Good morning everyone. Yesterday, my friend told me that there is a way to access American Express Centurion Lounges and Capital One Lounges without having your American Express Platinum Card, American Express Business Platinum Card, or Capital One Venture X Credit Card with you at the airport. You just need to sign into the American Express app or Capital One app and there is a way to display a QR code to access the lounges. I never knew this feature existed, so I thought it would be worth sharing in case you ever find yourself at a lounge without your card. Several years ago, I wrote a similar post for Priority Pass: Access Priority Pass Lounges without your Card (Use Priority Pass App & Apple Wallet).
Access to American Express Centurion Lounges
To get started, download the American Express app (iOS or Android). Then sign into the app, select your personal or business Platinum card, and then click the Membership button on the bottom.
Scroll down and click the Airport Lounge Access button beneath the Travel and Experiences header.
The app should automatically detect which airport you are at, but if that doesn’t happen, click the magnifying glass icon and type the airport code or city. For this demo, I searched for Dallas (DFW) and clicked on the search result to view the airport lounges at Dallas (DFW).
By default, the Centurion Lounge should appear at the top, but you can also use this app to access other eligible lounges. Under Lounge Details, it will tell you the location of the lounge (Terminal D, near gate D12), along with the hours of operation, and how busy the lounge is.
Scroll down the page and select the number of companions you want to bring in with you. If you completed the requirement to spend $75,000 or more last calendar year, you will be able to bring in 2 companions for free. If not, you can pay $50 for each guest or $30 for each child (ages 2-17). Then click the Confirm button to generate the QR code.
The QR code will be valid for 30 minutes and you can show that to the lounge rep when you arrive. If you cannot make it in 30 minutes, no problem, just cancel the code or wait for it to expire, then generate a new code. As a reminder, having this access code does not guarantee access to the lounge, if the lounge is at capacity. If you want to see more info about the lounge, click the View Lounge Details button.
Access to Capital One Lounges
To get started, download the Capital One app (iOS or Android). Then sign into the app and select your Capital One Venture X Credit Card.
Scroll down and click View Rewards and Benefits. Then click the Adventure Awaits tile (it will say “access airport lounges”).
Click the Lounges link at the top and then select the Capital One Lounge. As of February 2023, only the Dallas (DFW) lounge is open.
You will see the location of the lounge (Terminal D, near gate D22), along with the hours of operation, and how busy the lounge is. You will also see details on cardholder access, guest access, and entry requirements. Then click the View Pass button.
A QR code will appear on your screen that you can show to the lounge rep when you arrive. If you want, you can even add the QR code to your ApplePay Wallet to avoid these steps the next time you access a Capital One Lounge.
I always carry my AMEX Business Platinum and Capital One Venture X with me when I travel, but there were times in the past that I forgot to bring those cards, so this is a nice workaround to get access to the lounges. If you have any questions about accessing American Express Centurion Lounges or Capital One Lounges, please leave a comment below. Have a great day everyone!