Interesting post on FT regarding Centurion

[RichardMannion]

Source: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=727899

Just heard more information about the revised benefits package (some benefits new and some already existing) that are being pushed to International Dollar/Euro Centurion card holders along with their new Titanium card:

--up to 20 supplementary cards (1 in centurion, remainder in Plat/Gold Green)
--Centurion Fast Track service through passport/customs and complimentary limo service at key international airports (non-U.S.) for biz/first class air travel booked through Centurion
--one annual 100,000 membership rewards bonus for $/EUR 100,000 in charges on the account
--enhanced travel insurance and car rental benefits
--Virgin Atlantic Flying Card Gold status
--Hilton Gold/Starwood Gold/Kempinski Private Concierge/Sirius Jumeirah/Sofitel Gold/Radisson SAS Gold
--FHR plus negotiated rates at Raffles, Ritz Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, Small Luxury Hotels, Orient Express Hotels, Peninsula and Centurion Country House Collection
--Hertz #1 Gold and Avis Presidents Circle
--2 priority passes
--$/EUR 2,800 annual fee

Now that is an interesting set of benefits. The 100k bonus and FC Gold is very interesting; I know one person who would like the increase in # of supps. I'd pay £1400 for that lot.

Thanks,
Richard

[Pete]

Is this a replacement to the £650 current Centurion, or a new tier of Titanium Centurion...

£1400 ain't worth in, IMHO.

[RichardMannion]

Centurion Refresh.

Another £750 is a lot (over 100% rise) but the points make up for it in some ways.

I assume you have got to be earning a lot to get the card? Anyone know the salary level required?

[RichardMannion]

Originally posted by GreboDB
I assume you have got to be earning a lot to get the card? Anyone know the salary level required?

They are not doing invites at this point. It's never really been declared for the UK cards what the invite criteria are. Often presumed to be:

Cardmember for a year + with perfect payment record
Significant demonstrated monthly spend, was rumoured to be around £5k or above

I remember at one point, part of the application was a request to your bank for a credit worthiness check for £50k.

Very different in the US, where its a set 'spend $250k in a yea' and you can have one.

Thanks,
Richard

[fozzyo]

Ok so all Centurion card holders will get VS Gold Card? I'd prefer to just see a reinstatement of the Centurion Card benefits when flying VS so those that do actually fly regularly get the recognised loyal customer service.

Really devalues Gold status on FC ... can you ever see BA doing the same?

[Decker]

Well US Centurion already get VS Au....

[Pete]

Well, given you have to spend somewhere between £50,000 - £75,000 (depending on which currency they're going to peg it to) to earn those extra 100,000 reward points. If I spent a similar amount on my Virgin AMX card, I'd get a minimum of 100K points (probably more with the various promos and double bubble on VS flights), so the only interesting part of the deal is VS Gold, and I already have that . I gave up Centurion because I didn't think I was getting £650 worth of value out of it any more. At £1400, this package isn't tempting me back. YMMV.

[mcmbenjamin]

Well my Plat proudly bears the sticker 'ChavPlat'. Happy to provide anyone a ChavPlat or ChavCent sticker; for a 10 quid donation to the HRC

[Scrooge]

The big question is...will LSoM let LRoM keep his identity card now that it is 1400 quid, with the pending nuptials every penny counts.

Well ok now it is 1400 quid it does seem a little silly, my play card is going away in Feb because I cannot justify the amount it costs for the benefits.

[Decker]

UK cards aren't International Dollar/Euro

[RichardMannion]

Dave - If it is £1400, I will keep it.

Pete - understand your logic. I think my earning ratio is slightly different than most though, and I would have also already earned at least 150k for £75k of spend, and then be given a 100k bonus.

[Pete]

Originally posted by RichardMannion
Pete - understand your logic. I think my earning ratio is slightly different than most though, and I would have also already earned at least 150k for £75k of spend, and then be given a 100k bonus.

Are you seriously going to spend £75K through the card in the next year? That's a minimum of £6.25K every month on the plastic; and the benefit is an additional 100K miles, which using my fuzzy logic of being roughly equivalent to an Upper Class Z fare, that would be worth about £1500 to me.

Seriously, if I had the cash aside from mortgage payments, taxes and everything else that can't go through the card, I would probably be in a position that £1500's worth of reward flight just wasn't that much of an incentive.

For the benefits package on offer, £1400 is a stupid amount of money, as the real delta here is the 100K bonus miles. The VS Gold Membership is only a minor improvement on the original Clubhouse access benefit, given you could get that for you and your supplementary card holder.

[Bazz]

I will have to reconsider my continued Centurion membership if it increases to c. £1400. I am already well miffed with them; dropping the CH access, Starwood Plat eroding the MO benefit amongst other things.

If some of my major suppliers accepted the darn thing that would be different but none do [n] so I have to rely on personal expenditure and I ain't gonna spend £75K that's for sure. The other benefits apart from FC Au don't do much for me so we will wait and see, I'm due for renewal in December.

Richard,

Didn't someone in a shop in Vegas once ask "who" you were after presenting the black card?

Even at £1400 that makes it a bargain eh? [:w]

John

[RichardMannion]

Originally posted by Pete

Originally posted by RichardMannion
Pete - understand your logic. I think my earning ratio is slightly different than most though, and I would have also already earned at least 150k for £75k of spend, and then be given a 100k bonus.

Are you seriously going to spend £75K through the card in the next year? That's a minimum of £6.25K every month on the plastic; and the benefit is an additional 100K miles, which using my fuzzy logic of being roughly equivalent to an Upper Class Z fare, that would be worth about £1500 to me.

Seriously, if I had the cash aside from mortgage payments, taxes and everything else that can't go through the card, I would probably be in a position that £1500's worth of reward flight just wasn't that much of an incentive.

For the benefits package on offer, £1400 is a stupid amount of money, as the real delta here is the 100K bonus miles. The VS Gold Membership is only a minor improvement on the original Clubhouse access benefit, given you could get that for you and your supplementary card holder.

Delta is £750 over the current £650 fee which I am happy to pay given the benefits given. Now shovelling through £75k shouldn't be an issue if I start ramming through more business purchases. So given my earning ratio, with a £75k spend and the 100k bonus points - I won't need to spend money on revenue flights as I'll be getting enough MR points to do reward flights and coupled with the fact that I no longer need to requalify for FC Gold I'll be able to offset the annual fee with the money saved by no longer having to buy revenue flights. Make sense?

I'm in the wrong job if you can get through £75k in business expenses in a year..... especially with the current companies/retailers who accept AMEX!!!

All I can say is - fair play Richard....!

[RichardMannion]

Originally posted by NS
especially with the current companies/retailers who accept AMEX!!!

I hear that a lot and it is strange. I know in the past there was an issue but I don't actually see much of an issue nowadays. I have to put maybe 1 or 2 transactions a month through my backup BMI Visa.

Eating out on Saturday night the restaurant didn't take AMEX. Odd since they are appealing to the types of customer who may use AMEX.

Anyway, back on topic - the bonus rewards starts to justify the annual fee. If you use it enough (for whatever reason) I see this as reasonable value - what other cards are out there which would benefit an individual more?