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The information and associated card details on this page for the Centurion Card has been collected independently by Military Money Manual and have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The American Express Centurion Card – better known as the “Black Card” – is the most exclusive credit card in the world.
Offered by invitation only, the card comes with a $10,000 initiation fee and $5,000 annual fee. It's designed for high-net-worth individuals with $1+ million annual income and $250,000+ annual spend on American Express cards.
But… what if a military servicemember or military spouse, eligible for Military Lending Act protections, was able to apply for and approved for the card? Would American Express military protections apply to the legendary Amex Black Card?
The American Express Centurion Card
In this post:
Amex Centurion Card Invitation
First, our legendary military servicemember would need to secure an invitation to the Amex Centurion card. This card is invitation only and the criteria to get invited are rumored to be quite steep.
While Amex is tight lipped on the actual requirements, data points indictate $1 million of income and $250,000 of spend on Amex cards as a bare minimum to get invited. That automatically puts this card out of reach of most MLA eligible families.
There is apparently no welcome bonus, and the card earns a paltry 1x points purchases under $5,000 (1.5x points on purchases $5,000 and above). You can earn much better with most of the best credit cards for military servicemembers.
Amex Black Card Benefits
Most of the Amex Black card are also available with the American Express Platinum Card®.
Why not pick up an Amex Platinum card before trying to spend your way to an Amex Centurion card? If you want to learn more about military benefits on credit cards, check out the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course.
But there are also benefits that are only available with the Amex Black Card. Again, these are mostly data points gathered from around the web, so some benefits might not be available.
Hotel, Airline, and Travel Benefits
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Medallion status
- Hilton Diamond status (you can get this with the American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card)
- IHG One Rewards Platinum status
- Hertz Platinum status
- Avis President’s Club status
- Expanded access to Centurion Lounges (fewer restrictions, reserved seating, champagne, more guesting privileges, etc.)
- Access to the Lufthansa First Lounges in Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC) when flying a Lufthansa Group airline the same day
- PS (Private Suite) membership (with facilities at LAX and ATL), plus two complimentary visits per year to The Salon at PS, with each visit including a guest
- Airport Butler service at select global airports, when bookings a first or business class ticket through Amex Travel, and in some cases it even includes an airport transfer
- Added benefits with Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®, including increased credits, upgrades confirmed at booking at select properties, and more
Lifestyle Benefits
- An Equinox Destination Access membership; this would ordinarily cost $300+ per month
- 24/7 concierge service for hotels, restaurant reservations, etc.
- Up to $1,000 Saks credit per calendar year (in the form of a $250 credit per quarter)
Enhanced Membership Rewards Points Program
- A rebate on “Pay With Points” bookings, which is potentially a way to redeem Amex points for more value — the personal Amex Centurion card offers a 20% bonus, while the business version offers a 50% bonus
While the Pay with Points could be potentially valuable, and PS membership is valued at $4,850, most of these benefits are a loss if you're not using that service. Although, I could definitely spend $1,000 a year at Saks Fifth Avenue. :)
Amex Centurion Card Welcome Bonus and Points
It's unknown if there is a welcome bonus offered with the Amex Centurion Card. Apparently the card earns only 1x points on purchases with no category bonuses, except on purchases over $5,000, in which it earns 1.5x points.
This is worse than nearly every card I recommend. It doesn't even have a spending bonus category on airfare like the Amex Platinum card does!
Amex Centurion Card Military Benefits
So, would Military Lending Act protections apply to the Amex Centurion card? I believe MLA benefits would apply to the elusive Amex Black Card. I'm not sure about the $10,000 initiation fee.
However, I have no data points to support this. But, it's definitely possible that someone who is eligible for an American Express Centurion card would also be eligible for MLA benefits.
There are many wealthy individuals that serve in the National Guard and Reserves and while they wear a uniform for part of the year, they earn much higher salaries in the civilian world. Think of a doctor that owns her own practice and deploys with her Guard unit, or a business owner that serves part time in the Reserves.
If anyone has a data point on the Amex Centurion card and Military Lending Act benefits, please let me know in the comments!