While most credit card holders use their cards for groceries, grandma's birthday present or gasoline fill-ups, the 0.00000001% of the world population holding the American Express Black Card do not settle for such mundane purchases.  Forget buying a seat on a roundtrip airline route, why not charter a jet using the American Express Black Card?  Forget filling up your gas tank in your Honda Accord, why not buy a Bentley using your American Express Black Card?     

And, these purchases are just scratching the surface of the lux, lavish and one-of-a-kind  purchases using the Black Card.  Comparecards.com's favorite purchases by American Express Black Cardholders: buying a horse ridden by Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves; buying a handful of sand from the Dead Sea for a child's school project; buying a role in the case of a soap opera for an aspiring actor.  Let us know of any other outrageous purchases made using the Black Card that you know of!

So what does it take to get your hand on the heralded black card? It’s not easy.

Requirements

Although this card is the world’s most exclusive credit card, it’s requirements are not that of a basic credit card. To get the card you must possess the following:

  • One year of $250,000 cash flow on ANY American Express Card
  • Hold a US address
  • A near perfect credit history.

Along with this you have to pay an annual fee of $2,500, although being accepted into the cards

The annual fee is $2,500, and although the card is generally by invitation only, any Amex cardholder who believes he qualifies can request that his account be reviewed for eligibility.

The Benefits

First of all, the AMEX Black Card is not your regular card. Having the card is only one part of the experience in being a Black Card Member.

With this card, AMEX also assigns a personal “gatekeeper” with a direct phone number and email address to each person. These people have been known to create “impossible” dinner reservations and make non-existent sports or arts tickets exist. If the card holder happens to lose his wallet, one call will refute all cards and issue new ones. That’s right, one call.

Also, the AMEX black card has an Emergency Assistance Program in case the member is away from home. This “On-Star” system has the legal, financial, and medical information of the card holder available 24/7. It can also be used to replace missing passports, prescriptions, or even arrange for an air ambulance anywhere on Earth, and cover all inoculations.

The cardholder also has private access to high-end stores and boutiques. These include Gucci, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth. These holders are provided a personal assistant to help with the shopping. ALSO, if the items purchased are damaged, they can be replaced up to $50,000 a year. The card also extends any buyer’s warranty by an additional 3 years, regardless of how long it is. Yes, this includes a life time warranty.

The cardholders also have memberships in the FHR (Fine Hotels and Resorts) and SLH (Small Luxary Hotels) which entitles them to free room upgrades, late check-outs, and a personal staff there to meet their every need. The card also means complimentary breakfast for two.

Also, the frequent flier miles for this card are a little better than any other. The benefits boast:

  • First-class flight upgrades
  • Personal travel assistan
  • Access to 450 upend airport lounges in 80 countries
  • A Private Jet Service membership, where the member can buy flight time on a private jet or buy into a “time-share” jet.
  • Finally, a membership in Space Adventures, the company that is promising tourism in space. The cardholder gets credit towards the payment of a space flight.

If the cardholder were to die on the trip during a flight, their family would receive as much as $3.5 million for death reimbursement through the card’s travelers insurance. Their luggage is also insured up to $2,000. If a flight is delayed beyond a few hours, the card holders are issued $250 for hotels or cabs.

So all in all, the AMEX black card is not such a bad deal. If you have the money, chances are you should have this card. But one has to ask . . . now that the government is bailing out many of these institutions, who is footing the bill for such luxuries?