Let’s hope that the guest policy changes will mean less of these ridiculously long lines for entrance to Centurion Lounges. Photo by: Evan Berman

I’ve written before about how it is easy to get over $1,000 in value from the AmEx Platinum card. One of the aspects people like the most is lounge access, specifically Delta SkyClubs while flying Delta and Centurion Lounges. Fortunately or unfortunately, the guest policy for the latter is changing.

What Are Centurion Lounges

In the U.S., airport lounges are more or less the same. They are generally extremely crowded, offer food and drinks and a place to sit away from the chaos of the gates. An exception (though not from the crowded part!) are the upscale Centurion Lounges. These lounges are not affiliated with any airline like most others and feature menus both food and drink that are designed by James Beard-award winning chefs and mixologists. The food is generally terrific with locally-inspired dishes prominently featured and interesting cocktails as well as mid-shelf liquor served at the bar.

There are currently Centurion lounges in the following US airports:

• CLT (Charlotte, North Carolina)
• DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas)
• DEN (Denver, Colorado)
• IAH (Houston, Texas)
• JFK (New York- JFK, New York)
• LAS (Las Vegas, Nevada)
• LAX (Los Angeles, California)
• LGA (New York- LaGuardia, New York)
• MIA (Miami, Florida)
• PHL (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• PHX (Phoenix, Arizona)
• SFO (San Francisco California)
• SEA (Seattle, Washington)

There are plans to open new Centurion Lounges in ATL (Atlanta, Georgia) and DCA (Washington D.C.- Reagan National) in 2023.

Entry Requirements

The only way to gain access to these lounges is by holding one of the following credit cards:

• AmEx Platinum
• AmEx Business Platinum
• Delta Reserve
• Delta Reserve Business
• AmEx Centurion (“Black Card”)
• AmEx Centurion Business (“Black Card”)

Note: you may only gain access via the Delta cards when flying on Delta.

Additionally, you may only gain access within 3 hours of your scheduled departure.

Guest Policies

Previously, everyone with an AmEx Platinum card could bring 2 free guests with them. As of February 1st, this is no longer the case. From that point forward, the guest policies are as follows:

• AmEx Centurion Card holders may still bring 2 free guests
• AmEx Platinum Card holders must spend $75,000 in order to have free guests.
  • Otherwise, the cost to bring in a guest is $50 per adult or $30 per child between 2 and 17.

So, should you spend $75,000 on the card?!? No! The earning on the Platinum card is poor outside of airfare and AmEx Travel purchases so I would not recommend doing all of your spending on that card, even if having the ability to bring a guest is important to you.

Make Your Guest an Authorized User

If you care a great deal about being able to bring in a guest or guests for free, there are still ways to do this.

Let’s assume that you care about bringing in a guest because you travel with a significant other, family member, or close friend. You are not bringing in different guests each time. If that is the case and you trust them and have their permission, you could add the person as an authorized user to your account. What does that mean? In short, you are telling AmEx that this person is a trusted to have a card on your account and that you will be responsible for any purchases they make since their card is tied to your account.

One strategy especially if you are worried about the last sentence is to add them as an authorized user and keep their card with you for when y’all travel together. By doing that, they will not be able to make purchases without your consent.

Here is the price to add an authorized user:

• With the AmEx Platinum, $175 per year for up to 3 users
• With the AmEx Platinum by Morgan Stanley, the 1st authorized user is free, though the next are also $175.
• With the AmEx Business Platinum, $300 per user

If you care enough about this feature, it may be worth it to sign up for the Morgan Stanley co-branded Platinum card, rather than the “vanilla” one. Note that you need a Morgan Stanley account to open this card.

Takeways

I believe that this is a positive change. I frequently travel by myself and the crowding detracts from an otherwise wonderful experience. As the lead photo suggests, it sometimes requires a wait of 30+ minutes before you are allowed entry due to the large number of people. If you truly care about having a guest, you can add them as an authorized user (preferably for free with the Morgan Stanley version of the AmEx Platinum). Let’s hope we can get into more Centurion lounges in 2023!

That being said, I recently had the opportunity to bring my parents into the JFK Centurion lounge for free as my guests and that experience was gratifying. I understand that some people travel with children and will have to choose between forgoing the lounge and paying $60 or even $100 for the entire group’s entry.

Stay tuned for a review of the lounge in Dallas in February and the one in Seattle in March as well as the review of my experiences in JFK and Philly.

Are you worried about or do you welcome this change?

Evan