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Has anyone actually received an "Invite" to the Centurion program in 2017?

Has anyone actually received an "Invite" to the Centurion program in 2017?

Old Feb 26, 2017, 2:12 pm
  #61  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 605
I was offered it once a few years ago. I couldn't justify spending the money on the initiation fee. I've consistently placed 150k - 400k a year on my AMEX SPG and Plum business. However, I've since moved most of it to Capital One for 2% CB. Travel and restaurants, I've moved over to JPM Reserve.
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Old Feb 26, 2017, 3:36 pm
  #62  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 39
Other Cards

Amex Customer Service (and for issues) is still the best - you aren't routed to India. Especially if you call the Platinum number and get a Platinum rep - who can then help you with any of their cards. The points are also good in that you can move them to a specific program or pay with points. Now getting 5X or 50% kick back (depending on the card). I figured if wasn't going to get the respect I felt deserved (recognition as high and loyal spender for 30 years) I might as well milk the benefits.
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Old Mar 2, 2017, 2:54 pm
  #63  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 60
Had my account noted that I would be interested in a Centurion card, member since 2014 holding a Platinum card, high income but low spender, 2016 annual spend < $31000 (rare air travel, rare luxury hotels, no watches, no jewelry)

I figured the review committee deserves a chuckle every now and then
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Old Mar 2, 2017, 2:56 pm
  #64  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 112
Originally Posted by csesq
Amex Customer Service (and for issues) is still the best - you aren't routed to India. Especially if you call the Platinum number and get a Platinum rep - who can then help you with any of their cards. The points are also good in that you can move them to a specific program or pay with points. Now getting 5X or 50% kick back (depending on the card). I figured if wasn't going to get the respect I felt deserved (recognition as high and loyal spender for 30 years) I might as well milk the benefits.
I'll be honest I've gotten equal or better customer service from Discover and Chase (specifically Sapphire lines and Ritz-Carlton Rewards)
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Old Mar 2, 2017, 6:47 pm
  #65  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 333
Originally Posted by iseng88
I think this forum has done me a lot of good and being a good resource for me in the past so may be time to share a little bit of what I did.... I received an invite late last year, I have been with AMEX for about 7 years as for 2017. I started with green and then plat. for the past 4-5 years my spending has not been anywhere near 2M like some of the members does.

But like what was mentioned, I think where you spend it is the key. I flew about once a month LAX>HKG/NRT, J/F. Then most of my spending comes from lux hotels, watches, jewelry and auctions.

Hope this help fellow members.

Cheers!

(attached front of my card)
Well done! And thank you for the details, along with the proof.
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Old Mar 2, 2017, 7:12 pm
  #66  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 112
Originally Posted by csesq
At this point (sticking with Amex) one is better off charging $50,000.00 on the Delta card (to hit medallion status).
That won't get you there, you need 25K MQM to get Silver, you'd need the Reserve at a minimum to get 30K MQM at $60K in spend.
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Old Mar 2, 2017, 8:50 pm
  #67  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 39
We also fly a little

Originally Posted by MrMosby
That won't get you there, you need 25K MQM to get Silver, you'd need the Reserve at a minimum to get 30K MQM at $60K in spend.
you are correct but pretty much one trip (and pay with points with Membership Rewards) gets you there. So I buy one ticket that way (or uses the bogo certificate) and get over the hump to 25. And they let you carry over unused miles.
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Old Mar 3, 2017, 12:01 pm
  #68  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: In order of nights spent: MSP, ORD, OGG, FCO, LHR
Programs: DL 1MM Dia, AA Plat, UA 1MM Gold, HHonors LT Dia, Marriott/SPG LT Plat Prem
Posts: 473
Originally Posted by MrMosby
I'll be honest I've gotten equal or better customer service from Discover and Chase (specifically Sapphire lines and Ritz-Carlton Rewards)
Really???

Wow, I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and I have so many issues it's stupid.

I have had to call in at least 6 times since getting the card (only about 6 months). I've been told lot's of incorrect things about the insurance when renting cars. Trouble combining points from my wife's card (CSP) to mine (still isn't resolved). Long wait times for them to answer, etc......

I've had my Amex for over 25 years. I've called in maybe a dozen times in that 25 years, and they have always made it right, whatever it was they may have been wrong. Including when I was getting married and the venue closed 3-1/2 weeks before the wedding. They had roughly $17,500 in deposits with $10,000 of that for more than a year and half. Amex gave me back all of it, even though their policy is for a much shorter time than that.

My frustration with Chase compared to Amex, is going to prevent me from renewing that card when the annual fee comes up. Even though the travel redemption reward (and 3X points for dining) kills my Amex Platinum redemptions.
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Old Mar 4, 2017, 12:05 am
  #69  
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 153
I remember receiving an invitation about ten years ago when I had a company that was charging a lot for travel on a suite of cards ultimately under my patronagelaughed and threw it in the waste bin when I saw the fee, but in retrospect wish I had taken advantage of the card when it had some really great benefits.

Today it seems like the Platinum, which I have, has arguably more features than the Centurion (5X on travel vs. the Delta status, which would be interesting to me).

AMEX has been a great company over the years and should be capable of getting an attractive package of benefits for very upscale frequent travelers done right. I put a lot of my spending on the Chase SR because of the dining and travel rewards. Too bad AMEX isn't figuring out how to capture that market with a more compelling product. If I were involved in the marketing group there I would be trying to figure out how to capture that demographic because I have a feeling that a lot of the people here pining for this invitation might get one if AMEX figured out how to earn a consolidation of their spending. My point being there seems to be a large untapped and potentially very profitable market between the platinum which is now a quasi mass-market card and the Centurion which seems to be a status symbol card instead of the very compelling suite of high-end travel benefits it started out as. There's a market for this.

The current thread on getting an invitation reminds me of the Groucho Marx quote about not wanting to join any club that would accept him as a member. It's really kind of silly. No disrespect, of course, but where is this company in actually doing the customer focus groups to figure out how to create and market the right products? It would be ultimately more profitable than giving the black card to, say, Rhianna to flaunt.

(I have no idea how AMEX determines the invitations now, and whether I would accept it if I got onebut I put about 250K of spend collectively on my several AMEX cards each year and if AMEX had the right data analytical tools, I'm sure would consider me part of the target marketI guess I'm saying don't read too much into the invitations since it's not at all clear to me they're being done in any organized fashion).
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Old Mar 4, 2017, 11:15 am
  #70  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 39
Platinum mass market

Sadly you are correct about the fact that Platinim has become mass market. I've had mine for over 30 years when a Platinum was a Platinum - it was by invitation- and garnered even some respect. Now everybody has one and they really cheapened it as they seek quantity vs quality - and ignoring the loyal base that supported them.
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Old Mar 4, 2017, 1:41 pm
  #71  
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 495
Originally Posted by csesq
Amex Customer Service (and for issues) is still the best - you aren't routed to India. Especially if you call the Platinum number and get a Platinum rep - who can then help you with any of their cards. The points are also good in that you can move them to a specific program or pay with points. Now getting 5X or 50% kick back (depending on the card). I figured if wasn't going to get the respect I felt deserved (recognition as high and loyal spender for 30 years) I might as well milk the benefits.
what is wrong by getting routed to India? A call is a call.
edealinfo12345 is offline  
Old Mar 4, 2017, 2:58 pm
  #72  
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: DL DM, UA MM, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, Hertz Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 97
Originally Posted by nyc2cal
I remember receiving an invitation about ten years ago when I had a company that was charging a lot for travel on a suite of cards ultimately under my patronagelaughed and threw it in the waste bin when I saw the fee, but in retrospect wish I had taken advantage of the card when it had some really great benefits.

Today it seems like the Platinum, which I have, has arguably more features than the Centurion (5X on travel vs. the Delta status, which would be interesting to me).

AMEX has been a great company over the years and should be capable of getting an attractive package of benefits for very upscale frequent travelers done right. I put a lot of my spending on the Chase SR because of the dining and travel rewards. Too bad AMEX isn't figuring out how to capture that market with a more compelling product. If I were involved in the marketing group there I would be trying to figure out how to capture that demographic because I have a feeling that a lot of the people here pining for this invitation might get one if AMEX figured out how to earn a consolidation of their spending. My point being there seems to be a large untapped and potentially very profitable market between the platinum which is now a quasi mass-market card and the Centurion which seems to be a status symbol card instead of the very compelling suite of high-end travel benefits it started out as. There's a market for this.

The current thread on getting an invitation reminds me of the Groucho Marx quote about not wanting to join any club that would accept him as a member. It's really kind of silly. No disrespect, of course, but where is this company in actually doing the customer focus groups to figure out how to create and market the right products? It would be ultimately more profitable than giving the black card to, say, Rhianna to flaunt.

(I have no idea how AMEX determines the invitations now, and whether I would accept it if I got onebut I put about 250K of spend collectively on my several AMEX cards each year and if AMEX had the right data analytical tools, I'm sure would consider me part of the target marketI guess I'm saying don't read too much into the invitations since it's not at all clear to me they're being done in any organized fashion).
I mostly agree with this.

At the same time, I also think it wouldn't take much to make the Plat a more compelling product. What's so special about the CSR? Outside of the signup bonus (no longer around), the main benefits of the card are:

3x Any Travel and Any Dining
$300 Credit on Any Travel
1.5x pay with points at Chase Travel

The only spend I put on my CSR is Travel and Dining. The bulk of my other Visa Spend goes on the Freedom Unlimited which earns 1.5x. I keep the CSR b/c of the 1.5x pay with points which before any flames me, is actually handy for paying for cheap flights and getting a discount on non reward based hotels (only useful to people with a lot of points).

I have the business Plat which now has 50% point rebate for pay with points on airfare so I now use that instead of Chase Travel. But Amex 50% rebate doesn't apply to hotels and they have a poor pay with points ratio for hotels anyway. So Chase will keep getting that business from me.

So IMO, all Amex needs to do is offer 3x on ALL travel (instead of 5x on airfare only - which they don't do for my biz Plat) and 3x on Dining. I honestly can't understand why they don't do 3x on Dining considering how big they are with restaurants and how much they want people to whip out Amex cards at fancy restaurants. I'm so bad I'll admit to using Amex Concierge to get me onto a restaurant they have a relationship with and then using my CSR to pay b/c I just can't miss the 3x points!

Biz Plat also gets 50% point bonus for >$5000 so in that way, similar to Freedom unlimited.

Would also be nice if the $200 airline credit were a little easier to use. Something similar to CSR.

They're trying to get closer with recent Personal Plat benefits on hotels. But restricting that to Amex Travel bookings is a bit of an own goal I think.

So do those couple of things and the Plat and Gold Rewards card would be my go to combo instead of CSR and Freedom Unlimited.
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Old Mar 4, 2017, 2:58 pm
  #73  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 60
Originally Posted by edealinfo12345
what is wrong by getting routed to India? A call is a call.
Really? Could not disagree more.

It's a generalization (and these are inherently unfair) but domestic customer support agents tend to be easier to understand and have provided me with better service.

I have closed numerous non-Amex credit cards because the few times I had to call in for customer support, I could not understand the person on the other line.
darrvao777 is offline  
Old Mar 5, 2017, 4:34 pm
  #74  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 39
Customer Service

Originally Posted by darrvao777
Really? Could not disagree more.

It's a generalization (and these are inherently unfair) but domestic customer support agents tend to be easier to understand and have provided me with better service.

I have closed numerous non-Amex credit cards because the few times I had to call in for customer support, I could not understand the person on the other line.
additionally ( with AMEX) customer service varies with card product. When I noticed a difference calling the number on the back of the respective card - and inquired - I was basically told "what do you expect?" Now I call Platinum and have them help me with the cheaper/common cards. I fear with this new Platinum we will be ultimately paying more and getting less ( service - greater hold times) which is why I seek to get highest/best
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Old Mar 5, 2017, 6:21 pm
  #75  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 60
Originally Posted by csesq
additionally ( with AMEX) customer service varies with card product. When I noticed a difference calling the number on the back of the respective card - and inquired - I was basically told "what do you expect?" Now I call Platinum and have them help me with the cheaper/common cards. I fear with this new Platinum we will be ultimately paying more and getting less ( service - greater hold times) which is why I seek to get highest/best
Hopefully not, perhaps the increased annual fee will actually cut down on the number of Platinum cardholders.

I would agree that this is another reason why the Centurion card is appealing, I would assume the support line is top notch
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