Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. Best Personal Loans For Debt Consolidation. However, as of earlier this year, you can now get 30 elite-night credits by holding both a personal and business version — which is enough for gold status and just 20 nights away from Platinum status. Receive priority check-in, complimentary room upgrades, late checkout, guaranteed room availability, complimentary weekday newspaper and a 50% bonus on base points earned during your stay. Minimum spending estimates vary from $250,000 per year up into the millions. Up to four services a year are complimentary. It 100% matters. Ray even takes on particularly cumbersome tasks, like locating my headphones when I lost them 10,000 miles from home. Entry-level cards such as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card give you 15 elite-night credits each year, meaning you only need 10 nights on the road to reach Gold status. On spending, you’ll earn 1x Membership Rewards point per dollar spent (worth 2 cents, according to TPG’s latest valuations), and there are no bonus categories, although you do get 1.5x points on all purchases of more than $5,000, up to one million extra points per year. Other Ways to Get it: Delta SkyMiles Platinum Medallion elites can purchase a discounted CLEAR membership for just $109 (vs. the normal price of $179 for an individual membership), and American Express® Green Card holders get an up to $100 statement credit for a Clear membership every year. Complimentary elevation to elite status levels at several of the world’s most important hospitality brands, including IHG Platinum Elite, Hilton Honors Diamond, Marriott Bonvoy Gold, and Relais & Châteaux 5C. There’s also the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card ($250 annual fee; see rates and fees), which currently offers 45,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in the first 3 months. Centurion ® Card from American Express. With the Amex Centurion Card, you’ll be spending $15,000 just for the privilege of opening your account, so you need to make sure this card is right for you. There are no foreign transaction fees. Other Ways to Get it: A number of cards from American Express as well as Visa Signature cards include baggage coverage. The Centurion Card is for an extremely narrow slice of the market and will provide value to a narrower slice still. Part of the exclusivity of the Centurion Card is that there’s a secret formula behind who gets invited. In each of the cities, you’ll find a list of the top restaurants, hotels, cultural destinations, shopping and more. If you don’t travel enough to meet the requirement of 25 nights, the Platinum card is your best bet to get Gold. This means that you’re looking at a tab of $15,000 — between the initiation fee and first-year annual fee — before you can even start using your card. As you can see, you’ll be better off using Membership Rewards for travel than redeeming for gift cards. Patrice Clarke-Washington, Credit card strategies for mortgage and home loan applicants, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, Room upgrade at time of booking (when available), Special amenity unique to each property, such as a $100 credit to use on-site or a complimentary hotel transfer, Additional Centurion benefit of $100 or $200 in food and beverage or spa credit (on paid stays of two nights or more), Room upgrade upon arrival (when available). First of all, you can’t apply for the card: you need to secure an invitation. American Express Platinum benefits that make it worth it Huge welcome offer. When staying at properties across eight luxury brands — Aman, Belmond, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula Hotels, Rosewood, Waldorf Astoria, Oetker Collection and St. Regis — Centurion cardholders can enjoy the following: In addition to the Centurion Hotel Program, cardholders can leverage Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts to enjoy a number of on-property benefits when paying with an eligible card. CLEAR membership for the cardholder and family: $179 + $50 per family member. WELCOME OFFER: 75,000 Points Terms Apply. 50% airline bonus — Receive 50% of your Membership Rewards back as a statement credit when you redeem points for all or a portion of any flight. Perhaps the best example of the value that a great concierge like Ray can provide came when I was stranded in Bali during the eruption of Mount Agung. Receive complimentary benefits through American Express Travel with an average total value of $550 with Fine Hotels & Resorts® program at over 1,100 properties. Earn 2x total points on up to $1,000 in grocery store purchases per month from November 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021. Other Ways to Get it: Quite a few cards offer extended warranty, including Chase Sapphire Preferred, the United Explorer Card and several Amex cards. Clear expedited airport security program — Is it worth it? Don’t forget the 50% extra you get on your points when you redeem them for travel in the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. The American Express Centurion Card is one of the most prestigious and exclusive cards in the world. It’s potentially much easier to get the card as a business owner, but either way, it requires racking up significant charges. Baggage Insurance — Most travel fares purchased on an eligible card entitle you to up to $2,000 in coverage for checked baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on baggage. © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. The Centurion Card is invitation-only after appropriate net worth with American Express, credit, and spending criteria are met. Editor’s note: This post has been updated to reflect changes to the Centurion card’s fees and benefits. Delta Executive Platinum Status: benefits include upgrades cleared up to five days before departure, waived redeposit and change fees for awards, baggage allowance, and enhanced earnings on miles flown. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only. Check out these popular alternatives: Forbes adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. This “secret” card is made for the wealthy few and so the benefits are in parallel to the lifestyle of the super rich. InCircle — Receive InCircle rewards in addition to Membership Rewards points when you register your Centurion card and make eligible purchases at Bergdorf Goodman, Cusp, Horchow, Last Call and Neiman Marcus. Earn 85,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card plus earn 5x points on eligible purchases in 5 select business categories, up to 80,000 bonus points per category, all within the first 3 months of Card Membership. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. NET-A-PORTER Shopping Services — Access to personal shoppers at luxury clothing site NET-A-PORTER.COM, along with free Express and Premium shipping; same-day delivery in Hong Kong, London and NYC; and access to private end-of-season sales. Alternatively, you can earn Diamond status by spending $40,000 on eligible purchases per calendar year on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. What Exactly Can Be Taken From You In A Lawsuit? Related reading: Battle of the premium travel rewards cards: Which is the best? Equinox All Access Gym Membership: $3,120 per year, provided you live or travel near one of Equinox’s 300 locations and value a gym membership. Amex reportedly extends invitations to apply for the business card only if you’ve spent (and paid off) at least $450,000 (or $500,000 — we’ve heard both) across all your Amex accounts in a calendar year. Additional lounges are in the works for Denver (DEN), New York-JFK and London-Heathrow (LHR). Also earn 10,000 MQMs when you spend $25,000 in a calendar year, and another 10,000 MQMs when you spend 50,000 in a calendar year. The Chase Sapphire Reserve also comes with a Priority Pass membership, but guest privileges are limited to two free guests per visit. For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire card, click here. Other Ways to Get it: The Platinum Card from American Express automatically grants account holders Marriott Gold status. The American Express Centurion card, nicknamed the “Black Card,” is invitation only. For rates and fees of the Delta Reserve, please click here. Purchase Protection — Protection for up to 90 days when you purchase an eligible item with your Centurion Card and it’s stolen, lost or damaged. Frequent travel can wear you down, but Centurion cardholders will have an easier time staying fit and healthy with an Equinox destination access membership. Napa Tours — Three exclusive Napa Experience packages that can be customized, including private tours and tastings with hosts such as Tim Mondavi. The eligibility requirements for the American Centurion Card are kept on the down-low, and invitations aren’t extended to everyone even if they meet the requirements. Is Jerry Seinfeld the reason that the Amex black card exists? The American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card is currently the best option for high spenders. The Centurion Card from American Express is perhaps the most desirable piece of plastic anodized titanium out there, in no small part because of the shroud of secrecy that surrounds it. Centurion Lounges include high-quality food, craft cocktails and wine, and an overall posh atmosphere that rivals some of the best international airline lounges. Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Receive a $100 InCircle Point Card for every 10,000 InCircle points you earn. Centurion cardholders also get up to $1,000 in credits for Saks purchases — divided into four credits of up to $250 per quarter of the year. Through Centurion’s partnership with Crush Wine & Spirits, Cellar Advisors and Porthos, members also get preferred buying and collecting opportunities. The card is currently offering a welcome bonus of 75,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening — though you may be targeted for a 100,000-point welcome offer through the CardMatch Tool (offer subject to change at any time).