S.Bling

Confirmed in writing.

They sent the official notification that, effective September 1st:
1. The maximum is 2 supplementals
2. The price is increasing to $2,500 for each card (increased from $1,500).
3. If any "grandfathered" AU's are cancelled for any reason (either by them or you or expired by accident) they cannot be reinstated.

Numbers 1 and 3 were suspected already - but number 2 is a significant deterrant to Cents keeping their spouses and/or dependents/partners as supplemental Cents. It encourages them to drop down to Plats, and "thin-out the ranks" of Cents.

Why they are attacking existing members especially now (when competition is improving and the cent has been reducing the level of benefits and/or losing some Cent benefits altogether) is somewhat confusing...

:-(

wspfan

I'm glad my contact gave me the heads up and I posted this!! KNEW she was right!!!!!

reft

Assuming your question isn't rhetorical....

Increase scarcity and therefore, prestige.

I doubt they planned it this way, but if you have a product and the number of users build to the point where it's now a known product, you've achieved recognition in the market place. Now you pull back, keep the recognition, but increase prestige. The same might happen to new night club which a) starts out, b) becomes exclusive because $starlet shows up, c) runs it course and is no longer the 'in' thing.

As far as benefits, be it airlines or credit cards or your health care plan benefits will continuously be changing. Marketing comes up with, and makes an offer. Later on, someone looking at costs and revenue decides it's too much, and orders a pull back. Rinse, lather, repeat for the rest of your life.

They call them loyalty programs/cards, but there isn't any any loyalty to the customer anymore, if there ever was. You want loyalty, get a dog. But don't expect any business with over 10 employees to honor your custom anymore. As soon as you cost too much, or even look like you will, you're gone.

So enjoy what you have while you have it, and expect to move on. If Centurion gets some serious competition, they will react, and change their plans again. Amex could even create a card between Plat and Centurion to compete with the cards in the $500-$700 annual fee range, and by raising the Cent fee and reducing the number of members, they make room for this (although I doubt they are actually thinking that far ahead.) The benefits would be better than Plat, it'll have a target niche in terms of net worth and spend so they can market you to their partners, and it'll go through the same life cycle.

DMSFCA

This is really, really disappointing. I wonder if there is any chance that they will grandfather in the existing AU folks? Yes, I threw up a little bit in my mouth over that term after we charter members were promised that in writing with the $1000 annual fee, then, ah, ...

wspfan

Nope - I asked. Really doesn't make sense now that AU's only pay $1500 for the same things we get and we pay $2500. However, if you sign up an AU before August 31st, the annual fee will be $1500 for the entire year - meaning it won't be pro-rated when things change Sept 1. So sign up any AU's closest to August 31st.

FINALLY, keep in mind that if enough Centurion members complain about the change in AU's, they will likely change it back. That came from a Centurion Supervisor.

b8b

Who's your contact?

Unlikely, but worth a shot!

It's messed up that they can just increase the annual fee anytime they want for existing accounts.

Steve M

I think "attacking" is a bit over the top. Although I'm sure that some here would disagree, I highly doubt that Amex has a team of people that spend their time scheming on how they can screw the customer more.

When I first saw this thread, I was a bit surprised, as it hadn't even occurred to me that some Centurion members might have a large number of AU's. For Amex to go to this trouble at all, it must be an issue. There may be a small number of Centurion cardholders that have whored out their accounts, perhaps by marking up the annual fee for AU's, collecting a deposit and managing the credit limits for each card. We've certainly seen several people right here on FT that would gladly be on the other side of that transaction just to get a Centurion card into their wallets.

Also, consider this: if this were just a money grab, Amex would have bumped up the annual fee for AU's and NOT lowered the cap. Only Amex knows what the true numbers are, and I suspect they have a good reason for making this change.

GNALUZU

Has anyone else, other than S. Bling, received any written notification of the change? I haven't heard/seen a thing. I figured that more people would have chimed in about getting the notification by now.

S. Bling, do you have a lot of supplemental card holders? I wonder if they are sending the notice to the individuals with a lot of AUs first.

AlohaDaveKennedy

Or bigamous marriage.

S.Bling

I have zero supplemental cents (and I never had more than two, even in the past).

So the written notification is, in my particular case, irrelevant other than to inform me of the "upcoming changes to your cardholder agreement".

S.Bling

They specifically said that they will not grandfather any existing AUs except to the extent that they already may have been issued cards - which will not be proactively cancelled (provided they agree to pay for $2500 each one).

If you already have more than 2 existing AUs, you can keep them so long as you pay the increased fee.
If any of them should ever drop from the AU list (non-renewal, cancellation, ammendment or AUs, removal, etc) they cannot be re-instated under any circumstances.

bubu-SNA

I spoke to a centurion rep a few days ago and asked about the change. The rep informed me the AU limit was only being imposed on business cards and that no date had been set yet for when the change will happen.

-bubu

S.Bling

I have the official statement from Amex, in writing (sent in the usual Amex envelope and on the appropriate form for updates to the cardholder agreement). It is pertaining to the Personal Cent, and clearly notifies that these changes are effective September 1st 2012

You may have reached an underinformed rep; worse has happened in my time...

For example I have had them continue to insist that Cents will not be getting the PP "select" card, even while holding the newly-arrived "select" card in my hand.
One rep was actually condescending about it = that I was "wrong" even as I am looking at my "select" card, and reading him the letter of explanation/apology that came with it.
(A few nerve-laden weeks later, and a supervisor eventually "admitted" that they made such a change, apologized for the previous and continuous misinformation, and "made it right" with me due to the circumstances.)

mia

Does this apply only to supplemental Black cards? In other words, can you have more than two supplemental cardholders with Platinum (or lower) cards on the same account?

S.Bling

Yes and yes.

It explains that the changes are for supplemental black cards (both in the fee increase and the maximum amount of 2 additional cards) and specifically notes that no changes are being made to supplemental platinums or golds (and then reinterates what the charges are for them, e.g. the first 3 platinums, each additional, golds, etc).