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I’ve been skeptical of the recent trend towards metal credit cards. When the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card first came out without raised numbers and the card numbers printed on the back made out of a heavier card stock than we were used to seeing it was downright sexy.
‘Real metal’ cards like the JP Morgan Palladium were cool 4 and 5 years ago for sure.
But now that everyone is doing metal (I think the best looking broadly available metal card is the Platinum Card by American Express) it’s no longer quite as exclusive.
As a result I’ve questioned the value in the additional expense. I’d rather see the few extra bucks per card go into benefits rather than bling. (In fairness Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Platinum Card by American Express are no slouches there either.)
However the chilling story of an assassination attempt on a Canadian CEO may have just made me a convert to metal credit cards.
Police have released chilling new photos from the scene of a targeted attack against a prominent Calgary estate developer who was ambushed and shot outside his Mount Royal home last December.
Riaz Mamdani, chief executive and founder of the Strategic Group, was on his way to a board meeting on the morning of Dec. 19, 2016, when he was confronted by a gunman who fired six rounds into his Rolls-Royce.
The man’s windshield was “pierced by bullets” and guess what they hit? His Amex Black Card.
Credit: Calgary Police Service
Riaz Mamdani recovered from his wounds. CanuckFlyHigh asks, “Did a Centurion metal card save this Canadian CEO’s life? … One must wonder if it slowed the bullet down just enough to save him?”
American Express doesn’t say much about the details of the American Express Centurion (“Black”) Card). That’s probably a good thing, or else they’d have to be asking themselves whether to update the benefits page in light of this incident.
While you may be guilty of occasional clickbait, pomposity, and verbosity, I don’t think you need to worry about acquiring metal cards for added protection.
I have received death threats more than once !
Where was the card when it stopped the bullet? My cards are in my wallet in my back pocket, so while it is possible to get killed by a bullet to the buttock, it’s probably not that likely.
@Mike D I keep my wallet in my left breast pocket when wearing a jacket, which is probably what this guy was doing. That being said, if someone starts shooting at me, I’m more likely to get shot in the ass running away!
The question to ask is how many AU black cards can one get? To make a vest out of them of course.
Didn’t help Ken Chenault much, he still took one.
American Express Centurion Card Benefits:
– lounge access
– Delta Platinum
– Hilton Diamond
– no foreign transaction fees
– occasionally stops bullets