The Black Card | Centurion Card | Visa Black Card | Luxury Credit Cards

Membership to the Leading Hotels of the World program for international card holders circa 2006.

http://www.lhw.com/

Here’s a photo of the International Centurion Card welcome kit, US Welcome kits haven’t come with luggage tags recently.

Invitation Letter and Thanks from Kenneth Chenault:

German Centurion Card (older, still plastic)

Centurion Plus Card

German Centurion Service Information

German Centurion Airline Ticket Holder

German Luggage Tags (Platinum, Gold, and Black/Centurion)

Brochures and information.

High end leather luggage tags.

Program Benefits.

Applications for programs that come with the card.

Below are some photos of US Welcome Kit’s, recent kits no longer come with luggage tags.

Here are legacy luggage tags that used to come with centurion welcome kits.

The switch to titanium was first made when the Centurion card was introduced in France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Sweden in 2004. Later the Centurion card was introduced in the US

Original Centurion Card (Black AMEX)

Titanium Version

Original Centurion Card vs. Centurion

UK Centurion Card with IC chip (Charter Member)

Charter Member Sample Card

AMERICAN EXPRESS INTRODUCES THE CENTURION CARD

Black Card Sets New Standard For Premium Service With Free Upgrades on British Airways Concorde^? and Enrollment in Elite Airline Frequent-Flier Programs

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NEW YORK, October 14, 1999 — American Express today announced the introduction of the Centurion^TM Card. The Centurion Card will be offered by invitation only to selected Platinum Card^? members.

The black-colored Centurion Card offers customized personal service to help ease the busy and demanding lifestyles of cardmembers. It has been designed for individuals who travel frequently, entertain often and value single points of contact for service.

“We created the Centurion Card in response to customer research that identified a small but affluent group of cardmembers for whom individual attention and access to previously unavailable elite travel benefits was of great interest,” said James Bush, senior vice president of Consumer Marketing at American Express. “Many of our prospective cardmembers are already frequent travelers receiving elite benefits on one airline. The Centurion Card is the only product on the market that can grant them elite status on four airlines, and much more.”

The introduction of the Centurion Card is part of a broader American Express strategy to introduce a wider array of card products to specific market segments.

“Our company’s innovation includes the creation of the world’s first Travelers Cheque more than 100 years ago, and has continued with unique services for the Personal Card and the invention of the first Gold and Platinum Cards,” added Bush. “With the Centurion Card, we’ve again set the standard — raising the bar in the premium card category.”

Centurion Card Benefits

The card provides customers with all the benefits and rewards they received with their Platinum Card, plus numerous additional travel, lifestyle and financial services benefits, including:

Elite Travel Benefits

Centurion members are eligible for upgrades and enrollment in the elite tiers of several airline frequent flier, hotel guest and car rental programs, without the rigorous mileage requirements usually needed to join. Examples include:

• Upgrades to the Concorde at no additional cost with the purchase of a full-fare, first-class transatlantic ticket to or from London and any British Airways gateway in the United States.

• Complimentary upgrades, dedicated check-in, priority boarding and mileage earning at an accelerated rate via complimentary enrollment in the Continental Airlines^? OnePass^? Gold Elite Program, Delta Air Lines Gold Medallion? program, TWA Aviators Elite 1 program and US Airways Dividend Miles^? Preferred Plus^SM.

• Complimentary access to the airport clubs of Continental, Northwest and TWA airlines when flying those airlines.

• Room upgrades, late checkout, complimentary use of fitness centers and other benefits through enrollment in Starwood Gold Preferred Guest program, Gold VIP membership in the Hilton HHonors? program, Diamond membership in the Hyatt Gold Passport program and membership in the Inter-Continetal Six Continents Club.

• Confirmed room upgrades when available, at Ritz-Carlton and select Four Seasons properties around the world and more than 330 other fine hotels, resorts and spas.

• Complimentary international cellular phones, which will be delivered directly to Centurion Cardmembers, who pay only the cost of the calls.

Personal Assistance

• Each cardmember will be assigned a personal travel counselor to handle all travel needs, and their own concierge to help with anything from special occasion planning and selecting ideal gifts, to locating unusual items.

Retail Privileges

• Special privileges will be extended to Centurion members at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, including personal shopper services, invitations to exclusive events, free consultation for restyling of precious jewelry (Neiman Marcus) and private shopping hours (Saks.)

Rewards

• Fee-free enrollment in Membership Rewards Plus^SM, the premium level of the Membership Rewards^? program. This includes redemption of points for travel on any airline anywhere in the world, and for purchases charged on the American Express Card.

• Fifty-percent Membership Rewards point bonus on all charges made with a Centurion Card at our Centurion partners. These partners include Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, TWA, British Airways, Hilton Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and others.

Financial

• Complimentary two-hour consultation with Provident Financial Management, a subsidiary of American Express Tax and Business Services, which specializes in planning for high-net-worth individuals, including industry leaders and celebrities.

• A 25 percent reduction in the management fee for investments and a reduced minimum investment requirement at Portfolio Management Group, a division of American Express Asset Management Group at American Express Financial Advisors.

American Express is a diversified worldwide travel, financial and network services company founded in 1850. It is a world leader in charge and credit cards, Travelers Cheques, travel, financial planning, investment products, insurance and international banking.

Now that American Express has made the urban myth reality and released a Black Card, also known as the Centurion Card, who needs cash anymore? They should be phasing out cash anyway, what a waste of paper when you can flaunt your bling status by simply handing over this little titanium beauty whenever you make a purchase. Let’s face it, no matter where you live, money is an enabler. If you have enough of it, you’re removing the limits of the society in which you live. Of course, the benefits of an black card don’t come for free. First off, you must charge an annual spending sum of $250,000 to your existing Amex account, while also having exceptional credit history and significant financial assets. However, the requirements could be waived for celebrities and public figures. Let’s take a look at some of those celebrities and public figures. Our Full Black Card Page is Here

Coutts & Co (bank to the queen, and part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group) offers a credit card to it’s private clients that itself is rarer than the black card. There are only about 100 people in the world that have been invited, including Queen Elizabeth II. The World Card is only offered to Coutts clients, and it’s members prospective clients have millions in assets.

The bank to the queen, now a part of Royal Bank of Scotland Group, has arguably the most prestigious card of all. World Card is offered only to Coutts clients, and you have to have millions to qualify for that status to begin with. Aside from all the typical travel upgrades and luxury services, the card comes in handy when you need to go shopping at your favorite department store in the middle of the night. A quick call to a World Card service representative will arrange a private after-hours shopping session anywhere your little heart desires.

The Dallas-based luxury retailer famous for its Christmas catalog sold its credit cards division to HSBC last year, but it still offers a rewards program to loyal cardholders who spend lots of money in its stores (or those of its sister, Bergdorf Goodman). In-Circle’s entry point is 5,000 points (meaning you’ve spent $5,000 on your card in the last year), but perks balloon as you go up the food chain. This year, 50,000 points gets you a Sony Vaio FS series notebook; 300,000 earns you a trip to Italy with a custom gentleman’s shoe fitting by Ferragamo or a trip to New York for Fashion Week. Two million points puts you behind the scenes on the set of daytime TV drama The Young and the Restless.

This is part of the “Total Merrill” program the brokerage has debuted in an effort to capture a larger share of your spending and investing money. The card offers a credit line up to $250,000 and a variety of airline and hotel upgrades and packages, membership in a wine club and personal shopping services for the harried executive.

This is for private clients of Citi’s brokerage network who have at least $1 million at the firm, but $5 million will get you more perks. The Chairman’s card gives points for purchases and tosses in free companion tickets for travelers who buy full-fare airline tickets. If you pay for a private jet with your card, you get a three-night stay (up to a $900 value) at a partner hotel.

This card is offered in Germany, Russia, Asia and parts of the Middle East and promises perks like travel in a private Gulfstream jet or a chauffeured Bentley, and the chance to rent a Ferretti 80-foot yacht with crew and pilot for a day at sea, or a Maserati Spyder for a 48-hour joyride. You can even book a private island with it. A similar card, the Diners Club Elite card, also issued by Citi, offers residents of the United Arab Emirates such perks as a one-on-one session with chef Harald Wohlfahrt, hard-to-get tickets to football games (that’s soccer in the U.S.) and the ability to lease a private jet with ten hours’ notice.

I know, how could we even feature this here, but for completeness. You have to spend at least $250,000 a year to even qualify for this card, but getting one puts you up there with celebrities and fellow rich folks. You get access to private jets or upgrades on regular airlines, hotel upgrades, a personal travel counselor, and all sorts of freebies and loyalty programs that are also available to AmEx’s lowly Platinum cardholders. See the full list in our Benefits section. Here’s a picture of the UK Centurion Card.