Qualifying for AX Centurion
May 26, 2007, 4:42 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: SRQ
Programs: DL-PM;CO;US;AA; AMEX Plat
Posts: 18
Qualifying for AX Centurion
Aside from spending a lot on Amex, is there any other way to qualify and obtain the Cent card?
May 26, 2007, 4:55 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
in the US you have to spend $250K/yr to qualify
May 26, 2007, 5:19 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,693
Actually for clarification you have to spend and pay off 250k within the past 365 days. ie purchasing 250k worth of goods will not qualify unless you pay
May 26, 2007, 7:01 pm
#5
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: NYC & DFW
Programs: Amex Centurion
Posts: 91
And dont forget the $7,500 fee for the card
May 26, 2007, 7:27 pm
#6
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: Amex Plat
Posts: 56
Plat Member for at Least 1 year
And you have to have been a Plat member for at least 1 year and needless to say a STERLING credit history.
And it's "Don't Call Us - We'll Call You" type of thing - AMEX will let you know IF they think you qualify.
Meaning you can't apply for it.
And it's "Don't Call Us - We'll Call You" type of thing - AMEX will let you know IF they think you qualify.
Meaning you can't apply for it.
May 26, 2007, 7:46 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
$5000 initiation, $2500 a year 
does ANYONE who is willing to pay $2500 a year care about a $5000 initiation? i sure as heck dont. but my spending level is not high enough to upgrade.
its not entirely clear whether you have to have plat, or have plat for a year.
for a WHILE they did not call you and you had to call them. now apparently they have started doing invites again, and that might affect whether you pay the initiation fee. (if you are invited then no, but if you request then you do)
they also seem to have loosened the policy with regards to allowing personal spending to count towards business centurion and vice versa.
does ANYONE who is willing to pay $2500 a year care about a $5000 initiation? i sure as heck dont. but my spending level is not high enough to upgrade.
for a WHILE they did not call you and you had to call them. now apparently they have started doing invites again, and that might affect whether you pay the initiation fee. (if you are invited then no, but if you request then you do)
they also seem to have loosened the policy with regards to allowing personal spending to count towards business centurion and vice versa.
May 26, 2007, 8:24 pm
#8
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Leesburg, VA AA EXP, 2MM lifetime
Programs: SPG PLT, Hyatt Diamond, 10% progress towards lifetime Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 2,330
So, kagehitokiri, I can think of one person that would spend that much for a black card. If you count me as well, that would make 2. When I start traveling more again, I'll definitely pay $2500 for an additional card on his business account. The free nights at Mandarin Oriental would make it pay for itself on it's own. It depends on your travel habits, but there are some things that could definitely make it worth it.
May 26, 2007, 8:57 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
i was correcting the earlier post, and suggesting that IMHO people who are willing to pay $2500 a year (like us and plenty of others here) are not going to look at the $5000 initiation fee and go "well i dont want to pay that so im not going to get the card now"
That may have been true at one time. However, my business partner called up and received it. His spending was right on the 250K limit, with a really big month of charges pending. They went ahead and gave him the card (and charged him the really big fee).
i see i did not mention it earlier, but bhd and several others have said upgrade/invite is closed until june 1
May 26, 2007, 10:39 pm
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Metro Detroit
Programs: DL Plat, NW Plat
Posts: 708
In talking with a rep on the Platinum phone last year, I inquired about the Centurion card-(this was before I found this forum!). The rep gave me the phone number and told me to give them a call and tell them I was interested in the card. I never followed through, but it seems that with enough spending, you might be able to invite yourself.
May 26, 2007, 10:41 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
yes, for a while they did NOT invite anyone, and you HAD to call. apparently they are now inviting again, and some posts have suggested that might be related to the new initiation fee (that invite might mean no fee)
(talking about US card)
(talking about US card)
May 27, 2007, 12:48 am
#12
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SFO/SEA
Programs: Amex Biz Cent, Marriott LTP, Avis PC, Hilton Owners Diamond, AS MVP
Posts: 3,380
You don't necessarily have to be a Plat member. When my family business got Centurion back in 2005, all the cards on the account were green or gold.
We were invited with a fancy package in the mail and we barely even knew what the card was at the time. Aside from the black card name dropping in popular culture, we didn't know anything else about the card or its benefits.
May 27, 2007, 10:42 am
#13
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: Amex Platinum, Starwood Gold, VX elevate
Posts: 324
Had I been invited at this point in time to get the card, there is no way I would have paid the $5k initiation fee over the $2500 annual fee. Granted I'm still paying the original yearly fee that I began paying when the card first came out, but $7500 for a credit card, just for one year, is beyond absurd to me. But hey, that's just me. And I'm thrifty.
May 27, 2007, 10:46 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
you realize your annual fee will go up at the next renewal right? are you going to keep the card?
and it is NOT $7500 for a year. it is $5000 UP FRONT. then $2500 a year. IMHO its like saying your total mortgage payment amount for the first year includes your down payment on your house...
and it is NOT $7500 for a year. it is $5000 UP FRONT. then $2500 a year. IMHO its like saying your total mortgage payment amount for the first year includes your down payment on your house...
May 27, 2007, 11:49 am
#15
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: MIA/ATL
Posts: 1,482
you realize your annual fee will go up at the next renewal right? are you going to keep the card?
and it is NOT $7500 for a year. it is $5000 UP FRONT. then $2500 a year. IMHO its like saying your total mortgage payment amount for the first year includes your down payment on your house...
and it is NOT $7500 for a year. it is $5000 UP FRONT. then $2500 a year. IMHO its like saying your total mortgage payment amount for the first year includes your down payment on your house...
Year 1. 5000+2500
Year 2. 2500
...