Has anyone actually received an "Invite" to the Centurion program in 2014?
 

I thought I would start a 2014 thread...

No invite for 2013. $200k spend in 2013 on hotels, airline tickets, restaurants, shopping, rental cars, etc.

Not sure I would benefit: already a Platinum with my preferred hotel; President's Circle with Hertz; Executive Elite with National; fly on paid F (Z/P/A fares) with airline(s).

Compared with $450 dollars I currently spend, $10,000 dollars is a great deal of money to spend on a charge card (first year) with little or no added benefit, as well as confirmed decline of benefits.

With all due respect, why do you spend (on this card ) on airline tickets when say PRG will get you 3x the points?

Aside from not wanting to have another card (I only have my Amex and my debit card), the PRG card does not offer Automatic Flight Insurance.

Amex Platinum member since 2004. Spent $270k in 2013, heavy user of fine hotels and resorts, amex travel, and concierge. No invite for me yet.

Oh, and I called numerous times in 2013 to inquire about the invitation. I also called after I crossed $250k to see if the answer would change. Was always told the invitation only talking points and that my account had been noted. I check my doorstep every day...and am disappointed every day.

Do you really care that much about a credit card?

I care about all goals I set.

With the way the card benefits have gone, are you really still interested? I was, but am no longer.

As someone who has a biz cent (and wanted a personal cent), I honestly don't care anymore.

I'm not going to cancel the biz card this year, but probably will next year if there aren't any new benefits. Centurion clearly got hit with a ton of losses this year:
US, AA clubs entirely
DL clubs no longer including guest
Ritz Carlton gone from centurion FHR
US Platinum Elite status

The only real benefits left are: DL Platinum, HH Diamond -- neither of which are 'clearly' worth $2500/year.

If you are still dying to get this card, I don't understand why.

I'm hoping that since they got hit with some perhaps unexpected losses, that they will try extra hard over the next year -- but I expect to be let down.

A number of years ago I could have gotten the card and the benefits were a little better. The cost of the card and the first yr fee was less. I found no great value in the card to make it worth the annual fee. Right now I have Plat. I cant see the value proposition from plat to centurion at all. In fact many may not find value in plat over many of the other cards. I have held a number of premium cards and due to my business I can direct huge volumes of spend on any card I wish.

Amex needs to suck it up and have the Platinum/Centurion earn 1.5X base and 3X on travel. There are few premium benefits they can add back, given that airlines and hotels are all locked in with their partners now. The opportunity is in enhancing the earnings, because MR is unmatched in terms of transfer partners.

The Platinum is still actually a very good card for the price, even with the benefits lost - net of the $200 credit, it's $250 a year and still provides SPG Gold, HHonors Gold, National Executive, DL lounges, PP and FHR. At 10x that annually (and far more the 1st year), I'm absolutely not seeing the incremental value of the Centurion unless buying DL Platinum is the goal.

:confused: Starwood Preferred Guest has more than double the number of partners, and Diners Club Rewards (USA) is comparable (if you already hold the card). The only meaningful advantage that Membership Rewards retains is a number of instantaneous transfer partners.

IMHO, that's a large advantage that I'm factoring in. For aspirational awards, which is probably the focus of MR given the relative lack of domestic air and hotel partners (unless you consider DL, HH and SPG reasonable options), instant transfer can be the difference between getting the seat and not - especially if you're looking for more than 1 seat.

For instance, I booked 3 in J on AF (via DL) over President's Day week. At peak time like that, had I waited the options would have been gone. I consider that to be a large advantage.

I do wish that SPG could get their window down to 48 hours or so, within the timeframe that many airlines will let you hold an award. I wonder if that's part of an agreement with Amex, one that also keeps MR to SPG transfers at a bad rate.

Avis President's Club has some value to it, if you rent often. I got some nice upgrades from it before I moved up to Chairman.