<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by DJ_Iceman:
I travel a LOT and would appreciate those added benefits over what platinum offers. I'd also like a taste of the lifestyle offered by the card, such as invitations to exclusive events I otherwise wouldn't even know about, etc. And yes, I'm one of those monkeys who likes the idea of the STATUS afforded by carrying an exclusive black card around. 
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As far as status goes, you'd upgrade the Hyatt Platinum to Diamond and the Starwood Gold to Platinum. You'd also pick up DL and US Gold statuses. On "being exclusive"... almost nobody knows what the thing is so if you're looking for recognition it's not going to do you much good. On the rare occasion when I'm asked about it I tell people "It's for those with bad credit..." and smile. The main reason I enjoy having it is that I find that customer service is more flexibile and responsive than they were when I had my Platinum. I also find the overall level of customer service better. The concierge service is nice, but I find the circles people politely inept. They try VERY hard but rarely come through. It could be that I'm asking for the impossible though.
At least they're very polite and service oriented! The travel counselors are another matter... I've come across a few bad apples but they are by and large wonderful and have helped me out of late night jams more than a few times. IMO that service is worth the price of admission alone (but then again I'm not paying $2500 for it).
Oh yeah AMEX also sends you some pretty neat gifts. I got two montblanc pens this year (one for the personal centurion, one for the corporate).