How To Get the Amex Centurion Black Card [2026]

We’ve all heard of the ultraexclusive Amex Black Card before. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that American Express’ Black card is reserved for the ultrawealthy and big-spending hotshots. Officially known as the Centurion^® Card from American Express, it’s often used by big-name celebrities and business owners.

You’ve probably also heard that this card is ridiculously expensive to have. However, if you’re a massive spender and crave exclusivity and customer service that stops at almost nothing to please you, then it might work for you.

But even if you were interested in getting the Centurion card, how do you even get it? It turns out that if you meet a few, albeit hugely ambitious, requirements, you can actually put your name in the hat to get invited to the Centurion card club.

In this guide, we’ll show you just how you can do that. Before that, though, let’s talk about the ins and outs of this magnificently expensive card.

Benefits of the Centurion Card

Centurion Concierge

One of the most famous benefits that the Centurion card offers is the Centurion concierge, which is essentially a personal concierge you can leverage for numerous tasks.

With the Centurion concierge, you have a dedicated point of contact that’s available 24/7. The tasks that your concierge can assist with aren’t limited to travel-related queries. From impossible dinner reservations and finding sold-out Christmas gifts to emergency travel plans and front-row seats at the hottest live events, your Centurion concierge is available to help with your requests.

Bottom Line:

Essentially, the biggest value that Centurion card members consistently attest to is access to a personal Centurion concierge who will help plan and arrange for virtually any travel and lifestyle request you might have. These concierges can help save time and optimize your experiences. 

Airline Elite Status

When you hold the Centurion card, one of the biggest benefits you receive is the complimentary Delta SkyMiles Platinum Medallion status, which alone is worth around $3,000 per year!

With Platinum status, you get unlimited complimentary upgrades, avoid fees on many incidentals (including baggage charges and same-day fees), higher-earning categories when booking paid flights, and access to Choice Benefits (including regional upgrades, extra SkyMiles, and more).

Hot Tip:

For the vast majority of us, the Platinum Card^® from American Express is a more realistic premium Amex card. Its annual fee is lower, it’s more attainable, and some of the benefits overlap. However, the Centurion card’s most premium perks aren’t found on the Amex Platinum card.

Hotel Elite Status

One of the most impressive benefits of the Centurion card is the list of hotel chains that you get complimentary elite status with:

• Marriott Bonvoy (Gold Elite)
• Hilton Honors (Diamond)
• IHG One Rewards (Platinum Elite)

Additionally, there are a couple of extra elite benefit programs you have access to:

Car Rental Benefits

The Centurion card is one of the best cards for car rental insurance if your vehicle is lost or stolen. Coverage kicks in when you decline the collision damage waiver from the rental agency.

You also get 24/7 premium roadside assistance with up to 4 complimentary services per year.

Another very handy benefit is access to the Centurion Auto Program, which most people know for the deals and discounts it offers when buying premium cars — as well as preferred pricing on luxury rentals and driving experiences like on-track events and off-road excursions.

Lastly, with this card, you get Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle and Avis President’s Club elite status.

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle affords you the following special benefits:

• Up to 20% off standard cars
• A guaranteed 1-car class upgrade, up to a maximum of a full-size car
• A free 4-hour grace period when you return the vehicle before an extra day is charged
• No fees on one-way domestic rentals within the country
• Guaranteed car availability, as well as free child seats and ski racks (subject to availability)

On the other hand, Avis President’s Club is an invitation-only elite status that gets you the following benefits:

• Guaranteed single upgrade for 3-day rentals between Thursday 12 p.m. to Monday 12 p.m. for a midsize car
• Double upgrade on weekends, subject to availability (excluding vans, luxury and prestige cars, as well as select series and rentals over 14 days)
• Free additional driver
• Highest priority on the waitlist
• Guaranteed car availability for rentals booked at least 48 hours in advance (car groups A to E only)

Cruise Benefits

Another handy benefit of the Centurion card comes when booking cruises via AmexTravel.com if your sailing is 5 nights or more. For these trips, you receive $100 to $500 in credits per stateroom, as well as 1 extra Membership Rewards point per $1 spent on these bookings.

Here are the eligible cruise partners in the American Express Cruise Privileges Program:

Travel and Lifestyle Perks

The Centurion card is known for its benefits. And although the benefits above are fantastic, we aren’t finished yet! Here are some of the other terrific perks you receive, noting that some of these benefits require enrollment:

• Access to Centurion’s international-arrival services
• 50% of your points back through the Pay With Points benefit (compared to 35% rebate on The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, which is up to 1 million points per year)
• Up to $200 airline incidental fee credit
• Access to the Amex Global Lounge Collection, including all Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges upon enrollment, Delta Sky Clubs (restrictions apply), and more
• A Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Annual statement credit for a CLEAR+ membership for the primary cardholder and up to 3 family members
• Membership to PS LAX (discounted entry fees)
• Access to the Amex International Airline Program
• Other travel coverages, like baggage insurance and trip interruption and cancellation insurance
• Complimentary Equinox Destination Access membership
• Up to $250 in Saks Fifth Avenue credits per quarter (up to $1,000 per year)
• Centurion Shopping Program
• Centurion Dining Program
• Centurion Wine Program
• Exclusive event sales and VIP experience access
• Return and purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection

This isn’t a full list by any means, but you get the point. This card comes with a lot of perks.

Bonus Categories

The Centurion card comes with relatively lackluster bonus categories for earning points on purchases. People who hold this card aren’t exactly looking to optimize for rewards. The benefits are the main driver for the Centurion card.

Cardholders earn as follows:

• Earn 1x Amex Membership Rewards points per $1 spent.
• Earn an extra 0.5 Amex Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on purchases of more than $5,000 (up to 1 million extra points per year).

Hot Tip:

Learn about the best ways to earn and redeem Membership Rewards points for maximum value in our helpful guides!

Initiation and Annual Fees

Currently, there are 3 types of fees associated with the Centurion card. And as you can imagine, they are hefty:

• An initiation fee of $10,000
• An annual fee of $5,000 for the primary cardholder
• An annual fee of $5,000 for each additional cardholder (with a maximum of 2 additional cardholders)

Is the Centurion Card Worth It?

So after all is said and done, the big question is: Is the Centurion card worth it?

For the vast majority of us, the answer is no. Most of the allure of this card comes from the wow factor of holding this status symbol.

Unless you’re frequently using your concierge or the lavish memberships like at PS LAX and Equinox, you’re probably better off sticking to a luxury card that gets you many of the same perks without the high costs. Solid options include the Amex Platinum card or the Amex Business Platinum card.

Hot Tip:

See our detailed comparison of the Amex Platinum card and Centurion card to see which travel rewards card you should be considering.

How To Get the Centurion Card

Although there isn’t a published, surefire way to get invited to the Centurion card club, there are certain soft requirements you can meet if you want to maximize your chances of getting approved. Here are the basic tips you can follow.

Be an Existing Amex Cardholder in Good Standing

One of the most intuitive requirements to get the Centurion card is to be an existing Amex cardholder in good standing.

What does this mean? If you’ve been blacklisted by Amex for delinquencies or bankruptcies, kiss your Centurion card dreams goodbye. That’s just us being realistic.

In general, the absolute minimum history you must have with Amex is 1 year. Even if you’re a big spender on Chase credit cards or Capital One credit cards, you need to get your foot in the door with a card like the Amex Platinum card or Amex Business Platinum card.

Make at Least $250,000 in Purchases on Your Amex Cards

Although Amex doesn’t publish a spending threshold to get invited, experience tells us you need to spend at least $250,000 in annual purchases across your Amex cards.

Here’s what we mean: If you spend $150,000 on your Amex Platinum card and $200,000 on your American Express^® Gold Card each year, your aggregate spending across these 2 cards is $350,000.

Practically speaking, spending $250,000 per year doesn’t guarantee an invitation for a Centurion card. In fact, the range is rumored to be $250,000 to $500,000 in annual purchases. And the spending requirements also vary by the card product you’re looking for.

For example, the Centurion card is rumored to require around $250,000 to $350,000 in annual spending, while similar premium cards from other issuers are reported to require around $400,000 to $500,000 in annual spending.

Final Thoughts

In this guide, we outlined all of the perks and benefits associated with the American Express Centurion card. We also walked through the fees associated with this card, as well as how you can position yourself to get invited to this card.

If you want an ultrapremium card that confers some of the world’s best travel and lifestyle benefits at all costs, the Centurion card could be a good fit for you.

For most of us, though, the Amex Platinum card makes a lot more sense. Why? You can get many of the same perks for a lower price. Even though the Amex Platinum card’s fees are hefty, there are tons of benefits and perks that you can take advantage of to make it a lifelong keeper — and its fees are considerably lower than those on the Centurion card!