A guide to lounge access with the Amex Platinum and Business Platinum

Editors note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Many of the best travel cards confer valuable benefits. For example, some cards provide hotel elite status while others offer travel statement credits.

The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Business Platinum Card® from American Express offer perhaps the most comprehensive benefits of any premium travel rewards card.

Chief among these benefits is access to Amex Centurion Lounges. What many Amex Platinum cardmembers don’t realize, however, is that Centurion Lounges are just one type of lounge they can visit through the broader American Express Global Lounge Collection.

This unrivaled lounge access is why the Amex Platinum took home the crown for the Best Card for Lounge Access at the 2024 TPG Awards.

Let’s go through all the types of airport lounges that are part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection.

In addition to Centurion Lounges, both the Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum provide members with access to Delta Sky Club lounges (limited to 10 annual visits) and Priority Pass Select lounges. Enrollment is required; terms apply.

But that’s just a portion of the lounges cardmembers can access. Other lounges around the world include:

• Aspire Lounges
• Escape Lounges — The Centurion Studio Partner
• Plaza Premium lounges
• Select Lufthansa lounges
• Other Global Lounge Collection partner lounges

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Using the Global Lounge Collection website, you can find participating airport lounges during your travels. American Express states that you’ll have access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries.

As an Amex Platinum cardmember — including authorized users with additional Platinum cards but not authorized users with companion Platinum cards — you’ll get access to most eligible lounge networks by showing your Platinum card, government-issued identification and a valid boarding pass.

However, each lounge network has different access requirements and guest policies, so let’s look at each.

Related: How to maximize benefits with the Amex Platinum Card

American Express Centurion Lounges

Centurion Lounges are the most exclusive lounges available to Platinum cardmembers. They offer a staffed bar, meals, ample nonalcoholic drinks, high-speed Wi-Fi and various seating options.

Some Centurion Lounges also provide complimentary amenities like family rooms and spa services, but the latter are soon to be discontinued.

Centurion Lounge locations in the U.S.

There are currently 15 Centurion Lounges open in the U.S.:

Amex also plans to open Centurion Lounges at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC).

Centurion Lounge locations abroad

There are currently 15 Centurion Lounges open abroad, located at 11 airports:

Amex also plans to open a Centurion Lounges at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.

Access policy for Centurion Lounges

Platinum cardmembers may only access the Centurion Lounge within three hours of their flight’s scheduled departure. Access upon arrival isn’t allowed unless you have a layover or connecting flight, in which case the three-hour rule doesn’t apply. However, access policies may vary from country to country in international locations.

To gain access, you’ll need to provide a same-day, confirmed boarding pass, your Amex Platinum card and your government-issued identification.

For U.S. Centurion Lounges, it’s a good idea to check in to a lounge when you’re 10 minutes or less away from the entrance. If there is no wait, you’ll get a QR code to expedite your entry; if there is a queue, you’ll be placed on a waitlist.

Guest policy for Centurion Lounges

U.S. Platinum cardmembers must pay $50 per guest aged 18 or older and $30 per guest aged 2 through 17 (guests under 2 years of age are complimentary with proof of age).

However, U.S. Platinum cardmembers can qualify for complimentary guest access for up to two guests per visit after spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their card within a calendar year.

Suppose you spend at least $75,000 on your Platinum card within a calendar year. In that case, you’ll get complimentary guest access for up to two guests per visit for the remainder of the calendar year, the following calendar year and until Jan. 31 of the next calendar year. So, if you earn complimentary guest access in 2025, it would be valid through Jan. 31, 2027.

However, note that guest policies may vary from country to country in international locations.

Related: Don’t get turned away at the door — top ways to still bring guests into the Amex Centurion Lounge

Centurion Lounges are great, but many airports don’t have a Centurion Lounge. So, most of the lounges you can visit with an Amex Platinum Card or Amex Business Platinum Card are in other lounge networks. You can use the lounge search function on Amex’s website to see the current operating hours and locations for lounges.

Delta Sky Club lounges

Amex Platinum cardmembers get access to Delta Sky Club lounges when flying on a Delta-operated flight or a Delta-marketed flight operated by WestJet. (You cannot access Sky Clubs on a Basic Economy or an equivalent ticket with Delta or a partner airline.)

To find eligible lounges, head to Delta’s website and select “Platinum Card® Members From American Express” as your membership type.

You can only access Delta Sky Club lounges up to three hours before the scheduled departure of a same-day Delta-operated flight or during a connection between two Delta-operated flights on the same ticket.

To gain access, show your Platinum Card, government-issued identification and same-day boarding pass.

Delta grants Amex Platinum and Business Platinum cardmembers up to 10 Sky Club visits per program year; authorized users with additional Platinum cards get their own 10-visit allotment each program year. The program year is defined as Feb. 1 through Jan. 31 of the following year.

Here is a tool to track your annual Delta Sky Club visits.

After you have used all 10 visits, additional ones can be bought for $50 per visit. Delta’s Sky Club terms and conditions state:

A visit will include all Delta Sky Club entries made within a 24-hour period, beginning at your first check-in to a Delta Sky Club (or a Grab and Go feature at a Delta Sky Club). This includes your departure city, connecting airports and arrival at your destination.

For example, if a customer has a connecting flight and is traveling ATL-LAX-HNL, and the customer visits a Delta Sky Club in ATL prior to departure, then again in LAX while they wait for their connecting flight, and again in HNL upon final arrival, these will all be included within that Visit as long as they occur within 24 hours of the first Club entry at ATL.

Additionally, if you are traveling on a same-day roundtrip, and use the Delta Sky Club for both your outbound and return flights, that would be considered within that same Visit as well as long as the entry on your return flight is within 24 hours of your initial Delta Sky Club entry on that trip.

Luckily, cardmembers with connecting itineraries or a brief layover during the same day won’t have to worry about whether it’s worth it to enter a Sky Club and burn a visit if they have already entered a Sky Club prior to their departure.

However, if you spend $75,000 or more on your Amex Platinum card during a calendar year (January through December), you can unlock unlimited Sky Club access through the end of the next program year (February through January).

Amex Platinum cardmembers don’t get any complimentary guests at Delta Sky Clubs. However, they can purchase guest access for up to two traveling companions (or their spouse or domestic partner and children under 21) on a per-visit basis.

Priority Pass Select lounges

Platinum Card members are entitled to complimentary membership in Priority Pass Select. This membership provides access to more than 1,700 lounges worldwide but doesn’t include Priority Pass restaurants. The quality of each Priority Pass lounge varies, but there are some excellent ones. Enrollment is required; terms apply.

To gain access, you must enroll in Priority Pass Select on Amex’s website or by calling Platinum Travel Services. We recommend registering as soon as you get your Platinum Card.

Then, once your Priority Pass card arrives in the mail, hand it, your government-issued identification and your same-day boarding pass to the front desk attendant at Priority Pass lounges to gain access. Note that some lounges have limited hours for Priority Pass guests.

The Club is a staple lounge in the Priority Pass network with multiple locations around the US, including a beautiful new location that opened at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in mid-2024. The location at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas is one of our favorites. It offers on-demand dining and an extensive drink list and is often much less crowded than the Centurion Loung.

If the lounge accepts guests, you can bring up to two guests each visit; if you have more than two guests, the lounge will charge you $35 per guest.

Related: 9 domestic lounges that are worth going out of your way for

Escape Lounges — The Centurion Studio Partner

Escape Lounges in the U.S. rebranded as “Escape Lounge — The Centurion Studio Partner” in 2021. You can access U.S. Escape Lounges by showing your Platinum Card, government-issued identification and a confirmed same-day boarding pass. You may bring two guests with you for no additional cost, but any other guests must purchase a day pass.

The following U.S. airports have Escape Lounges you can access with your Amex Platinum card:

*These lounges are opening soon.

Plaza Premium lounges

With your Platinum Card, you can access a selection of Plaza Premium lounge locations worldwide (you can also access some Plaza Premium lounges through Priority Pass).

You must show your Platinum Card, government-issued identification, and a confirmed same-day boarding pass to enter. You may enter with up to two guests for no additional cost. Other guests can purchase a day pass, but the cost of a day pass will vary by location.

Lufthansa lounges

Amex Platinum cardmembers can use select Lufthansa lounges when flying Lufthansa Group airlines (Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines; excludes Brussels Airlines). You may visit select Lufthansa Business Lounges regardless of your ticket class, but you can also visit participating Lufthansa Senator Lounges when flying business class on these airlines.

Not all Lufthansa lounges participate, so check Amex’s lounge finder page. At participating locations, you must show your Platinum Card, a government-issued ID and a boarding pass for a same-day Lufthansa Group flight. No guests are included, but some locations may allow guests for a fee.

Additional Global Lounge Collection partner lounges

Platinum cardmembers also get access to other Global Lounge Collection partner lounges, as indicated by the lounge search function on Amex’s website. To access participating lounges, you must show your Platinum Card, a government-issued ID and a same-day boarding pass for confirmed travel. However, guest access and guest fees will vary.

Related: Is the Amex Platinum worth the annual fee?

The Amex Platinum and Business Platinum provide access to more lounges than any other cards. It’s why the Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum routinely sit at the top of The Points Guy’s list of best credit cards for airport lounge access.

But it’s not all about quantity; the quality of the lounges accessible with the Amex Platinum Card and Amex Business Platinum Card is also excellent. For example, we love the locally-influenced dishes served at Centurion Lounges and the relaxing spaces in Escape Lounges.

However, we’ve seen lounge access limits as American Express and airlines look to reduce lounge crowding. You must spend a certain amount each year to get guesting privileges to Centurion Lounges and additional visits to Delta Sky Clubs.

To learn more about the eligible cards, read our full reviews of the Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum.

Apply here: The Platinum Card from American Express

Apply here: The Business Platinum Card from American Express