see your card anyway? are you going to flash it around and expect people to be in awe? Most people dont know it meaning and of the others that do, most could care less.
I’d much rather have the Visa Infinite or World Elite Mastercard. Chase once offered me that for a $395 annual fee on an existing Chase Freedom Plus World Mastercard account, but $400 just to have a black-colored card hardly seems worth it. If it fell to $50, then that’s more reasonable.
I HAVE JUST RECIEVED MY TITANIUM BLACK CARD ITS GREAT WENT TO A BAR PRESENTED TO THE BAR STAFF IWAS GIVEN FIRST CLASS TREATMENT . A LADY WAS SITTING NEXT TO ME WAS IMPRESSED WITH IT .
What ever happened to paying cash??? Is that not the ultimate sign of success? Why would you buy something expensive and not desire to hand a cashiers sheck or a pile of Benjamins?? I really think that society has their heads up their as$es. If you have the type of required to have this card, you mostlikely already have the means and contacts available to you to excede what is offered yet you allow the amex to control you looking for status…..sad
I’ve got my platinum card 10 yrs ago when I was 22. My credit score is over 800, I am a huge spender, but come on!!! Why the hell I would spend 250000 a year on just me??? Thats why I cant get black one…
It’s pretty shameful that a bunch of adults are discussing what impresses someone as far as $$$$ go.
Personally, if I ever have to pay with any one of my cards I make sure no one is watching cuz to me it means I don’t have real money to pay with!!
If it’s about showing off do it with Cashola. AS far as I’m concerned, you pull out your card to pay for a tab of champagne and pretty girls mounting up to $20,000, that card could be your mothers.
If you wanna be a big man, have the benjamins ready to play. Thats when every one backs the fuck up.
Ppl dont have balls anymore…
very sad
Cosimo,
Paying with an AMEX shows that you have money, unlike Visa and MasterCard. The balance has to be paid at the end of the month, so you aren’t spreading tabs out over months or years. I use my AMEX EVERYWHERE I go, and I’ll even avoid places that don’t accept it. I have the AMEX Centurion and the Visa Black from Barclaysbank, and AMEX has given me better service.
Carrying that much cash is not only obscene, but dangerous and it makes you look like an asshole with “business” to hide. You’re just asking to get mugged carrying the cash-equivalent spending power of an AMEX card.
I have been an Amex Centurion member for many years and these are my experiences:
1). The service I have received is impeccable. Amex personnel have always been prompt, professional and efficient. I find it hard to believe the reports of bad service.
2). The perks of the card far outweigh the cost…if you travel a lot. First class airline upgrades, hotel upgrades, free breaks and late check outs at fine hotels around the world.
Although I am not a Centurion Card holder–I have carried AMEX since 2001 and a Platinum Card holder since 2003–I have had the pleasure of seeing a colleague’s invitation for the Centurion Card (He also carries the Platinum Card on my recommendation-4yrs.) It was stunning to say the least; beautiful black box, purple ribbon, etc. He had no idea what it was when it arrived. Interesting to note is that his spending habit the prior year was approximately U$150K, nowhere near U$250K, and his income is in the mid-six figures.
The Platinum Card has been a great card…service has been impeccable.
It’s pretty pathetic that people in this world will pay all that kind of money for a piece of plastic just to show off. Ridiculous. The average American averages between $35,000 and $70,000 a year. You people who have these cards carry that kind of cash in your pockets and spend that much on alcohol at bars. Instead of paying for that piece of shit card that you all desire, how about giving it to charity, or supporting your local YMCA or school district. You may or may not have worked hard for the money you all have but while this country is slowly dying due to it’s financial difficulties, you 1 percenters who control this country are the ones responsible for it’s decline. How about you all stop whining for the situation you put yourself in with this “black card.”
In my life, I need a Black Amex card. I am multi millionaire, I spend a lot of money. I’ve purchased, cars, boats and exotic animals with my black card. I dumped about $40,000 at the Bunny Ranch in one crazy weekend. Black has my back. $250k a year isn’t a hard number to hit.
or, Sad Times, you could just give the money you spent on your computer to people in Africa who need food and vaccines. Or maybe you could take your attitude back in time to when people still had not had the failure of communism and socialism conclusively proven to them. Either way, STFU.
All it is is a status symbol. The disparities in income and wealth in this country are STAGGERING. You have people rolling in the dough, trying to acquire “luxury” credit cards then so many homeless people, those who are starving, without health insurance, struggling to live everyday. America - Land of the Free, Home of The Whopper! This country is such a joke. This is crazy!
Welll if anyone NEEDS to spend their money, they should help me out a bit =) im 20 yrs old and i have medical bills from when i was 18 that will haunt me forever because i dont have insurance. Granted they come out to less than 5 grand but to me even $500 seems like 5 million. Charity? No you wont get your money back when you file your taxes(wheres the charity in that) but you will help a family in need. Trust me, i work. However 8.50 an hour for 25 hours a week doesnt put food on the table pay rent pay for a car(which i dont have) or pay the gas, electric, water and other bills in one paycheck. Stop whining about not getting into vip. Its ok, you wont parish from drinking tap water apposed to drinking fiji…o wait theres probably an even more expensive water isnt there?
Leigha,why don’t YOU stop whining? If you are so broke, then make more money. Remember, a typical work week has 40 hrs.
Well now,if I had one of these Black cards I’d have my $250,000 spent the first day……On my Facial Feminization Surgery and GRS,lol,no joking either.My lifelong dream is to look as hot as Megan Fox,but,alas I doubt I’ll ever achieve that with my puny income…cheers to the rich,haha.
~Amee 
My father is worth way over 100 million dollars we live in australia I called up to see and amex said they will let us know by mail and that he thinks there should not be any problem he travels all the time he is a great guy and im one of his 9 kids I told him about it he is a hard guy to impress but he was WOWed i hope it get’s approved sounds amazing
My corporation got a bunch of these idiotic cards. We got sucked into the idea of access to all airport lounges and the free tickets for companions.
The rest of the deal was horrible. For the kind of dough we spent with Amex I expect superior service at all levels. We were so disappointed that we requested our fees back and we would go back to our gold cards. They refused.
So we sucked it up for a year. Charged nothing, used all of the services we could and switched to Visa.
Lesson learned, the only people impressed with a black card are the guys marketing them.
Bloefeld
I am a black card holder. My husband and I have been with centurion for 7 years now and can honestly say that they have gone above and beyond on occasions. I always understood the card was invitation only? Lots use it to show off buying into the marketing hype. Used discreetly and to your own advantage the yearly membership ends up being insignificant compared to the benefits you get back. As a european I recommend it. But you will have to wait until your invited!
Well I just want to mention that I carry the AMEX-BLACK, everywhere I go people look at it like they have never seen anything like that. I started off with amex basic when I was a teenager, at 25 I obtained the centerium card, I’m 32 years old and I currently use my amex black, I have no limit. Like they say, the sky is the limit, too good I am not a bird, so I never see the limit of the skies, I spent nearly 750,000 a year, I know for many of sound might sound a lot, but in reality is just a way for me not to carry cash on me, and get really nice discount anywhere I go and pay with amex black. The most spencive item I bought was a mbw 745, and the bmw x5 for my wife. Other that that all we use it for is the kids, clouthing, foo/restaurants and traveling. I feel very lucky to be part of the few people who we carry amez black.
Per Davids comment - I think if you are in Australia it is certainly not worth it as no one understands what a Black Amex is and none of the Fast Track benefits and Lounge access are included at any Australian airports. Plus no one is Australia would get the “status” part either unless you mixed with the elite who may all have one anyway. If you can afford it go for it - good luck to ya - you have done well and worked hard to make it.
BTW - sad times and WTF - stop visiting and commenting on a site that is about luxury credit cards if you are so against people being successful… you whining lefties…..
What is the differences between Plat and Black, as far as I know many are going from black to plat, because as of early this year plat has the same benefits as black and 10% of the cost.
I had the platinum invitation from Amex, although the membership fees is £300 /year, I still decide to give it a go. Yes the card was nicely packed when it came, with all thes benefits booklets to explain how great they were. So I started using my card on literally everything: petrol, grocery… All seems fine, when it came to big purchase (I only made a few orders via apple online store, less than £2000!!) my card was suspended after the purchase. So I called them up trying to find out what’s going on. I’ve been told its a random routine to put suspend on new cardholders, I was also asked to provide bank details and stuffs. As I did. No offenses, I had over £2M Sterling Pounds saving in my premier HSBC account, house owner, few more flats currently letting out, great credit history, never missed a single payment. Most funny things is, 2 weeks later, they sent me a letter saying I don’t meet their criteria!! How ridiculous is that?!!! So the card is cancelled, and the £300 membership fees had gone into their pocket!!! Well done AMEX!!!!!
Has anyone received an invitation in 2011?? I called AMEX CENTURION and they stated they havent sent out any invites in 2011 and they have no idea when they will review accounts to do so.
I have over 500K spent this years (half on travel and luxury items) and they cant even give me a time frame and they come off like they dont even care.
I think its crazy that they arent willing to take my $9,000 (for 2 cards) to get started.
Anyone have any insight??
What is the difference between a metal and plastic black card?
I’ve heard of a Ruby amex card that is higher then a black card is this true?