PHL

As pointed out in some other threads, the US Centurion card will have a new qualification spending/payment minimum of $250K. When I talked to a Centurion rep just earlier today, she said that this was a decision made by management to maintain the "exclusivity" of the card. Fine. Whatever. Does that mean they'll add more hotel/airline priveleges instead of take them away???

Here's what gets my goat - I, like many other non-Centurion holders, have been charging our travel, merchandise and every day purchases to the card and paying them off all year in efforts to reach and/or surpass the $150K spending level. So, as of May 1, it's like a light switch. Either you've made it by then, or you haven't. No grace period for people who have been giving AMEX their business. If you have $140K on May 1, too bad. Work harder next time.

They seem to think that people who charge/spend $250K must net at least $300K+ in annual income, because she even told me it's for "personal purchases". I asked her what about people who use it to charge business travel - she said they don't qualify. How would they know??! I think she thought I was referring to people using a corporate card issued by an employer. But my point is, people with sub $100K incomes, given the right circumstances, can still easily rack up the charges (and pay them off). I guess it depends how bad you want it.

I don't anymore. I've had a series of large purchases over the past year that would have qualified me anyway, but I'll likely never charge $250K to AMEX, no matter what my income is. I may very well cut up my Plat and send it to Ken's office with a summary of my 15 years of purchases, as well as a copy of statements showing me transferring/redeeming 500,000 in MR points.