This Is the Double Secret Rewards Card AmEx Refuses to Talk About

The Points Guy gets his hands on a “Centurion” Card

May 2, 2016 9:00 am

Is carrying a status symbol around in your wallet where no one can see it worth $10,000?

If you want to skip lines, get free flight and hotel upgrades and be part of a sort-of secret society … maybe?

Although American Express reps refuse to talk about it, the company offers an invitation-only Centurion Card (the “Black Card”) that boasts an initial $7,500 activation fee and $2,500 annual fee but includes no signup bonus.

In order to see if the juice is worth the squeeze, The Points Guy founder Brian Kelly managed to wrangle a cardmember invitation.

Takeaways? Initial excitement followed by misgivings about the card’s benefits as compared to his AmEx Premier Rewards Gold card, which accrues points at a faster rate than the Centurion, despite fewer additional travel benefits.

“I’m such a points person,” he says. “I think I need to think more about the perks, maybe.”

(via Travel+Leisure)

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