Spotlight On A Reader - Amit Mehta
Welcome to the first, of what I hope will be many, in a series of spotlights on amex-black.com readers. This series will profile readers who are centurion members, their life, spending habits, and what they do for a living. Due to the buzz created by reader pictures, I figured this is the next evolution of getting a peek into the lives and lifestyles of black cardholders.
I could think of no better person to kick off the series than Amit Mehta. Amit is, in many online circles, a very well known and successful affiliate marketer. Amit also has a very “Google famous” picture of him with his centurion card. Without further ado, let me introduce Amit Mehta.
What is your name: Amit Mehta
How old are you: 29
Where are you from: Born and raised in NJ, in a middle class family that taught me the value of getting a good education and working hard for money. I did get a good education - PhD in Physics. As for working hard for money, I bucked that trend and decide to learn how to have money work hard for me.
Where do you live now: I live in the beautiful city of Boston with my wife Shilpi.
Describe what you do for a living and how long you’ve done it: I’m an internet marketer. I sell products and services online through pay per click advertising. Pay per click is a highly targeted form of advertising where you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. I advertise through Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, and MSN Adcenter. Just to give you an idea, I spend over $150k a month on my black card on just pay per click advertising alone.
How long have you been a Centurion card member: I’ve been a member since June 2007
Are you happy with the Centurion card, if so what are your favorite aspects: I absolutely love this card, if you travel a lot the benefits are outstanding. In particular, what distinguishes the black card from the Platinum card is that you get elite status in : Continental, Delta and US Airways. Elite status basically means you can travel coach and get all the benefits of first class (expedited baggage, security) minus the big seat PLUS you get first class upgrades when available. That being said I almost always travel first class at no charge, thanks to the over 1.2 million amex points I have. Having access to the executive airport lounges is a real treat as well : they have plush seats, free drinks and snacks, free wifi, and most importantly it’s quiet and uncongested. I’ve also received a number of complimentary hotel room upgrades with the black card. In one instance when I was in Victoria, CA I was upgraded to a $1100/night room (the top room in the whole hotel) and I only paid the base rate of $300/night for it! The room was AMAZING! The black card also works magic with restaurant reservations. There’s a swanky French restaurant that Shilpi and I love here in Boston. One night we decided to book reservations there, Shilpi called the restaurant directly at first and they were “all booked out.” I asked Shilpi to call again, except this time through the black card concierge service. Guess what? We got a reservation immediately. This “booked out” restaurant suddenly found us a seat once they realized we were Centurion card members!
Roughly, how much do you spend per month/year: I spend between $150k-$200k/month on my black card
Have you ever been treated differently because you have a Centurion card: I’ve often gotten get shocks and awes from people when I pull out my black card. There’s no question that you definitely command more respect carrying this little piece of titanium around.
Do you ever use it to buy small stuff just to show it off, be honest: I’ve used it at my local Staples, not really to show it off, just because I was purchasing stationary items for my office and the black card is the only business card I use.
What is the largest ticket item you have purchased with it: It’s hard to say, I have so many expenses. Here are some large ticket items : $8k for business class tickets to India, $20k to remodel my home office, $10k for a coaching program. Also I’ve spent up to $10k a DAY on Google Adwords at one point.
What is your most expensive month if you remember: I believe the most I’ve ever spent in one month is about $300k
Have you used the concierge service, if so what for, and have you used it for anything ridiculous: I used the concierge service in the beginning when I first got the card and I found it very lacking. My wife and I use a local concierge service here in Boston. I mean a REAL concierge service that will not only research stuff for you but handle errands (including grocery shopping, having your car washed, faxing & photocopying documents, donating cloths, and much more), schedules appointments, organize papers, make phone calls, etc, etc etc. We’re currently using our concierge service to go through the hassle of leasing a car for us. We pay around $50/hr for our concierge service, but it’s worth EVERY PENNY! Regarding the Centurion travel services, I love it. Use them to book all my business trips, everything from the limo pickup, flight, and hotel.
To find out more about what Amit does and how he managed to score a black card, check out his blog at: http://superaffiliatemindset.com
For all of the aspiring internet and affiliate marketers who want a black card, apply for a gold or platinum business amex, and start spending big money on PPC to those cards. You can be there in no time.
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Comments
Ditto! Bravo admin. for the new idea. keep ‘em coming and express our gratitude to the participants for their cooperation and great success stories!
-Eddie :o)
Amit lives in Boston and maybe doesn’t want to be tied down to a home or the maintentance. He has a black card, he can do whatever he wants!
Just because you have a black card does not mean your business is making lots of PROFIT!
He may be raking in 3M a year, but may have expenses just under 3M, leaving him with a small profit to live on…
You’ve got to gradually move your way up to the spending level that this card affords you. No one with half a brain would scale up to 3 mil a year if they had measly profit margins.
Interesting, please keep it going.