One of the benefits of the American Express Platinum card I like most is the lounge access. This card not only gives you access to Priority Pass lounges, it also gives you access to many more and even better lounges. In this article, I explain how lounge access works with an American Express Platinum card to Centurion lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Lufthansa Lounges, Delta SkyClubs and Virgin Australia lounges. Remember that until March 6, you can get a welcome bonus of 170,000 membership rewards when signing up for an American Express Platinum card.
American Express Centurion Lounges
American Express has their own lounges. These Centurion lounges are not only accessible for American Express Centurion members. Also Platinum members have access to these lounges. There are some important things to keep in mind:
- Access to the lounge is only possible within 3 hours of your departure in most cases
- You need to show a boarding pass with same day departure
- You need to bring your ID and physical American Express Platinum with you
- You can bring up to 2 guests for free into the lounge
It’s important to know that you and your guests must be traveling on the same flight. Also the extra Platinum card member has the same access rules. This means that you can visit the lounge with up to 4 people. It’s not possible to buy a day pass to get access to the lounge.
Most of the Centurion lounges can be found in the US. Over the past few years, American Express opened new lounges at lots of airports. So far, you can find a Centurion lounge at the following airports within the US:
- Atlanta
- Charlote
- Dalles-Forth Worth
- Denver
- Houston
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York-JFK
- New York-LaGuardia
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Salt Lake City
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Washington National
The Centurion lounge in San Francisco is temporally closed due to renovation. There is a temporally lounge located near gate D12 though.
American Express also has lots of lounges outside the US. This number has been increased over the past few years. For now, you can find a Centurion lounge at these airports outside of the US:
- Buenos Aires
- Hong Kong
- London-Heathrow
- Melbourne
- New Delhi
- Mexico City
- Monterrey
- Mumbai
- Stockholm-Arlanda
- Sydney
- Tokyo-Haneda
The Centurion lounge in Hong Kong is the only lounge I reviewed so far. More reviews will follow soon. American Express will open a Centurion lounge in 2026 at Schiphol Airport. This lounge will be located in the non-Schengen zone between the E and F-gates.
Priority Pass Lounges
American Express Platinum members have unlimited access to Priority lounges worldwide. This is worth € 459,- since it is what you pay for a Priority Pass prestige membership per year. The following is important to know when you visit Priority Pass lounges with an American Express Platinum card:
- You need to show your Priority Pass membership card or QR-code in the Priority Pass app
- You only can get access by showing a boarding pass with same day departure
- You can bring up to one guest for free into the lounge
In Plaza Premium lounges, you a bring up to 2 guests into the lounge. Please note that Priority Pass lounges can be extremely busy. Sometimes, there is a waiting list.
Although Priority Pass lounges are not that special as Privium lounges and most other airlines lounges, this is still something great to have since you always have lounge access at any airport worldwide.
Privium Lounges
As mentioned in my dedication article about Privium, American Express Platinum members also have access to the Privium lounges. Privium has lounges at Schiphol and Eindhoven Airport. At Schiphol there are a total of 3 lounges. At Eindhoven there is one lounge. I recently reviewed the following lounges:
There is also an ExpressLounge at Schiphol Airport. However, this lounge is less interesting than the lounges I reviewed. You can find this lounge at the beginning of the D-gates at the second floor in the Schengen zone.
Privium lounges are known for their high standards. These lounges are usually less crowded than other lounges and I find the food and beverages of good quality.
Lufthansa Lounges
Due to the partnership between American Express and Lufthansa, Platinum members also have access to Lufthansa Lounges. To get access, you should think of the following:
- You need to show a boarding pass with same day departure on a Lufthansa Group airline
- You need to show your physical American Express Platinum card
- You’re not allowed to bring guests for free into the lounges
Airlines of the Lufthansa Group are: Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Air Dolomiti, Edelweiss Air, Eurowings, Discover Airlines, Lufthansa, Lufthansa City Airlines and SWISS. Previously access was not granted on Eurowings flights. This has been changed recently.
You don’t need to fly in business class in order to get access to the Lufthansa lounges. A same dame departure flight in economy is enough in order to get access to the lounge. Apart from Germany, also some airports in other countries have Lufthansa lounges. These airports are:
- Boston Logan International (BOS)
- Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
- Dubai International Airport (DXB)
- London-Heathrow (LHR)
- Mumbai (BOM)
- Milan-Malpensa (MPX)
- New York-JFK Airport (JFK)
- Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
- Washington-Dulles (IAD)
There used to be a Lufthansa lounge in Athens as well. However, this lounge closed its doors a few years ago. In some cases, they can enter with you on a discounted price. This really depends on the specific lounge though. You’ll granted access to the Senator lounge when flying business class on a Lufthansa Group airline.
Please note that in order to get access to the lounges, you need to show your physical American Express Platinum card.
Delta SkyClubs
Also Delta Air Lines has a partnership with American Express. Therefore, American Express Platinum members are granted access to the Delta SkyClubs regardless of the cabin they’re flying. To visit these lounges, it’s important to know the following:
- Access to the lounge is only possible within 3 hours of your departure in most cases
- You need to show a boarding pass with same day departure
- You need to fly on a Delta marketed and operated flight
- You need to show your physical American Express Platinum card
- You can bring up to two guests into the lounge for a $ 50 fee per guest
Like with the Lufthansa and Centurion lounges, your guests must be traveling on the same flight as you. Delta Air Lines has in the US a good name when it comes to lounges. This makes the Delta SkyClub a good alternative for the Priority Pass lounge.
Unlike with Lufthansa lounges, there aren’t that many Delta SkyClubs outside the US. There is actually just one at Tokyo Haneda since Delta has a hub there.
Virgin Australia Lounges
American Express Platinum members also have access to Virgin Australia lounges. Also this is due to the partnership American Express has with Virgin Australia. To access these lounges, you should think of the following:
- You need to fly on a Virgin Australia marketed and operated flight
- You need to show your physical American Express Platinum card
- You’re entitled to bring up to one guest for free into the lounges
- Access is limited to main card holder only
Virgin Australia lounges can only be found in Australia and they’re all for domestic flights only. Unfortunately, an American Express Platinum card will not grant you access to Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses.
Bottom Line
There are quite some lounges you can access when having an American Express Platinum card. Unlike the American Express Gold card, the Platinum card offers way more possibilities when comes to lounge access. Note that when you don’t have time for the lounge, you always can get a lounge box at Schiphol Airport. Since a few months, this Lounge On The Go concept is also available at Brussels and Rotterdam Airport.
What I like is the access to airline lounges such as Lufthansa, Delta and Virgin Australia lounges. Airline lounges usually offer a better experience than most Priority Pass lounges. Until Mach 6, you can get a 170,000 welcome bonus for signing up for an American Express Platinum card if you don’t have one yet. What lounges do you like most? Let me know in the comments below.
Image Delta SkyClub: Delta Air Lines
