UK Centurion - New Joining Fee
 

All new cardmembers now suject to a £2,500 joining fee! No other fee changes (yet).

Interesting - how did you find that out? Much like the US now. I wonder if our annual fees will start to increase too.

The benefits should then improve as well - if Plat now has CX Gold permanent as part of its cost increase, then one would have thought Cent should have CX Diamond permanent (rather than the one year it is now). Similarly with the new Accor and Carlson levels, and ideally SPG again (wishful thinking). I'd like to see a *A Gold tier as in the US (currently no use for either, but my *A Gold will probs drop down next year :( lol), though I do see how OWE has more perceived value if had to choose one or the other. I'd also like to see auto upgrade on Hex :).

If only they'd let me have one!!!! :mad:

This is interesting. I have a cent (uk) and there is nothing on the summary section of my pdf bill which suggests that this is going to be implemented, do you mind me asking where you got this info from?

Also is there any indication that they will be increasing the annual fee as mine is due next month, the pdf still states the fee is £1800.

Also re Cathay status I am aware that the website lists that this is a benefit only for the first year, but I'm certain that I have seen posts relating to this indicating that some cents have been granted this for another year?

Since CX Gold is being given as a permanent benefit to UK Platinum card holders as a justification for a 50% fee increase I would imagine the Centurion benefit will be enhanced similarly in due course.

I can confirm that the £2,500 joining fee as stated by the OP is being introduced, the £1,800 fee remains at the moment but the card is being revamped with new partners, this will take place later in the year after the Platinum revamp has been completed. I had this discussion with Centurion prior to binning the card this week, they are losing customers which is not surprising, the service they offer is shabby at best and as for demanding a joining fee, well I will leave that to any mug who wants to throw their money away. Had the benefits and service been as they should be I would have had no hesitation in keeping the card, but I had seen and had enough, if nobody takes a stand they will continue to 'get away with it'.

Having taken the stance of cancelling it and destroying the cards I can honestly say that I have no emotional feelings towards it, I had the card from when it was first introduced, it has served its purpose but now outlived its use (due to lousy service) for my purposes. I have moved on to a card (Coutts World Card) that treats its customers with the utmost respect and has an outstanding diligent and very personal concierge service that makes Amex concierge look like it is run by primary school children with no teacher in sight. Life moves on and so am I ;)

Could you give us some examples of what is so great about this bank/card?

I would imagine you would need to have quite a bit of capital invested with them in order to get this card.

Looking at the interest rates they pay on cash deposits, they are a joke, it's as if you are paying them to store your cash in their vault for you.

:confused:

See the thread on "Have you Received a Cent Invite" as the latter posts have some discussion on the Coutts World card.

Out of interest how did you destroy the card which I believe are all made of titanium by now? Or was it just in a manner of speaking?

Why would American Express notify current cardholders about a joining fee which applies only to new applicants? I can see that they would mention it if you called to cancel, but otherwise it doesn't seem important to existing customers.

In answer to a couple of questions, re the Coutts World Card, it is the concierge that I make most use of, I posted details of the service and the insurance so the policy is there for people to see, as for what is so great about the bank, I never mentioned that, just the card, but as you ask nothing really at all, all a myth but service is top notch. The World Card comes as a personal invitation from your dedicated manager, it is just one of a number of cards they supply.

Re the question about destroying the card, you were right, that was the term used by Centurion to me, I still have to work out how to do it, we have 4 as our new ones have just arrived, so any ideas would be appreciated, maybe take it down a shooting range and have some fun ^

As with all things you need to ensure that any card meets your needs, especially when you are being charged for it, I have no doubt that some people get value from their Centurion card, especially if they travel economy and get upgrades in hotels, although I really did miss the Starwood Platinum when it was stepped down, I have had wonderful super suite upgrades with fantastic views over Central Park South in the past at the Essex House in NY (although it has now changed hands) that more than covered my annual fee.

As for me ever regretting leaving, I don't think so there is a big world of fun and finance out there, I have had a good run but in the last 18mths since getting the Coutts World card I realised what proper service was, so that was that, Centurion got the chop. I know of others who have done the same in the last couple of years so I am not unique, life goes on, as someone else said others will fill the empty place, good luck to them if that is what they want although I think Amex have been caught out by the numbers ditching the card.

I only asked at my renewal conversation because I had read it on here, otherwise I would never have known, there always has been and still is a lack of public information about the card. What I do know is that even with the revamp later in the year there was not going to be enough of a carrot to keep me.

What is strange is that I have never seen anyone really talk about or yearn for the Coutts World Card, so it goes to show how the Amex marketing machine works, I must say I prefer the lower profile and guarantee that a restaurant or shop will accept my card, rather than the regular, "we don't take Amex" or "Have you got another card other than Amex"!

Hold on to them, they might be worth money as antiques one day when Amex is bankrupt due to too many lost customers after 1 price hike too many,

welcome to the club ;) I dropped my Cent after a decade and I don't really miss anything. Good luck for those who still dream of having the card. I woke up .

Well I hung on hoping it would step up its game, I have been running my Coutts World Card and Centurion together for the last 14mths, in that time I saw no improvement, just promises to the future which were again related at my renewal conversation last week, not good enough, was brutal and chopped it. It seems that on this forum there are the wannabee members with no hope in hell of ever getting one, those striving hard to meet 'myth' targets to get one, those that have one and those that have ditched it. Well all I see in conversation on here is myth and rumours of how to get one, and moaning and subsequent ditching of it, very little praise at all.

So to all those without a chance in hell, your lucky, you have escaped the Amex marketing machine and have not had to endure the circle of want, acceptance, disappointment, frustration, embarrassment (of establishments refusing to take it) anger, permanent need to carry a non Amex back up card and ditching of it, so well done, trust me you are not missing a thing!

To those dreaming of getting one, just take a look at the wise old owls who are ditching theirs, it is a has been card, the novelty has worn off, nobody gives a toss what colour of card you have as they pass you the PIN machine to enter your card and PIN. There are so many cards around of all shapes and sizes they are meaningless, as for the odd few that do recognise it,they will more likely be like minded wanabees caught up in the marketing myth and quite frankly of no consequence to your life.

So if you must then get one, but go in with your eyes open and dent in your wallet, bleed it for all you can, when it stops being fun, run. When you go to some of the events, have a look around at the trash that has somehow got invited and say to yourself, "Is that now what I am?" I look forward to seeing you in the Amex Centurion X's club when you have done your time and seen through the myth ^

Odd. Amex didn't proactively send you a return mailer for them to destroy the card? That's how they've handled my replacements when I've had a bad mag strip, etc.