Centurion Card

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“Black card” redirects here. For other uses, see Black card (disambiguation).

The Centurion Card, popularly known as the Black Card, is American Express's most exclusive charge card. It provides access to a range of exclusive privileges. As of 2006 the annual fee in the United States was $2,500, and it is estimated that there are fewer than 10,000 cards issued worldwide primarily to business moguls and celebrities.

1 History
2 Availability & Cost
3 Features
4 In popular culture
5 Imitators
6 External links
7 References

[edit] History

Urban legends of a special, black-colored card offering dignitaries and celebrities unlimited spending power and after-hours access to high-end stores circulated in the 1980s.^[1] While the rumors were false, American Express decided to capitalize on them by launching the Centurion Card in October 1999 and made available to selected holders of The Platinum Card®, with an annual fee originally at $1,000.

[edit] Availability & Cost

The card is available only by invitation and, as of January 1, 2006, in the United States, it requires minimum spending of $250,000 within 10 consecutive months on another American Express card and exceptional credit history among other requirements. Certain requirements have been known to be waived for major celebrities and business figures.^{[citation needed]} Requirements for invitation in other countries may differ.

Starting May 1st, 2007, there will be a US$5,000 one-time initiation fee for new card holders. After this initial charge the annual fee will be US$2,500. Existing cardholders will not pay this fee. (Charter cardholders, who had remained at the $1,000/year fee level even after the January 1, 2006 fee/spending requirement increase, will now have to pay the same $2,500/year upon their next renewal date on or after May 1st 2007.)

Hong Kong Centurion Invitation Kit

The Centurion Card is the most expensive card in the world. These are the annual fees in the countries where it is available:^[2]

Centurion Card Annual Fees
Country	Annual Fee	Equivalent to
United States	US$2,500	US$2,500
United Kingdom	£650	US$1,275
France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, and Sweden	€2,000	US$2,634
Germany	€1,000	US$1,317
Switzerland	2,000 CHF	US$1,639
Australia	AU$4,300	US$3,408
Japan	¥168,000	US$1,412
Hong Kong	HK$19,800 + one-time joining fee of HK$23,800	US$2,547 US$3,061
Singapore	SG$5,000	US$3,260
Mexico	About 27,000 pesos	US$2,500
Israel	US$2,000	US$2,000

[edit] Features

The card offers numerous exclusive privileges, including complimentary companion airline tickets on trans-Atlantic flights (although they do require a full fare ticket to be purchased), personal shoppers at retailers such as Escada, Gucci and Saks Fifth Avenue, access to airport clubs, first class flight upgrades, membership in Sony's Cierge personal shopping program, and dozens of other elite club memberships. Centurion membership also includes personal services including a personal concierge and travel agent. The program offers many hotel benefits, including a free one-night's stay in every Mandarin Oriental hotel worldwide once a year (except for the New York City one, it discontinued that program in 2006).^{[citation needed]}

The benefits mentioned above are for United States-issued cards. American Express Centurion cards issued in other countries may include different benefits. The card is available both as a personal and a business card. A new Centurion card crafted from anodized titanium ^[3] was issued as a replacement for all U.S. Centurion plastic cards in the first half of 2006. Centurion members in other countries have previously received this titanium card.

American Express has removed certain benefits from the card in the years since it was introduced. For example, Hyatt Diamond Elite status was included up until January 2005, and Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum status was included up until January 2006.^{[citation needed]}. UK members had access to Virgin Upper Class lounges, but this privilege has been removed.

American Express sent an email to a reported 250,000 customers on September 20, 2006 describing certain benefits of the Centurion card. The email was supposed to go only to the around 10,000 black card holders.^{[citation needed]} Phone calls to their customer service line revealed 1) the email was sent to the 'wrong list' in error 2) qualifications for the Centurion card were one year of cardmembership with a $250,000 annual cash flow through the card account.^{[citation needed]} Benefits described include: A personal concierge - one person assigned to your account, with a direct phone number and email address; elite frequent flier status on Delta, Continental, Virgin Atlantic, and US Airways (Amex does not partner with US Airways any more as of Jan. 1st 2006). One free night stay for at least one paid night once per year at every Mandarin Oriental Hotel (except for the New York City one).^{[citation needed]}

American Express Centurion customers have been known to purchase Bentley automobiles with just a swipe of the card. Centurion holders have also made purchases well in excess of $1 million USD without even a credit check. While the popular myth is that the card has no limit, and the largest purchase suppposedly ever made on it exceeded $30 million for a private jet, the Centurion Card does, in fact, have limits- they are just not pre-set at a certain level. Like any other American Express card, the limits are based on the spending history of cardholder, as well as their personal credit profile and financial resources. A cardholder spending $250,000 in the previous year could not just purchase a jet with a swipe of their card unless they had the resources to make good on the transaction.^{[citation needed]} Each year detailed financial records are reviewed by credit department in order to determine the spending limit for the next year. The limit could be increased after providing new financial data.

Since 2004, American Express Centurion members have received an exclusive "no name" magazine which was not avalible by any other means. Starting with the Spring 2007 edition, this magazine has been officially entitled "Black Ink" and the reason given by Ed Ventimiglia the Publisher was, "now the magazine will be easier to identify when discussing it with like-minded readers."

[edit] In popular culture

[edit] Film

In the 2006 film Casino Royale, James Bond walks into The Ocean Club (an exclusive Bahamian resort), goes to the concierge, requests a room without a reservation, and simply hands the concierge a black credit card. This is likely a reference to the Amex Centurion. In later times his office arranged such things prior to his arrival. Bond only handled money as a courier for other people or when collecting his gains in various casinos.

[edit] Literature

In Lauren Weisberger's 2005 novel Everyone Worth Knowing, a coworker of the main character, Bette, pays for dinner with a black card: "There it was, the mythical American Express black card. Available by invitation only to those who charged a minimum of $150,000 per year. I had only just learned about it myself".^[4]

In Robert Crais's new novel The Watchman, the daughter of a rich businessman is described as having a black Amex card.

[edit] Music

Several hip-hop artists have referenced use and possession of the black card in their lyrics:

Kanye West's lyric, "She was like, 'Oh my God, is that a black card?' / I turned around and replied 'Why yes, but I prefer the term "African American Express"'"
Bow Wow's reference in the track "I Think They Like Me (Remix)" with the line "I ain't got to act hard / I'm under 21 with a black card"
Jay-Z's lyric in the song "30 Something", "Now I got black cards / Good credit and such / Baby boy / Now I'm all grown up"
Nelly Furtado's Promiscuous Girl remix featuring Rick Ross, "I smoke purple, my car white / credit card black, girl I'm alright."
Paris Hilton's Fightin' Over Me featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss, "if you want to go abroad / you gonna' need a Black Card / and welcome to Paris."
Fat Joe's first line in the song "Get it Popping" Featuring Nelly, "I got that black no limit American Express card / Mami you can get whatever you like"
Cam'Ron's Cha Ching featuring Hell Rell, "Excuse me, do you take an Afro American Card? What's that? A Black Card homey."
On the 2005 mixtape We Got It 4 Cheap, the Clipse and the Re-Up Gang announce their presence on the hip-hop scene as the dawning of the "Black Card Era".
In an exclusive Amex interview Janet Jackson was asked how much she spent on her shirt and replied "I don't even know, isn't that bad? When you sign it and walk away... that Black is dangerous! (laughs)"
Noel Gallagher took out his black american express card during the filming of the 2007 BRIT Awards backstage show.
Lil Jon's lyric, "Imma Ball Till I Fall. Drank Till I Cant. Put It On My Black Card I Got Money In Da Bank" in the song "Act a Fool" featuring Three 6 Mafia.
Lil bow wow's lyric in the song "i bet that" "dey be like dat man did it

still black card livin"

[edit] Television

The Centurion Card appeared in an episode of the CBS series Jericho titled "Federal Response". In it Robert Hawkins turned the card upside-down and used the inverted account number to access an encrypted website.
On the October 20, 2006 edition of WWE Friday Night Smackdown!, after watching WWE diva Layla perform an erotic dance in the ring during a "Diva dance-off," color commentator John Bradshaw Layfield quipped: "The last time I saw that, I had to pull out my black Amex."
On the Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip episode "Nevada Day", NBS Chairman Jack Rudolph flashes his Black American Express card to the sheriff's deputy, claiming that he can use it to post a million dollars bail.
On an episode of Entourage (Neighbors), Johnny Drama asks E if he can have Vince's black card for his calf implant surgery. Also, in another episode where the crew finds out about the performance of Aquaman, Vince buys 4 Ducati motorcycles and pulls out his Black Amex to pay for it.
On episode 10 of "this WEEK in TECH" part of the conversation revolves around the black American Express card and its abilities.
In the Gilmore Girls episode "Wedding Bell Blues", Rory, asks Logan Huntzberger, a wealthy school-mate, why he has shown up to her Grandparents' party. When his response is the open bar, she replies: "Quite a draw for a guy with an American Express Black Card."
In The Real Housewives of Orange County, Slade the fiancé of one of the housewives, Jo, goes on a shopping trip for some furniture. He mentions that "since I am a holder of a Black American Express Card I was able to close down the store".
When Logan Echolls was arrested for murder on Veronica Mars, he told them to "just put the bail on his Black AMEX."
In the television show Seven Days, the chrononaut for a given mission is issued a "Titanium credit card" to purchase things needed to complete the mission.
On the February 9, 2007 episode of Celebrity Deathmatch, Kristin Cavallari kills Mischa Barton with her father's Black Amex.
In Season 2 Episode 1 of the OC, Caleb asks Julie if she is charging stable fees to the company card. She replies that she put it on the black card.
During a Japanese drama of Hana Yori Dango 2 Returns! Episode 04:

Towards the middle of this episode (the 28 minute mark), Tsukasa Domyouji (actor: Matsumoto Jun ) takes a taxi cab and hands the taxi driver a black credit card. But before that, the taxi driver says something a long the lines of, "...if they would've taken a little longer, the fare meter would've gone up." He was thinking that Domyouji was just some poor bastard being dropped off at the slums (who wouldn't have been able to afford to pay for the taxi fare). But the taxi driver is somewhat shocked when he's handed the exclusive black credit card.

[edit] Imitators

The Centurion card was the first "Black Card", but others are attempting to enter this lucrative high-end market.

In the UK NatWest bank launched a "Black Card" in 2002, and MasterCard's Signia, which is issued in the United Kingdom by Coutts & Co bank among others (Morgan Stanley offer the i24card and there is also the Carbon card from Halifax), is designed to provide similar benefits to its wealthy clientele.

In September 2004 American Express launched the IN:NYC card which is black in color and reads "IN:NYC" across the front. Although not the same as the "Black Card" it can easily be mistaken at first glance. Additionally, in September 2005, American Express released similar cards for Chicago as "IN:CHICAGO" and for Los Angeles as "IN:LA."