Amex Platinum dropping American Airlines and US Airways lounge access

I have written a fair bit on Head for Points about the lounge access benefits of the American Express Platinum card.  Indeed, my other post today reminds you that you can even use it to access Eurostar business class lounges.

The Cathay Pacific Gold card (= BA Silver) and the two Priority Pass lounge cards are also very useful.

There has, though, been another lounge benefit for Amex Platinum cardholders.  You would receive access to lounges operated by American Airlines and US Airways if you were flying with them on an economy ticket.

This email was just received by Amex Platinum cardholders in the US though:

And, with Amex, what happens in the US tends to happen in the UK at the same time.

The pill has been sweetened for US cardholders with a $200-$500 cashback offer for the purchase of American Airlines or US Airways ‘incidental fees’ such as luggage charges or lounge passes.  I doubt that will be available here, if only because cardholders would have made less use of the benefit.

Access to Delta lounges is still available, however, when flying Delta.  And, according to the Amex Platinum UK website “bmi Business Lounges”.  Good luck with that one ….

Amex also has, interestingly, ‘American Express Platinum’ branded airport lounges in Argentina, Brazil, India and Mexico.  These can be used for free with your Platinum card – I did pop in to the Mexico City one about 8 years ago!  They have also recently started rolling out their own lounges at various US airports (eg Las Vegas) although it is not yet clear if UK Platinum card members can get access.  (EDIT: yes you can, according to the comments below.)

You can, of course, continue to gain access to American Airlines lounges for now with your Cathay Pacific Gold card.  However, these are unlikely to be renewed beyond February 2015, given that Cathay will stop issuing them to new Amex Plats in March 2014.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus. 

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending:

Barclaycard Select Cashback Credit Card

1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review