Isn't ego a wonderful thing? I may, on a few occasions have been accused of having one! AMEX captured the ego centric upper income level consumer by introducing the "Centurian" card. It truly is what it makes itself out to be. You cannot apply, you must be invited and American Express will not release the criteria for being invited. There is a hefty annual fee to maintain membership of this exclusive club. The card isn't plastic, it's metal, and whenever you shop with it, it reminds me of the scene in "Pretty Woman" when Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts clothes shopping on Rodeo Drive, there's a lot of sucking up!!!
Recently Visa have dipped their toe into the "exclusive" card market. The "Visa Black Card", is supposedly an exclusive card limited to 1% of the population. It's annual fee is $495 a year and you can apply for the card and do not need to be "invited". The thing is, the card may be Black, (and made of snazzy carbon), but the deal is really rather grey.
When the card arrived in its small, smart, matt black box, it had the credit details…my "exclusive" Black Card had a $5,000 monthly credit limit. The 1% of the population they were targeting, apparently... Read more
Tagged 'exclusive' 
The Rather "Grey" Black Card
Posted by Malcolm Bird on May 18th, 2010 at 12:00 am
