The American Express Centurion Card (often referred to simply as the “Black Card”) is probably the most famous credit card in the world. Talk about a hyped card, as it’s exclusively available to those who are invited, and a countless number of rap songs reference it. While I’m a fan of rap, I generally don’t recommend making credit card decisions based on the lyrics of such music.
Most of us won’t ever be invited to apply for the Black Card, but that doesn’t mean we can’t discuss it. What does it take to get an invitation, how much does it cost to hold onto, what are the benefits like, and is it worth it? Thanks to OMAAT reader Jason for sharing some of the latest updates to the card, which I’ve incorporated into this post.
The information and associated card details on this page for the Centurion Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
In this post:
How to get an Amex Centurion Card invitation
As mentioned above, the Amex Centurion Card is invitation-only. The invitation requirements aren’t published, but it’s believed that an invitation is based both on your Amex card spending and your income.
Amex is tight-lipped about the requirements to get a Black Card, though I’ve heard the following thrown around as key minimum thresholds:
- You need to spend at least $250K per year on Amex cards
- You need to have an income of at least one million dollars per year
That’s not to say that either of those thresholds will get you an invitation, but I generally wouldn’t expect to get an invitation without meeting those requirements. For that matter, I wouldn’t be surprised if the requirements are even higher nowadays, given the inflation that we’ve seen.
While it’s possible to request to be considered for the Amex Centurion Card, don’t expect that you’ll be invited unless you can show a significant amount of spending and income.
There’s no publicly available information regarding how many people have the Amex Centurion Card. I’ve seen estimates suggesting that there are around 100,000 card members globally, with around 20% of those being in the United States. However, that could be totally off.
The information and associated card details on this page for the Centurion Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Amex Centurion Card initiation & annual fee
The Amex Centurion Card doesn’t just have an annual fee, but also has an initiation fee, as follows:
- There’s a $10,000 initiation fee
- There’s a $5,000 annual fee (that fee must be paid for each user, so you don’t get free authorized users on the card — on the plus side, they receive the full card perks)
So the first year, you can expect to pay $15,000 if you want the card, as you’ll be on the hook for the initiation fee and annual fee. That also assumes you don’t want to add any authorized users.
The information and associated card details on this page for the Centurion Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Amex Centurion Card perks & benefits
The Amex Centurion Card is built on the basics of The Platinum Card® from American Express (review), so it offers most of the perks you’ll find on that card, like Marriott Gold status, an annual CLEAR credit, an annual Uber benefit, access to lounges globally, etc.
But then there are all kinds of incremental perks as well, given the card’s $10,000 initiation fee and $5,000 annual fee. In addition to having a card that will no doubt turn heads, the Black Card offers the following perks:
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Medallion status
- Hilton Diamond status
- IHG One Rewards Platinum status
- Hertz Platinum status
- Avis President’s Club status
- Up to $1,000 Saks credit per calendar year (in the form of a $250 credit per quarter)
- An Equinox Destination Access membership; this would ordinarily cost $300+ per month
- Expanded access to Centurion Lounges (fewer restrictions, reserved seating, champagne, more guesting privileges, etc.)
- Access to the Lufthansa First Lounges in Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC) when flying a Lufthansa Group airline the same day
- PS membership (with facilities at LAX and ATL), plus two complimentary visits per year to The Salon at PS, with each visit including a guest
- Airport Butler service at select global airports, when bookings a first or business class ticket through Amex Travel, and in some cases it even includes an airport transfer
- 24/7 concierge service for hotels, restaurant reservations, etc.
- A rebate on “Pay With Points” bookings, which is potentially a way to redeem Amex points for more value — the personal version offers a 20% bonus, while the business version offers a 50% bonus
- Added benefits with Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®, including increased credits, upgrades confirmed at booking at select properties, and more
The information and associated card details on this page for the Centurion Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Is the Amex Centurion Card worth it?
Purely in terms of benefits, I think the Amex Centurion Card could be worth it, as the benefits really add up. Admittedly that doesn’t account for the initiation fee, which changes the economics the first year, and I imagine people will amortize that differently.
On an ongoing basis you’re paying $5,000 per year, and here’s how I generally view the value of these benefits:
- If you’d otherwise pay for an Equinox membership, that recoups roughly two-thirds of the annual fee right there
- The $1,000 Saks credit can potentially be worth close to face value
- The hotel status is useful, but you can get that with other cards too — the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express (review) also offers Hilton Diamond status, and the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (review) also offers IHG Platinum status
- The Delta SkyMiles Platinum status is also useful if you fly Delta with any frequency, but personally I wouldn’t value that at more than $1,500 or so
- Then there are the standard lounge access perks, CLEAR credit, etc., which can add up as well
- The two PS visits per year are a treat, and if you’d otherwise pay for those visits, that’s potentially worth a significant amount
- If you fly Lufthansa Group carriers with any frequency, getting access to Lufthansa First Lounges in Frankfurt and Munich is a really useful perk
- Most of the other perks involve improved “soft” treatment, and everyone will value that differently; it’s hard to put a value to the concierge service, reserved seating in Centurion Lounges, etc.
For the right type of consumer, I do think the ongoing $5,000 annual fee can be justified based on the perks.
The information and associated card details on this page for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card and Centurion Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The problem with the Amex Centurion Card
Let’s be honest, most people who want the Amex Centurion Card don’t get it because they want an Equinox membership and most of the other perks. They get it because of the “cool” factor, and because they want to use it for in-person transactions.
And that’s where this card is so brilliant from Amex’s perspective, as it has a pretty uncompetitive rewards structure. The Amex Centurion Card offers a flat 1x points on all purchases, except purchases over $5,000 earn 1.5x points, with some caps.
The opportunity cost of spending money on this card is massive. Based on my valuation of points:
- There’s up to a 1.7% opportunity cost to putting everyday spending on this card
- There’s up to a 6.8% opportunity cost to putting dining spending on this card
You’re truly giving up value with every dollar you spend on the card, and that’s something I can’t wrap my head around. I know some people will say “well people who have the kind of money required to get this card don’t care about points.”
I don’t think that’s accurate. I think some people may value impressing others over getting the best return on their spending, but most people get rich by being smart with their money, and not flushing it down the drain. To me, sub-optimally using credit cards is like flushing money down the drain.
If you get the Amex Centurion Card and spend a lot of money on it, arguably the biggest “cost” of having the card would be the opportunity cost of your spending (which could be thousands of dollars in value), rather than the annual fee as such.
The information and associated card details on this page for the Centurion Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
The Amex Centurion Card is the most famous credit card out there. Its invitation-only status plus high annual fee creates a lot of hype, and that’s understandable.
Forgetting the initiation fee, I do think the $5,000 annual fee can be justified pretty easily for the right type of consumer, especially if you’d otherwise pay for an Equinox membership. What I find much harder to justify is actually putting spending on the card.
Card rewards structures have improved so much over the years, but the Centurion Card is stuck in the past in that regard, offering 1x points on a vast majority of purchases, and up to 1.5x points on large purchases. There’s a huge opportunity cost to putting spending on the card.
Even so, people do spend a lot on the card, and I imagine it’s not because they’re looking to maximize their rewards. That’s probably the single factor that makes this card so lucrative for Amex — it’s not the fees people are paying, but rather, the spending they’re putting on the card.
What’s your take on the Amex Centurion Card? To OMAAT readers who have the card, what do you make of the value proposition? Do you use the card for spending, or just for the perks?
The information and associated card details on this page for the Centurion Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Have the business one, and the status boosts are my main draw. My travel is inconsistent so having Delta status and hotels and Hertz without trying is very nice. The 50% refund on MR points for travel is huge, though the 3 million cap is a bit of a bummer. Haven’t used the arrival/departure service though my partner has and he really enjoys it, as well as the PS access.
Are you looking for a third? Or do you need a dog? I can bark, on command.
I’ve been a holder of the Centurion Card for about five or six years. I’ve never paid a fee (always been credited). Same with my business partner and some of our sales reps.
I would love to hear more about what the airport butler/fast-track services are. For those who travel internationally with any frequency, that’s a huge value-add.
When thinking about the opportunity cost of spend on the card, recall that most people who have this card were previously putting a lot of spend on the Plat—most of which is 1x, also with terribly high opportunity costs.
I have the Plat but don’t spend on it currently...
I would love to hear more about what the airport butler/fast-track services are. For those who travel internationally with any frequency, that’s a huge value-add.
When thinking about the opportunity cost of spend on the card, recall that most people who have this card were previously putting a lot of spend on the Plat—most of which is 1x, also with terribly high opportunity costs.
I have the Plat but don’t spend on it currently other than flights/FHR/using credits. If Chase gets rid of the 3x travel multiplier as rumored for the CSR, I will strongly consider shifting more of my spend to the Amex ecosystem (with Gold/Green).
I think the bar is lower than you mentioned or people think but people who get the card don't really care about the benefits that much, especially points earnings. I have some friends who are super rich and have seen them giving away points like a candy to their poorer friends, who in return redeem them for awfully bad flight awards For the rich, they don't really nichel and dime like most of us, especially...
I think the bar is lower than you mentioned or people think but people who get the card don't really care about the benefits that much, especially points earnings. I have some friends who are super rich and have seen them giving away points like a candy to their poorer friends, who in return redeem them for awfully bad flight awards For the rich, they don't really nichel and dime like most of us, especially the point collectors. But I also have seen some people who got rich and have this sort of hobby or habit that never changed. I think they will die with a lot of points and money in their savings account. Then I have seen people use this card simply for the prestige or showing off. Sometimes these prestigious items create new opportunities such as lovers, friends, and even business partners...
I am a Centurion card holder but my card is issued in Brazil, by Bradesco. Our annual fee is roughly 4.5k but with good bank relationship, they will make it for 3.2k usd minimum. But we get 5 points per dollar in any purchase and 7 points per dollar on selected categories. Transfer partners are 1:1 including United, Copa, AF, aLL etc.. it is by far the best credit card issued in Brazil now. Althought...
I am a Centurion card holder but my card is issued in Brazil, by Bradesco. Our annual fee is roughly 4.5k but with good bank relationship, they will make it for 3.2k usd minimum. But we get 5 points per dollar in any purchase and 7 points per dollar on selected categories. Transfer partners are 1:1 including United, Copa, AF, aLL etc.. it is by far the best credit card issued in Brazil now. Althought we dont get TSa precheck credit, no hotel status, no equinox credit etc..
And althought I also have US issued amex platinum card, I don't think I could justify another 5k annual fee since I wont use the equinox credit for example.
Are the benefits for the Centurion US business the same?
The benefits are not worth the price and the points value do not make up for it. Typical Amex the benefits are very specific. Not a gym membership but a specific gym, for example. Dividing benefits per quarter or month. I also want to point out that the status at each hotel group seem good but are not equal. IHG Platinum is almost meaningless - equivelant to gold at Marriott. I guess given that Marriott...
The benefits are not worth the price and the points value do not make up for it. Typical Amex the benefits are very specific. Not a gym membership but a specific gym, for example. Dividing benefits per quarter or month. I also want to point out that the status at each hotel group seem good but are not equal. IHG Platinum is almost meaningless - equivelant to gold at Marriott. I guess given that Marriott has a credit card with Amex giving Platinum status, it is not on the list.
@iamhere It is not worth it. It is another coupon clipping card. Even with those offerings, you can get them without having this card. It really is just a prestige factor.
Well, AMEX issues Hilton branded credit cards that automatically offer Diamond status and they also issue Delta branded credit cards that do not offer any immediate status. It could just be that Marriott agreed to gold status way back when and it has...
@iamhere It is not worth it. It is another coupon clipping card. Even with those offerings, you can get them without having this card. It really is just a prestige factor.
Well, AMEX issues Hilton branded credit cards that automatically offer Diamond status and they also issue Delta branded credit cards that do not offer any immediate status. It could just be that Marriott agreed to gold status way back when and it has never been updated as that is how Marriott wants it. Spending on this card will not benefit Marriott but spending on AMEX Marriott cards will.
A number of years ago, I was making around $2.5 million a year personally and also putting in about $1 million spend, split between my two Amex’s.
Every year, I wanted to see if I would be invited to the Centurion program as I thought I qualified, but it turns out, the TYPE of spend you put on it matters too.
For example, I was putting some business expenses on one of the cards, such...
A number of years ago, I was making around $2.5 million a year personally and also putting in about $1 million spend, split between my two Amex’s.
Every year, I wanted to see if I would be invited to the Centurion program as I thought I qualified, but it turns out, the TYPE of spend you put on it matters too.
For example, I was putting some business expenses on one of the cards, such as $400k for FedEx, etc…so that didn’t seem to count.
I was told by a friend (who didn’t have a black, but was more attuned to these things than I) that spend at places like hotels, restaurants, and luxury boutiques needs to be more than $1 million and not business spend. Thought I would share that.
Definitely worth it if traveling often
The free arrivals and departure services on first and business class tickets are amazing and speed the process, fast tracking security in nearly every country, even USA
And don’t forget Hertz Platinum, free upgrade to the best available option, and they pick you up and bring you back to the terminal limo style, no riding the trams and shuttles
I’ve had this for the last 10...
Definitely worth it if traveling often
The free arrivals and departure services on first and business class tickets are amazing and speed the process, fast tracking security in nearly every country, even USA
And don’t forget Hertz Platinum, free upgrade to the best available option, and they pick you up and bring you back to the terminal limo style, no riding the trams and shuttles
I’ve had this for the last 10 years, when traveling it has saved me countless hours and dollars
Status symbol to impress strangers and people you will never see again or care about. Humans are so strange and insecure.
I'm fascinated by Centurion in other countries where cost and benefits (unpublished) vary vastly. I know someone in a certain ME country with Centurion where there was NO initiation fee and annual fee is only $2000 and allows 2 additional AU's (so splitting the fee it's not much more than the Amex Plat) with full access to centurion and LH 1st lounges and free medical travel insurance worldwide.
I received my invitation in 2001 (when there was no initiation fee and annual fee was $1k, I think). Things have changed substantially over the years but for now at least I still have my card for a few reasons: Delta status, Equinox membership (although I don’t use as much as I should), overall service, and lounge benefits. (and for those of you who hate the SFA benefit, I’ve actually acquired some pretty nice gear...
I received my invitation in 2001 (when there was no initiation fee and annual fee was $1k, I think). Things have changed substantially over the years but for now at least I still have my card for a few reasons: Delta status, Equinox membership (although I don’t use as much as I should), overall service, and lounge benefits. (and for those of you who hate the SFA benefit, I’ve actually acquired some pretty nice gear over the years, gratis) It is helpful to have DL status on the occasions I have to use them. Overall concierge service is pretty good- they can be quite helpful with things that would otherwise consume a fair amount of time (that I don’t want to spend). And while this sounds a little crazy, the reserved seating in the centurion lounges is a big benefit for me when I travel. Maybe I’m the odd bird who finds himself at CL airports a lot but cutting the ridiculously long lines and not having to hunt for an open seat is a very nice situation to have when you’re on the road. Is this a hard value proposition? Not for me- lots of other propositions that are genuinely worthy of careful consideration. Just my 2 pesos (and my discretion to spend as I see fit).
If your income is a million dollars a year and you spend a quarter million on the card, I think 5K yearly cost and even the 10K initiation fee is just the cost of life. It is like having a 7K a year fee for concierge medicine. Nobody has proven that it makes you healthier or will live longer except it is incredibly convenient. If I would be invited I would accept it. Not to...
If your income is a million dollars a year and you spend a quarter million on the card, I think 5K yearly cost and even the 10K initiation fee is just the cost of life. It is like having a 7K a year fee for concierge medicine. Nobody has proven that it makes you healthier or will live longer except it is incredibly convenient. If I would be invited I would accept it. Not to show off a black card to anybody. I appreciate the great service this card brings. My 2 cents.
We have a household income of 1+ million in Seattle which is a VHCOL area. And I can tell you that getting this card is not worth it. You aren’t considered financially free with this income with kids. You need to have 10 million + income to maybe get this card for giggles.
We pay over $4000 in total for various credit cards and would never pay this much for a single card with very bad perks.
The benefits are a lot better than I thought. But the loss of points earning would be a big drawback for me. Then again I guess if you can truly afford this maybe you don't need the points!
for most ppl the fees are business expense so doesnt really cost that much
One overlooked perk is getting a 50% points rebate on flights on Amex travel. Up until this year, it was unlimited but they now capped it at 3 million points. So that puts a redemption value at 2cpp. I assume people who have the card have a lot of Amex spend and could be outearning their spending.
Yeah, I could see that. An entrepreneur who earns millions of Amex points annually could basically redeem 50K MR per $1000 in airfare on the business platinum up to that cap and it will be competitive with or objectively better than most other points redemptions (assuming you can't find or don't want to bother searching for partner J/F awards on routes you are likely to fly). Plus you earn status points towards top-tier (global/systemwide upgrades)...
Yeah, I could see that. An entrepreneur who earns millions of Amex points annually could basically redeem 50K MR per $1000 in airfare on the business platinum up to that cap and it will be competitive with or objectively better than most other points redemptions (assuming you can't find or don't want to bother searching for partner J/F awards on routes you are likely to fly). Plus you earn status points towards top-tier (global/systemwide upgrades) since they will be "paid" tickets.
to me this is the best perk and why i keep it. it negates the initiation fee and yearly fees. it allows MR to be used with any airline available on amex travel, but one needs to be savvy on when it is a good deal or not.
These days you can pay a few dollars to have the chip from one of your other cards transferred to a look-a-like black card or any design you want, and most people probably wouldn't notice any difference, if you're just looking to impress.
@Ben: You value the platinum card so highly but not the black card even though they both earn just 1 pt per dollar? I have the platinum card but hardly use...
These days you can pay a few dollars to have the chip from one of your other cards transferred to a look-a-like black card or any design you want, and most people probably wouldn't notice any difference, if you're just looking to impress.
@Ben: You value the platinum card so highly but not the black card even though they both earn just 1 pt per dollar? I have the platinum card but hardly use it due to its low earnings and only 0.6c redemption value. CSR is so much better with 3 pts for travel, the $300 travel credit, and 1.25x redemptions. Other no annual fee cards get 5% cash back on gas, groceries, etc., so why would anyone put money on the platinum card.
Amex Platinum does give 5X MR on airfare or prepaid FHR bookings so those could be useful for certain use cases.
The Equinox destination access membership has a few major locations in major cities (ie NYC, LA) that are not included. In addition, if you have one equinox gym you go to you don't need that membership as a membership to your home gym will cost well below $300. Seriously if someone is travelling soo much they need a gym membership all over the place like this then wouldn't they already have airline status? The hotel...
The Equinox destination access membership has a few major locations in major cities (ie NYC, LA) that are not included. In addition, if you have one equinox gym you go to you don't need that membership as a membership to your home gym will cost well below $300. Seriously if someone is travelling soo much they need a gym membership all over the place like this then wouldn't they already have airline status? The hotel status can be gotten with other cards for way less cost. The Saks credits are a joke given the pricing of their inventory. If they think they are impressing people with their black card don't they realize they come across as a total sucker to people in the know? Add in the opportunity loss on spending and I'm hard pressed to think this card is worthwhile to anyone.
This is not correct. The centurion membership includes access to all Equinox gyms except the E clubs. It includes Hudson Yards in NY for example.
I've been invited to upgrade my Amex Platinum to Centurion in Spain for several years in a row, despite spending only about 50k€ per year. I've always declined due to the high costs and fewer benefits compared to the US (it's not published anywhere, but I'm sure we don't have PS or Equinox memberships). I asked about hotels, and the status you get were the same as Platinum, with the exception of Meliá, where you...
I've been invited to upgrade my Amex Platinum to Centurion in Spain for several years in a row, despite spending only about 50k€ per year. I've always declined due to the high costs and fewer benefits compared to the US (it's not published anywhere, but I'm sure we don't have PS or Equinox memberships). I asked about hotels, and the status you get were the same as Platinum, with the exception of Meliá, where you get Platinum instead of Gold.
In Spain, the initiation fee is 4k€, followed by 3.5k€ annual fee, in case anyone's interested.
Thanks im from Austria and its almost the same
Equinox Destination is way more than $300 a month. That's the cost for the standard membership. I vaguely recall it being $600-700/mo
I was close to someone who had it, they made good use of the concierge. They also did pay the full fee for themselves and an AU. I was a Platinum AU on the account but my card would show up as a Centurion in my mobile wallet
At some point around 5 years ago they changed the design from a polished metallic black to a more minimal plastic-y texture that IMO looked way cheaper and ended up peeling apart after a year of use. I wonder if they revised that yet.
Isn’t the amex FHR credit significantly expanded as well?
I also think the article misses some of the concierge value prop with the card. One of my close friends who got lucky in crypto has one and his wife raves about their service
Was lucky enough to have had it in my early 30s and accepted just to see what it was about.
Attention it did attract, but I'd say it attracts the wrong type of attention in most places, especially in Asia where I was at the time.
Now in my late 30s, retired and haven't had it for years, don't miss it one bit. For bragging rights it may be worth it, but otherwise, not much use, especially when you pay with your phone etc most of the time.
I do have this card. I pay no fees. They are marketing concepts intended to drive allure. I do not know anyone who has the card who pays fees.
Apes …. “Hook, line and sinker” …. only a real numpty would fall into such an obvious trap and Oh boy, you are up to your neck is it Sonny Jim.
How remiss of me …. I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I know of a little man in Sitra, Bahrain. He will sell you a Centurion Card for a few BHD. Is this how Apes obtained his? They do come with no annual fees!
In many quarters, this subject card is known simply as the “Vanity Card”.
Afterthought …. One wonders if Apes has one …. he is certainly the sort to covet the thing …. :-)
Apes spoke, he does, he even owns Amex the company I think.
He’s gonna use it to buy controlling interest in Apple, then redeem his MR points for a Gulfstream G700.
The internet is full of stories of troubles with Saks credits. I refuse to value it even at 50% of the face value.
DL status nice. Hilton diamond status likely not bad either, likewise visiting LH F lounges. But at least for me, not worth $5000.
The best is that Saks is soo overpriced you can't get anything even a small item with the credit. I bought a bunch of gift cards and one year went into make a purchase. Saks refused to let me use more than one gift card and would not consolidate the gift cards. Instead they gave me some number I needed to call.
The Centurion in NY is a great restaurant/bar also if living or visiting the city
This. They are trying to turn this into a social club. There are much more prestigious social clubs in Manhattan, but the location at One Vanderbilt will be appealing to a certain type of businessperson.
Nah … anything that’s even remotely valuable is the delta status. Rest is garbage and can be obtained much cheaply. If a person flies a lot then they’d have status already. And how many times you will need to visit LF first lounges or Amex lounges to make up for $5000 dollars? lol .
For status symbol yeah, it’s cool. But it’s hardly worth it….
Pretty pointless hype/ego booster in the age of ApplePay...