This was a post by our friends at Nextshark by Sebastian Dillon.
It used to be a myth before Kanye coined the term “African American Express.” It’s a status symbol. It can buy you anything in the world (with the exception of class). We are talking about the “Black Card,” officially known as the American Express Centurion card.
I first became aware of the Black American Express card when I was trying to make reservations for my girlfriend and I at a popular place for dinner. After being notified by the person on the phone that they were fully booked that night, my friend next to me turned and said, “don’t worry, I got this.”
He then took out a thin black metal card that I had never seen before and after dialing a number on the back for a concierge service, the person on the other line told my friend to hold on while they call the restaurant. Literally after a couple minutes, the concierge was back on the line and told us that our tables were reserved for the night. I immediately set out to see how I could get such a magical card.
To my disappointment, the Centurion is the hardest charge card (it’s not a credit card, you have to pay it off each month) to be accepted for, but it comes with benefits you wouldn’t believe (or think that rich people even need because they already have money, right?). Not only do you have to spend over $250K in one year, but you must meet the net worth requirements, have amazing credit, and that’s after you receive an invitation, plus the $10,000 dollar activation fee. Once you have it though, an entire world of luxury service and outrageous possibilities are made available at your fingertips.
It all started in the 1980’s when rumor had it that American Express was offering an ultra-secret card to select elites that allowed them to buy ANYTHING. Playing off all the hype, they made it official in 1999 and offered the first Centurion cards to affluent spenders.
Check out this infographic for everything you need to know about the most prestigious charge card in the world:
