The Craziest Credit Card

Every week for the past few months, I have heard someone talk about the Chase Sapphire Reserve. “OMG the points”, “OMG the metal”, “OMG the airline clubs”. Blah blah blah. Yeah, it’s a good card. But, in reality, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is just the beginning of the credit card game. The true ballers….. well, they go for something a little more exclusive.

The American Express Centurion Card

How you get it

American Express is very tight lipped about what it takes to get this card. You can’t even apply for it — they have to invite you, and no one knows exactly what the criteria is. Rumor has it that to even be considered for an invite, you need to have been an American Express Platinum card holder for at least one year and have charged at least ~$400,000 to your card each year.

If you’re invited to apply, you will have to pay a nice initial fee of $7,500, and an annual fee of $2,500.

What it gets you

First of all, the card is made out of pure titanium. Beyond that, here is a list of the perks that come with this card:

1. Airline Status: You get both Delta Platinum status and United Airways Platinum status.
2. Hotel Status: You get Starwood Preferred Gold status, Hilton HHonors Diamond status, and IHG Priority Club Rewards Platinum Elite status.
3. You become a part of the “Centurion Hotel Program” in addition to the above hotel status. This grants you noon check-in, upgrades, daily free breakfast for 2, free wifi, guaranteed 4 pm checkout, and $100–300 worth of free amenities/credits any time you stay at any of the following hotel chains: Aman, Belmond, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula Hotels or St. Regis.
4. Concierge: You get a 24/7 concierge to help you with anything from travel to luxury gift shopping
5. Centurion International Arrival Service: If you travel business or first on international flights, a personal guide will take you through customs and immigration. These guides will also arrange ground transport and baggage for you.
6. Free Go-Go and Boingo Wifi everywhere — any plane, any hotel, any airport that has one of these wifis, you get it free.
7. Lounges: you get access to basically every luxury airport lounge there is
8. Miscellaneous travel bonuses: credits towards fees, baggage insurance, credit for TSA-Pre or Global Entry, free companion tickets, a shit load of extra miles, etc.
9. Cruise Credits: Between $100–500 in credits per stateroom for any cruise you book. You also get extra points for cruises.
10. Car Rentals: You not only get Hertz platinum status and Avis President’s Club status, but you get free car insurance coverage for any rented car.
11. Centurion Auto Program: Get invited to exclusive events and get exclusive access to premium car purchasing events, and luxury driving experiences. Basically, get invites to test drive Lambhorghinis, Ferraris, and other racing cars on and off-road around the world.
12. AMEX Forum: Get access to the exclusive AMEX online community forum for business owners and entrepreneurs.
13. Lifestyle: Get invited to random events like the Kentucky Derby, Coachella, the Grand Prix of Monaco, and many more.
14. Centurion Dining and Wine Program: 1,000 of the world’s top restaurants hold specific reservations just for Centurion members. You will also get invited to exclusive wine tastings at some of the world’s premier vineyards. You also get access to monthly, exclusive wine offers just for Centurion members. In addition to this, each year, you get 1 free 1 hour wine consultation with a wine collecting specialist, complimentary annual appraisal of up to 100 wines, discounted rates for wine storage and wine collection consultations, and free tours of vineyards in Tuscany and Napa.
15. Centurion Shopping Program: Specific discounts just for Centurion members on a number of the world’s most exclusive and elite fashion brands, as well as a personal shopper for you at Mr. Porter website and retailer, as well as early access to sales. You also get purchase and refund protection for virtually anything you buy.
16. The List: Amex has a curated list of the world’s best events, locations, venues, and attractions in all of the world’s biggest cities. This list is just for Centurion card members, and is updated regularly.