ubiquitous1984

Is there list available online anywhere?

NotSoMuch

I have also received the same email a few days ago. I have asked if there is a list of where new benefits are available -- will report back when I have an answer.

OpenSky

Didn't know this. The forex fee is annoyance of mine - so I check in using the card, but check out using something else that isn't Amex. Sometimes I get pushback but most of the time it adds time to the checkout process. I wish Amex UK would just be rid of it l( especially at the Centurion level)

garethmorgan

Is there a list of CFHR hotels anywhere?

camille55

I think if you search a particular destination and log on via Amex Travel, it lists properties according to THC, FHR & C-FHR, as it can recognise your status. But never seen a definitive list.

Ritz-Carlton is not on that list.

No email here either. It is a genuinely positive benefits at the right property and at particular times of year.

OpenSky

I found that is not chain based.

Sometimes it's random properties - high end of course. The Langham chain ( multiple locations ) for example, not necessarily FS or RC.

NotSoMuch

They tried to walk back on whether there will be club lounge access agreement at hotels - so at best passing one off benefits as programme improvement at worst making completely false claim.

One bit of good news - there is now an online list https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/travel/centurion/

Edit: also just noticed they there is now a slightly different clause on where benefits are available.

So does this mean for WA only some hotels are eligible all other are chain/brand-wide?

harrysw3

Good spot on the new website! It makes life so much easier to find the standard FHR hotels which have added benefits for Centurion card holders. I always felt it was pot luck trying to find these enhanced FHR hotels previously.

Whilst searching on the new site - I noticed the T&Cs for CFHR have been updated slightly. Previously, I am sure it read that for CFHR - the room upgrade at the time of booking replaced the FHR subject to availability upgrade at time of check in.

Now - the wording seems to imply a double upgrade. One is guaranteed at time of booking and one at check in (if available).

I know I had come to expect the double upgrade and always felt quite disappointed on the few occasions I didn’t get it!

I still haven’t received any email though regarding the changes to CFHR or FHR. I’ve made numerous bookings over the past few weeks and no one has even mentioned any changes to me. It all feels a bit haphazard to me!

janwillem

Good list and it seems it fits with my experience with regard to extra benefits at some hotels. I assume that 'extra property credit' is normally 50 USD, at least that is the amount I got at some Shangri-La's and Langhams. My last Shangri-La visit in Shanghai last summer got me 50USD extra but that was not a general property credit but Spa credit. Maybe that is one of the changes, that extra credits are now general credits?

Also interesting: Martinez Hyatt in Cannes lists an 'immersive experience' as extra. My last visit included free 2nd row sunbeds for Centurions so maybe that is the same thing.

OpenSky

It means an upgrade to an overwater bungalow at the WA in the Maldives that just opened a few years back right after covid will most certainly be excluded.

I'm evaluating whether to keep this card or not. Traveling less, and some life changes.

NotSoMuch

WA Maldives is still on the list for the time being. I can't actually see any WA hotels excluded looking at the list. However, I did notice that Belmond was removed from the terms, and their hotels now show up as standard FHR. This is a far more significant loss.

Amex also sent a printed booklet advertising the travel benefits and CFHR/FHR hotels. Interestingly, it promoted Centurion additional benefits at a few non-CFHR hotels. There have also been a few times I saw FHR welcome letters with the Centurion logo at properties outside of CFHR which never happened before.

Amex has likely changed the way their hotel programmes work for Centurion. It's still too early to call whether the improvements outweigh the devaluations. I wish the communication had been more precise - the booklet did not disclose any changes, and the RM's email was, in part, misleading.

OpenSky

Agreed. Belmond properties tend to be all over the place. We used to love going to the Copa Palace in Rio but stopped after the old manager left, and the place changed after the pandemic.

camille55

UK Centurion loses EK Gold starting July this year!

H99

I wonder how much traffic they got from UK based card holders - only really interesting if one is a frequent visitor to Dubai/UAE, and onwards to Australia. Still, its another benefit that has gone. I hope they pull something new out. The one that would really hit me hard is Hilton Diamond - that would make me reconsider if that was gone.

NotSoMuch

EK Gold is useless if you already fly J and has never swayed me away from flying QR/CX/QF/SQ/EY to Australasia and Asia. Emirates' business product is inconsistent and inferior to their competitors' — they need to go figure it out.

Let's see if Amex will find a replacement. Personally, I think the deal with Lufthansa is the way to go. F lounge access without conferring status. Could even add extra qualifiers to tie you further into the card (i.e. only if you book business class tickets via Centurion concierge).