Today we’d like to remind our readers that the previously announced changes for U.S. based American Express Platinum Cardmembers accessing the Centurion lounges will kick in from February 1, 2023, cutting free guests entirely from the benefits unless the annual spend volume exceeds $75,000.
These changes were officially communicated in July of 2021, so card members holding the Amex Platinum had almost two years to prepare themselves for this upcoming change to the product.
The reason for the measures to cut down on access to Centurion lounges is the overcrowding of these facilities, which has really become endemic over the last 2 years.
We reported about this back in 2021 when the news first broke:
Under the new rules, Amex Platinum card holders will be charged a $50 fee for each lounge guest, children would no longer be permitted free of charge, but those who charge a minimum of $75k/per year to the card will retain lounge access privileges for two guests.
American Express has heavily expanded its lounge portfolio in the last two years, which included the expansion of existing space and the opening of new lounges, mainly throughout the U.S.
Amex now apparently tries to conquer another issue: Overcrowding!
According to the Terms & Conditions of the Centurion Lounge network these are the new rules that kick in effective February 1, 2023:
Platinum and Business Platinum Card Members
U.S. Basic Platinum Card Members and Additional Platinum Card Members on the account and U.S. Basic Business Platinum Card Members and Additional Platinum Card Members on the account may bring up to two (2) guests per visit into locations of The Centurion Lounge in the U.S., at Hong Kong International Airport and at London Heathrow Airport for no per-visit guest fee (“Complimentary Guest Access”) through January 31, 2023. Effective February 1, 2023, Platinum Card Members, Business Platinum Card Members and Additional Platinum Card Members on the account will be charged a $50 fee for each guest (or $30 for children aged 2 through 17, with proof of age). To receive Complimentary Guest Access at these locations after January 31, 2023, the total eligible purchases on the Platinum Account must equal or exceed $75,000 between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 and in each calendar year thereafter. Guest access policies may vary internationally by location and are subject to change.
Beginning February 1, 2023, eligibility for Complimentary Guest Access will be processed within a week of the Platinum Account’s meeting the purchase requirement in most cases, but may take up to 12 weeks to become effective. Complimentary Guest Access status will be reflected in the Benefits tab of your online account and in the American Express App. Once effective, Complimentary Guest Access will be available for the remainder of the calendar year in which it became effective, the following calendar year, and until January 31 of the next calendar year (for example, if Complimentary Guest Access becomes effective on May 1, 2023, it will remain effective through January 31, 2025). Eligible purchases made by any Additional Card Members on the Platinum Account will contribute to the purchase requirement. Eligible purchases to meet the purchase requirement are for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, purchases of gift cards, person-to-person payments, or other cash equivalents. If a Basic Platinum Card Member upgrades or downgrades from a different American Express Card, eligible purchases made on that Card Account will count toward the new Platinum Account’s Complimentary Guest Access purchase requirement.
Platinum Card Members have unlimited complimentary access to all locations of The Centurion Lounge. Gold Card and Green Card Additional Cards on your Platinum account are not eligible for complimentary access. All access to The Centurion Lounge is subject to space availability. …
Corporate Platinum Card Members
Corporate Platinum Card Members have unlimited complimentary access to all locations of The Centurion Lounge. Gold Card and Green Card Additional Cards on your Corporate Platinum Card account are not eligible for complimentary access.
Keep in mind that the Business Card and a Corporate Card are two different products.
For families with children who previously relied on this card for travel comfort, this change will become a hardship. Amex Platinum members that don’t meet the $75,000 spend threshold will be able to take their children up to 17 years old into the lounge – BUT this will now result in a charge of $30 per child, rather than $50 per adult.
These limitations will not affect Centurion card holders and those who charge in excess of $75k per calendar year to their personal or business Platinum card. Also, this only affects members of the U.S. based Platinum cards. For now, I assume nothing will change for international cardholders.
Authorized users will still receive their usual lounge access. You can add up to three AU’s to the Platinum account for a flat fee of $175/year. It doesn’t make any difference if you add one or three AU’s the cost is the same, something I wish Amex would change and follow the example of the Chase Sapphire Reserve that charges per AU. The minimum age for an Authorized User is still 13 years, so it won’t be possible to add young children to get them their own lounge access.
I try to see this in a multidimensional, non-emotional way, so here are some of the things that came to my mind when I read this:
- Amex absolutely has issues with overcrowding at their Centurion Lounge locations; to combat this is long overdue;
- Some people have taken advantage of the lenient guest access policies to the detriment of single travelers who often didn’t find space or couldn’t even get into the lounge at all due to overcrowding;
- Amex has already stopped admitting guests upon arrival of their flight and only allows entry three hours prior to the flight (except at transit points); both policies are now being strictly enforced.
- Cutting the guests from two + kids to zero is harsh. Amex is really pushing for the cardholder to issue and pay for AU’s or guest passes
- It’s simply not feasible that someone randomly issues AU’s for people simply for the purpose of traveling together 2-3 times a year, especially when it’s not a relationship that usually includes shared accounts. Getting an AU also has credit reporting consequences regarding new/existing accounts.
- Will families suddenly start paying $30 per child just to get into the lounge? Possibly. Still, the child doesn’t consume anything of value, at least nothing near the value of 30 bucks. It’s hard to justify that value. Even for an adult, I personally value a lounge visit at $15-20.
The $75,000 spend requirement will make these changes irrelevant for many, especially Business Card holders. Quite a few people put a lot of spend on their personal Platinum as well, irrespective of the fact that the card has a horrible ratio of points earned on anything other than airline tickets.
I could think of a dozen cards where it makes more sense to spend with rather than the Platinum but some people don’t care or simply don’t want to carry a bunch of different cards.
The times when the Platinum was a “swag card” are largely over, especially as these days most transactions are completed either electronically on the web or via apple pay. 20 years ago, people might have been impressed with seeing a platinum card in the flesh, but today nobody bats an eyelid. There are plenty of colorful metal cards on the market, and while many think it’s a privilege to carry this card, it’s really not difficult to get an Amex charge card of any color (except Centurion) with a credit score of around 670.
The result of this is that pretty much anyone can carry a Platinum card these days if they feel the credits and the lounge access are worth the $695 per year.
Conclusion
American Express has kicked off a massive overhaul of both the lounge system, the Platinum card service portfolio, and of course, let’s not forget about the increased annual fee. Amex originally published the changes to the lounge access system in July 2021 when all this was still a bit less than two years out.
The Amex Platinum is a card that is mainly targeted at travelers, given the Centurion Lounge network and travel insurance benefits, and travel-centered credit system behind the card. It’s important to constantly evaluate if a card is still suitable for the current situation. There is a vast market of premium cards, especially in the U.S. and sometimes other cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, are more universal in daily use and acceptance than Amex Platinum.
Lately, both Chase and Capital One have started to operate their own airport lounges to get into the game and get some customers back from Amex. Especially those who got annoying by the constant overcrowding and waiting lists at big airport.
