Are Credit Card Concierge Services Worth Anything?

Many credit cards offer access to a concierge. You might ask, “So what?” (I know that’s what my wife 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, which 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. They all offer some service, from the highest-end cards to the most basic entry-level cards.

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

Visa Signature

a close up of a credit card

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 ten Visa Signature cards, three of which are no-annual-fee cards.

Here’s a description of what’s offered:

A complimentary, personal assistance service awaits Visa Signature cardholders 24/7 at (800) 953-7392 or (630) 350-4551 (outside of the USA). Our concierges will do their best to assist you with all types of travel, dining, and entertainment requests.

Visa Signature Concierges can recommend and help book/secure:

Travel and travel related plans

Reservations at restaurants

Tickets for events and concerts

Gifts and floral arrangement delivery

Other unique lifestyle requests

Most tasks are completed within 24 to 48 hours.

Visa Infinite

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, Capital One Venture X and the UBS Visa Infinite.

Here’s the information from the Visa Infinite website:

A complimentary, high-touch personal assistant awaits Visa Infinite cardholders 24/7 at (800) 587-2700 or (303) 214-5802 (outside of the USA).

Visa Infinite Concierge is a convenient and hassle-free way for you to get help with a wide range of travel, dining and entertainment tasks and activities. This time and effort-saving service allows you to enjoy more of the things you love without worrying about the details.

Visa Infinite Concierges can recommend and help to secure:

Travel and travel related plans like tours, unique experiences, and high-touch services

Reservations at top restaurants in the US and around the world

Exclusive or presale tickets for events and experiences

Gifts and floral arrangement delivery

Other unique lifestyle requests

Most tasks are completed within 24 to 48 hours.

It looks very similar to the Visa Signature benefits but fancier.

Mastercard World Elite

a close-up of a credit card

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

The Mastercard World Elite cards provide access to a concierge, but the information on what services are provided is limited. Here’s what is on the Mastercard World website:

A complimentary 24/7 concierge service that acts as a relentless personal assistant. Reserve that perfect table, locate hard-to-find items and more.

To get additional information, you need to log in to the website. While I have several cards that supposedly have access, I could not log in, and when I tried to reset my account, I never received the email.

American Express Platinum Concierge

AMEXPlatinumCard

I saved the best for last. Of all the concierge services, I consider American Express the only one that is 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. 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 French Laundry’s policies is that you 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 could not call. (Did I ever mention how much Sharon liked Yosemite and how it snowed when we were there?)

(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 and asked if they could confirm 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.

American Express Centurion Concierge

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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 to eat or how to get from JFK to Manhattan by the subway. I bet they don’t even take the subway, opting for a Blade helicopter.

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, shop, or make dining reservations, or do you already use these services?

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