Flew out of LAX on the night of 9/16/09
Checked in Delta's 1st class line - ironically probably took longer than the normal self check-in line. Did not buy 1st class, asked for upgrade only to get rejected since plane is full. I had arrived 3 hours early too. Proceed through security and up toward Delta Crown club - denied access using priority pass. Showed the Centurion and received an apology and allowed into the lounge. Attendant told me that I am not allowed to drink since I am not 21 but didn't make sure the bartender knew that. Had a few drinks and met a lot of nice people who were off to different destinations. Tried again to get upgraded but was denied at the gate. Sat aisle next to nice gentleman and departed for ATL.
Arrived in ATL - learned that threat level had been raised to orange due to VP Biden suffered mortar attack. Had to proceed through security again and then entered Crown room at ATL. Very nice quiet lounge with business center - was able to print my itinerary for my hotel. It also had a ESPN theater room where I caught a video of Bill Withers pranking the USC football team and then the team singing Lean on Me. If only they leaned on each other during the game this weekend (argh). Landed in DCA and had to wait for a ride. Attempted to get into Continental Club but was denied due to age. Allowed into Delta Crown room - started drinking Bud Light and White Russians at 9 AM EST (6 AM PST).
Arrived at Renaissance M Street hotel in Dupont Circle - very nice business hotel with contemporary decor. King size room was great - small but everything worked out well. Had control panel to play music over room speakers and project laptop onto TV screen. Bathroom was beautiful and clean - room had only a view of other business offices.
Ate at some nice restaurants and received comments about Centurion card - its much more rare in DC.
Flew back on US airways - upgraded to first class on flight to Philly and flight to LA was full - sat in very last row with window seat - that's what I get for booking late on expedia.
All in all great trip with black card in action.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Experiences
Ah some of my experiences with the card in the second month.
- Paid for PF Changs lunch and the female waitress wrote her number on the receipt - she wasn't overly attractive though. Ironically, we had brought coupons for lettuce wraps.
- Denied access to American Airlines lounge at LAX - you must have signed up for the priority pass (free) and bring your priority pass card.
- Must still pay taxes for your free companion tickets
- Can count on upgrades from economy to 1st class if the plane has it, you arrive early, dress nicely, travel alone and hit on the check in girl - didn't try it with a guy.
- Played with my card under the black light at Body Shop in Hollywood (bad night) and noticed that most Amex's including my accolades card show the centurion warrier and the word AMEX under the black light. The centurion card does not do this but the back of the card where the signature is does have little "AMEX" characters. Visa's have the dove/eagle or whatever it is.
- Same night at the strip club while I was doing this, a stripper saw it and would not leave me alone - had to put my wallet in my hidden pocket and left after my buddies all got lap dances and the quality of the girls dropped off - around 3 AM.
- Las Vegas: lots of doors open for you with this card - my only problem, I'm not 21. Heard stories about free tables in Tao, free cabana at Wet Republic.
- Don't ever buy fast food with the card. Bad attention.
Will keep you guys updated.
- Paid for PF Changs lunch and the female waitress wrote her number on the receipt - she wasn't overly attractive though. Ironically, we had brought coupons for lettuce wraps.
- Denied access to American Airlines lounge at LAX - you must have signed up for the priority pass (free) and bring your priority pass card.
- Must still pay taxes for your free companion tickets
- Can count on upgrades from economy to 1st class if the plane has it, you arrive early, dress nicely, travel alone and hit on the check in girl - didn't try it with a guy.
- Played with my card under the black light at Body Shop in Hollywood (bad night) and noticed that most Amex's including my accolades card show the centurion warrier and the word AMEX under the black light. The centurion card does not do this but the back of the card where the signature is does have little "AMEX" characters. Visa's have the dove/eagle or whatever it is.
- Same night at the strip club while I was doing this, a stripper saw it and would not leave me alone - had to put my wallet in my hidden pocket and left after my buddies all got lap dances and the quality of the girls dropped off - around 3 AM.
- Las Vegas: lots of doors open for you with this card - my only problem, I'm not 21. Heard stories about free tables in Tao, free cabana at Wet Republic.
- Don't ever buy fast food with the card. Bad attention.
Will keep you guys updated.
Update 8/26
I'm actually sitting in my statistics class and I'm a little bored.
I've gotten a lot of emails about who I am and what I do. I'll provide alittle information but in the interest of my safety I think its better for me to stay anonymous - also makes the blog more interesting. Anyways, I am a student at USC (2011) and major in Health Promotion & Disease Prevention Studies. I hope to become a doctor and follow in the family tradition so I do spend alot of my time in the books. USC is hard, I am no genious. I am not rich either, I am here on scholarship. The rest of this blog will be random musings:
Fact: How long a girl extends her words when she is talking is proportional to how much of her frontal lobe is missing. For example, a girl that says HEEEEYYYY is 2 steps up from a dolphin (1 step up from a dolphin is Plaxico Burress - who shoots himself in the foot?). A normal girl will simply say Hey.
Fact: With college football season coming up, I will boldly predict that USC comes out of nowhere (despite being #4, ESPN never mentions us) and plays and once again dominates the Rose Bowl.
Fact: Deangelo Williams and Adrian Peterson will be the top 2 fantasy players respectively.
Fact: Mark Sanchez will only finish behind Brady, Brees, Warner and Manning in fantasy points this year.
A couple of my purchases with the black card - gives you double warranty.
LV Evidence Sunglasses in Black - these look good
Kobe Bryant Zoom IV Shoes in Black/Red - these look good
Jay-Z Tha Blueprint III - on preorder, comes out 9/11, still the greatest rapper alive
Advice for Centurion card members:
Don't ever buy fast food or movie tickets at a theater with your black card - use your linked gold or platinum cards. It causes a huge scene and the $8.50/hr worker will proceed to run around and show it off to everyone. It creates attention but at these places it may be in the negative form. Read: You may get mugged. Practice safe carding.
I have a trip planned for the Mandarin Oriental in Washington D.C. - payed the lowest rate through expedia for standard room and expect to upgraded to Cityview Suite (3x floor space). Good times shall be had.
I've gotten a lot of emails about who I am and what I do. I'll provide alittle information but in the interest of my safety I think its better for me to stay anonymous - also makes the blog more interesting. Anyways, I am a student at USC (2011) and major in Health Promotion & Disease Prevention Studies. I hope to become a doctor and follow in the family tradition so I do spend alot of my time in the books. USC is hard, I am no genious. I am not rich either, I am here on scholarship. The rest of this blog will be random musings:
Fact: How long a girl extends her words when she is talking is proportional to how much of her frontal lobe is missing. For example, a girl that says HEEEEYYYY is 2 steps up from a dolphin (1 step up from a dolphin is Plaxico Burress - who shoots himself in the foot?). A normal girl will simply say Hey.
Fact: With college football season coming up, I will boldly predict that USC comes out of nowhere (despite being #4, ESPN never mentions us) and plays and once again dominates the Rose Bowl.
Fact: Deangelo Williams and Adrian Peterson will be the top 2 fantasy players respectively.
Fact: Mark Sanchez will only finish behind Brady, Brees, Warner and Manning in fantasy points this year.
A couple of my purchases with the black card - gives you double warranty.
LV Evidence Sunglasses in Black - these look good
Kobe Bryant Zoom IV Shoes in Black/Red - these look good
Jay-Z Tha Blueprint III - on preorder, comes out 9/11, still the greatest rapper alive
Advice for Centurion card members:
Don't ever buy fast food or movie tickets at a theater with your black card - use your linked gold or platinum cards. It causes a huge scene and the $8.50/hr worker will proceed to run around and show it off to everyone. It creates attention but at these places it may be in the negative form. Read: You may get mugged. Practice safe carding.
I have a trip planned for the Mandarin Oriental in Washington D.C. - payed the lowest rate through expedia for standard room and expect to upgraded to Cityview Suite (3x floor space). Good times shall be had.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Steel Panther at the Key Club - Hollywood, CA 7/14/09
What a great night. This was my first time out with the black card and it was the prototype card. If you are ever looking for a great time on Monday nights this is the place to be - Steel Panther (formerly known as Metal Skool, Metal Shop and Danger Kitty) is the longest running show on the sunset strip. It happens every Monday where they go on stage at midnight - usually local cover bands fighting for a record deal open for them. The best way to describe this show is a mixture of 80's Glam Metal combined with Girls Gone Wild. They do great cover's of 80's Glam metal complete with the outrageous outfits and big hair. Michael Starr, the lead singer, is actually a very talented singer who was the frontman for LA Guns - for 2 weeks. Another reason to go to this show is that fact that you will be rubbing elbows with Hollywood's elite. Each time I've gone there has been a notable celebrity that the band defames by forcing them to come on stage and drunkenly attempt to sing Journey or Gun's & Roses. Sometimes there are even real rock stars there who show their skills - or lack thereof on stage. Thank god for autotune. From the top of my head, I've watched Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Chad Kruger (Nickelback), Justin Hawkin (The Darkness), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave), Ryan Cabrera, Jani Lane (Warrant) and Lil' John showcase their skills on stage. The more embarassing performances were by Benji from Good Charlotte, Ben Roethlisberger, Jeremy Priven, Tony Romo and Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belvedere). It just so happened that tonight Tony Romo, Ryan Cabrera and Mr. Belvedere were there. Romo was fresh off his breakup from Jessica Simpson and seemed to be drinking his problems away. The lead singer called out Tony Romo but probably got a signal not to anymore over his headset and switched the topic to Matt Leinart.
Anyway, it was a great show. Very cramped and a few fights here and there. The highlight of the night was standing next to Lil Bow Wow who was in the VIP. Now, I'm no fan of his music but I've heard that infamous line on the radio "I ain't even gotta act hard, I'm under 21 with a black card". That combined with his youtube documentary of his Lambo (which is rumored to be rented) and Black card in an effort to front on Soulja Boy just made me want to show off my card. Well, I usually don't pay for anything with my black card cause it comes out of pocket and it has to be paid at the end of each month (it's not a credit card, it's a charge card). However, I could not resist flashing my card when the waitress walked by and asking for a monster. He noticed it too - and yes I bought a monster cause my fake ID was taken away the last time I was at this show (Hollywood bouncer's have a no bullshit policy - unless you have C cups or bigger). Anyway, the waitress politely said "No" which I was initially offended by. However, a few minutes later she returned with my monster and said "Happy Birthday". Strange but whatever and for the rest of the night I received free non-alcoholic drinks. She later explained they like to keep their elite clientele - hey it worked cause I come back every month.
All in all, it was a great night despite the fact they didn't cover any Bon Jovi song or Gun's & Roses. They did do a great rendition of Motley Crue's Kickstart My Heart though and they played an original song called Community Property that was awesome. Check it out below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_xhi4H9fH4
Anyway, it was a great show. Very cramped and a few fights here and there. The highlight of the night was standing next to Lil Bow Wow who was in the VIP. Now, I'm no fan of his music but I've heard that infamous line on the radio "I ain't even gotta act hard, I'm under 21 with a black card". That combined with his youtube documentary of his Lambo (which is rumored to be rented) and Black card in an effort to front on Soulja Boy just made me want to show off my card. Well, I usually don't pay for anything with my black card cause it comes out of pocket and it has to be paid at the end of each month (it's not a credit card, it's a charge card). However, I could not resist flashing my card when the waitress walked by and asking for a monster. He noticed it too - and yes I bought a monster cause my fake ID was taken away the last time I was at this show (Hollywood bouncer's have a no bullshit policy - unless you have C cups or bigger). Anyway, the waitress politely said "No" which I was initially offended by. However, a few minutes later she returned with my monster and said "Happy Birthday". Strange but whatever and for the rest of the night I received free non-alcoholic drinks. She later explained they like to keep their elite clientele - hey it worked cause I come back every month.
All in all, it was a great night despite the fact they didn't cover any Bon Jovi song or Gun's & Roses. They did do a great rendition of Motley Crue's Kickstart My Heart though and they played an original song called Community Property that was awesome. Check it out below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_xhi4H9fH4
My Experience with the Centurion Card
How I got the Card:
I am by no means wealthy - not at all. I've actually overdrawn my checking account more times within the past two years than I've made deposits my entire life. My uncle is though and when I was a child we were close friends but my parents forbid me from speaking with him until I turned 18 and would be able to decide for myself. The reason for this was he was investigated for a hotel in New York that he owns that drug lords were operating out of back in 1994. Well I turned 18 two years ago but the subject of seeking him out never really crossed my mind. Then I met him at a wedding and I saw him pay for his drinks with the Centurion card. I was still rocking my BofA platinum plus Visa but I had been doing a pretty good job of building credit - paying in full every month. We talked about everything, I was convinced that my parents did not give him a fair chance and if you knew my parents you'd know how they are. Anyway, I manage a few CD's for him and he agreed to put me on his account as the secondary account holder for the Centurion card. Now, many people would say this is a waste of money to pay $1500 annually before you can spend a single dollar. My friends asked why I didn't just ask for that money instead of getting an "elite" card. Well in my family its an unspoken rule to not give money - its just a sign of respect. And it was between the card or a car - and I'm not one to milk someone for their money - I initially was interested in how he got it and in that conversation he saw my interest as an opportunity to make up for all my missed birthdays as a kid. From a more practical standpoint, paying $1500 for a card seemed to make sense to me considering my lifestyle and spending habits. I could upgrade to first class every time I fly (~10 times a year), free companion tickets for when I fly, upgrade to suites for hotels (so my friends and I all save money on our roadtrips), and get reservations whenever I wanted at restaurants - I just hate waiting. Well that's the story of how I got the card - now onto more interesting matters such as what the card has done.
American Express Centurion
- Well when I got the card, I was surprised to see it looked a lot different than the cards I saw online. I had done a lot of reading in anticipation for the arrival of the card. It came Fedex in a rectangular white carton. As I opened the heavy welcome kit, I saw a black and GOLD card with a special handwritten note attached. I had been chosen as one of Amex's clients for a prototype card that they wanted to test. As I picked the card up, I saw that everything was laser engraved. This card was not as low key as the true centurion card, it is much heavier, shinier and better looking. Unfortunately, it said the card would only be active for a month then they would change my account number and send me the original card. The welcome kit came with a personal letter from the CEO of American Express Ken Chenault (Interesting Fact: He is one of the richest black men in the world). It also came with a nice bound booklet detailing all the information about the card and papers for Hertz Gold Club as well as card registration. I will put these pictures up eventually.
How to Get a Centurion Card:
It's no longer as exclusive as people like to think - atleast as cardholders think. The only requirement is to spend $250,000 annually on an American Express Platinum card. After doing that, simply call up customer service and they will approve you for the Centurion card. With that phone call comes a $5000 initiation fee and $2500 annual fee. In other countries, the requirements are different - much lower actually. The reason for the large amount of cards out there is the low $250,000 requirement - most businesses go through this in one month on infrastructure management alone. Personally, I think it is much more significant to have a personal centurion card than the business one - every CEO has one nowadays but to have one with your name on it really means much more.
More details to come later. Any questions?
I am by no means wealthy - not at all. I've actually overdrawn my checking account more times within the past two years than I've made deposits my entire life. My uncle is though and when I was a child we were close friends but my parents forbid me from speaking with him until I turned 18 and would be able to decide for myself. The reason for this was he was investigated for a hotel in New York that he owns that drug lords were operating out of back in 1994. Well I turned 18 two years ago but the subject of seeking him out never really crossed my mind. Then I met him at a wedding and I saw him pay for his drinks with the Centurion card. I was still rocking my BofA platinum plus Visa but I had been doing a pretty good job of building credit - paying in full every month. We talked about everything, I was convinced that my parents did not give him a fair chance and if you knew my parents you'd know how they are. Anyway, I manage a few CD's for him and he agreed to put me on his account as the secondary account holder for the Centurion card. Now, many people would say this is a waste of money to pay $1500 annually before you can spend a single dollar. My friends asked why I didn't just ask for that money instead of getting an "elite" card. Well in my family its an unspoken rule to not give money - its just a sign of respect. And it was between the card or a car - and I'm not one to milk someone for their money - I initially was interested in how he got it and in that conversation he saw my interest as an opportunity to make up for all my missed birthdays as a kid. From a more practical standpoint, paying $1500 for a card seemed to make sense to me considering my lifestyle and spending habits. I could upgrade to first class every time I fly (~10 times a year), free companion tickets for when I fly, upgrade to suites for hotels (so my friends and I all save money on our roadtrips), and get reservations whenever I wanted at restaurants - I just hate waiting. Well that's the story of how I got the card - now onto more interesting matters such as what the card has done.
American Express Centurion
- Well when I got the card, I was surprised to see it looked a lot different than the cards I saw online. I had done a lot of reading in anticipation for the arrival of the card. It came Fedex in a rectangular white carton. As I opened the heavy welcome kit, I saw a black and GOLD card with a special handwritten note attached. I had been chosen as one of Amex's clients for a prototype card that they wanted to test. As I picked the card up, I saw that everything was laser engraved. This card was not as low key as the true centurion card, it is much heavier, shinier and better looking. Unfortunately, it said the card would only be active for a month then they would change my account number and send me the original card. The welcome kit came with a personal letter from the CEO of American Express Ken Chenault (Interesting Fact: He is one of the richest black men in the world). It also came with a nice bound booklet detailing all the information about the card and papers for Hertz Gold Club as well as card registration. I will put these pictures up eventually.
How to Get a Centurion Card:
It's no longer as exclusive as people like to think - atleast as cardholders think. The only requirement is to spend $250,000 annually on an American Express Platinum card. After doing that, simply call up customer service and they will approve you for the Centurion card. With that phone call comes a $5000 initiation fee and $2500 annual fee. In other countries, the requirements are different - much lower actually. The reason for the large amount of cards out there is the low $250,000 requirement - most businesses go through this in one month on infrastructure management alone. Personally, I think it is much more significant to have a personal centurion card than the business one - every CEO has one nowadays but to have one with your name on it really means much more.
More details to come later. Any questions?
Welcome to My Blog!
So as of today, its been about a month since I first got my black card. This is the American Express Centurion card that Kanye refers to as the "African American Express". I decided to start a blog so I could chronicle my adventures using the card. There is a lot of talk about the card but no one really knows the exact details or benefits of the card other than American Express. Heck there isn't even a website you can apply for it or read about it on. So welcome to my blog and I hope to provide you with all relevant information to the card as well as personal experiences and whatever witty remarks I can come up with.
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