Airport lounge entry could make an extended connection or sudden delay extra snug. Many journey rewards playing cards present lounge entry as a card perk, usually through a complimentary Precedence Cross membership. However, the American Categorical® Inexperienced Card takes a unique strategy to airport lounge entry.
As an alternative of offering membership to a community of lounges, the American Categorical Inexperienced Card gives as much as $100 in assertion credit per calendar 12 months while you use the cardboard to buy lounge entry straight via LoungeBuddy. Lounge entry via LoungeBuddy begins at $8 per particular person, though most lounges value between $26 and $61 per particular person.
Contemplating the Amex Inexperienced Card has a $150 annual payment, you possibly can offset a lot of this payment annually if you happen to maximize your card’s LoungeBuddy assertion credit. So, let’s contemplate methods to maximize these assertion credit.
The knowledge for the American Categorical Inexperienced Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Use different lounge passes first
You probably have complimentary lounge entry via different means, use it when it is accessible to save lots of your LoungeBuddy assertion credit for different journeys.
For instance, suppose you might have The Platinum Card® from American Categorical or The Enterprise Platinum Card® from American Categorical. In that case, you might have entry to the American Categorical International Lounge Assortment; this gives Centurion Lounge entry, a Precedence Cross membership, entry to Delta SkyClubs* with a reservation for a same-day Delta-operated flight and extra. Enrollment is required for choose advantages.
You probably have choose premium airline playing cards, such because the Citi® / AAdvantage® Govt World Elite Mastercard® (see charges and charges) or the United Membership℠ Infinite Card, you will have entry to the airline’s lounges when flying that airline or its companions. Elite standing or flying in premium cabins may additionally afford you lounge entry.
Efficient February 1, 2025: Eligible Platinum Card Members will obtain 10 Visits per Eligible Platinum Card per 12 months to the Delta Sky Membership or to Seize and Go when touring on a same-day Delta-operated flight.
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Analysis your choices
If you wish to e-book a lounge utilizing LoungeBuddy, you possibly can see all of the bookable lounge places on the LoungeBuddy web site. For instance, the next picture reveals all of the U.S. airports that at present have not less than one lounge bookable via LoungeBuddy.
You should use the LoungeBuddy web site to check lounge choices earlier than reserving. It is definitely worth the time to check facilities, essential info, critiques and prices on the LoungeBuddy web site that can assist you resolve which lounge to go to.
You is likely to be shocked by a number of the pricing variations between lounges on the similar airport. For instance, the Escape Lounge prices lower than The Membership CVG at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Worldwide Airport (CVG). As such, researching prematurely will enable you select your most dear possibility.
Lastly, if you’d like entry to a selected lounge, verify whether or not you should purchase entry for much less via one other methodology. After all, that is solely good recommendation if you happen to’ll simply use your Amex Inexperienced Card’s LoungeBuddy assertion credit every calendar 12 months on different lounge visits.
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Use LoungeBuddy to pay for further company
If you have already got complimentary entry to a lounge through different means, you could wish to use LoungeBuddy to buy entry in your journey companions.
For instance, Amex Platinum and Enterprise Platinum cardholders get complimentary entry to Escape Lounges for themselves and as much as two company. Nonetheless, if touring in a bigger group, you may use LoungeBuddy to buy lounge entry for added company.
Equally, suppose a lounge participates in each Precedence Cross and LoungeBuddy. In that case, you should purchase entry for added journey companions via LoungeBuddy if you happen to aren’t allotted sufficient company via your Precedence Cross membership.
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Guarantee your lounge go to is eligible
The LoungeBuddy web site reveals varied lounges, together with some you possibly can’t e-book via LoungeBuddy.
So, even if you happen to’re on the airport and wish to go to a lounge, you may have to go to the LoungeBuddy web site and use your Amex Inexperienced Card to e-book your lounge go to via LoungeBuddy so as to use your assertion credit. To search out lounges bookable on-line via LoungeBuddy, search for the inexperienced LoungeBuddy emblem subsequent to the speed.
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Hold monitor of your utilization
You may proceed utilizing LoungeBuddy to buy lounge entry as soon as you’ve got exhausted your Amex Inexperienced assertion credit. Nonetheless, you could wish to hold a observe in your telephone to trace your LoungeBuddy utilization.
This manner, you may know while you e-book the lounge go to that places you over the $100 mark for the calendar 12 months; after this level, you will not see any extra assertion credit out of your American Categorical Inexperienced Card for added LoungeBuddy visits the remainder of the 12 months.
Associated: Is the Amex Inexperienced Card definitely worth the annual payment?
Think about worldwide lounges
Many lounges exterior the U.S. value lower than home lounges. This implies you could possibly squeeze extra lounge visits out of the American Categorical Inexperienced Card’s LoungeBuddy assertion credit score every calendar 12 months while you use it for lounges exterior the U.S. Many of those lounges embrace extra substantial meals and higher facilities than comparably priced lounges throughout the U.S.
For instance, you possibly can e-book six lounges via LoungeBuddy at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), with costs starting from $28 to $46 per particular person.
Eight lounges at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) will be booked via LoungeBuddy for $34 per particular person.
A couple of lounges are accessible for even much less. Entry to the Concordia Lounge at Indonesia’s Syamsudin Noor Airport (BDJ) prices simply $8 per particular person while you e-book via LoungeBuddy. Nonetheless, this lounge is within the home terminal, so that you’d have to fly inside Indonesia to make use of it.
Equally, the Aviserv Lounge (West) in Mumbai presents three-hour lounge entry for $9 per particular person; alternatively, it presents seven-hour entry with a bathe and 4 hours in a non-public sleep pod for $51 per particular person.
With choices like these, you could possibly stretch your $100 assertion credit score into many lounge visits every calendar 12 months.
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Backside line
One advantage of the American Categorical Inexperienced Card is a $100 LoungeBuddy assertion credit score every calendar 12 months. You possibly can stretch your credit to cowl as many as 12 lounge visits every calendar 12 months, however you might additionally use your total credit score for one or two premium lounge visits. Maximization seems totally different for every traveler, however you might have loads of choices to make use of your LoungeBuddy assertion credit score in a method that gives probably the most worth to you.
If you wish to study extra about lounge entry and the American Categorical Inexperienced Card, take a look at the next guides:
