Skip to content

TPG Lounge poll: What's the toughest credit card concierge request you've made?

Dec. 01, 2019
4 min read
concierge
TPG Lounge poll: What's the toughest credit card concierge request you've made?
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

Concierge services are one of the most intriguing perks offered among premium credit cards, performing sometimes mythical feats such as discounted Hamilton tickets and guest access to once-in-a-lifetime events such as the Olympics.

These concierge services are offered with most top-tier credit cards, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express or the Chase Sapphire Reserve. These services are provided by third party companies and not by the issuers themselves, so the responsiveness and quality of the results can vary, but nevertheless it can be a very useful service.

So, we asked the TPG Lounge what were some of the craziest tasks the card concierges had been able to pull off for them.

Help with restaurant reservations

"I needed to book the French Laundry restaurant in Napa, CA area for my boss. Not a crazy request, but very difficult restaurant to book. Reservation line opens 2 months from the desired date at 10:30 a.m. Right on the dot, I called their reservation and had busy tone all morning. When I finally got thru hours later, they're booked up! I emailed the visa signature concierge (thru CSR) and the world elite MC concierge (thru my Citi AAdvantage), didn't have the Amex Plat then, told them what I needed. I wanted to see which one of them can pull it off. Visa signature concierge came thru!!! Boss was happy, wondered how I managed to book a table. Didn't tell him my secret." — K. Bana-ay
"Walked into a highly suggested restaurant in Sonoma California without a reservation, was told a 3 hour wait for a table of 8. Called the Amex PLT concierge from outside and we were seated 10 minutes after the call." — J. Solsol Jr.
"My mom went on a girls trip. They had dinner reservations at a restaurant ... I had Amex set it up so they were met at the door with drinks, the dinner was put on my card and they never knew till the end." — S. Santos

Over-the-top vacation requests

"My wife and I wanted to take a tour to the DMZ at the border between South Korea and North Korea that included a stop at the Joint Security Area. All of the tours that I found on the day that we'd be in Seoul were fully booked, but the Amex Concierge found us one and booked it for us. I'm not even sure what value to put on the Amex Concierge Team helping us experience something that we otherwise wouldn't have experienced!" — J. Brist
"I was trying to plan my buddy's bachelor party, so I gave the Amex Plat concierge an idea of the kind of place we wanted to stay, my desire to have a butler and chef, a shopping list for food/drinks from Costco, the need for, uh, entertainment, an outing, etc. They sourced everything, wrote a report with prices, and helped me figure out the budget. Very helpful to say the least." — J. Zisner

Personal shopping

"I once asked Amex Plat concierge to send flowers to 8 of my girlfriends in 4 different states, plus Canada and Israel. Gave them a price range and they took care of the rest, all delivered w/in a few days of each other." — Lisa Gootee
"Amex Plat Concierge got me Orchestra tickets to Hamilton at Face Value (2 years ago) on my birthday. Funny thing, when it came to Boston last fall I won the Hamilton ticket lottery and got 2 orchestra tickets for $10./each ????. Just Hamilton lucky I guess!" — M. O'Sullivan
"I used to have Amex plat concierge price shop things for me. Everything from gifts to massages and facials." — M. Bell

Concierge services might not be something you think about when it comes to your card benefits. However, as the lounge members have proved they can be very helpful in getting some hard-to-get reservations, or simply helping you with the logistics of things you want to do on your next trip.

For the latest travel news, deals, and points and miles tips please subscribe to The Points Guy daily email newsletter.

Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

Featured Photo by Shutterstock

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

TPG featured card

Best for businesses with high spending
TPG Editor‘s Rating
4.5 / 5
Go to review

Rewards

2 - 10X miles

Intro offer

LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles

Annual Fee

$395

Recommended Credit

740-850
Excellent

Why We Chose It

The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
  • In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
  • Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.

Cons

  • The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
  • Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
  • Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
  • Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
  • Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
  • Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  • This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Apply for Capital One Venture X Business
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for businesses with high spending
TPG Editor‘s Rating
4.5 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

2X miles2 miles per dollar on every purchase
5X miles5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
10X miles10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • Intro Offer

    LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles
  • Annual Fee

    $395
  • Recommended Credit

    740-850
    Excellent

Why We Chose It

The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
  • In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
  • Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.

Cons

  • The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
  • Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
  • Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
  • Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
  • Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
  • Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  • This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month