Many passengers would like to use an airport lounge, but their ticket doesn’t allow them to. There are solutions to remedy this, such as the Priority Pass card we recently presented, which gives access to over 1,300 airport lounges regardless of the passenger’s travel class or loyalty program.
Another solution is to use certain credit cards, such as the American Express Platinum, which we present here.
Please note: we’re talking here about the “real” American Express Platinum, not an Amex Platinum cobranded with an airline like Amex Air France, for example.
In this article
Access to a lounge when your ticket doesn’t allow it
Which lounges are available with the American Express Platinum card?
How many airport lounges are accessible with Amex Platinum?
What are airport lounges with Amex Platinum worth?
Other benefits for Amex Platinum cardholders
Access to a lounge when your ticket doesn’t allow it
There are many reasons why a passenger may need lounge access when his ticket doesn’t allow it: he’s not traveling in the “right” class of travel, he’s flying for once on an airline on which he has no status…
All this, and how airport lounges work, is explained in our article on the Priority Pass card, so I won’t go into it again today.
In this article, we compare the advantages and limitations of this card in relation to its cost, and discuss the American Express Platinum card as an alternative. Other bank cards also offer advantages to travelers, but the Amex is one of the most widespread in the world and the one we know best.
Which lounges are available with the American Express Platinum card?
The Amex Platinum card gives cardholders access to over 1,200 lounges worldwide.
First of all, it gives access to Priority Pass lounges! Cardholders are immediately offered free Priority Pass membership. So he’ll have a free Priority Pass card for as long as he keeps his Amex, and unlike “normal” Priority Pass members (i.e. paying members) he’ll be able to invite one person for free.
There is, however, a limitation that we mentioned when we talked about the Priority Pass card: unlike “normal” members, holders of a Priority Pass via Amex can only enjoy the lounges and not the restaurants that offer discount vouchers to cardholders. Given that the latter are rare, and mainly in North America, China and Australia, this is a benefit that French passengers can generally do without.
It also includes free access to Plaza Premium lounges (50 worldwide). These are generally high-quality lounges located in major airports. In Hong Kong, for example, before the pandemic, Air France and Lufthansa sent their first-class passengers to the Plaza Premium lounge.
It also gives access to the American Express lounges and the most prestigious American Express Centurion.
More anecdotal and reserved for the American market, it also opens the doors to the Escape and Airspace lounges.
Much more interesting are American Express’ partnerships with certain airlines. So if you travel with Delta you have access to Delta Sky Club lounges independently of your class of travel and, if you travel with a Lufthansa Group airline, from a selection of international airports (16 in all, including Munich, Frankfurt, New York, Paris, Dubai, etc.) to Lufthansa Business lounges whatever your class of travel and Senator if you are traveling in business (they are normally reserved for Gold customers and First passengers who so wish).
Finally, a word to those who love trains: Eurostar’s lounges are accessible regardless of travel class.
How many airport lounges are accessible with Amex Platinum?
Today, Priority Pass boasts over 1,300 lounges, and American Express 1,200. In our view, these figures are inaccurate, and we explain why.
The sales pitch hasn’t been updated for years, while new lounges are being added regularly, so we’re certainly ahead of the advertised figures, excluding COVID-related closures.
Then, since Amex includes Priority Pass, it’s safe to assume that even if you take away the restaurants not accessible at Priority Pass, Amex’s offer is superior, given the other lounges included.
However, we don’t think that the Amex offer is far superior to the Priority Pass offer, for one reason: some American Express lounges are Priority Pass, while Lufthansa lounges are accessible to both…so there is often overlap between the different programs.
In our opinion, the two offers are equivalent in terms of quantity, with a slight advantage for Amex.
What are airport lounges with Amex Platinum worth?
The same can be said for Priority Passes: while they often fall short of the best airline flagship lounges, they are at least up to their level, if not well above it, when it comes to an airline’s lounge outside its hubs.
Once again, let’s not forget that, away from their bases, some airlines send their business customers to a partner airline lounge, and their first customers to a Plaza Premium or similar.
Other benefits for Amex Platinum cardholders
The frequent flyer Amex Platinum holder will not only benefit from lounge access, but also from a number of other benefits, which we will quickly mention, even if they are not the main focus of this article.
- Discounts and benefits in certain chains (car upgrade, late check-out….)
- Automatic high-level status on certain loyalty programs. Amex Platinum cardholders automatically become Gold members at Hilton, Marriott, Radisson and Melia.
- Benefits, discounts and upgrades at selected car rental companies
- A quota of seats reserved for last-minute dining in Michelin-starred restaurants
- Travel insurance with superior coverage
- The Amex concierge…
- etc..
Our verdict on Amex Platinum
The Amex Platinum fee is higher than for a Priority Pass: €660 per year versus €399, not to mention the income requirements (although a large proportion of the cards’ target clientele more than meet these conditions). But in our opinion, the payback is far superior.
In addition, for Priority Pass lounges, guest access is charged to Priority Pass customers and free to Amex customers. What’s more, Amex Platinum customers can have a second free card for a loved one (spouse, etc.), who will also benefit from their own priority pass, enabling them to add a guest. Useful when traveling with the family.
More expensive, but in our opinion more comprehensive: it offers a far superior range of services and benefits. First of all, it includes 95% of the Priority Pass offer, plus additional lounges, hotel benefits, negotiated rates for platinum travelers through a dedicated line at Amex Travel, and all the advantages of a credit card that offers points for every purchase, which can be used to buy flights, hotel nights or all kinds of goods.
In our opinion, they’re not totally competitive: as far as we’re concerned, we’re only Priority Pass holders because we have an Amex Platinum, as we mainly travel only on airlines where we have status and/or in the higher classes of travel, so we’re rarely “lounge-less”.
Which raises the question of the target clientele. If you often travel in conditions that don’t give you access to a lounge, and for some reason you insist on it, the Priority Pass card may be worth your attention. If you think wider, the Amex will give you more benefits when you travel and when you don’t.
We’d be wary of giving any advice in this area: beyond individual needs, it’s a question of lifestyle and resources To each his own arbitration.
Image : American Express Platinum by DreamerAchieverNoraTarvus via Shutterstock
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