stimpy

I will say that I studied the bracelet carefully to see where the chip ended up on my wrist before I went to the store. It seems well designed though in that the chip ends up right on the top of my wrist. If you are having trouble, maybe look carefully to see where the chip ends up on your wrist. I was even thinking of making a small notch on the top or side to show where the chip is, but in the end I didn't need to.

stimpy

I am often in New York and Paris so have plenty to choose. So far I've only picked two events. I will be interested to see what venues they have chosen and how many attendees.

GUWonder

Area management for Sweden with time on their hands; and then it's typically about Stockholm or wherever the Stockholm Centurions (and even at times Platinums) tend to go domestically that is to the liking of country management.

RichardMannion

I believe there is crossover on the Centurion Living events with Centurion in other markets, which is why you're seeing stuff outside of the US. I see a subset of the dates for the Scottish Highlands Weekend on the AmEx Experience app for my UK Centurion account as an example - when you click on the details it now tells you if the experience is limited to a particular market, some of them state they are for only UK Sterling or ICC Sterling accounts.

Was able to sign up for the Wellness event in LA, my wife is excited for that one.

Tiramisu

Cool! I have been on the road pretty much since I got the first letter about the new card etc. I was just about to fly out so I stuck it in a drawer somewhere. Just brought a photo of the QR code. When I returned home a few months later I couldn’t remember where I had put it and apparently I need some code to sign up for the events. Oh well, they’re probably full already or I’ll probably be traveling when they take place. Pity, it would have been nice to meet a few of my fellow card mates.

SusanDK

I received a code in one of the emails I received about a month ago, so you might check your emails. Otherwise, I would guess you might be able to email or phone member services for a code. That's if there is still availability at any of the events that interest you.

I've registered for one of the Miami events (jazz singer) but it is so far in the future, it's impossible to know whether we will be able to attend. You do need to cancel in advance (I think it is 2 weeks but can't quite remember) or be charged for a no-show.

LondonElite

I generally don't care what people think, but this potential outcome is the reason I never bothered with the bracelet, despite my RM suggesting it is the way forward. The potential to look like a complete tool is just too high.

Visconti

LOL...Yeah, if I'm gonna do something that may appear really stupid, I'm gonna need to get paid. Anyway, as Tangish had observed, I too am a watch guy, and nothing will ever replace that on my left wrist. I use my right to write, and nothing will ever go there either. So...in my view, it's just one of those really dumb ideas.

Tiramisu

I called them and got the code. I am a bit disappointed in the offering but maybe some events are fully booked and I’m only seeing the available ones? Wine, classical music, old fashioned jazz… feels a bit tired. I guess it makes sense to be cost effective and as broad as possible since it’s the first time they do it. I hope I get to provide feedback though.

SusanDK

I agree it wasn't very exciting. I'd be surprised if we end up going to the Miami event unless we combine it with a drive down to the Keys at the same time. It was just the only one easily reachable that was feasible to register for this far in advance.

stimpy

Bracelet update for me. I used it quite a bit in Europe and am now in NYC and using it everywhere, including the new readers at the subway stations and on buses.

I also learned, although it should be obvious, that different card readers have different ceilings on contactless payments. I used the bracelet to make a purchase over 800 euros at a tire shop in France. But then at a small café in Andorra I was over the reader limit trying to pay 50 euros contactless. So I had to get out the card and physically insert in into the reader in that case. Back in NYC I haven't run into a limit yet.

Tiramisu

Sounds like a Good combination! I am going to a concert in Scotland in March and will see if the timing overlaps with the Scottish highland thing. That could be a good combination too.

ironmanjt

Glad to see some of you are getting use out of/enjoying the Prada glam fob

Unfortunately, for me, it's "Euro sized" and doesn't fit my wrist so it'll be condemned to the dustbin of history...

ubiquitous1984

In the UK a contactless payment is limited to £100 (a very recent increase from £45). I assume in Europe the limit is set by the government. In the States I have no idea who will set the limit.

Arosan

As a Centurion cardholder of 22 years, I finally gave up my Centurion membership.

As a loyal Amex customer since 1988, I worked hard to help the team at Centurion understand how appalling their customer service had become, how untrained their agents were, and how their new team structure vs dedicated contacts has led to booking errors, mistakes, and the general feeling one gets when calling a remote call center that knows nothing about you.

This is everything Centurion claims it is not.

I tried reaching out to senior team members at Amex with no response. They simply don’t care.

I finally spoke at length with a very sweet and nice “executive customer service” team member I had spoken to a year ago when things started going off the rails and she promised me that she would discuss my issues with “management”, but in the end was given the run around with the obligatory “I’m so sorry we can’t meet your needs and that we are losing you.

I personally was mentored and coached for years by an old leader of American Express named Alan Loren. He would be turning in his grave if he knew how terrible the Centurion product had become. He was a believer in the customer experience and in those days management was willing to speak directly to a customer to understand their concerns. No longer

AEXP happily lost me as a Centurion customer after 22 years, without doing anything to try to make amends for the terrible service received.

Here are some of the recent shortfalls that finally got me to cancel this card:

- Multiple booking errors leading to problems with travel, lost seats, lost flights, etc.

- Multiple times I received no call back from an agent I had spoken to at length and literally no way to get back in touch with them, since there is no longer a personal point of contact for Centurion members (just a large team who often isn’t available anyways and then your call goes into a pool). Centurion has become a faceless, nameless call center experience.

- There’s been a dramatic elimination of historical benefits, personalized events, and special perks - only to be replaced by a complicated grouping of “experiences”, which quickly become unavailable anyway - “Oh sorry”, they say on the same morning an event becomes available for booking, “the event you want isn't available anymore We can put you on a waitlist”. They should be ashamed of this new experience program.

- Gone is Hyatt, United, Hertz and other airline and hotel programs where status was afforded.

- When booking flights, almost always, the travel team couldn’t even find the same rates I could find online. I literally booked 5 business class seats to Turkey last summer for 1/2 the cost they quoted. When I pointed it out and showed them, they simply said they couldn’t get the same rates - baffling, as they are supposed to be the experts. They don’t even take the time to shop, offer creative suggestions that any pro would offer, or even understand or know the properties and routes they are quoting.

- When trying to book a difficult restaurant reservation through the “concierge” they called back a day later saying that nothing was available, but when I called the restaurant right afterwards, they gave me a table.

Their concierges can’t even get what any normal person can get, making you wonder why they are even there. It’s become better to simply do things yourself vs working with the Centurion team.

- When I cut my spend a year ago, in protest of their terrible service, saying I would up it again when they proved they would improve, I never even got a call asking why. They simply don’t care and Centurion cardholders are treated like everyone else. There is no more special treatment or special feeling.

Which begs the question - what is one paying $5000 for each year? Do they even really want to have this offering anymore? Do they still care about the customer experience or is it just about the bottom line? Do they even care about Customer Lifetime Value? Ugh. Just disappointing to an old timer.

There are so many more examples of terrible service, whittled down options comparable to Platinum and many more instances of a lack of travel knowledge by their team that in the end, it was time to make the change.

It seems Amex has given up on their Centurion cardholders, many of whom are their most loyal supporters and brand ambassadors. I feel given up on and am saddened by what has become of this iconic card. I suspect they expect and accept the departures as this just isn’t what they want to focus their time on.