Chris was a reporter at The Points Guy, where he covered the intersection of credit card rewards and travel. At TPG, he wrote a broad array of stories ranging from in-depth features and reports to trending travel news as it related to loyalty, card benefits and consumer behavior.
July 1, 2021 • 7 min read
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Quick summary
A major airport lounge network is expanding with plans for over 40 new and upgraded locations worldwide, including enhanced partnerships and rebranding of select lounges.
International lounges in cities like Buenos Aires, Sydney, Mumbai and Mexico City will be revamped to offer a more standardized, premium experience.
Access rules are evolving, with certain cardholders now eligible for more lounges and expanded entry at select international and partner locations.
A new guest fee policy will take effect in February 2023, with reduced rates for children and additional complimentary guest options for high annual spenders.
What to consider
Some offers and access policies mentioned may no longer be available as updates have occurred since publication.
Guest fees at lounges will change, with a lower rate for children aged two through 17 and complimentary guest access tied to high annual spending.
Eligibility for lounge access may depend on same-day flight requirements and specific airline or ticket types.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of new lounge locations, specific access rules for different cardholder types and how upcoming policy changes may affect your travel experience.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Lounge lovers, listen up.
Amex has long been a pioneer in creating airport lounge experiences for its cardholders. Since its inception in 2013, The Amex Centurion Lounges have become a valuable perk for those with premium cards, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express.
But in recent months, both Chase and Capital One announced plans to open airport lounges of their own. With competition heating up, Amex is doubling down on a full-fledged lounge ecosystem.
Today, Amex is announcing a significant expansion to its network of Centurion Lounges and Centurion Studios, with more than 40 locations planned worldwide. In addition, its Lufthansa lounge partnership is growing. On top of that, there are tweaks to the upcoming new fee to bring guests into Centurion Lounges that kick in on Feb. 1, 2023. In short, Amex is lessening the previously announced fee if the guest you bring is a child.
Here's how that's all happening -- and which new cardholders now get access.
Escape Lounges are already part of the Amex Global Lounge Collection, a network of 1,300 airport lounges in 500 airports and 140 countries. Currently, that means Platinum cardholders can access these spaces, over a dozen of which are in the U.S.
Escape Lounge PHX (Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)
Generally, Escape Lounges are located in smaller, secondary airports (but there are exceptions, such as Phoenix). Food and beverage are a cut above many other lounges, and some would argue they're on par with Amex's own Centurion Lounge.
But now, Amex is partnering even closer with Escape by fully incorporating the lounges into the Centurion network.
All U.S. lounges will now be called "Escape Lounge – The Centurion Studio Partner." In practice, from an amenity standpoint, not a whole lot will change.
However, there will be a wider selection of complimentary cocktails, spirits, wine and premium snacks (in addition to the full menu and bar available). Day passes will continue to be sold to those ineligible for entry based on their Amex card.
Amex has a host of proprietary international lounges accessible for Platinum cardmembers, but the available services and amenities vary widely between them.
Amex Sydney Lounge (Photo by Chris Dong/The Points Guy)
In the coming months, Amex says it will be updating 11 international lounges with "elevated design elements and food and beverage offerings to reflect the premium Centurion Lounge experience." This will bring a more standardized experience across all Amex lounges around the world.
The locations that will be revamped into full-fledged Centurion Lounges include:
One Centurion Lounge in Argentina (Buenos Aires)
Two Centurion Lounges in Australia (Sydney and Melbourne)
Two Centurion Lounges in India (Mumbai and Delhi)
One Centurion Lounge in Brazil (São Paulo)
Five Centurion Lounges in Mexico (Mexico City and Monterrey)
Select Delta cardholders get access to more lounges
One effect of Amex's expanded Centurion Lounge and Centurion Studio initiative is that cardholders of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card will now gain access to more lounges. Enrollment required for select benefits.
Not only will Reserve cardholders now be able to have complimentary access to the international Amex lounges that are being fully converted to Centurion Lounges, but also they can enter Centurion Studios (Escape Lounges) free of charge.
For Delta Reserve cardholders, access applies when flying on a same-day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated flight. Amex says that the eligible flight must be booked on a U.S.-issued American Express charge or credit card.
Unlike the current rules for Platinum cardholders, though, Delta Reserve cardholders do not get to bring in complimentary guests. At the Centurion Studios (Escape Lounges), the per-visit rate is equal to the guest fee of that specific location.
Platinum and Centurion cardholders get more Lufthansa lounges
Previously, only Amex Platinum and Centurion cardholders who flew on a same-day Austrian, Lufthansa or Swiss flight could access Lufthansa lounges located at two airports: Either the satellite area of T2 at Munich Airport (MUC) or the T1 Concourse B in Frankfurt Airport (FRA).
Other Lufthansa lounge locations accessible directly with the Amex Platinum or Centurion card include:
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
Hamburg Airport (HAM)
London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Munich International Airport (MUC)
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
For these new locations, cardholders can access select Lufthansa business class lounges when flying on an economy ticket or the Senator lounge when flying on a business class ticket by showing a same-day boarding pass on an Austrian, Lufthansa or Swiss flight.
An Amex representative said this was not an exhaustive list of airports. Cardholders can see all available and open lounges in the LoungeFinder tool within the Amex mobile app or this link here.
Amex changes (ever-so-slightly) its future guest policy
In April 2021, Amex confirmed to TPG that, beginning on Feb. 1, 2023, all Centurion Lounge guests (in the U.S. and both in London and Hong Kong) entering with a cardholder would be charged a rate of $50 each.
However, Amex has changed that upcoming policy ever-so-slightly. Platinum card members with children aged two through 17 (with proof of age) will be charged $30 per child instead of the full $50.
Once a child turns 13 years old, they can be added as an authorized user to the Platinum card at the cost of $175 per year for up to three authorized users and would then be eligible for their own Centurion Lounge entry without the per-visit fee.
Two complimentary guests, regardless of age, will be unlocked by making $75,000 or more in purchases during a calendar year on a Platinum account, including on charges made by authorized users.
While Amex already had a robust network of global lounges for Platinum cardholders, the issuer is now specifically expanding its successful Centurion brand.
That not only includes opening new lounges in London, Atlanta and Washington-Reagan but also revamping existing spaces to meet its Centurion standards around the world.
All of this is great news for travelers as the lounge wars amongst credit card issuers look to heat up in the coming months.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
