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Once upon a time, rich people hired more servants
to make life easier. Now they get the
best credit cards, too.
Backstage passes to a Rolling Stones concert, invitation-only
private shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue, personal assistants and concierge
services are some of the perks you can get with prestige credit
cards such as the American
Express Centurion, Visa
Signature and World MasterCard
cards.
"We really do our best to offer the best that money can buy,"
says Monica Beaupre, spokeswoman for American Express.
Of course, you pay for this sort of hand-holding service.
The Centurion card by American Express is so exclusive that you
won't even find details of it on the American Express Web site.
It's available "by invitation only" and reputedly requires
an annual fee of $2,500 and card spending of $5,000 per month. We
say reputedly because American Express releases few details on the
cards, which are available to only a tiny percentage of American
Express's clients.
MasterCard and Visa offer their own versions of these chi-chi cards.
The annual fees aren't too frightening, $85 or less in most
cases, but you usually are expected to earn at least $125,000 a
year and spend at least $2,000 a month with your card..
Rumors circulate about who holds these most prestigious credit
cards. Among the rumored recipients are Jay-Z, Paris Hilton, Lindsay
Lohan, Jessica Simpson and Sean (P. Diddy) Combs, who have all been
spotted with their Centurion cards in hand.
There are only an estimated 10,000 Centurion cards issued worldwide
-- or at least that's the rumor. American Express representatives
declined to verify the rumors circulating about the Centurion card
and those who carry it.
"Because the card is so exclusive, we don't get into too much
detail about the card or those who have it," says Beaupre.
The Centurion card, also known as the Black card, was introduced
in 1999 and targeted at the very best customers. In fact, you must
spend around $250,000 annually on another American Express card
to be considered.
According to American Express, the card offers a variety of privileges,
such as complimentary companion airline tickets on trans-Atlantic
flights, personal shoppers at retailers such as Escada and Saks
Fifth Avenue, access to airport clubs, membership in the Sony Cierge
personal shopping program and dozens of other elite club memberships.
The card comes with access to a personal concierge and travel agent.
The program offers many hotel benefits, including a free one-night
stay in the Mandarin Oriental hotels once a year.
Centurion clientele pay for special service -- and get it.
According to Snopes.com, a Web site that examines the truth of
urban legends, one Centurion cardholder wanted to locate and purchase
the horse ridden by Kevin Costner in the movie, "Dances with
Wolves." The horse was located on a stud ranch in Mexico, purchased
and delivered to Europe.
Another request, according to Snopes, came from a cardholder who
aspired to be an actress and wanted to be part of the cast of a
weekly soap opera on TV. American Express contacted the director
and arranged for an audition.
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