Are Centurion card holders entitled to the Platinum CC?

[armanie]

Hi,

I was just wondering.

I've read that Platinum Charge Card holders are entitled to a free Platinum Credit Card, and therefore a free domestic flight per year.

Can any one confirm whether Centurion card holders are entitled to the same thing, considering their fees are about 4 times more expensive?

Thanks.

armanie

 

[NYCguy]

I don't think many Centurion cardholders are too hung up about a "free" return economy airfare once a year.

 

[Travel Guru]

From what i've been told by those who do have one, the benefits far outweigh that of a free domestic Y flight.

TG

 

[Homer]

Yes Centurion members are entitled to a "free" AMEX Platinum card which does include the "free" domestic flight. I can't remember the class it books into but that information has been posted elsewhere in this place. It is upgradeable but they charge you something like $65 to make a change (including upgrading it) which, when you look at the value of the airfare, is hardly worth it.

 

[Maca44]

The Amex free flights are booked into 'O' class.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

Yes Centurion members are entitled to a "free" AMEX Platinum card which does include the "free" domestic flight. I can't remember the class it books into but that information has been posted elsewhere in this place. It is upgradeable but they charge you something like $65 to make a change (including upgrading it) which, when you look at the value of the airfare, is hardly worth it.

The free flight books into O. They don't charge you $65 to upgrade it - just the fare difference between what they can get O plus what you do book into. It's roughly equivalent (at least at the cheap level) to what's on the QANTAS website.

 

[Homer]

The free flight books into O. They don't charge you $65 to upgrade it - just the fare difference between what they can get O plus what you do book into. It's roughly equivalent (at least at the cheap level) to what's on the QANTAS website.

I believe that any changes to the ticket once issued, including changing the class to J, for example, attract a $65 fee. That has certainly been my experience. However I didn't bother with the free flight last year so I am relying on my rapidly failing memory from two years ago.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

I believe that any changes to the ticket once issued, including changing the class to J, for example, attract a $65 fee. That has certainly been my experience. However I didn't bother with the free flight last year so I am relying on my rapidly failing memory from two years ago.

Yes - I'd believe that. Amex, CWT etc all have standard rebooking charges to cover both the QANTAS rebooking fee plus their own margin.

But booking the initial ticket shouldn't cost $65 if the O class isn't available.

 

[Homer]

Yes - I'd believe that. Amex, CWT etc all have standard rebooking charges to cover both the QANTAS rebooking fee plus their own margin.

But booking the initial ticket shouldn't cost $65 if the O class isn't available.

You are right. There is no charge for booking the initial ticket. It is only changes that require ticket reissue, including upgrading the class which they only permit once the ticket is issued, which attract the charge.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

You are right. There is no charge for booking the initial ticket. It is only changes that require ticket reissue, including upgrading the class which they only permit once the ticket is issued, which attract the charge.

Um - no, not in my experience.

I just booked a return flight to Brisbane. There was no O class available - instead I got Q. I got charged ~$30 extra each way (I think it was $31 extra one way, and $33 extra the other way), which was pretty much what the QANTAS website was offering to sell those seats at.

 

[rwatts]

Um - no, not in my experience.

There was no O class available - instead I got Q. I got charged ~$30 extra each way (I think it was $31 extra one way, and $33 extra the other way), which was pretty much what the QANTAS website was offering to sell those seats at.

I havnt taken my (Qantas Ultimate) free flight yet, but understand it to be "subject to seat availability" - presumably O class availability. Your experience sounds like you effectively upgraded to Q because you wanted to fly when there was no O availability. Are the Platinum conditions different ?

Richard.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

I havnt taken my (Qantas Ultimate) free flight yet, but understand it to be "subject to seat availability" - presumably O class availability. Your experience sounds like you effectively upgraded to Q because you wanted to fly when there was no O availability.

That's what I think happened. It seems that Amex Travel just books you a seat on QANTAS and pays QANTAS for that seat at internal Amex corp rates. If you want to book into a different class, then you need to pony up the extra cost.

Are the Platinum conditions different ?

From what i can tell, all of the cards seem to have the same conditions. Maybe there is some small difference, but as I don't have an Ultimate card I don't really know.

 

[wiz]

Um - no, not in my experience.

I just booked a return flight to Brisbane. There was no O class available - instead I got Q. I got charged ~$30 extra each way (I think it was $31 extra one way, and $33 extra the other way), which was pretty much what the QANTAS website was offering to sell those seats at.

If I may clarify:

Upgrading the ticket at the time of booking to a class higher than "O" will incur a cost of the fare difference only.

Upgrading the ticket after the booking has been made will incur the cost of the fare difference + the applicable change fee ($65).

 

[armanie]

I don't think many Centurion cardholders are too hung up about a "free" return economy airfare once a year.

You know what they say, "Never look a gift horse in the mouth!"

Thanks for the info every one.

armanie

 

[AnonymousCoward]

If I may clarify:

Upgrading the ticket at the time of booking to a class higher than "O" will incur a cost of the fare difference only.

Upgrading the ticket after the booking has been made will incur the cost of the fare difference + the applicable change fee ($65).

Yes.

But bear in mind that my experience is a sample size of 1, so it may just have been that the TA was being nice.