Are Credit Card Concierge Services Worth Anything?

by joeheg

Many credit cards offer access to a concierge. You might ask, “So what?” (I know that’s what Sharon would say) (Note from Sharon: Yup!). Well, a concierge may be able to help with your vacation plans or get tickets for shows or concerts you couldn’t get yourself. Being an obsessive planner, I never found much value added by talking to a concierge. They’ve often just sent me cut and paste lists from Yelp! or TripAdvisor, and that’s something I can do myself. But if you’re the type that’s too busy to look up good restaurants in San Francisco near your hotel, this might be an excellent service for you.

The number of cards that offer concierge services is truly staggering. From the top end of top-end cards to the most basic entry-level card, they all offer some level of services.

Here’s a list of concierge services offered by credit cards:

Visa Signature

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Many cards carry the Visa Signature logo. Look in the bottom right corner or on the back of the card. If it’s there, you’re in! I counted five different cards that are Visa Signature, two of which are no-annual-fee cards.

Here’s a description of what’s offered:

In this time of uncertainty, whatever your travel plans may be, our Concierge is here to help you as you navigate the challenges. We are happy to assist with current and future travel needs, sending that special gift, and helping make your life a bit easier.

The Concierge Service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Concierge Service fulfills the following types of request(s):

  • Travel
  • Dining
  • Entertainment
  • Personal Assistance

How does the Visa Signature Concierge Service work?

Visa Signature cardholders access the Concierge Service through a toll-free phone number: 1-800-953-7392 (outside of the U.S., cardholders can call collect at 630-350-4551) or via this webpage. Cardholders can call or email a request 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Depending on the nature of the request, a Concierge Representative may be able to assist them right away. If the request needs to be researched, the Concierge Representative will contact the cardholder by a follow-up phone call or email.

Visa Infinite

visa-infinite-brand-card

This is the next Visa card level, and only the exclusive cards, with annual fees to match, carry this logo.

The most well-known Visa Infinite cards are the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the Chase Ritz Carlton Rewards Visa and the UBS Visa Infinite.

I hate that when you get higher-level service, there’s less and less information about what that service actually provides. Here’s the information from the Visa Infinite website:

Enjoy 24/7 personalized assistance for travel planning, dinner reservations, sports, entertainment tickets and more. Available 365 days a year from home or abroad.

Thanks. That’s helpful.

Mastercard World and World Elite

Many Mastercards have either the World or World Elite logo on them. I found several of them in our wallets (or in the drawer)

The Mastercard World and World Elite cards provide access to a concierge, but the information on what services are provided is limited at best. I’m unsure what difference there is in the services offered. Here’s what is on the Mastercard World website:

Provided by experienced travel advisors ready to help you plan your trip 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 1-855-802-1387 today or start online at the link below. With our new website, we understand your travel preferences are unique to you. By providing your likes and dislikes, personalized travel results will be curated just for you!1

American Express Platinum Concierge

AMEXPlatinumCard

I saved the best for last. Of all the concierge services, I still consider American Express the only one to be a value-added service. I haven’t used the concierge much, but when I did, they were wonderful. Here’s a description from the AMEX website of the service offered:

Concierge is a complimentary service, for eligible Card Members. Our Lifestyle concierges provide expertise on what matters to you and can assist you with finding the best restaurants or buying tickets to upcoming events.

My first time using the concierge was for my “round” birthday year trip. I wanted to go to Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry in Yountville, CA, but the problem was that reservations were almost impossible to come by. We would only be in the area for two nights, so I didn’t have any chance to screw it up. I emailed the AMEX Platinum concierge and promptly received this response:

Good evening! I hope this email finds you well. Thank you for your email inquiring about the status of your reservation request for The French Laundry in Napa Valley. I apologize for any delay in getting back to you. The restaurant accepts reservations 2 months in advance to the date. As such, the first date we can contact the restaurant regarding your reservation request will be XXXXXXXX. At that time, we will attempt to book your first requested date. You can expect an update no later than 9:00 pm ET on Saturday XXXXXXXXXX. The 16 seat restaurant books quickly so if we are unsuccessful, we will attempt for your other dates as the reservation books open.

Exactly two months to the day before our trip, I received this email.

I hope you had a wonderful conversation with my colleague. I am delighted to let you know that I have secured your reservation at The French Laundry. While we cannot tell you about the menu as it changes daily we can say that desserts have included pecan pie with verjus-poached honey pears and ice cream flavored with grains of paradise; and buttermilk sherbet and Marcona almond waffle. The cheese cart course is composed and presented in the same labor-intensive fashion as the rest of the meal. The wine list is appropriately extensive. The servers are intuitive, precise and deliberately paced, allowing you to soak in the three or four-hour experience.

I am very excited to present you with a much sought after reservation at the world-famous The French Laundry. I know you are going to have an amazing experience. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me the next time we speak. Please see below for your reservation details, confirmation and cancellation policy including dress code

One of the French Laundry’s policies is a need to call 72 hours before your reservation to confirm your time with them. One problem – we were in Yosemite National Park three days before our reservation, so we had no signal and were unable to call. (Did I ever mention how much Sharon liked Yosemite and the fact it snowed when we were there?)

IMG_0581

(Note from Sharon: If you couldn’t tell from the picture, I’m not a fan of mountains, rocks, freezing weather or snow. Joe LOVED it. It’s a good thing this was his birthday trip and that I love him; that’s all I gotta say…)

I emailed AMEX from Yosemite (we had inconsistent Edge service) and asked if they could confirm for us since we could not call ourselves. I had a reply two hours later:

Please be advised that your reservation has been confirmed on your behalf. Below, please find your confirmation details.

I was really impressed with the service. I didn’t need to use AMEX concierge again until I heard they had tickets for HAMILTON!!!

IMG_3884

While the process of getting tickets from the AMEX concierge for Hamilton wasn’t easy, we were able to get tickets for face value. Not an easy feat and one that gives value to having access to them.

American Express Centurion Concierge

MwNyEVG

The American Express Centurion (Black) card. I’m not writing about this card because I know how excellent the concierge services they provide are. I mean, this card is for the type of people who have people. They don’t check OpenTable to see where is the place to eat or how to get from JFK to Manhattan by the subway. I bet they don’t even take the subway.

So there you have it. A quick recap of credit card concierge services. Did you even know you had access to these services? Will this change the way you travel, or shop, or make dining reservations, or do you already use these services?

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3 comments

Hotel opportunities in Europe, when a timeshare makes sense, and more - Frequent Miler February 10, 2018 - 9:02 pm

[…] Are Credit Card Concierge Services Worth Anything? […]

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Delta’s Trying To Look Neutral, New Amex Changes, The Stupidity Of a Loyalty Program + More… – Your Mileage May Vary March 11, 2018 - 1:01 pm

[…] I wrote about how helpful, or not helpful, credit card concierges are and now The Points Guy writes about the same thing? I’m probably giving myself too much […]

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Point For Four November 11, 2019 - 11:36 pm

Every time we have turned to a concierge after google was able to help us they have been useless and I’m referring to the Platinum level. They are just subcontractors using google themselves. 🤷‍♂️

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