American Express has made changes yet again to their lounge access policy. So of course the first thing we want to know is what those changes are and will we be affected. I wrote about the American Express Centurion Lounges and asked readers how they were feeling about them. Readers were mixed, with the chief complaint being the overcrowding of lounges. American Express did start limiting the number of guests cardholders could bring in with them, and as of October 2, they’ve made an even more restrictive change.
Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas – Travel with Grant meetup
Only American Express Platinum and Centurion Charge Cardholders will have access to Centurion Lounges. The day pass, which used to cost $50 and was available to other American Express cardholders, is no longer available. At almost every Centurion Lounge I’ve been in, especially in the U.S., I’ve noticed travelers buying day passes, so this will for sure negatively affect those American Express cardholders.
I haven’t had an occasion to visit a Centurion Lounge in the past few months, so I’m wondering what you all have observed. American Express keeps adding Centurion Lounges and restricting access. Did you notice when guest access was limited to only two guests per cardholder that the lounges were less crowded? Do you think this new change will help ease the crowds? Let me know in the comments below.
can platinum holder still bring guests at or limit is two? i am confused
thx
Two guests per cardholder, Allen. That limitation was added a while ago. Thanks for reading!
It’s probably a smart change considering how many people were complaining about overcrowding as well as how many people have been cancelling their Platinum cards. I’d all but decided to cancel by card, figuring I’d just buy a day pass when I wanted to use the lounge, but this is makes it a tougher call. I rarely have time for the lounge because I always show up late to the airports, but on those days with miserable delays or cancelled flights the Amex lounges are a wonderful place to hide out.
Interesting dilemma, Ben. I hadn’t realized so many people had canceled/or were thinking about canceling their cards and going with the day pass option. I used the lounges enough so far this year that the card is still a keeper for me. Thanks for bringing this choice to our attention. The lounge is a good hiding place……I agree!
I don’t have the data to support this, but I suspect many people cancelled their Amex Platinum cards after the loss of Continental, US Airways and American Airlines lounges over the several years. Of course, much of this is out of Amex’s control, as Continental/United is partnered with Chase and US/AA tied with Citi (and less so with Barclays) just like Delta is tied with Amex.
Could be so, amlee. Good points. Thank you! And I think the crowds vary a lot by lounge.
how does it work when I have family of 4 including my self, wife and two kids ? I have two platinums card one personal , and one business. the term is two per cardholder, but what if i have two cards ? can I take max of 4 in ?
As I read the access rule, Jung, guest access is per card member, not per card. Good question that I’m sure other card holders have as well. Thanks for reading!
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