S.Bling

Mine never set off airports, many times for a couple of years.

However, once in a blue moon it did, and after that happened a couple of times I simply decided a few years ago that it was quicker and easier to just put the wallet in my carry-on bag and know that it will never set it off anymore.

mattm00se

I believe you mean "if you buy coach fares on DL, CO, US or Virgin and would like to be upgraded" - There's no benefit to having status if you're flying in paid F.

Also, as others have pointed out, five star hotel benefits can be gotten with a good Virtuoso agent (and they can also book any FHR rate).

*However*, the centurion only benefits (aman, mandarin, ritz, peninsula, orient) can be very valuable, and generally trump anything a TA can get you.

S.Bling

I think the original comment was correct, if you understand what the definition of "value" was.

When a person chooses to buy coach, the potential upgrades that come with status aren't worth anything specific that you can quantify in order to offset the Cent fees.

It is the person who normally pays F, who would save money by purchasing coach and flying in the F cabin anyway due to status obtained through Cent membership.
The difference between the F they used to pay and the coach they will now pay is a direct monetary "saving" - which they would balance against the 2500 annually for the Cent. That's where the direct "value for money" comes in.

If you were purchasing a $300 suit, and you were offered a $1300 suit instead - did you just "save $1000"? No, because you wouldn't have paid $1300 to begin with.
On the other hand, if you went in to purchase the $1300 suit, and the salesperson said that they would allow you to pay for a $300 suit and give you the $1300 suit anyway - then you DID save $1000.

mia

To my knowledge Gold Flying Club status does not include any upgrade benefit. It does put you near the top of the list for an operational upgrade in the event VS oversells Economy or Premium Economy. However, Gold does allow you to use the LHR private security channel and lounge even if not flying in Upper Class. It also allows you to create a household account and pool miles for redemption purposes which is a good way to avoid orphaned miles for infreqent flyers.

HaydenFive

I don't agree with that analogy. If I went in to purchase a $1300 suit and was given a $2300 suit instead simple because of a Centurion card... while that is not money saved, it's clearly a value of $1000.

jsq

in my personal experience twice in different airports it has set off the metal detector we walk thru. thus not a fake story to some. perhaps you have been lucky.
also regarding leaving the centurion card at home, i purposely have a gold card (which is plastic, which i use in order to not stand out at day to day establishments where i might use an amex card) the centurion linked gold card is what i use most of the time.
HOWEVER, some centurion offers and redemptions are specifically geared to you presenting your centurion card to receive the perk, reward, or hotel offer etc. thus leaving it in your dresser drawer renders the benefit moot unless you can get the hotel or store to show up at your dresser drawer.
just curious, have you ever been hit by lightning, been bitten by a dog, or won a lottery? if not do you believe it is possible that these 3 occurences might happen to other humans and just not you and therefore these other individuals may be telling the truth even if it is outside your realm of immediate experience??
regards,
jsq

Avalon28

If you're wearing a $1300 suit, then Centurion is not for you.

My dress shirts cost $400 & up.

I hope I didn't miss the point...

mia

This upgrade provides value, but I wouldn't quantify the amount as $1,000 unless I knew that the suit was typically sold at $2,300. In general terms, the problem is that if I am offered something that I do not normally buy I cannot accurately judge the value. I only know the nominal price which is often an illusion. This is true whether it is a first class airline seat, a hotel suite, a bottle of wine, or an article of clothing.

S.Bling

We're talking about whether paying $2500 annually is sufficient value to a prospective member.

Getting a "value of $1000" does not mean that it was worth 40% of his fees, if it was something they had no intention nor desire to purchase with $1000 of money.

If you paid for a centurion, and the only benfit you received all year for it was when purchasing a suit for $300 you were offered (at no extra charge) a suit with a retail tag of $2800 instead (and you were not willing to pay $2800 for that suit to begin with, nor would you have considered paying $2800 for a suit at all - then your logic would dictate that "My centurion card cost me nothing this year", which is nowhere near the case.

A person who flies F and now saves more than $2500 by purchasing those flights as coach tickets instead, and still receiving the same product (the F seats) which they were intending to spend their money on - has obtained a positive net return on their investment.

Someone who would never have purchased an F ticket due to the cost, but got a perk of a free upgrade anyway, might feel vindicated or validated by the cent fee - but you wouldn't call that a savings.

Just a simple economics calculation.

Avalon28

S.Bling,

Your logic is unassailable.

But very few can view Centurion without prejudice.

I guess that's why this topic always makes the Flyertalk Top Ten...

TAHKUCT

On sale

WellMoneyed

You have it all wrong, and truly don't understand the centurion card.

Once you get a lot of money you think different about spending. It is not about affording or not affording items. Now in the case of the $300 suit (which who wears a $300 suit ) that you opted to buy because you are going out with your poor friends and you want to fit in...that gets upgraded to a $2800 suit is actually priceless. Now you can say I got a deal...it was only $300!

For me I pay $4000/yr to say "I pay $4000 a year for a credit card."

It is a great discussion topic. Every perk I get is just icing. I don't even use the $500 gift cards they send out. I bet more than half go unused. People with centurions generally don't care about the money.

That being said not counting all the "perks" which there are many, I save my $4000 on one trip in RC discounts. Contrary to your "which is nowhere near the case." it is exactly the case. ^

Stryker1112

Wow, I dont even think I own a decent single suit, does that mean I have to return my card?

Money should always matter. Like Warren Buffet says, a $9 dollar pizza still costs him $9

DownUnderFlyer

DownUnderFlyer

I guess you should. Or not.

In any case, welcome to FT, Stryker1112!