Your Ultimate Guide To Amex Centurion Lounges

Amex Centurion Lounges are part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection, and they are known for offering spacious seating, free and fast Wi-Fi, signature cocktails, snacks and concierge services. These lounges provide a luxe oasis for travelers who find airports stressful and uncomfortable, and they become an option for you if you have one of the travel credit cards that offer access.

If you’ve seen Amex Centurion Lounges in airports and are wondering how you could get an invite, read on to learn what it takes to gain entry and which luxuries you can enjoy once you get your foot in the door.

What is an American Express Centurion Lounge?

Centurion Lounges are chic spaces designed for comfort, with amenities that elevate the travel experience. The brand of lounges currently boasts 25+ locations in airports around the globe, including in Dallas (DFW), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK & LGA), London (LHR) and Hong Kong (HKG), among others.

Amex Centurion Lounges offer a quiet space to retreat when you want to get away from the hustle and bustle near your gate, and the following amenities make each stay even better:

• Signature cocktails
• Healthy, regionally sourced snacks and foods
• Travel concierge
• Quiet workspaces
• Spacious seating
• Free high-speed Wi-Fi
• TVs
• Digital library of newspapers and magazines
• Shower suites*
• Luggage lockers*
• Conference room*
• Spa services*
• Wine tasting*
• Stocked family rooms*

(*Denotes available in select locations)

Once you’ve used your card to access the lounge, you can put it back in your wallet. All food, cocktails and services within the Centurion Lounge are complimentary. Keep in mind, however, that reservations are not accepted and services are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

How to get access to Amex Centurion Lounges

If you hold one of these Amex credit cards, you qualify to enter the Amex Centurion lounge:

The lounge is only available to cardholders scheduled to depart on a flight within the next three hours. That means you can use the lounge for departure flights or layovers, but you can’t enter it at your final destination.

If you’re flying on standby, you’re not eligible to use the lounge unless you have a boarding pass showing a confirmed seat or zone assignment.

To access the Centurion Lounge, you’ll need to present:

• One of the above Amex cards
• Your boarding pass showing your reservation for same-day travel
• A government-issued I.D. card that matches the name on your credit card

Guest access

American Express Centurion Lounges made some sweeping changes in terms of guest access that went into effect on February 1, 2023. Essentially, these changes made it so most Amex cardholders can no longer bring guests into the lounge with them for free.

Specifically, cardholders with the Amex Platinum, Amex Business Platinum and Delta Reserve cards are now charged a $50 fee for each guest ($30 for children ages 2 through 17) or a comparable rate for international lounges. The only way for Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders, specifically, to continue getting 2 free guests per visit now is by spending $75,000 on eligible purchases on their card within a calendar year.

Corporate Platinum and Centurion cardholders are able to enter with up to two guests for no charge in any U.S. Centurion Lounge location, as well as in Hong Kong and London.

Rates for additional paid guests

Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders with complimentary guest access, Corporate Platinum cardholders and Centurion cardholders can also purchase day passes for additional guests they want to bring into lounges after the first two. The rates for these day passes are as follows:

• Guests aged 18+: $50
• Guests aged 2 to 17: $30
• Guests below age 2: Free (with proof of age)

Can you purchase access to Centurion Lounges?

Other than the fact cardholders with certain Amex credit cards can pay to bring guests into a Centurion lounge with them, access to this type of airport lounge is not for sale.

Where are Amex Centurion Lounges located?

Here’s a list of Centurion lounges in the U.S. and abroad:

• Atlanta (ATL)
• Charlotte (CLT)
• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)
• Denver (DEN)
• Houston (IAH)
• Las Vegas (LAS)
• Los Angeles (LAX)
• Miami (MIA)
• New York (JFK)
• New York LaGuardia (LGA)
• Philadelphia (PHL)
• Phoenix (PHX)
• San Francisco (SFO)
• Seattle-Tacoma (SEA)
• Washington, D.C. (DCA)
• Hong Kong (HKG)
• London (LHR)
• Stockholm (ARN)
• Mumbai (BOM)
• Delhi (DEL)
• Buenos Aires (EZE)
• São Paulo (GRU)
• Melbourne (MEL)
• Mexico City (MEX)
• Monterrey (MTY)
• Sydney (SYD)

Best credit cards with Centurion Lounge access

Centurion Lounge access is only available to cardholders of certain American Express cards. Here are a few of our favorites that provide complimentary entry to these lounges.

The Platinum Card from American Express: Best for personal travel

The Platinum Card from American Express lets cardholders earn 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel and on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare every calendar year. You’ll also earn 2X points on prepaid car rentals through Amex Travel and 1X points on all other purchases.

Cardholders also qualify for over $2,000 in bonus credits and benefits — like up to $200 in airline incidental credits, up to $199 in credits toward CLEAR® Plus membership and up to $100 in credits toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. (Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.)

Best of all, new customers can earn 80,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases within 6 months of account opening. A $695 annual fee applies.

The Business Platinum Card from American Express: Best for small business

The Business Platinum Card from American Express lets you earn 5X Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked via Amex Travel and 2X points on prepaid rental cars booked through Amex Travel. You also get 1.5X points (on up to $2,000,000 per calendar year) on purchases of U.S. construction materials, hardware supplies, electronic goods and retailers, software and cloud system providers, shipping providers and on key purchases of $5,000 or more. Plus, you’ll still receive 1X points on all other purchases.

Cardholders also qualify for over $2,000 in credits toward things like Dell purchases, airline incidental charges, purchases with Indeed.com and Adobe and more (terms apply).

New cardholders can even earn 150,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $20,000 on purchases within 3 months of account opening. Similar to the consumer Platinum card, a $695 annual fee applies.

Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card: Best for frequent Delta travelers

The Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card lets cardholders enter Amex Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs when traveling with the airline.

Cardholders earn 3X miles on eligible Delta flights and Delta Vacations and 1X miles on other purchases. Plus, the card comes with perks like 15 percent off award flights, an annual companion certificate, upgrade priority, a first checked bag free and up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership. Terms apply.

New cardholders are also eligible to earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 on purchases on your new card in your first 6 months. A $650 annual fee applies.

The bottom line

Amex Centurion Lounges can turn long airport waits into pure pleasure for qualified American Express cardholders. These elite, stylish spaces offer everything from quiet workspaces to spa services and signature cocktails — turning the airport itself into a destination worth visiting.

That said, not everyone can enter, so you’ll want to make sure you sign up for the right American Express credit card if you want access.

**The information about The American Express Corporate Platinum Card® and The Centurion Card from American Express has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.