My Experience Using Amex’s Centurion Lounge App Check-In
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This month, American Express began offering a new option for checking into the issuer's network of Centurion Lounges. Now, rather than flashing your card at the desk, customers with the Centurion Card, The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Business Platinum Card® from American Express can begin the entry process using Amex's regular mobile app.
Currently, mobile check-in is in a "soft launch phase" — it's only up and running at the New York (LGA) and San Francisco (SFO) locations and might not be active all the time, so you might want to carry your card with you (or use this option instead) just in case. I run through the process in detail here, but after having an opportunity to test it out at Amex's SFO location this week, I wanted to share my experience.
First, I should note that the lounge was almost empty during my Monday morning visit ahead of the July 4th holiday — the SFO Centurion Lounge is often bursting at the seams in my experience, but this time nearly every seat was open, so I didn't face the normal check-in queue when I arrived.
Instead, after checking in via the app a few minutes before, the agent simply asked "are you Zach?" when I approached the desk holding out my QR code, since my name appeared on his tablet. I was indeed! He checked my ID, wrote down my flight number and I was on my way in less than 10 seconds — definitely my speediest entry to date!
As I mentioned, mobile check-in only works at LGA and SFO right now, but Amex expects to roll it out to other locations "in the coming months." That means you'll soon be able to use it at lounges in Dallas (DFW), Hong Kong (HKG), Houston (IAH), Las Vegas (LAS), Miami (MIA), Philadelphia (PHL) and Seattle (SEA) — and eventually at upcoming lounges, as they open at Charlotte (CLT), Denver (DEN), Los Angeles (LAX), New York John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), Phoenix (PHX) and London Heathrow (LHR).
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| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
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- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
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