American Express was the first card brand to create a platinum product for big spenders. That was in 1984. Platinum came on the market 18 years after American Express launched the first gold card product. In turn, Visa and Mastercard launched their own platinum products, as they had with gold. To maintain preeminence among cards available to upscale customers, Amex introduced its Centurion Card, commonly referred to as the Black Card, in 1999. The by-invitation-only product is for its biggest spenders. Centurion is available in business and personal products. Primary cardholders pay a $2,500 a...