United Kingdom, 1999. American Express launches an exclusive card for the elite of the wealthy British. A titanium card in black, somewhat heavier than the classic plastic card, but used to grant material wishes. Open doors and close stores to shop privately. It has no cost limits or borders. Is he Sancta sanctorum of the means of payment that, in addition, allows you to enter a club as select in its admission as it is reduced in its lists. Just over 400 people have it in Spain. It is the American Express Centurion (or AMEX Centurion).
We say that this card is exclusive because the American Express Centurion cannot have it just anyone. On paper, it has the same requirements as a common credit card: have a positive balance in our account with recurring and constant income and pay your annual fee and interest derived from its use.
The difference? For the American Express Centurion you have to pay a fee of 2,500 euros per year and … have a minimum expenditure of a quarter of a million euros (only from American Express) along with a flawless credit history and a spotless track record. Every year, one after another. And another 500 euros for each person authorized to use the card. In addition, even if the requirements are met, it can only be accessed if another member of this exclusive club invites you to enter. Here the credit risk commission that evaluates your profile is made at the top of the AMEX organization chart. Is personal.
What does the American Express Centurion offer?
In exchange for all this, we received the most exclusive card on earth, even more than, in the face of popular culture, the JP Morgan Palladium (yes, the one made of silver and palladium). The American Express Centurion arrives in an exclusive welcome kit made of leather, with a personal letter from the president of AMEX and a card holder that holds the aforementioned card, the key to financial heaven on earth. The welcome kit, of course, depends on the country.
And it is not only the peace of mind that a card without spending limit gives you: each member of this exclusive club has, via telephone and in a personalized way, a personal assistant for everything related to the lifestyle (a fundamental pillar within the elite of the card) that helps and recommends in everything related to restaurants, gastronomy, shopping, personal style … and another exclusive to manage trips, plane tickets and every whim related to travel. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Before you are awarded a card, there is a personal interview to find out the personal tastes of each member of the club. In this way, before picking up the phone, your assistants know what you need at all times. Have a glass of champagne at 5 in the morning flying over New York by helicopter, VIP tickets to the Superbowl final 10 minutes before or enter the backstage of the Victoria’s Secret parade whose VIP entry shoots up to 25,000 euros. It also includes, of course, health insurance with the best professionals anywhere in the world.
The American Express Centurion allows you to close the Boutique Colette in Paris or the Cartier on Serrano street to buy without hassle; go on safari in South Africa aboard a 4×4 and end the day by sleeping on a yacht in the waters of Madagascar; or fly over the Pacific in an Airbus just for us and our dogs. You can also play golf with Tiger Woods on courses where the lawn of the green it is cut with scissors, by hand, every day. The limit, in this case, is only set by the imagination. At least with the AMEX Centurion.