BuzzSugar

Credit Card Perks For the Super Wealthy

Emily Co — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:20:08 PST

The richest American Express cardholders (who hold the Centurion or black card) are about to find the process of negotiating for cars a lot easier. Privileged members will now be able to negotiate the price of a car through an AMEX website without even having reveal personal information online, according to the New York Times. Wow, imagine not having to deal with the stress of haggling with the car dealer!

Out of curiosity, I went to check out some of the best perks offered by the black card. Here is a list of them:

Automatic upgrades in several airlines to business or first class
A 24/7 personal concierge who will do all your bookings and find that elusive bag that seems to be sold out everywhere
Personal shoppers at high-end department stores and extended shopping hours if you need more time
Instant hotel upgrades and late check out times
A complimentary air ticket for your partner on certain international flights if you buy a full priced ticket
Travel expert who will do all the bookings for you, find the best deals, and negotiate the best travel perks on your behalf

I know that these are credit card benefits that aren't realistic for most. After all, few can afford spending at least $250,000 a year. I'm wondering, if anything were possible (fees and spending minimums aside), what kind of credit card perk would you love to have?

Decoding the Numbers on Your Credit Card

Emily Co — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:00:06 PST

The Goldman Sachs and Stephen Colbert debacle reached a high Tuesday night when Colbert received a letter from the lawyers at the bank. Here's a refresher of the drama: one of Colbert's staff found the credit card of Buckley T. Ratchford, a partner at Goldman Sachs, which the comedian used to try and blackmail Ratchford to come on his show by threatening to reveal a digit of his credit card number every night. This is part of his effort to get someone from one of the big banks to come onto his show to talk about Wall Street and bonuses, something that Colbert has been trying to do, but with no success.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Goldman Sachs Lawyers Want Buckley T. Ratchford's Card Back

www.colbertnation.com

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Political Humor & Satire Blog</a>

March to Keep Fear Alive

One of the funny highlights of the show was when Colbert reveals the first number of the card, a five, to which he says, "That's a good number. Indicates a high credit limit." Obviously it was a joke, but this made me wonder what what the first number of a credit card actually means. I found the answer on HowStuffWorks:

3: Travel or entertainment cards, like American Express and Diners club.
4: Visa, including Visa-branded debit and cash cards.
5: Mastercard and Mastercard-branded cards.
6: Discover card.

To satisfy your curiosity about what the rest of the digits mean, read on!

Team Up With Glee and Members Project®

Sponsor — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 05:45:00 PST

Mr. Shue is teaming up with Members Project from American Express to rally the Gleeks and help make the world a better place. He will be suggesting cool ways for everyone to get involved.

Of course, Sue is doing her part too - sneakily plotting to thwart Shue's feel-good fun.

Don't be a Sue. Do something good instead, and learn about how you and a friend could volunteer with members of the cast of Glee. Learn more.

The Ridiculously Rich Want More Fast Food

Emily Co — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:40:40 PDT

They're loving it! The mega rich can dine in the finest restaurants and sip on the most extravagant wines, but apparently all they want is a good ol' cheeseburger. Or at least, that's the trend we're seeing now as the result of the recession.

According to a study by American Express, "ultra-affluent" customers have increased their fast food budget by 24 percent, reports The Wall Street Journal. In comparison, the rest of the firm's US customers increased their junk food spending by only eight percent. The "ultra-affluent" category includes people who spend more than $7,000 per month and earn a certain income level.

Keith Gutsell, an IT risk manager at a Chicago bank, says eating these quick service meals helps him feel more thrifty. "Subconsciously, I think I'm saving money by spending less on food, but my spending somewhere else must be going up, because the amount on my credit card is not going down," he says.

Although eating cheap meals on the go will save them big bucks now, it will result in higher medical bills in the long run. Have you been consuming more fast food to save money like the fabulously wealthy?

Companies Caring This Holiday Season

babysugar — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:00:58 PST

"It is better to give than to receive" is a lesson mom often tries to teach her wee ones. Some companies are practicing what we preach this holiday season. Mommies can feel good about handing off their hard earned money to these businesses knowing that a percentage (be it small) is going towards philanthropic efforts and helping some less fortunate children have a better and brighter holiday.

On Our Radar: AmEx Offers VIP Access at LA Fashion Week

FabSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:00:22 PDT

American Express card members, listen up: your card is making an appearance at LA Fashion Week and granting you major access. Visit AmericanExpress.com to buy packages that offer seats to the Spring '09 designer collections, free makeup consultations with Smashbox Cosmetics, access to insider-only benefits, styling tips from Judith Ripka jewelry, and more. Mind you, Lauren Conrad's show on Oct. 14 is still available . . .

The best part is the credit card company adds proceeds from the event package sales to the $500,000 American Express donation to the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund.

Fab Flash: New York Fashion Week Via American Express

FabSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:00:22 PDT

Dying to go to New York Fashion Week next month? Here's your chance. I must preface, my mom did this one year while I was working and I hung out with her in the VIP Skybox - it was oh so Fab. And the sandwiches were really good. If you have money to burn, and a burning desire for fashion, consider buying your way in.
Starting today, American Express Gold, Platinum, and Centurion cardmembers can choose from a variety of packages to watch the shows from the exclusive American Express Skybox. You can buy tickets online for BCBG, Betsey Johnson, Diesel, Erin Fetherston, Phillip Lim, Vera Wang - the list goes on. You have to buy them in groups of two shows, for $250 a person. There's also "By Invitation Only" packages that let you experience backstage and visit with hair and makeup artists. Proceeds will go to the $500,000 American Express donation to the Council of Fashion Designers of America Vogue Fashion Fund. So not only will you be witnessing fashion, you'll be supporting it. Shows are already selling out so hop to. Who's Spring collection would you like to see?!

Source

Tina Fey Shows Off Her Organizational Skills

GeekSugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 03:00:21 PDT

In a recent print ad for American Express, Tina Fey was captured in true form with her daughter Alice Zenobia in what I'm assuming is her home office or the world's messiest set design! After spotting this ad on lifehacker, I'm starting to think that Fey may not be as geeky as we thought. With so many post-its, papers and notebooks, one can only assume that she hasn't made the leap into online organizing just yet. At least she's taking a step in the right direction with the MacBook, but someone needs to teach her how to make her life paperless! With new services like Twitter and Google Doc's she can surely swap those post-its for a clutter-free work space. Maybe I'm underestimating her geekiness, because in the latest issue of Geek Monthly, Jimmy Fallon confesses that Tina is in fact a 'geek.' "I think Tina is a geek superhero," says Fallon. She's very smart which I guess you can classify as a geek thing, and she doesn't have 20/20 vision, which also adds to it if we're gonna break it down. Everyone has their quirkiness and she embraces it, and that's what makes her cool." Fey goes on to admit her geek is "pretty deep. I will say the character I play on the show (Liz Lemon), she's a deeper geek, though. She has better Star Wars knowledge than I have by about 40 percent." Source

Ellen's Show Is An Animal House!

GiggleSugar — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:00:00 PDT

I was pleased to see that daytime funny gal Ellen DeGeneres is one of seven contenders who are up for the "Outstanding Commercial" Emmy award. In this clever commercial, cameras follow her behind the scenes of her TV show and lemme tell ya, it's a wonder they get any work done over there. It's a zoo! No joke. To watch all the other Emmy-nominated commercials, click here. (Thanks, Best Week Ever!)

Lost: New Info About the Next Episode

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 15:23:09 PST

There have been bits and pieces coming out about the next episode of "Lost," which returns Feb. 7. (Now at 10:00 p.m.!) Apparently, it will be the first episode to feature flashbacks of an Other (Juliet), and rumor has it she "shoots someone shocking." According to the very brief sneak peek we were given a while ago, Jack wakes up in Sawyer's old cage, and a flight attendant from the Oceanic flight tells him they're "there to watch." Also, Zap2It is reporting that ABC released this information regarding the Feb. 7 episode:

Jack is in command, as the fate of one of The Others' lives rests in his hand. Meanwhile, Kate and Sawyer find an ally in one of The Others, and Juliet makes a shocking decision that could endanger her standing with her people.

Perhaps the "shocking" decision and the "shocking" person Juliet shoots are one and the same.

Lots more cool stuff about "Lost," so

read more Also, if you are an American Express card holder (or if you'd like to sign up for a new card), you can gain access to more information about the upcoming episodes on the ABC website. And since we still have seven weeks until the next episode, check out this Lost personality test I found. Turns out I'm most like Charlie. Which character are you most like? Try the quiz and tell me below!