Visa Black Card

[alohanakoni]

anyone in here think it's worth getting the visa black card with a whopping $495 annual membership fee? they've been inviting me but i always throw the invitation away as i have enough credit with my citi premier elite along with my other credit cards.

[pain888]

i would preffered the american express platinum. i have one same fee. it does more for the money travel wise

[allanofcalifornia]

I think it is a total waste of money unless you are going to take advantage of the benefits. I think a lot of people get these cards just to impress others!!


Allan

[DARK_KNIGHT]

amex centurion black costs 2,500 (per card - per year) and a 5k enrollment fee, the card is made of titanium and what you get back in perks depends on what you think it's worth to you.

carrying a black card is hype but it works wonders for the ego and $500 bones to carry one says so.

[rajurama]

jus got a visa infinite for 680$ fee... but i got it for travel upgrades and it includes the vip lounge access..

[alohanakoni]

Originally Posted by rajurama

jus got a visa infinite for 680$ fee... but i got it for travel upgrades and it includes the vip lounge access..

wow, a $680 fee! i am curious what the card looks like and the benefits.

[rajurama]

Originally Posted by alohanakoni

wow, a $680 fee! i am curious what the card looks like and the benefits.

well its black in color its the new ultimate infinite! gosh they ran outa precious metals now! infact i remember a while back one of the banks had a credit card with a real diamond embossed... yes yes this can happen only in my part of the world! coming back to the benifits mainly i get emirates airlines miles so its good for me since im a frequent traveller and can have upgrades to business or first class which makes sense on long flights at times 13hours!! and various silly things like concierge services like airport transfers or valet parkings etc..

[Ed Rooney]

The Visa Black Card is an absolute waste of time and money. If you need a premium card, Amex Platinum is good, but even they are watering down their benefits while raising fees. Google flyertalk to read more about both cards programs.

[iSellJerseyShore]

Originally Posted by alohanakoni

anyone in here think it's worth getting the visa black card with a whopping $495 annual membership fee? they've been inviting me but i always throw the invitation away as i have enough credit with my citi premier elite along with my other credit cards.

A close friend of mine has the VISA Black, its made of carbon fiber....... The card cost him $5,000 per year to carry and an additional $500 for his wife to have one as well. He has a minimum spending amount of $50,000 per year to continue carrying the card.................. It's rather mind boggling to me how the benefits of the card justify paying the yearly fee, let alone meeting the min spending amount....


The VISA WorldPoints & AMEX Platinum suit me well

-Frankie

[sushisummo]

Get the black centurion card from American Express instead. That will definetly cost you a bundle on yearly fees. I think those card is a waste unless you travel a lot and use their services often then it's definetly worth it.

[Brunotheboxer]

Paying a fee for cc's is something I will never do. That being said i have an amex card that i got free for one year. After the year is up they think i will pay $75 but if they dont waive the fee completely i will just cancel the card.

[AIKO]

Originally Posted by alohanakoni

anyone in here think it's worth getting the visa black card with a whopping $495 annual membership fee? they've been inviting me but i always throw the invitation away as i have enough credit with my citi premier elite along with my other credit cards.

Nope, credit is out and cash is in.

[scottschoe]

As mentioned above, it's on par with a plat Amex. If you're going to get a black card, get the original. The Visa one is flimsy anyway.

[Mike B]

I read on Wikipedia that the "Black Card" was first issued to Jerry Seinfeld, and one must not only pay a TON of money per year (for membership fees) but also must BUY a CRAZY amount of money per year in order to have this card. I believe this is the original American Express Black Card. For many reasons (the primary one is I don't make NEAR enough money to be able to afford just going out an buying $50,000 or more of "stuff" every year, but even if I had the money, I would just pay cash.

Edit, here's the link for those interested in the history of the Black card, what it does, etc. :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Card

[Omega_Precision]

Go with THE black card....AMEX CENTURION.

I personally wouldn't want any of these cards but if you were to get one, get the AMEX.

I heard there are a lot of perks if you use the card.

[rsg]

Originally Posted by Omega_Precision

Go with THE black card....AMEX CENTURION.

I personally wouldn't want any of these cards but if you were to get one, get the AMEX.

I heard there are a lot of perks if you use the card.

The perks aren't that great compared to the Amex Platinum if you consider the cost of membership.

[DAVIDSW]

Don't forget you have to spend over $250K in a 12 month span just to qualify for the Centurion Card.

Then you have to pay the $5K one time fee and then the $2500 a year fee...... Damn..$7,500 for the first year and $2,500 every year after that.... The kicker is if your spouse wants one...$5K + 2500 again...hahah... What a world we live in

[Harvey58]

I heard the new "IN" card to have is the Black Walmart Super Diamond Card!!! I heard the perks are great!!!...LOL

[drtooth73]

I wanted one, but after looking at the math like David just did, I went with a card with tons of perks. I get an average 2% cash back every month.

[bodybump]

2 words....STAY AWAY!!!

[HYDROMAROC]

I got one of those applications... I almost got a paper cut cause I dropped the appication so fast when I saw the fee...

[Omega_Precision]

Imagine those membership fees.

You have to pay thousands just to hold the card.

The fees break down to a Rolex every year, you can buy a Rolley or hold have some plastic/titanium/metal card

[Omega_Precision]

Originally Posted by DAVIDSW

Don't forget you have to spend over $250K in a 12 month span just to qualify for the Centurion Card.

Then you have to pay the $5K one time fee and then the $2500 a year fee...... Damn..$7,500 for the first year and $2,500 every year after that.... The kicker is if your spouse wants one...$5K + 2500 again...hahah... What a world we live in

[vjb.knife]

I get the Black World Elite MC for free from the company that I have most of my investments through. It is nice when travelling for a lot of benefits including being able to use any airline clubs at airports around the world for free. It has a lot of other nice features but I would not get it if it cost me anything extra.

[Bisquitlips]

Get the American Express Centurion card.

Do You Qualify?

* In the good old days of usury and loan-sharking, the only collateral you'd need for a loan might be your fingers, or your life itself. Things are more complicated in the 21st Century: you sometimes need a salary and marginally decent credit history just to get a card with a spending limit of $7,000. So, what kinds of qualifications will you need for a Centurion Card?

1. High credit rating
* If your life circumstances or sense of responsibility have caused blemishes on your recent credit history, this card may be out of your reach.DaveManuel.com: Who Qualifies For An American Express Black Card? (February 4, 2009)6 At least until you fix your credit rating, anyway.

2. Have a Platinum Card
* You need to already hold an American Express Platinum, if you want to apply for a Centurion.

3. Extravagant spending habits
* Your Platinum account will have to demonstrate a $250,000 annual spending rate. Again, that's a quarter of a million dollars, each year, charged to your account.QuickSprout: American Express Centurion: Once you go black, you never go back (January 2, 2008)

4. Significant Assets
* These might include, oh, say, a house, or savings that exceed your current credit card spending limit. A company or an island might help as well.


Availability and fees

As of August 1, 2009, in the United States, stated requirements to become a card holder included minimum spending of $250,000 in a 12 month period, and exceptional credit history. In the UK, there was no minimum annual spending requirements, although it is reported that spending £10,000 a month was standard.[citation needed] Requirements for acceptance in other countries differ.

The International Euro (IEC) or Dollar (IDC) Centurion cards issued by Amex UK for customers in Europe, Middle-East and Africa offer up to 22 cards included in the annual fee, including a titanium Centurion Card for the main cardholder, an additional Centurion Card in black plastic for the main cardholder, a supplementary Centurion Card in black plastic for a family member, and up to 19 supplementary cards in green, gold or platinum for family members.[c

[Yume-sama]

I have a black VISA Infinite card (the limit is finite, though, how ironic!), but I don't pay any fee.

If anybody took AMEX in Canada I might be more interested in that.

[Bebot]

Originally Posted by alohanakoni

anyone in here think it's worth getting the visa black card with a whopping $495 annual membership fee? they've been inviting me but i always throw the invitation away as i have enough credit with my citi premier elite along with my other credit cards.

I also get those invitations in mail every six moths I think. I don't like any CC with fees. Even my Gold Amex is free. They wave their fees every year for me. Like Allan said it's hype.

[TheDude]

The Black is now called the Titanium I believe. The card is actually made of titanium, and from what I've read, it confounds most merchants who think it's fake. Most don't realize there is such a thing as a metal credit card.

I have had a Amex Plat for years, and it is more than $500/yr membership. It's well worth it. I generally save that much or more each year in extended warranty repairs. The concierge service is invaluable for dining with clients.

Also, they bend over backwards to please. I remember once I had booked some vacation travel through them, and for some odd reason they couldn't issue an eticket. I ended up waiting in a huge line to check in. I called the hotline and complained about having to wait in the line, and got the service fees for the booking taken off my bill.

The magazine they publish for Plat and Black members is phenomenal - it's called Departures. You can't get it any other way.

[alohanakoni]

thank you guys for the input. i think i will consider the amex platinum first and take it from there. after all, i don't even spend that much a year to even hold a amex black.

[Idle Swede]

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