Amex Centurion - What's the point?

[Sym7]

I've have a Amex Centurion card which I used to think was brilliant (Concierge services, flight upgrades etc.). They charged £650 a year for the privilege but now they've put the price up to £1,800 a year! It seems to me that the only change is the card itself and that it's now made out of metal rather than plastic (gimmick!).

In fact, I tried to use their concierge service just before xmas when I got on the wrong train I needed a taxi to get me home from the middle of nowhere. They said they couldn't do that for me as they didn't arrange taxis! I reminded them that they told me when I originally subscribed that they would do anything for their customers providing it was neither immoral or illegal.....booking a taxi??? come on!!

So, does anyone else have any experience with Centurion? Do you think it's worth £1,800 for a metal card?

[randlemarcus]

I'd have thought £650 slightly OTT , unless they were happy to arrange both illegal and immoral things, but ...

If there's no change to the service, then tripling the service while making it worse suggests they dont want to run it any more, but equally dont want to annoy big spenders.

[birdcage]

I think you have answered your own question....

I love the card for its high limit and brand heritage but actually downgraded myself from Centurion to Gold as the fee was too irritating..

If I was on absolute megabucks maybe I would have use for the Centurion but no one takes it in small stores and the fee is wrong.

[Sym7]

birdcage said:

I think you have answered your own question....

I love the card for its high limit and brand heritage but actually downgraded myself from Centurion to Gold as the fee was too irritating..

If I was on absolute megabucks maybe I would have use for the Centurion but no one takes it in small stores and the fee is wrong.

Have they given you the option to go back to Centurion if you wanted to or would you have to wait for their special invitation again?

[RDMcG]

Its handy for international travel, although its certainly not cheap, ( a lot more expensive in Canada). I find the concierge service is first class and use it extensively.

[birdcage]

Sym7 said:

birdcage said:

I think you have answered your own question....

I love the card for its high limit and brand heritage but actually downgraded myself from Centurion to Gold as the fee was too irritating..

If I was on absolute megabucks maybe I would have use for the Centurion but no one takes it in small stores and the fee is wrong.

Have they given you the option to go back to Centurion if you wanted to or would you have to wait for their special invitation again?

I asked them once and they said no problem, I have had the card for 15 years and always paid on the button so I guess I am low risk. Also the fee is run as profit though so I didnt think they should get double bubble and I dont travel all that often TBH

[964Cup]

I had one until 2006, but unless you fly every week, I can't personally see the point. Both the concierge service and the travel insurance are attached to a host of cards these days - Coutts' World Card concierge isn't bad, for example, and the card is free assuming you spend enough. The Amex travel service is without peer in my experience, but since I no longer jet around, I no longer have the card. At £1800 (!) I would take a great deal of persuading.

[Alex]

birdcage said:

I love the card for its high limit and brand heritage but actually downgraded myself from Centurion to Gold as the fee was too irritating..

There was technically no limit on all AMEX charge cards including the lowly Green card. Has that changed?

[birdcage]

Alex said:

birdcage said:

I love the card for its high limit and brand heritage but actually downgraded myself from Centurion to Gold as the fee was too irritating..

There was technically no limit on all AMEX charge cards including the lowly Green card. Has that changed?

There was/is no limit as such but when I spend more than 7k a month the fraud warnings would go off and there was drama, this suited me 99% of the time though...

[2 5HAN]

964Cup said:

I had one until 2006, but unless you fly every week, I can't personally see the point. Both the concierge service and the travel insurance are attached to a host of cards these days - Coutts' World Card concierge isn't bad, for example, and the card is free assuming you spend enough. The Amex travel service is without peer in my experience, but since I no longer jet around, I no longer have the card. At £1800 (!) I would take a great deal of persuading.

Agree the Coutts World Card concierge is great, very helpfull and quick to come back to you, have used them in the UK and abroad including a medical emergency in Dubai and also a breakdown in France

[kryten]

Hmmm, been thinking about one of these ever since we got stuck without a Hotel the night before the Reims marathon on the way back from Stuttgart. Tried the Vodafone concierge service but had to spell Reims and explain three times to the eastern european accented woman that it was in FRANCE. Oh and they couldn't get any sort of 'star' rating and the place they suggested made the dodgiest place you've ever stayed look like the peak of luxury.

Any other suggestions for ones to look at? My problem is that I don't fly that much and so the airline lounges which seems to make up a lot of the value are useless to me...