emcnj

things might have changed or are different in every situation, but in my particular case, my account rep wouldn’t even take it to his boss unless I had 10M in annual spend for that calendar year. Once I hit 10M he forwarded it to his boss for consideration and 2 months later I had an invite.

david55

I've been a member since 1982. I spend maybe $5000 a year on my Schwab Platinum in a good year......I requested an invitation to the Centurion card ( via the web portal) just because I can.

When they send me the invitation....I'll regretfully say no.

moe8555

Out of curiosity, have you had a Platinum since the 80s as well? There actually was one poster that was invited a few years ago that had an Amex card since the 80s, despite spend only in the high 5 digits...

david55

I started out with a Gold that I had for most of my 39 years....acquired a Platinum about 8 years ago. Dropped it after a trip to Europe where I couldn't find many places that took Amex....then reacquired it a few months later missing the ego of pulling it out of my wallet at stores....so I have a checkered past with Amex.....but I am loyal.

mile3

For what it's worth, I had an account manager always throw out 5.5m annual spend minimum (for US business centurion) even though I had hit that for a couple years in a row prior to asking. I then spent significantly more than that, asked again and it got through. I agree with what others have said in this thread previously and really believe it's a factor of location and how your gross spend compares in your geography.

DMSFCA

I can actually speak with some authority about this, as I did some marketing work with Hermes a few years back at their Paris HQ and flagship store.

They make about 10 or so bags a day, and they are made just outside Paris. Every morning when I'd walk into the office, there was a long line of mostly young Asian women waiting for the 10am retail store open.

When the store would open, it was like the running of the bulls back to the counter that sold the Birkin bags. When you got up to the counter and were first, you had a couple of options to buy. If you weren't first in line you are offered whatever was available. A $50k exotic skin version? Take it or leave it, the person right behind you will buy it if you don't.

This went on every weekday. I'd never seen anything like it. I don't know if they were buying these for themselves or to resell. I've seen enough crazy stuff on China visits to know that many of them have bottomless budgets, so anything is possible.

DMSFCA

I've posted this before, but I laugh at all the talk about having the Centurion card gives you VIP access at clubs, bottle service, etc.

I've held a personal one since 1999 ("$1000 annual fee that will never change! cough, cough...") and have used the card tens of thousands of times at everything from buying a big gulp at 7-Eleven to buying out high-end bars, restaurants for parties, private jet time. In all that time, it was called out as the mystical "black card" maybe a dozen times, and even then, it hasn't happened in years. Everyone has a premium "black card" product now, and I've used it at every point in the spectrum where you can swipe a card.

I've never had the chef come out to my table with special treats and bartenders that bring me to the VIP room, and private clubs put me at the front of the line because of my card color. The ladies don't swoon as much as I wished. I usually don't pay for my meals or bar tab until the end, so I'm not sure how you would be "recognized" unless you were flashing it like some calling card? I did see a drunk attorney bro at a bar in San Jose once holding it up to his forehead, saying "WHERE ARE THE GIRLS???" So, there is that.

The $10k I spend on the AF for the personal card and AU isn't chump change, but I still see the value in it every year.

Exactly when do the women swoon and the VIP service start? I'm 20 years in with this card and still waiting...!

th14

This is pretty much my experience with it after 20 years. Early on, I'd have a few people ask to get a closer look. But no special service. The concierge was great 20 years ago and really got some hard to get reservations. Then it was useless for about 5 years in the middle. They do seem to be making an effort again with the current service teams.

No special upgrades at hotels. Even when booking through FHR. The hotels don't differentiate between Centurion and Platinum holders so we're pretty much treated same as Platinum card holders. Only exception is the very select hotels that participate in the Centurion program.

I don't think it's a card that pencils out for most people. But overall, I've been satisfied with Amex customer service.

fliesdelta

I fit that category: cardmember since 1986 and was offered the Centurion a few years ago despite not spending millions (or anywhere close to even one million) a year. I declined the offer as I saw no value on the card vs. the AF.

moe8555

You were the person I was referring to! Could you remind what your typical annual spend was for reference..?

MiaNY

I'm a 30+ year Amex customer and 10+ year personal Centurion member. I've used my card for normal day to day spend, but my spend has always been mixed with other cards, and I have never tried to max out my spend on Amex to get an invite and I've likely never been over any of the thresholds mentioned on this thread. I've found the Centurion service spotty over the years but have recently re-engaged to see if things have improved. So far undecided. They don't seem to be as good at getting restaurant reservations at popular restaurants as they were years ago.

I'm unimpressed with the quality of the current card itself, and I'm looking forward to receiving the new one hoping for something more substantial, although that's becoming less and less important as more often than not I use my iPhone instead of a physical card.

I have found that there can be a different customer service attitude after presenting your card at higher end retailers, but that really only helps for the second visit, not so much the first. And if the attitude was bad before presenting the card, I'm not likely to reward that with more business if the attitude changes because I showed the card.

I am interested in the lifestyle rebranding - some of the events that Amex facilitated 10+ years ago were creative and fun, and made you feel special to be a member - like a token of appreciation for your business. That personal touch has been missing for a while.

seacarl

Sorry that I haven't visited this forum since your question. I had the Centurion card for more than ten years, maybe 15. I'm not much into using spending to show off. Originally it was the elite status benefits at airlines (USAir, CO, DL) hotels (SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond) that got me. I can't remember whether Hertz Platinum was always part of it or came later, but the Hertz Platinum pickup and drop off were cool when offered.

I never experienced any difference if I paid with the Centurion card vs any other card at any hotel or retailer. Maybe it would have made a difference if I had set something up with a concierge. Generally I didn't find that the Centurion hotel program offered enough benefits to warrant paying the rack rate vs.the discounted rates that might have been available. And probably I just don't buy enough Birkin and luxury goods.

There really didn't seem to be enough concrete benefit vs. perceived benefit. At the same time the product was even inferior to the Platinum card in terms of points awarded... And the cost went up. And the benefit are not relevant if you live in a city without Equinox and Saks.

And it didn't seem like Amex really cared. I did get miffed when they spent their time and energy explaining to me that they weren't going to reimburse the $50 Nexus (which includes $100 Global Entry) instead of reimbursing the $100 Global Entry. That made me understand that their management was never going to make sensible decisions about Centurion members, just apply rote policies. It wasn't worth the fee if that would be the experience.

BLV

Just good timing. This particular model just hit all of the ADs and they’re offering it left & right

Visconti

One place where I think you get better treatment is most assuredly MGM properties in Las Vegas, but this holds true for Plats too. For the Bellagio, FHR will likely score an upgrade into a suite, while their own Noirs without a gambling profile will not. To be fair, MLife's Noir during its initial few years were of incredible value when flashing it at any MGM property, and probably held more cachet than the Cent once upon a time.

Only time where I suspect the card may have made a difference was the Hyatt Regency Osaka. Several years ago, I had booked several nights and used a suite upgrade cert, and had no idea it upgraded into the Tatami suite. Upon checking in, I mentioned that I preferred a suite with a bed. Long story short, none were available except for a twin bed suite. So, it was fine, and I handed over my Cent. After settling into my room, I received a call and someone (Assist Mgr) called up and said they actually had the Presidential Suite available, and that I was welcomed to move there. So, maybe it was the card. Maybe it was Diamond (back then, before the Glob thing). Or, a combination.

For me, the main reason was an experience several years ago. A person I've known for a long time and have done business with for about 10+ years, noticed that I was paying for dinner with a different card. It was during that Chase Reserve Plus or Sapphire thing where they were handling out 100K bonuses, and I wanted to hit the spend requirement. He asked me if business was ok because he noticed I didn't pay with my Cent.

Whether we like it or not, perceptions and bling matter in business, especially in certain industries.

tangfish

It’s interesting to see the dichotomy here. Seems like the longer people have had the Cent card the less perceived value they find in it at present. In my own case I am pretty disenchanted at -18 years myself. Perhaps this is because the benefits tend to just degrade over time, with a rare exception once in awhile when a new one is actually useful (for me the 50% points back), the AF goes up, and we all might apparently have had a honeymoon period where we put effort into making use of the Concierge and whipping it out for notice by others.

These days I either do not use it in public or sneak it under the radar (insert or tap the machine without the associate noticing). I use it nearly exclusively for charges $5K and over and/or for things I might need purchase protection on. Aside from those two fairly minority forms of spend I focus most of my spend on 2.6% cash back via a boring B of A card. Cash is still king and I don’t know what to do with my over 2m MR points with no travel in my future for the time being. That and all point based reward systems are always subject to sudden devaluation.

The biggest insult to me from Amex is the Equinox (I don’t live within 2 states of one) and the Saks (it’s like being forced to buy gift cards to a random store I had no interest in prior). Aside from those two large slaps in the face I was a pretty content cardholder before the recent changes, which were all negative in my opinion.

Yet there are still those on this thread here striving in vain to get into our crappy little club and spending a lot to do so. The grass is always greener I suppose.