American Express Centurion Black Card Review 2024

• You get 1 Membership Rewards point per dollar on all eligible purchases 
• Automatic, complimentary elite status with some of the world’s leading hotel brands, including IHG Platinum Elite, Hilton Honors Diamond and Marriott Bonvoy Gold
• Automatic access to elite status with Delta Air Lines. The card gives the holder complimentary Delta SkyMiles Platinum Medallion status, which includes priority check-in and boarding, upgrades, priority waitlisting and enhanced mileage earnings
• You also get access to the Global Lounge Collection. That’s access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, including flagship locations through The Centurion® Network, which includes Centurion Lounges and Escape Lounges – The Centurion® Studio Partner (other lounges include the International American Express Lounges and the Delta Sky Club lounges)
• Invitation to exclusive Hertz Platinum status and Avis President’s Club, which are highest elite status levels for both car rental companies
• VIP airport arrival services: at 32 major airports, save time by letting Amex handle your arrival details
• A free Equinox gym membership, valued at about a $250 to $300 initiation fee, plus $175 per month for classes 
• 24/7 concierge service

You may have heard of the American Express Black card, but you probably haven’t heard of its official name, the Centurion Card® from American Express. As the fanciest of the fancy Amex cards, it provides so many perks. Holders of this card get unlimited spending, free companion tickets with a full business or first class international fare on select airlines and lounge access. 

This is also a charge card, meaning it is for people who have the money to pay their purchases off every billing cycle; you cannot carry a balance. Holders have bought art and luxury cars with it, and rumor has it someone even bought a plane with it. It beats carrying millions of dollars in a suitcase or having to call your personal banker to wire the funds. 

The criteria to get one of these are extremely high: think high credit score, high earnings and high spending—really, really high, in fact. Minimum spending estimates are said to vary from $250,000 to $500,000 USD per year. Plus, you must have spent $100,000 to $450,000 USD a year on another American Express card before even being considered for this one. Those are estimates from data points collected online, though, because American Express isn’t telling.

Then there are the fees, and those are steep. Your average credit card doesn’t have an initiation fee but this one, like many black-level credit cards, does, and it can range from $7,000 to $10,000. Plus there is the annual membership fee of $2,500 (all fees in USD).

For those who can afford to carry this card, it’s worth it for the prestige and perks, because the earn rate on Membership Rewards is not great.

• Crafted from titanium
• No spending limits
• Tons of travel perks
• High fees
• Invite-only

If you’re going to get this card, you might as well use it as your primary card, as you probably had to jump through hoops to get it. (We also recommend having a Visa or Mastercard as well for places that don’t accept American Express cards.)

That being said, the rewards earning rate on purchases isn’t great. There are no bonus purchase categories that earn more points, but Membership Rewards are not the best reason to have this card and aren’t worth paying the high annual fee if you are a points collector.

We think it is really for those who want the prestige of having this card and the extra perks and benefits that come along with that.

Earning Rewards

You get one point for every dollar spent. There are other cards that offer the same points per dollar ratio; earnings are not a standout feature of this card, and definitely not the main reason to have it.

Plus, it’s important to keep in mind that American Express cards are not accepted everywhere.

Redeeming Rewards

American Express points are very flexible. They can be used to book travel directly on the American Express Travel site, or transferred to Amex travel partners including Delta Air Lines, Marriott Bonvoy and other major international airlines and hotel chains. 

Plus, Amex periodically offers transfer bonuses, which strengthens the value of your points so you get more for the same amount. 

The Centurion Card® from American Express gives a 50% rebate on airfares purchased with its Membership Rewards points. The math works out to a return rate of two cents per dollar, which is better than any other Amex card. If you have the business version of the card, points earned on transactions over $5,000 are worth an effective 3% back when redeemed with the rebate. The personal card doesn’t have this offer. 

Points can also be redeemed for travel, retail and restaurant gift cards. You can even use them when you shop on Amazon. The rates and values vary based on the retailer but from what we found, they range from 0.5 to one cent per Membership Reward point. Looking at the points value, we think it’s better to use points for travel.

Rewards Potential

As we mentioned, there’s no spending limit on this card, and you get one point for every dollar you spent. So if you spent $500,000 on the card, you get 500,000 points. That’s enough to fly roundtrip from North America to Europe or Asia in first or business class several times.

• Automatic, complimentary access to elite-level status with some of the world’s leading hotel brands, including IHG Platinum Elite, Hilton Honors Diamond, and Marriott Bonvoy Gold.
• Automatic access to elite status with Delta Air Lines. The card gives the holder complimentary Delta SkyMiles Platinum Medallion status, which includes priority check-in and boarding, upgrades, priority waitlisting, and enhanced mileage earnings. 
• Access to the Global Lounge Collection. That’s access to more than 1,400+ airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, including flagship locations through The Centurion® Network which includes Centurion Lounges and Escape Lounges- The Centurion® Studio Partner (and yes, that is their full name) and other lounges including the International American Express Lounges and the Delta Sky Club lounges.
• Invitation to the exclusive Hertz Platinum status and Avis President’s Club, which entitle you to your choice of rental car, complimentary rentals, and more top-of-the-line service from both companies.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: See terms
• Cash Advance APR: N/A
• Balance Transfer APR: Unknown

Fees

• Cash Advance Fee: N/A
• Balance Transfer Fee: See terms
• Foreign Transaction Fee: None
• Annual Fee: $5,000
• Any Other Fees: $2,500 to add two additional users

This card is for a very small, very exclusive group of people, so there aren’t that many cards out there for comparison. However, there are some, like the HSBC Metal World Elite Mastercard, J.P. Morgan Reserve Card, Coutts Silk Card and the Mastercard Black Card. 

All of these cards have lower annual fees, fewer spending criteria to be eligible and better rewards. However, American Express’ ecosystem of travel, concierge service and exclusive events are a very attractive reason to get the Centurion® Card from American Express.

Centurion® Card from American Express* vs. HSBC Metal World Elite Mastercard

The HSBC World Elite Mastercard offers a lot of travel perks but not as many as the Centurion. Like Centurion, the HSBC Metal World Elite Mastercard has no welcome bonus, but, unlike Centurion, offers better rewards than 1 point per dollar in all spending categories. 

Reward rates with this card include 6 points per dollar on eligible travel purchases, 4 points per dollar on all eligible drugstore, gas and grocery purchases and 2 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases. Points can be redeemed for the following:

• Travel
• Gift cards and valuable merchandise
• Financial rewards
• Rewards for miles

It has a $499 annual fee and a full annual fee rebate if you are an HSBC Private Client, so you are already saving money there compared to Centurion Card; you also get a $200 travel credit each year. You also get extensive travel and medical insurance coverage, and it is unconfirmed whether you do with the Centurion Card.

Overall, it’s not a bad travel card if you’re a frequent traveler and is much cheaper than the Centurion Card. However, it doesn’t have the sheer number of benefits and perks that you’re entitled to with Centurion—if you are invited.

Centurion® Card from American Express* vs. The Platinum Card® from American Express

You get some of the same benefits from The Platinum Card. Think of it as the step towards the Centurion Black Card, if that’s your goal. 

The personal version of The Platinum Card has a significantly lower annual fee of $799 CAD. Like The Centurion Black Card, it has no pre-set spending limit and there is only a $250 annual fee for each additional Platinum Card, a $0 annual fee for the first two additional Gold Cards, and a $50 annual fee for any additional Gold Cards. Obviously, these fees are significantly lower than the Centurion Black Card.

As for rewards, The Platinum Card from American Express offers 2 points on dining, food delivery and travel, and one point for every dollar spent on other categories.

Centurion® Card from American Express* vs. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

The business version gives you 80,000 Membership Rewards® points as a bonus after you charge $15,000 in net purchases to your card in your first 3 months of Card membership. You’ll also earn an additional 40,000 points when you make a purchase between 14 to 17 months after opening your account. You also get 1.25 points for every dollar spent on anything. 

You also get access to 1,300 airport lounges (100 fewer lounges than the Centurion card) across 140 countries and counting with the American Express Global Lounge Collection.

With an annual fee of $799 and access to nearly all the same travel perks, The Business Platinum Card from American Express is a better option than the Centurion Black for business owners.

When determining a rating for individual credit cards, the Forbes Advisor Canada editorial team factors in an exhaustive list of data points. With this card, the scoring model used takes into account factors such as, but not limited to, rewards rates and categories, fees, welcome bonus, and other benefits and features. Keep in mind what may be best for some people might not be right for you. Conduct informed research before deciding which cards will best help you achieve your financial goals.

Are you ridiculously wealthy? Do you make a minimum of $1 million a year before taxes? Do you love to travel? Do you love to collect tons of points that you can use for pretty much anything? What about personal service? Can you even be potentially invited to get this card? Do you want people to know you’re important? Then yes, this is the card for you. 

Do keep in mind that, while you can apply, the criteria for admission are extremely stringent and not publicly available.