Centurion (AMEX Black) is in Canada! [Archive]

View Full Version : Centurion (AMEX Black) is in Canada!

tng11

Nov 27th, 2008, 01:33 PM

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=893298

Wonder who here will be the first to get one? :D

najibs

Nov 27th, 2008, 03:25 PM

Initiation fee on the US card is what...like $5k, and $1k annually? Unless you need services like a personal assistant that the card includes, it's basically an overpriced Amex Platinum.

I think for RFDers, the Amex 2% Gold card is OUR black card, since most people here won't pay annual fees for their cards. Much less an annual fee over a grand. We believe we should get paid for using their card ;)

angel_wing0

Nov 27th, 2008, 03:35 PM

I think for RFDers, the Amex 2% Gold card is OUR black card, since most people here won't pay annual fees for their cards. Much less an annual fee over a grand. We should get paid for using their card ;)

Corrected.

tkl

Nov 28th, 2008, 11:52 PM

........I think for RFDers, the Amex 2% Gold card is OUR black card, since most people here won't pay annual fees for their cards. Much less an annual fee over a grand. We believe we should get paid for using their card ;)

+ 1.

That's actually the RFD membership card.

CSR

Nov 28th, 2008, 11:58 PM

someguy91

Nov 29th, 2008, 11:39 AM

Speaking of which... does anyone know when the spending period for the Amex 2% Gold starts? I'm still using my enrich plat... but I know I should transition over to the amex soon..

MoreMiles

Nov 29th, 2008, 11:57 AM

Luxurious item.... not going to be very popular during this economic time. Most people have lost 1/3 of their life savings in the last few months. For someone that can afford a centurion card, it means losing the value of one house. I think those rich people will try to save these days, just like the regular common people like us.

angel_wing0

Nov 29th, 2008, 03:50 PM

Speaking of which... does anyone know when the spending period for the Amex 2% Gold starts? I'm still using my enrich plat... but I know I should transition over to the amex soon..

feb 09.

bubble.tea

Nov 29th, 2008, 11:42 PM

+ 1.

That's actually the RFD membership card.

LMAO.

I'd be curious to learn the account holder demographics.

Are RFDers about 99.9% of the 2% CC?:D

eliteblaze2

Nov 30th, 2008, 08:18 PM

Fee is more like $5Gs a year.
Is there any charter benefits? Usually those are pretty sweet (eg 25% extra MR or reduced fees, forever)

Bullseye

Nov 30th, 2008, 09:38 PM

Speaking of which... does anyone know when the spending period for the Amex 2% Gold starts? I'm still using my enrich plat... but I know I should transition over to the amex soon..

Depends on your statement date. Mine is the 28th, so my start date for next year should be Dec 28th this year.

Lyrrad0

Nov 30th, 2008, 09:45 PM

Depends on your statement date. Mine is the 28th, so my start date for next year should be Dec 28th this year.

I thought the start date was the statement date for January, so Jan 28th in your example.

angel_wing0

Nov 30th, 2008, 09:49 PM

feb 09.

Depends on your statement date. Mine is the 28th, so my start date for next year should be Dec 28th this year.

no it will be jan 28-feb 28, 2009.

I thought the start date was the statement date for January, so Jan 28th in your example.

correct.

Bullseye

Nov 30th, 2008, 09:57 PM

I thought the start date was the statement date for January, so Jan 28th in your example.

I hope you're right! That would mean that my spending for this year is actually higher than I thought (if it started Jan 28), and I'll have a higher payout in Jan/Feb. I'm at $28k to Nov 28th, but I thought that included Jan 08.

bilibulu

Mar 19th, 2009, 11:00 PM

schnitzer

Apr 29th, 2009, 12:04 AM

OMG.. I can't believe I got the invitation!

It came by Xpresspost in a Black Box...

Inside the Black Box is a Black Wooden Box!

Annual Fee is: $7500 for the First Year, then $2500 There after. . WTF... :confused:

I don't even know how I got the invitation. .Isn't this supposed to be exclusive?

I want it bad.. not for $7500... :(

najibs

Apr 29th, 2009, 12:28 AM

schnitzer

Apr 29th, 2009, 08:00 AM

i have a green card.. i charge about: $150k a year!

angel_wing0

Apr 29th, 2009, 08:58 AM

i have a green card.. i charge about: $150k a year!

well no wonder :lol:

zodiac

Apr 29th, 2009, 09:03 AM

I don't even know how I got the invitation.

i have a green card.. i charge about: $150k a year!

Now you know.

sjweyman

Apr 29th, 2009, 10:19 AM

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

najibs

Apr 29th, 2009, 10:33 AM

i have a green card.. i charge about: $150k a year!

There you go. And since you probably always pay on time, those two factors I'm sure is why you've been invited. The weird thing is that Centurion in the US is pretty strict about spending having to be no less than $250k in order to get invited. You put on $100k less and have been invited. That's good.

You should've gotten the Amex 2% while it was available. That would have given you a $3k in cash back for the year ;)

issy

Apr 29th, 2009, 12:16 PM

So anybody got the Amex black card?

It is a great card! Yes, I paid $7500 for it but I have already got over $9000 of freebies from it. So this is better than the 2% card or any other credit/charge card on the market.:lol:

hello

what were you freebies!!!

incase i decide to accpet their invitation, if i am invited ..

thanks

bilibulu

Apr 29th, 2009, 12:20 PM

hello

what were you freebies!!!

incase i decide to accpet their invitation, if i am invited ..

thanks

If and when you were invited, you'd know what the freebies are.;)

issy

Apr 29th, 2009, 12:27 PM

If and when you were invited, you'd know what the freebies are.;)

so the freebies are top secret ....haha...

thanks for sharing them .....you kindess was much appreciated :razz:

HCaulfield

Apr 29th, 2009, 02:38 PM

can anybody provide a link to the amex gold 2% card?? or is that offer over?

schnitzer

Apr 29th, 2009, 02:57 PM

the 2% is long gone.. i wish I had that instead.. they would be paying me!

can I sell my invitation? :D

Milfman

Apr 29th, 2009, 02:59 PM

can anybody provide a link to the amex gold 2% card?? or is that offer over?

Here you go...

You should've gotten the Amex 2% while it was available

bilibulu

Apr 29th, 2009, 02:59 PM

the 2% is long gone.. i wish I had that instead.. they would be paying me!

can I sell my invitation? :D

Yes. I have seen it for sale on eBay.:razz:

I would accept the invitation, then call them to decline it when they send you the real cards. Then sell the cards on eBay.:D

angel_wing0

Apr 29th, 2009, 04:00 PM

can anybody provide a link to the amex gold 2% card?? or is that offer over?

long gone, plus there is no official link for it.

schnitzer

Apr 30th, 2009, 09:09 AM

Yes. I have seen it for sale on eBay.:razz:

I would accept the invitation, then call them to decline it when they send you the real cards. Then sell the cards on eBay.:D

They told me up front that the $5000 Initation fee is NON Refundable.. What if my cards don't sell for $5000... I'm Screwed! Also they seemed very desperate trying to sell me on the card like a Ford Salesman. (not quite). They wouldn't let me off the phone.

najibs

Apr 30th, 2009, 11:17 AM

They told me up front that the $5000 Initation fee is NON Refundable.. What if my cards don't sell for $5000... I'm Screwed! Also they seemed very desperate trying to sell me on the card like a Ford Salesman. (not quite). They wouldn't let me off the phone.

Trust me, no one is going to pay $5k for a credit card which they cannot use. And if someone is going to shell out that much money, then I'm sure they could afford the real thing.

Also, if Amex is that desperate to sell you on it, then try bargaining with them and have them do something like allowing you to try the card for a year with half the annual fee or maybe waiving the initiation fee. It can't hurt to try if they are the ones desperately trying to sell you on it. If you spend $50k ona regular green card, and pay on time, and have had a Centurion invitation sent to you, then you're definitely a valuable customer and can use that to leverage bargaining power. What have you got to lose?

Keep us updated...

bilibulu

Apr 30th, 2009, 12:49 PM

Also, if Amex is that desperate to sell you on it, then try bargaining with them and have them do something like allowing you to try the card for a year with half the annual fee or maybe waiving the initiation fee. It can't hurt to try if they are the ones desperately trying to sell you on it. If you spend $50k ona regular green card, and pay on time, and have had a Centurion invitation sent to you, then you're definitely a valuable customer and can use that to leverage bargaining power. What have you got to lose?

I tried bargaining with them when I signed up. Didn't work. And my annual spending is way more than $150K.;)

This card is not for everyone. If you don't see any benefits of the perks that come with it, paying $7.5K just to own it is nuts. I can see I make full use of the benefits, that's why this card is a deal for me.

najibs

Apr 30th, 2009, 01:34 PM

This card is not for everyone. If you don't see any benefits of the perks that come with it, paying $7.5K just to own it is nuts. I can see I make full use of the benefits, that's why this card is a deal for me.

Agreed. People who get this card simply for a status symbol or who do it to show off are getting it for the wrong reasons and are throwing money down the drain.

deal_king

May 13th, 2009, 11:02 AM

I tried bargaining with them when I signed up. Didn't work. And my annual spending is way more than $150K.;)

This card is not for everyone. If you don't see any benefits of the perks that come with it, paying $7.5K just to own it is nuts. I can see I make full use of the benefits, that's why this card is a deal for me.

The criteria in Canada is that you have over $1 million in assets and "high spending"- but there is no official definition of what "high" is.

I'm eligible for the Centurion in the USA but I'm too cheap to pay the $7500. However, Amex has a little-known procedure called a "Global Transfer". If you have an address in another country, you can ask them to issue you an equivalent card in that country, based upon your credit history in this country. Its an amazing trick to establish credit history in the States. Its pretty much impossible to get a credit card otherwise without a Social Security Number (SSN).

So if I wanted, I could sign up for a US Centurion, then do a global transfer and also get a CDN Centurion. And you only pay the $5000 fee once worldwide.

thirtyone

May 13th, 2009, 12:18 PM

The criteria in Canada is that you have over $1 million in assets and "high spending"- but there is no official definition of what "high" is.

I'm eligible for the Centurion in the USA but I'm too cheap to pay the $7500. However, Amex has a little-known procedure called a "Global Transfer". If you have an address in another country, you can ask them to issue you an equivalent card in that country, based upon your credit history in this country. Its an amazing trick to establish credit history in the States. Its pretty much impossible to get a credit card otherwise without a Social Security Number (SSN).

So if I wanted, I could sign up for a US Centurion, then do a global transfer and also get a CDN Centurion. And you only pay the $5000 fee once worldwide.

It is not a "little known" trick. It has been well discussed in this forum in just about every thread regarding US cards and bank accounts. It is also a prominent link on Amex's webpage, where it says "Moving Abroad?"

NeedADeal

Oct 22nd, 2009, 03:46 PM

Does anyone have a Canadian one? I have the US one (I spend lots of time there) but nobody mentioned the Canadian one.

fashionelle1

Oct 22nd, 2009, 04:55 PM

so the freebies are top secret ....haha...

thanks for sharing them .....you kindess was much appreciated :razz:

At least the card holder isn't getting a plastic cc card, but instead an aluminum made ( circa 06') Amex card, the newer one are now made of titanium :). Just to make note, the amex "black" card has been around for more then a decade now.

Well there's a $2.5k annual fee after the one time only $5k fee to get this card. It was exclusively introduced by invitation only but recently, for those who wants to apply for one must already have their platinum card with a minimal annual spending requirements in order to be pre-approved for this black* card + excellent credit (US). Therefore in technicality, it's not really "free".

You get excellent "top of the top" dedicated service as well as a "rewarded discounts" at certain retailers with a purchase of a minimal purchase of $$$ or more.At times, you may also get a complimentary voucher for a companion when traveling as well. Overall the Centurion card will give you an excellent concierge service-aka: Gold* within certain airline - free upgrades, first class counter, double the miles, access to airport lounge/spas OR booking a "sold out" room at hotel or wanting to book a 3 month pre-reserved table at a restaurant within the day of or within the week?- well all that can be taken care with only a phone call away to AMEX; All in all, you get what you pay for-thank you for choosing American Express :).

P.S: Those replica black cards from ebay is nowhere near in quality let alone just a glance of it- when comparing to the authentic Centurion card.

Qualia

Oct 22nd, 2009, 08:01 PM

Well there's a $2.5k annual fee after the one time only $5k fee to get this card. It was exclusively introduced by invitation only but recently, for those who wants to apply for one must already have their platinum card with a minimal annual spending requirements in order to be pre-approved for this black* card + excellent credit (US). Therefore in technicality, it's not really "free".

I have a Canadian Centurion card and while it's definitely not for everyone, it has its uses for the right type of consumer. Canadian one is slightly different from the US one with the primary benefits for Canada (in my eyes) being:

1) Companion tickets on Air Canada - they're full-fare tickets, but useful for flying to the Caribbean, say, where 1 full-fare business class ticket comes very close to a price of 2 economy class ones, for example (and the difference between full-fare business class tickets and discounted ones is minimal).

2) Free nights/confirmed upgrades at times of booking at Mandarin Oriental hotels - if you travel twice a year or more and stay at their properties, this alone will come close to covering the annual fee for the card itself.

3) Free supplementary cards (I believe it's extra $1,500/year in the USA for a supplementary black card)

Lastly, as of ~ 3.5 weeks ago it has changed in the USA as well - it used to be that all you had to do was hit $250K+ in spending and have good credit (and an Amex card, of course) and then call them - you'd get Centurion. Now it doesn't work that way, it's back to "invite only" model.

I personally really like the card, but can totally understand and respect others take on it ...