It's sad but true that some people like to impress others with their credit card -- or charge card. Whip out a snazzy gold or platinum or molybdenum charge card when you're paying for dinner, and you may raise an eyebrow among your fellow diners. But these status symbols aren't what they used to be. That's why gold cards were superseded by platinum ones.
If you're looking for the most exclusive card around, it may be one offered by American Express (NYSE:AXP): the Centurion card. (The name is a bit odd; in ancient Roman armies, centurions were not among the highest-level leaders.) To qualify for the Centurion, which is colored black, you need to spend on an annual basis more than most people make each year: at least $150,000. Once you become a cardholder, you're socked with an annual fee... of only $2,500. (No, the decimal isn't in the wrong place.)
In our Credit Center, which offers many tips on how to maximize your credit score, get out of debt, and manage credit cards prudently, we recommend that Fools avoid cards with annual fees, as there are so many good cards available that charge nothing. Indeed, we painstakingly designed a charge card of our own -- the Motley Fool Visa card -- with no annual fee. I got one myself this year and must confess that I've been surprised by how many cashiers and friends are taken with and comment on the colorful card. With much relief, I'm realizing I probably won't have to resort to the Centurion card if I want to make an impression.
But back to the Centurion card. One of the benefits of membership (it's estimated that around 5,000 people carry the card) is an additional status symbol -- an exclusive magazine. One so exclusive that it has no name. Those in the know will know what it is, and those not in the know may just inquire about that striking publication on the coffee table. As Centurion cardholders are surely busy people, the magazine is rather minimalistic, featuring just five or so articles per issue and a mere handful of ads.
If you (sensibly) think you might skip the Centurion card, good for you! Here are some additional credit-related articles that should be of interest:
Discuss all things credit-card related on our Consumer Credit/Credit Cards discussion board.
Longtime Fool contributor Selena Maranjian does not own shares of any companies mentioned in this article.
