If you can shell out a $5,000 annual fee and maintain at least $250,000 in annual spend, this card might be for you.
Published Aug 3, 2023 8:16 a.m. PDT · 4 min read Written by Aaron Hurd Aaron Hurd
Writer | Travel rewards, credit cards, travel
Aaron is a freelance contributor to the travel team at NerdWallet. He has been a credit card and travel rewards enthusiast since applying for his first credit card the day he turned 18. While a student at Iowa State University, Aaron combined his knowledge of credit card rewards with a resale business to help pay his way through college. After finishing a Master of Business Administration at the University of Michigan, Aaron used points and miles to travel for six months across five continents, including a month traveling overland through Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China on the Trans-Siberian Railway Network.
He has written hundreds of articles about miles, points, travel and credit card rewards for publications, including The Points Guy, Bankrate.com, Forbes, Rolling Stone and Robb Report. He is passionate about helping others leverage their wallets into increasing their financial security and fulfilling their travel dreams.
Aaron is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but his favorite airport is Amsterdam Schiphol. Assistant Assigning Editor Giselle M. Cancio
Assistant Assigning Editor | Travel rewards, budget travel, credit cards
Giselle M. Cancio is a former editor for the travel rewards team at NerdWallet. She has traveled to over 30 states and 20 countries, redeeming points and miles for almost a decade. She has over eight years of experience in journalism and content development across many topics.
She has juggled many roles in her career: writer, editor, social media manager, producer, on-camera host, videographer and photographer. She has been published in several media outlets and was selected to report from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
She frequents national parks and is on her way to checking all 30 Major League Baseball parks off her list. When she's not on a plane or planning her next trip, she's crafting, reading, playing board games, watching sports or trying new recipes.
She is based in Miami. Fact Checked
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American Express is notoriously secretive about the details of the Centurion Black Card. For many years, the company didn't acknowledge the existence of the Black Card. And there's some evidence that the card became a part of pop culture lore before becoming an actual product.
But today, the Centurion Card very much exists as a product for a select group of high net worth individuals willing to shell out a generous sum of money to carry perhaps the most exclusive credit card out there.
Here are 10 things we know about the AmEx Centurion Card.
You don't get the Centurion Card by applying for it.
If you want to join the exclusive club of cardholders who carry the Centurion Black Card, you must get an invitation from AmEx. And a Centurion Card invitation isn't something AmEx hands out lightly. While AmEx services over 100 million cardholders, there are estimates that AmEx only has 100,000 Centurion cardholders worldwide.
The Centurion Card carries a hefty initiation fee. Reports vary, but the most recent information is that AmEx charges $10,000 to become a Centurion member.
You might think paying a five-figure fee would be enough to grant you a lifetime of benefits, but not with the Centurion Card.
If you want to keep the card, you'll have to shell out $5,000 per year. And that annual fee is not waived in the first year.
While the Centurion Black Card is invite-only, it is possible to request an invitation online. You must have an AmEx card to make the request. AmEx also clearly states that an invitation request does not mean you will receive an invitation.
You can request a Centurion invite on the American Express website .
It is widely accepted that you need to be a big spender for AmEx to give you a Centurion Card.
Reports on the internet range from requiring $250,000 to over a million dollars of annual spending. AmEx has not confirmed any specific spending requirements, and there's no known threshold at which Platinum cardmembers receive an invitation.
While the exact amount you need to spend on your cards is a matter of speculation, you probably need to spend at least six figures annually on an AmEx card to get a Centurion Card.
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Learn MoreThe Centurion Network offers 40-plus airport lounge locations worldwide as an exclusive benefit for The Platinum Card® from American Express and Centurion cardmembers. Terms apply.
In February 2023, AmEx removed free guest access from its lounge access benefit for The Platinum Card® from American Express cardholders.
Centurion cardmembers didn't suffer this cut and still retain expanded access. Centurion cardmembers may bring in two guests or immediate family members. Eligible immediate family members include a spouse, a domestic partner and children under 18.
For the multimillionaires and billionaires who carry the AmEx Centurion Card, probably the most helpful benefit is the Centurion concierge .
The concierge service offered on The Platinum Card® from American Express is limited to helping with travel reservations, getting event tickets, making restaurant reservations and fulfilling shopping requests. The concierge service offered by the Centurion Card offers seemingly unlimited service.
Centurion cardholders report using the Centurion concierge for things you might expect. One cardholder says that his concierge makes travel bookings considering his seat preferences based on the airline cabin configuration. His concierge also contacts hotels to inform them of the cardmember's arrival time.
But Centurion concierges have also handled requests such as arranging elaborate tours, getting front-row tickets for in-demand concerts, locating personal items lost during travel and even arranging emergency evacuations.
For someone who might not have a full-time personal assistant, the Centurion concierge can offer an alternative.
Like many other things about the Centurion Black Card, the card's perks are shrouded in secrecy. AmEx doesn't provide much information about the card on its website and most reports about the card's perks are based on third-hand accounts and speculation.
However, we have confirmed a partial list of benefits offered to Centurion cardmembers. Here are some of these exclusive benefits:
An auto program that allows cardmembers to anonymously negotiate prices on luxury automobile purchases through a members-only website.
Global chef partnerships, which grant access to daily table reservations at fine dining restaurants around the world.
Exclusive seating in ticket blocks reserved for Centurion cardholders at many major events worldwide.
Various onboard credits, excursion credits and vouchers are available exclusively to Centurion cardmembers through Centurion Cruise Partners.
Private jet arrangements can be made for Centurion cardholders through the AmEx Private Jet program.Like many aspects of the Centurion Black Card, the card's purchasing power has been the subject of much speculation. The card offers no preset limit, but how far does that go? While there are no credible reports of someone buying a Gulfstream or even a Cessna Citation (private jet) with a Centurion Card, the card has been used for some substantial purchases.
In 2015, The New York Times reported that Chinese billionaire Liu Yiqian purchased a Modigliani painting at Christie's auction house in New York. The price? $170.4 million. If you can put a $170 million painting on an AmEx card, why not a jet or a mansion?
Many of the perks offered by the AmEx Centurion Card can be had with The Platinum Card® from American Express , a card that carries a much more affordable $695 annual fee compared to its counterpart. Here are some of the perks that the Centurion Card shares with The Platinum Card® from American Express :
AmEx Fine Hotels and Resorts and the Hotel Collection offer luxury experiences at over 2,000 properties worldwide.
The Global Lounge Collection grants access to 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries. The AmEx International Airline Program offers preferred airfares with participating airlines. Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President's Circle and Avis President's Club as complimentary benefits. Presale ticket access.And just like The Platinum Card® from American Express , the Centurion Card earns Membership Rewards, which can be transferred to any of AmEx's transfer partners .
The AmEx Centurion Card isn't the card to get if you want to earn the maximum rewards on your spending. And even if it were, you'd have to chase a lot of category spending to compensate for the card's annual fee.
If you're looking for generous rewards on your spending, consider a card that earns 2% cash back on all purchases . Many of these cards have no annual fee.
Or, if you want travel rewards, consider a card from NerdWallet's list of best travel credit cards . Some of these cards can earn you as much as 10 points per dollar on travel spending.
To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express , see this page .You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve® Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card About the authorYou’re following Aaron Hurd
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Aaron Hurd is a freelance contributor to the travel team at NerdWallet. He has written hundreds of articles about miles, points, travel and credit card rewards for publications including The Points Guy, Bankrate.com, Forbes, Rolling Stone and Robb Report. See full bio.
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