American Express Membership Rewards - Benefits of Centurion vs Platinum

Please accept my apologies if my question seems silly to those of you who are more experienced in utilizing the benefits of certain programs. I am fairly uneducated in that and have joined this forum to try to become educated and get more out of the programs.

Amex has offered me a Centurion card, but they really did not do a very good job convincing me that the higher fee was worth it. I run quite a large amount of charges through my account and utilize it mainly to get first class airline tickets over the last few years. Can anyone who has the centurion tell me why it might be worth the higher fee?

Thanks,
Dave

Dave, the thread right next to yours is called "Comprehensive Platinum and Centurion Benefits by Country." That probably does a better job than anything else at answering your question....

Ironmanjt is right on the mark - it's a comprehensive list.

But there is a short answer. The reason to pay the extra dollars is that it gives you unearned elite status on airlines and hotels so that you don't have to concentrate your trips on one airline or hotel chain. Some of us, like me(!), don't travel enough to earn elite status, but like the benefits of it.

My experience to date (less than 1 year) is that the biggest reward is Platinum status with Starwood.

On the other hand, you say that you pay to fly First Class. If you pay for that and for suites in hotels, it may not mean much to you, because with elite status, you are booking the lower level and hoping for the upgrade. For trips where I absolutely want a guarantee of a suite, I have to forego the elite game and just pay the extra dollars.

My attitude is that I'm tracking the benefits throughout the year and will add it up when the year is over. My expectation is that it will be worth way more than the extra money I paid over the Platinum fee.
Good luck.

Daveinc2000,

I agree with the above posts. I also, like you, frequently book only 1st class. I'm Executive Platinum on AA, but once in a while I have to fly Delta or CO and then it's great. But it's also a real advantage to get nice rooms with Hyatt and Starwood because of Centurion status.

Additionally, I got a Centurion for my wife and she really enjoys the upgrades when she travels alone, even though its only two or three times a year. Keeping her happy is well worth it to me. :)

Good luck on your decision!

My experience to date (less than 1 year) is that the biggest reward is Platinum status with Starwood.


I agree completely. Platinum with Starwood and Diamond with Hyatt alone have made Centurion worth it for me this year.

Thanks to everyone for their replies. I have looked at the thread you are mentioning. I found the list for many countries for Centurion, but not for the US. I did find the platinum list for US. If I am just missing it, which could be the case since I am new to this forum, could someone with more knowledge direct me to the post with the US Centurion benefits listed? Thanks again.

Dave

Dave-
Go to another thread on this page called "Centurion Website Up." There is a link in the first posting (I think) to a new site that is very hard to find without the link. It lists all of the Centurion benefits.

Basically, there are some benefits in the retail world at high end stores, but I can promise you that you already know the main and important ones - the elite memberships - airlines, hotels and car rentals. Again, my theory was to try it for a year. I'm pleased. I'm getting benefits I might not have been willing to pay for (like paying for a suite at a resort), but I'm definitely getting value.

Steve

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=376151

Just figured out how to do this! :)

Steve-
Thanks. The post there has a nice list. Other than the upgrades to the elite status at the hotels and on the three airlines, it looks pretty similar. Maybe it would have seemed more reasonable if they had invited me when the fee was 1000 instead of 2500. It still might be worth it. Hard to say.

Thanks to everyone for the responses to the newcomer.

Dave