Centurion card (USA) refresh. Some benefits removed/added. $5k annual fee.
Apr 8, 2022, 6:30 am
#826
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Sorry you guys have had trouble with CTS. It has worked perfectly for me with international flight bookings and the Centurion Arrivals service. I just booked another one recently. No issues. But I haven't booked FHR since the pandemic.
Apr 8, 2022, 6:38 am
#827
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Apr 8, 2022, 6:43 am
#828
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
No, I stopped in the winter as I have a jacket on every time I leave the house so no problem with carrying a wallet. As I noted earlier the benefit of the bracelet is when I'm out in shorts and t-shirt and don't want to carry anything else with me. But summer is coming!
Apr 8, 2022, 9:50 am
#829
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,007
As far as FHR on my end, haven’t stopped booking it in the last two years.
What’s the Cent Arrival service?
Apr 8, 2022, 12:31 pm
#830
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Apr 8, 2022, 12:35 pm
#831
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: Amex Centurion
Posts: 121
Responses to several posts:
Arrival Service available when you book flights through Centurion Travel. Meet and greet at arrival gate, plus avoiding line(s) at Customs (and security, if required) and assisting with luggage. Will coordinate with Limo, if using, or take you to Car Rental. Especially worthwhile at CDG or other large airports with heavy crowds. No cost, but gratuity appreciated.
As to the comments on the upgrades for FHR. Some hotel chains (Oetker, for example), confirm upgrade at time of booking. Other hotels, only at time of check-in, based upon availability. Need to check the "fine print" on the FHR website.
As to phone hold time, it definitely is getting worse. I have never been transferred to Amex Travel Services as my "Team" has several reservation specialists who are able to accommodate my requests.
Arrival Service available when you book flights through Centurion Travel. Meet and greet at arrival gate, plus avoiding line(s) at Customs (and security, if required) and assisting with luggage. Will coordinate with Limo, if using, or take you to Car Rental. Especially worthwhile at CDG or other large airports with heavy crowds. No cost, but gratuity appreciated.
As to the comments on the upgrades for FHR. Some hotel chains (Oetker, for example), confirm upgrade at time of booking. Other hotels, only at time of check-in, based upon availability. Need to check the "fine print" on the FHR website.
As to phone hold time, it definitely is getting worse. I have never been transferred to Amex Travel Services as my "Team" has several reservation specialists who are able to accommodate my requests.
Apr 9, 2022, 2:32 pm
#833
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Hawaii & Texas
Programs: AA ExPlat / LT Plat / 3MM, Delta Plat, Bonvoy LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,109
I wish it was a bogus post, as I have been a loyal customer of AMEX, but it's not. I joined the forum because of the extreme frustration I experienced with the Centurion card and when I couldn't get anyone there to take my concerns seriously, I found this forum and felt people needed to know about the service downgrades and how the program has changed.
The biggest issue with Centurion is the new pod system, which is clearly the root cause of the issues of late.
I do hope, for the sake of others, that Amex Centurion gets their act together. I had it for 23 years (I just looked again) and am definitely sad to shed the card in favor of a Platinum. Its not even about the $5000 charge, it's about all of the errors and problems that cause angst and which could be avoided by just making bookings myself.
The biggest issue with Centurion is the new pod system, which is clearly the root cause of the issues of late.
I do hope, for the sake of others, that Amex Centurion gets their act together. I had it for 23 years (I just looked again) and am definitely sad to shed the card in favor of a Platinum. Its not even about the $5000 charge, it's about all of the errors and problems that cause angst and which could be avoided by just making bookings myself.
As the OP has stated, the pod system is not useful, you have to explain yourself, multiple times to different people. It’s easier to make my own flight arrangements, private tours, restaurant reservations as I have more success at doing so than the agents. The thing is, I don’t want to do it as it’s time consuming. I want them to do it.
If they would work as if they were my own staff, setting alerts on Expert Flyer for upgrades, seat availability, alerts for when 12-month in advance booking windows open for restaurants, behind the scene tours, etc. it would be worth the annual fee. But they don’t and I have to do these things myself. When there was a dedicated person, more of these types of things could be accomplished.
As mentioned, it’s not the amount of the fee as in as much as you expect higher performance as the fee increases, not decreased services.
Last edited by EXPLAT; Apr 9, 2022 at 3:08 pm
Apr 9, 2022, 2:47 pm
#834
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Hawaii & Texas
Programs: AA ExPlat / LT Plat / 3MM, Delta Plat, Bonvoy LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,109
I refuse to deal with what they call Amex Travel now. I have been booking FHR stays and AA tickets when there is a negotiated corporate rate online. When I called to change a flight I booked online and they said I had to speak to “web travel support” I forced the centurion agent to stay on the line for what ended up taking 45 minutes to make a simple flight change. I figured they should feel the pain I knew was coming too. It’s just awful - and I used to have such a spectacular agent.
I’ve created a boilerplate email which includes our frequent flyer numbers, known traveler numbers and American Airlines Business Extra # which has to be entered a certain way. Sometimes they miss things so no pre check for instance for my wife, but I have pre-check when we show up at the security line. Or I have to send the ticket numbers to American Business Extra team so that my spend can be credited to our account.
Easier just to go to the AA website and book it and if I want to change a date or destination, I can just do it on the AA website except when it’s booked via CTS. Then it has to be handled by CTS.
Last edited by EXPLAT; Apr 9, 2022 at 3:01 pm
Apr 9, 2022, 9:18 pm
#835
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Programs: UA 1K, AA Lifetime Platinum, DL Platinum, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 7,970
I knew about the issue of online bookings really being Expedia, and once made, they have to handle any changes or other service requests. But, for call-in service via phone, is there still a CTS, or is it just the "pod" of CS agents that now also do travel stuff?
Apr 10, 2022, 9:02 am
#836
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Hawaii & Texas
Programs: AA ExPlat / LT Plat / 3MM, Delta Plat, Bonvoy LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,109
You have a Pod of agents with a an assigned lead agent. I don't ever hear from this person. This Pod is supposed to be your assigned group of agents. Most of my booking communication is via email as I feed them specific flights and dates, known traveler #'s, FF #'s, Business Extra #'s, etc. Every response comes from a different person.
Apr 10, 2022, 12:55 pm
#837
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,752
At the risk of piling on, yeah, if at all possible, I'd avoid amex travel, or anything that goes through Expedia. Even the DL offer of $100 for $400 was too risky in this environment, because should anything even remotely goes awry, we're dealing with amex travel as the middleman for Expedia. I can't imagine any travel experience that would potentially be more nightmarish than that, and wouldn't even wish that on my worst enemy.
Apr 10, 2022, 1:23 pm
#838
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,007
Apr 10, 2022, 2:00 pm
#839
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: Virgin Atlantic Silver, IHG Diamond, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Diamond, AA Platinum Pro
Posts: 1,386
I sure hope someone from Amex has an eye on this thread, because you guys are doing a great job of turning people off to the prospect of striving for this card!
Last edited by moe8555; Apr 12, 2022 at 9:08 am
Apr 10, 2022, 4:44 pm
#840
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Reading this I think I understand why I never have a problem with Amex travel. I never book Amex travel online. I always call in and I've never had a problem. I guess that is because I am avoiding Expedia. And I've known for a very long time to avoid Expedia and any other website like it. I only book with CTS or the airline website.
And yes on the occasion when I need to call back to change a booking, I do have to explain to the new CTS agent what's going on. But I've become good at that over the years so it doesn't take much time.
And yes on the occasion when I need to call back to change a booking, I do have to explain to the new CTS agent what's going on. But I've become good at that over the years so it doesn't take much time.