Carl Christensen

"baccarat_king" -> " I do love a good gamble"

stimpy

If you travel a lot, it certainly should be worth it. I'm an original charter member and still find great value in Centurion year after year after year. And as I always say, the number one benefit is that if I have a problem, Amex always says "Yes Sir" rather than "no, I'm sorry sir".

JohnRain

Congrats for pulling the trigger! I'm not sure it's a "good gamble" as you say, but in the end you'll have to find out yourself. Don't hold your breath for the non-published benefits though, I still have to find a single one. If others have made other experiences, I'd love to hear about them, so much so that it would almost be worth starting a new thread...

JohnRain

You're obviously referring to the Concierge/Travel service here, but (in continental Europe at least), it is exactly the same for Cent and Plat and thus not a special Cent benefit.

stimpy

No, I was referring to the general customer service and there is a huge difference between Centurion and Platinum, in the US at least. Also for insurance and rental car accident issues, etc. Centurion handles these problems with no issues at all. I spend a few minutes on the phone with them and it's done.

JohnRain

I'm not sure I follow you here. In Europe you can only call one number and have a choice between Travel Service and Concierge (and a third option called "services", but this is only if you have an issue with your card). As for insurance and car rental issues, I've had to deal with both when I still had a Plat and also when I became a Cent (I'm also a charter member), but there was no noticeable difference in terms of service. I'm not at all questioning what you're saying, I guess that it's the U.S. Cent that is simply miles ahead of its Continental European equivalent.

stimpy

Well yes the US is miles ahead of Europe when it comes to most any form of customer service and definitely with Amex. Over the last umpteen years since Centurion began, there have been general issues here and there that I've needed to call up Amex about. Membership Rewards, false charges, incorrect charges, travel insurance, buyers protection insurance, lost items insurance, etc. Comparing it to my Platinum days or other credit cards, Amex Centurion service in the US is far, far better than any other.

SusanDK

I agree with this. I've had exceptional customer service from U.S. Cent on a number of issues, including extended warranty, false charges, a couple of substantial chargebacks for goods and services that were not received (e.g. health club that closed, undelivered services paid via Paypal) that I don't think would have had the same outcome from other credit card companies or perhaps even a lesser AmEx.

nimeta

FWIW, I am still in 2 minds about whether I would accept a cent invite or not, but no invite has come. I have been a Plat Personal holder for about 10 years, but most of my expenditure has gone on my BA Amex which offers a 50% + premium on air miles, plus some other benefits, so maybe this spend is not recognised by Amex. Each year I easily did £50k per annum, but most usually £100k - £150k

Last couple of years my spend has gone up on both cards however, and last year my spend on the Plat card was £1m + and the BA card lower (say £250k), and the year before maybe half this. A lot of it was on clubs, flights, hotels etc... but was more for my boss than for me (he is Lebanese so credit cards are a problem for him - the banking system there does not seem very sophisticated). My credit rating is I presume pretty good, although peculiarly as I do not have any interest accruing debt (i.e. loans/mortgages), this may count against me.

Anyway, still no invite. My life is pretty good without it, so I don't lie awake at night worrying about this...but still I am curious as to whether I will get the offer

RupertPumpkin

Hi just to answer this specific question - not sure about the exact weight, but I can tell you the Centurion is much much lighter than the Palladium.

I was a LGA buying some travel electronics from one of the stores and went up to pay with my Palladium and the the guy working the cash register happen to be the owner and he was amazed at the weight of the Palladium card. So amazed, that he pulled out his Centurion and compared them. He then let me hold his Centurion and I was amazed it felt extremely light in my hand. He mentioned its probably since the Centurion is made with Titanium and of course the Palladium is made with parts of Palladium.

GrnLantern

The JPM Chase Palladium card isn't heavy because of palladium (of which there are only traces of in the card), but because of the rest of the metal that's used to make it. As opposed to the Cent, as you noted, which is made of black anodized titanium.

RupertPumpkin

On another note - I called Amex Centurion to inquire about the card again (last time I called was 6+ months ago and just wanted to see if there was any changes made after the New Year)

They sadly just reiterated that the card is still by invitational only and that they have noted my account...sigh...I told them I really want to get rid of my Palladium card bc my renewal date was coming next month and the perks/benefits are nowhere near the benefits I receive from my Platinum account and the high AF isn't justified, where as a Centurion card is (semi)justifiable (FHR/Airline&HotelStatus). And that I couldn't get rid of my Visa card that offered such a high spending power.

She replied, yes we have heard of the lack of benefits people receive from the Palladium card, but all we can do is note your account.

Im ok with it for now, but still yearning for an invite.

drwilliams

Centurion will not affect your spend ability. It is still based on history, spending pattern, etc.

DMSFCA

Gotta agree with both of you guys, also a Charter member and there have probably been a dozen times over the years that after hanging up the phone with Amex said "they have once again won my business forever."

Zhariak

Man, I can't agree more. Back when I was 19 and got my first platinum charge card (I was young, and even though I made decent coin, no banks would give me any credit cards, etc... due to lack of credit), I swore by my amex. No credit limit BS, no trouble, customer service was excellent, loved the perks. Any BS with merchants, and Amex would take care of it immediately, no questions asked. Even when my card was duplicated and EXTREMELY high value charges were put on it fraudulently, Amex had it taken care of immediately!

Got my first cent invite when I was 23 (didn't accept it since at the time I wouldn't have much use for the perks), then got another invite December of 2014 (at the age of 28) and finally accepted (since I now can utilize the perks). Now that I'm a centurion, they still treat me great. Literally always exceeding my expectations. I can't even think of what they could do more... lol

Amex, if you're listening, I love you