quote:Originally posted by Seat 1A
Oh the absolute irony of that comment is amazing!
Richard, I came across this by chance, I have been browsing on Flyertalk for some time and have seen you posting a lot in the Amex forum and it seems that indeed you so seem to think the Centurion gives you a better image.....'brownie points from the girls in the office'...'Executive Banking Suite' all this and the story about your sibling 'putting them in their place' merely reinforces it [n]
Maybe you need to see beyond the image of Amex and see it as a card with benefits rather than some tool to show off with [:(!]
Hi Mike,
I think you have missed the context of my post. Yes i have been around on FlyerTalk for a long time, nearly 5 years now (which is quite a substantial part of my life), you may have noticed that I don't actually post too often there in any of the forums.
Brownie points with the girls in the office - absolutely, the satisfaction in putting a huge smile on one of my colleagues face by being able to call up and get Centurion to get them some tickets for a sold out event is priceless. Does it make me arrogant? No. I don't walk round with the thing round my neck, there are several people in my office with UK Centurion Cards, are we elite? No. I use my Centurion Card as a useful tool to help people (oh and and a way to rack up flying club miles).
Executive Banking Suite - I think again you missed the whole context, my statement it means nothing was showing I don't care. I write so few cheques now, and what does it matter. Key thing to remember is that in most instances payment is done at the end of a transaction/interaction so in no way are they expecting a twentysomething that looks like an outcast from a rap video to produce a Centurion Card. I have siad this many times before, I have used my card thousands of times in the last 3.5 years, very few people comment on it (and even then it is in the US), and thats the way I like it. It is just a bit of plastic, the problem is that it has an image due to the hype and mystique created by the uninformed press - twice last week whilst shopping inthe US I was asked if I was a celebrity. Like hello? When was the last time you saw a celeb looking in the sale section and actually carrying their own bags.
There are a number of Centurion Card holders registered here on this very site.
Again you missed the context of my sibling comment, the other customer was the one expecting higher level of service as they had a gold card. He on the otherhand made no qualms about just using it as a payment method - he didn't walk up and smack down his card on top of the other muppets gold card. You only have to look at the other person and the expression they exhibit when they catch glimpse of the card in question.
Does Centurion make me a better person? No. Does it provide some nice benefits that can be made use of by me, my family and my friends? Yes.
Jsut out of question - you don't have to answer, are you a Centurion Cardholder. I won't think anything different of you regardless.
And just to actually point out something to you, it is AmEx themselves that convoy the message of superiority for all of their card range. For a long time before they entered the mainstream market with Blue, one of there key tactics in signing up merchants was that its cardholders earn more and spend more than other card issuers.
To give you some credit, when I was first trying to get a Centurion Card and when I first actually got one, I did exhibit the behaviour that you identified, but back then I was 19 with a Platinum card and 20 with a Centurion Card - tell me what person of that age wouldn't do that! As some of the cheeky forum memebers here will vouch, I'm getting old now and maturer - rubbing peoples noses in it is not the way to win friends and influence people.
Hope this has answered your comments suitably, we're all for healthy debate here in this forum, oh and welcome by the way!
Thanks,
Richard
:D
