As was widely reported yesterday, American Express is planning to institute a new $50 fee for guest access to Centurion lounges beginning in February 1, 2023. Platinum and Centurion cardholders will continue to enjoy the lounges free of charge, but will no longer get any complimentary guests at that point.
This change will presumably lead to less crowding in Centurion lounges, but I have to wonder if this was the ideal solution for that. It seems like a pretty customer-unfriendly move and one that puts cardholders in an awkward spot when they arrive at the lounge with a travel companion and have to pony up fifty bucks to get their companion in the door. I would imagine that it’ll be a while before overcrowding is an issue again at these lounges, though given that the change here takes effect in February of 2023 perhaps they are planning for the future scenario when that changes.
There have additionally been rumors of an increase in annual fee on the personal Platinum card. Not being able to get two passengers into the lounge and also seeing an increase in the annual fee would make it hard for me to justify keeping a Platinum card long term. I have to imagine that Centurion lounge access is a key benefit for Platinum card holders who live near a lounge. Being unable to get P2 into the lounge without either paying $50 or a high annual fee seems like it would be unappealing to many. On the other hand, solo business travelers will probably be fans of this change. We’ll see what happens.
Q/T: Doctor of Credit
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Are Escape and Airspace lounges affected by the new rule?
I called AMEX. No, they are not.
Is there an age limit with children
Seems like there ought to be an under 13 exception since they can’t get an associate card. Hope AMEX will offer that rather than charging kids $50/head.
Posted in another blog yesterday that this is the best news about the Platinum in basically forever. If they stick to this, I would get the card again even without a bonus! I travel solo and sometimes the lounges are more like noisy daycare centers. Definitely it should be a cardholder for free ONLY thing.
Nick
Are you sure that is accurate?? I think the new policy only applies to Platinum cardholders not Centurion card holders. Where did you see that Centurion cardholders will be subjected to guest fees???
If they feel this is the way to free up capacity in lounges and to meet a little less resistance maybe they could have done an option like $50 or say 2k MR points. A lot of card holders who are not in the hobby would gladly cash out this way.
It’s def going to slow down getting into the lounge
The past 18 months we have paid $4,200 or so in AF on Amex Plats, Aspire, SPG Biz and Delta biz. Yet we easily recouped $12K+/- or will have after Paypal/Dining/Dell/Saks/Home Depot/Best Buy/United Travel bank/SW travel funds/UberEats/Shop Small $350/ FNA and MR value.
But likely we will PC or cancel most of the Plats. This is a deal killer for us.
Despite the $450 CSR renewal offer last July we PC to CF. CSR real value was Priority pass at PDX (pre-COVID).
Instead we renewed P2 USB AR with 4 four PP visits for $75 year (net AF) and 10 in air WIFI passes – a far better value (esp with $950 in RTR SUB meeting MSR ). But P2 is eligible for CSP SUB again in a few months, I’m next year.
May keep Plat(s) if i get a decent retention offer – or renew a Plat ( AF due in June) then may downgrade to Gold later this year if Amex doesn’t push any new COVID offers.
Our Kids are starting to get to older and busier and don’t travel as frequently with us as they did while in HS. That said loosing Centurion lounge access for the Family (P1/P2 plats) and having to pay – is like loosing PP restaurants on Amex in 2019.
Will likely only keep USB AR cards for occasional US PP restaurants in US – plenty of PP lounge visits with Amex cards.
I’ve shifted our thinking and approach to the CC game from trying to spend points on a 4- 6 week long trip each year – now we are planning on early retirement when I turn 52 in 2023.
Then we will instead live/travel 4-6 months in a different country/continent every year, then return home during the nice dry summer weather.
Six months traveling in Europe will likely be an early excursion on our bucket list, then perhaps South America the following, NZ/AU another year, and Asia another year would like to return to South Africa and Cape Town again, Victoria Falls, Madgascar, Maldives..
Hopefully COVID will be in our rear-view mirrors in 2023.
Wow. You really want people to have to go to Acropedia to read your messages?!?
I am curious, I have 2 Amex Plat card and we are a family of 4. Can I bring 3 guests? If not in 1 entry, can I bring 2 and then another one in separate entry?
Too bad all these is moot in 2023 🙁
I’ve been told no by Amex — I have personal, biz and Schwab . Just get authorized user cards
With rumor of a new card type, maybe they are hedging. Adding a new card with a CL benefit would add to the admission numbers. So by allowing access to just yourself, it might curb the new cardholder crunch.
Just a thought.
I agree one guest free, charge after that. $50 for my wife, not worth keeping imho
Thats a great point… I didn’t think of that because I’m not married… I wouldn’t be happy about that at all
I would support :
Card Holder + 1; no fee
Card Holder + 2; $50
$50 for a guest just doesn’t seem right to me
Yeah, agreed. Imagine the awkward situation for someone who doesn’t follow blogs: they get to the lounge and hear it’s $50. Doesn’t seem like a great way to show off the value of the Platinum card.
im sure Amex will send out notices, between now and 2023 haha. I mean its a whole 2 years away, and everyone is freaking out already.
It totally disrupts the travel dynamic of flying with friends or family- it’s nice to be able to treat someone to the lounge, and the fact they’re free makes them happy to accept.
Instead now YOU feel obligated to skip out on the lounge rather than abandoning your friend/family member in the terminal. They don’t want you to she’ll out $50, and rightly so, that money would go further in a restaurant or bar. Now you’re missing out on your card benefits.