What’s above Platinum?

You’ve made it. You’re a millionaire thanks to that whacky invention, lottery win, lucky investment or deceased relative you never met. While wait for your diamond-encrusted slippers to be delivered and your melt your old platinum cards, you’re going to want to check out what sort of plastic is available to you. Or, like the rest of us, maybe you just want to see what the 1% use to spend their money.

American Express Centurion: A card for the more adventurous (and rich)

Details about this titanium bad boy are deliberately scarce. Rumours suggest you need to be spending $250 000 a year to even be considered for an invitation to receive the card. But once you’ve been invited, the world is your oyster – things like a personal concierge to formula one car rentals are at your fingertips.

If that’s not enough, perhaps an invitation-only golf event at the Hunter Valley is to your liking?
Hitting a hole-in-one wins you a brand new Maserati Spyder. Or maybe free first-class upgrades with every flight, with the option to bring a ‘companion’ on said flight for free.

And all for the small fee of just $4300 per year.

P.S For anyone wondering what these cards are like to hold. We spoke to a guy who has a friend who has a friend who had one and he said that they’re about the size and weight of an iPhone but 10 times slimmer.

The Silver Surfer

The JP Morgan Chase Palladium Card is a relative newcomer to the scene and so tries to go one better than the centurion by laser etching your signature onto the back of the card.

The usual benefits are still on offer, like an around-the-clock personal concierge able to get you tickets to sold-out shows and no-pre set spending limit. And if you’re thinking of buying a Marquis Jet Card for on-demand personal jet flights around the globe, the Palladium card gets you one complimentary hour worth almost $5000.

To round off this excellent list of features the Palladium also covers you up to $1000 to get your body home in the event you die abroad.

The eye searer- Dubai First Royale Mastercard

It’s a well known fact that those society’s types like their credit cards to be made out of rare metals. Surprise! This card is encrusted with a diamond.

The certified diamond which sits in the middle of the gold-encrusted Royale Mastercard is the finishing touch to a card that goes through 36 stages before being completed.

The Royale Mastercard brings with it a personal relationship manager who will look after booking events on your behalf, and also preferential access to the Burj Al-Arab, one of the tallest and most exclusive hotels in the world. There’s just one tiny catch – you have to call sunny Dubai your home to be eligible for this card.

Visa Black Card AKA Batman’s credit card

The snob in you may scoff when first inspecting the Visa Black Card – it’s only made of patent-pending carbon after all. Still, the card provides the same 24-hour concierge service as the others, as well as a low introductory rate for balance transfers for the first 15 months – which seems a little out of place considering the clientele this card’s aimed at.

To top it off, ‘The Black’ gives you complimentary access to airport lounges around the world and its website states members will periodically receive ‘luxury gifts’.

The Golden Dragon

If you don’t live in Dubai but love diamonds, perhaps the KTC Royal Orchid Plus World Mastercard is for you. Comprised of 0.06 carats of diamonds and 6 carats of gold, the card guarantees your wealth won’t go unnoticed. Having one of these invitation-only cards means you’ll always fly first class on Thai airways and have access to the ever-important personal concierge.

Check out the launch video of the KTC MasterCard courtesy of Positioning Magazine: it’s mostly pretty boring and difficult to understand but gives an idea of the hype surrounding the launch of a new credit card.

KTC Royal Orchid Plus World MasterCard Limited Edition from Positioning Magazine on Vimeo.