Truth to be to told, the AMEX Centurion membership base is just so overextended in the US and it's the market with most apparent zeal to obtain that card, just based on FlyerTalk, blog articles and YouTube videos about the card and how it's portrayed as something mysterious. Thus it's bleeding obvious that becoming a Centurion cardholder is most arduous in the States. Especially in terms of the personal card.

Speaking of which: I just wait with interest what happens when AMEX finally gets established/launched in the PRC, as any stock market foxes will know is in the works, first starting with card acceptance. Obviously there's also going to be a Centurion card available there, just like in Hong Kong SAR. That one might actually surpass the US one in terms of how unobtainable it is.

But back to the US! There's not a lot of shortcuts or tricks available, I'm afraid. But since you seem to be like you're almost desperate to get the card and asked for any guidance, I will mention the most obvious one: relocate.

I mean, any other market with the Centurion card would be leaps and bounds easier than the US for obtaining the card, since there's less interest for it. If anything, the Centurion card is a prime example of Adam Smith's principle of supply and demand. So the barrier for the card is pushed pretty high up in the US, thanks to demand. And even with a higher annual fee, not to mention the initiation fee.