Comparing The Centurion & Platinum Card From American Express

by Daniel | Last Updated June 4th, 2022

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If you’re interested in credit cards and have heard of the Amex Platinum Card, then there is a good chance that you have heard about the exclusive Centurion card from America Express.
This is an invite-only credit card that comes with some pretty fancy perks and high fees.

Now if you thought that the Platinum card’s $695 annual fee was a bit steep the Centurion card is more than 7 times the cost on an annual basis, and then the initiation fee is more than 14 times the annual cost of the Platinum card, so just the first year of card ownership is 21 times more than what you will pay for the Platinum card.

In this article, I’m going to review and compare both the Amex Platinum and Centurion card. 

Basically what I will do is simple, I’ll go over who these cards are most suitable for, what you can expect to receive each year in terms of benefits and user perks, how much the annual fee and initiation are, and then I’ll give you my over opinion at the end. 

https://youtu.be/gyLEG0mo22Y

Who are these cards good for?

Seeing that both cards are premium credit cards, with high annual fees, they are well suited to people that spend a fair amount of money each year and can justify the high annual fees.
With the Platinum card specifically, you can quite easily cover the cost of the annual fee if you are able to make use of the benefits it comes with.

But with the Centurion card, it’s not as easy (or possible in some cases) to cover the annual fee or initiation fee from the benefits alone.
This card is more about exclusivity than signup bonuses and benefits.

Basically, if you make and spend a lot of money and want the best possible service from a credit card carrier, the Centurion card could very well be a great fit for you.

Now in terms of actually being considered for the Centurion card, it is said that you will need to spend around $350,000 in a calendar year, and remember, this doesn’t mean that you will be approved for a card, it’s just a guideline.

Annual Fee / Initiation Fee

So as you may be aware, both of these cards have a pretty high annual fee, but with the Centurion card, there is an almost outrageous initiation fee that you will need to pay if you are lucky enough to be accepted to get this card from America Express.

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So you will have to fork out $15,000 before you even get the card! That’s just over $41 a day every day for the first year of card ownership, which in my opinion, is expensive.

Now if you can afford the Centurion card I would assume that the $15,000 initial fee is not really going to be a big deal.

Sign-up Bonus

Now when it comes to a sign-up bonus, the far cheaper Platinum card is the only card that offers one, currently the Centurion card has no information about any sign-up bonus.

Now as I’ve mentioned in my videos before this sign-up bonus changes quite often, and from my experience, just by using a different browser (like a private browser) or a VPN, I have seen a sign-up bonus of up to 150,000 points – as you can see below.

So if you don’t mind spending some time trying to find a higher sign-up bonus it could result in an additional $500 in value.

Earning Points

Now both of these cards have a reasonable points earning structure, but you might be surprised to learn that the Platinum card actually has a better points earning ability than the Centurion card.

Hotels that are booked through AmexTravel.com will also receive 5x points.
And then all other purchases that are made on the card will receive 1 point per dollar spent.

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So even though it is a bit more limited in terms of earning points,  it is still possible to earn them, and assuming you have the Centurion card I would think that you would be spending quite a lot of money each year, and thus earning a lot of points

And an interesting side-note, the largest know purchase on a credit card was actually made on a Centurion card back in 2015.
Apparently, Billionaire Liu Yiqia from China who currently has a net worth of $1.33 Billion dollars, purchased a painting by Modigliani at a Christie’s auction in 2015 for $170,405,000 and used his Centurion card to pay for it.
And assuming he earned 1 point per dollar on the purchase, he would have received just over 170 million points, which would be worth up to $1.7 Million dollars!
Then if you’re wondering how Amex fairs out of a transaction like this, it’s not uncommon for Amex to charge a merchant fee of around 2.5 – 3.5%.
So even at the lower end of the merchant fee charge of 2.5%, that equates to approximately $4,260,125.00.

Redeeming Points 

Now you can redeem Membership Rewards Points on a wide variety of options that are generally around 0.7 cents per point, which is not great.
The best option is to use the points through American Express Travel on Flights, Flight upgrades, or the Fine Hotels & Resorts program, as this will provide a value of 1 cent per point.

Another option to earn 1 cent per point is to transfer points to one of the Frequent Traveler program Partners which includes 17 different airlines and 3 different Hotel Partners. 

Now with the Business Centurion card, you will have the added ability to receive 50% of your Membership Rewards Points back if you use your current points through American Express Travel or Centurion Travel Services to book a flight, and the points you use for the booking can be for either an entire flight or partial flight. 

Benefits and User Perks 

Not surprisingly, both cards come with some pretty impressive benefits and perks, as you would expect from 2 of the most expensive credit cards available right now.
But it’s worth keeping in mind just how useful these benefits might be to you as a cardholder.
I currently have the Platinum card and I really like it, but to be honest I don’t use all of the benefits and perks as some of them don’t make sense for me to use.

There is a $100 statement credit for Saks Fifth Ave that is provided as a $50 credit, once every 6 months. 

If you purchase a CLEAR membership, you will receive up to $189 back each year.

There is access to the Global Lounge Collection, which include the Centurion Lounge, Delta SkyClub, and then access to Lufthansa Business and Senator Lounges.

You will receive a Priority Pass Select Membership valued at $429 each year, and this provides access to well over 1,000 airport lounges from all over the world.

As with most high-end credit cards, you will also receive a $100 credit for use on either TSA Precheck or Global Entry. 

Then there is the Cruise Privileges Program which can provide you with a credit of between $100 to $300 per stateroom.
This covers 18 different cruise lines and this can be redeemed for dining and spa treatments. 

There is a $200 credit that can be used for Uber Rides or Uber Eats, and this is provided as a $15 credit each month, with an additional $20 credit in December.

Then this is also a $200 Hotel Credit that is available on bookings through either the Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection and must be a minimum of 2 nights. 

You will receive a $200 Airline Fee Credit that can be used on your choice of airline and covers most incidental purchases such as checked bags, flight changes, food, and beverages.

There is a Walmart+ Monthly Membership Credit of up to $155 each year

Then you will receive the following for Hotel status:

• Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status
• Hilton Honors Gold Status
• The Hotel Collection –
  Up to $100 credit that can be used at the hotel, but requires a minimum booking of 2 nights. 
• Fine Hotels & Resorts Program

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You will then get $1,000 in credit to spend at Saks Fifth Avenue each year and this is available in $250 allotments each quarter.
And apparently, you can gain access to Saks stores outside of normal business hours.
So it’s a lot more than the $100 you get with the Platinum card, but again, only valuable if you actually shop at Saks Fifth Avenue.

As with the Platinum card you will also receive a $189 CLEAR membership for improved airport security clearance. 

There is the same access to the Centurion Lounge, Delta Sky Club, Escape Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounge, and then access to Lufthansa First Class, Business, and Senator Lounges. 

And along with this, you will also receive the same Priority Pass Select Membership as the Platinum card which is worth $429 each year.

There is the same $100 credit for either TSA Pre Check or Global Entry.

The Cruise Privileges Program is the same as the Platinum card.

You will receive the same $200 Uber credit as the Platinum card, and the $200 hotel credit.

Hotel Related Benefits 

Then you will receive the following for Hotel status:

• Centurion Hotel Program
• Hilton Honors Diamond Elite Status
• Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status 
• IHG Platinum Elite Status
• Relais & Chateaux 5C Status
• Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts –
  up to $200 in food and beverage credit or a Spa credit.  

And finally, the Centurion card offers Centurion Concierge which provides cardholders with most probably the highest level of service that you can get from a credit card provider.

Insurance Related Benefits 

Now both cards have similar insurance-related coverage, but the Centurion card offers one main difference as you will see below.

Then there is Secondary Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance that covers rental cars up to the value of $75,000.

There is Trip Delay Insurance that covers trips that are delayed for more than 6 hours.
And this covers up to $500 per trip, with a maximum of 2 claims per 12-month period. 

And similar to this is Trip Cancellation which covers you for up to $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per card per 12-month period if your trip is canceled or interrupted for a cover reason.

Another travel-related benefit is the Baggage Insurance Plan which covers your checked baggage for up to $2,000 per person and your carry-on baggage for up to $3,000 per person.

There is Purchases Protection that covers new purchases for up to 90 days with coverage of up to $10,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per card member per year.

You will be covered by Return Protection which provides up to 90 days of coverage for items that a merchant won’t take back, and this covers up to $300 per item and a maximum of $1,000 per year.  

And then finally there is Extended Warranty Protection which provides an additional 1 year of coverage on US warranties that are 5 years or less, and this covers up to $10,000 per covered purchase and $50,000 per card per year.

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• Cell Phone Protection 
• Secondary Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance
• Trip Delay Insurance
• Trip Cancellation 
• Baggage Insurance Plan 
• Purchase Protection 
• Return Protection 

Then finally for the Extended Warranty coverage with the Centurion card, it is possible to get 3 years of additional coverage compared to the Platinum cards 1 year of coverage.
And both cards still offer up to $10,000 per covered purchase and $50,000 per card per year. 

Final Thoughts 

So clearly the Centurion card is a unique card that offers some impressive benefits, but comes at a cost, and is not necessarily that useful for a lot of people.
Whereas the Platinum card is a lot more affordable and attainable for people looking for a lot of benefits and perks from a credit card, and although the Platinum card is not exactly ‘cheap’ it does provide the ability to easily offset to cost of the annual fee and leave you with a whole host of benefits.

Now if you liked this review and are interested in 3 of the best reward credit card that are available now, why not watch my review and comparison here of the Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Capital One Venture X card.