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

The Black Card started out as an urban legend in the early 1980s circa 1984. It was alleged by that American Express handed out a high end ID with unusual privileges. This rumor is corroborated by a Wall Street Journal article written in 1988, despite the fact that American Express continually declined the rumor as true.

From WSJ: Suppose, for example, on a 3-o’clock-in-the-morning whim, you decided to book a round-the-world trip; American Express would accommodate you with a travel service staffed 24 hours a day. In the market for a red 1965 Ferrari? If you were a black-card holder, American Express would kick tires in the world’s fanciest used-car lots. If you remembered in Singapore that you had left your favorite suit in a Hong Kong penthouse, the company would arrange to fetch it. (full 1988 WSJ Black Card Article Here)

On October 14, 1999, publicly launched the American Express Centurion Card aka The Black Card, see original press release here. Doug Smith, director of American Express Europe said:”There had been rumors going around that we had this ultra-exclusive black card for elite customers… It wasn’t true, but we decided to capitalize on the idea anyway. So far we’ve had a customer buy a Bentley and another charter a jet.”

In 2004 in Europe and 2006 in the US the Centurion Card was switched over to Titanium from Plastic.

In 2006 American Express also raised the eligibility requirement from 150,000 annual spend to 250,000 annual spend.

Paper, Plastic, Titanium, and Carbon Graphite?

Credit cards had existed prior to American Express, namely Diners Club (which was actually a paper or cardboard card that was in circulation).

The first AMEX credit card was actually introduced October 1, 1958 – American Express introduced travel-and-entertainment charge card (The original card was actually paper printed with purple ink to resemble Travelers Cheques)

The first plastic American Express appeared in the early 1960s, while their adoption had become increased as vendors found traditional AMEX booklets too difficult to manage. It was because of this that well received the new plastic cards, which used charge plate machines, thereby making transaction and record keeping easier and less error prone.

Plastic cards became dominant and remained the main player, however, it was not until 1966 that the common credit card came to, when Bank of America established BankAmerica Service Corporation to franchise the BankAmericard which then became known as “Visa“, still not black). Mastercard, originally Mastercharge, came to be in 1966 in addition, where both Visa and Mastercard credit cards were open-loop (inter-bank), and American Express was closed-loop (intrabank).

American Express took the lead again in 2004 in some parts of Europe, and in 2006 in the United States by changing their elusive BLACK CARD (formally known as the Centurion Card), to a hand crafted titanium card to replace it’s plastic ancestor. Times as changed, this isn’t your grandfather’s “purple cardboard,” although American Express Charter Members (Members since 1958) do get some special privileges.

2008 of course brought the “Visa Black Card“, made from Carbon Fiber. The Wikipedia editors, however, did neglect to include credit cards in applications of carbon fiber (we’re kidding): “The properties of carbon fiber such as high tensile strength, low weight, and low thermal expansion make it very popular in aerospace, civil engineering, military, and motorsports, along with other competition sports.”

We’ll stick with black hand hammered titanium for now, someone update Wikipedia.

Leave your centurion card at home, both centurion card and platinum card members get Departures magazine. Departures is an exclusive lifestyle magazine published by American Express that only available to card holders. Richard David Story is the Editor-in-Chief.

Black Ink used to be a magazine with “no name” from it’s start in 2004. It was the magazine received alongside Departures magazine which Platinum cardholders receive as well.

However, starting in spring of 2007, the magazine was officially titled Black Ink. European, Asian, and Austrailian Centurion card holders will still receive Centurion Magazine.

Centurion Magazine was only issued for UK, ICC, Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong Centurion members. Here are some photos.

Hong Kong Versions:

UK Versions:

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

The 2006 FHR Guide.

And the 2006 SLH Guide.

One of the great perks of being a centurion card holder is the associated travel benefits. Cardholders used to receive Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum membership automatically, now this has been downgraded to Gold membership as of January 2006. Let’s hope they bring back Platinum

Gold benefits from Starwood:

Earn Free Night Awards faster. Increase your rewards to 3 Starpoints for every eligible U.S. dollar spent — a 50% bonus over Preferred Guests.

Enhanced Rooms. Rather than redeeming Starpoints for a better room, you’re entitled to an automatic room upgrade at check-in when one is available. An enhanced room includes rooms on higher floors, corner rooms, newly renovated rooms, or rooms with preferred views.

4 p.m. late checkout, when available.

Complimentary weekday newspaper.

Gold Preferred Guest® special customer service telephone.

Check-cashing privileges up to $300.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/account/member_benefits/gold_preferred.html

2005 FHR Guide

2005 SLH Guide