Are Amex Centurion Lounges Worth a Detour?
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TPG reader Ian writes via twitter:
@thepointsguy — "is it worth going out of your way to get to a Centurion Lounge?"
The state of domestic airline lounges isn't all that great. While a lot of airlines are upgrading lounges, they've also increased the cost of admission, as well as prices for premium drinks and food. However, in the last few years, American Express started launching its own network of Centurion Lounges, and in my opinion, they've changed the game and the way I think about lounge access.
In my opinion, these lounges are worth the visit. I often get to LaGuardia earlier because I actually want to eat in the Centurion Lounge. The food is high quality (the lemongrass fried chicken is amazing!), and if you have The Platinum Card from American Express or the Centurion Card from American Express, access is free for you and up to two guests. Compare that to Delta's new stingy guest policy and the Amex lounges come out looking even better.
If you don't have the Platinum or Centurion card, but you do have another American Express card, you can pay $50 for entry (except at the new Centurion Studio in Seattle). I think you could easily get that value back at these lounges; they have a top-shelf bar, so you can do the math there. Even the worst airport food is expensive, so to eat a decent meal, get some good cocktails and free Wi-Fi, and maybe even enjoy a spa treatment is well worth $50 in my opinion.
All that said, the food is good and the cocktails are nice, but your time is valuable. I wouldn't build in a 5-hour layover just to hang out in the lounge. Generally, with TSA Precheck I try to get through the airport as quickly as possible unless there's a Centurion Lounge, which (fortunately for me) is often the case, since I routinely fly from Miami and LaGuardia.
I'm a big fan of what Amex is doing with these lounges, and I'm excited for the new one to open up in Houston. We haven't found out precisely when that will happen, but you'll know as soon as I do.
If you have any other questions, please tweet me @thepointsguy, message me on Facebook or send me an email at info@thepointsguy.com.
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
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- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month