American Express is removing Priority Pass lounge card restaurant access

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The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two Priority Pass airport lounge access cards, one for you and one for your supplementary Platinum cardholder. This allows each of you to get two people into any of the 1,200 airport lounges in the Priority Pass network.

You can find full details on Priority Pass here – you can buy one separately without having to take out an Amex Platinum card.

Over recent years, Priority Pass has been adding restaurant partners too. Instead of visiting a lounge, you can visit a restaurant in your departure terminal and receive a £15 discount on your bill per person. A lot of people found this more attractive than visiting a lounge – and, in fact, you could do both. Priority Pass does not limit the number of different lounges or participating restaurants you can visit in the same trip.

American Express is now removing the restaurant benefit from UK issued Platinum cards. From 1st August, you will no longer be able to claim a credit in participating restaurants even if the restaurant is still listed on the Priority Pass website.

There is one relevant exception. The only UK restaurant participating in the scheme, the Grain Store Café & Bar at Gatwick South, will be retained, at least for UK cardholders. We looked at The Grain Store here.

I am guessing that, following the recent sharp increase in the Platinum fee, Amex did not want to be seen to be removing key benefits so soon. A handful of other restaurants globally will also be retained although there is no list.

There is now a problem, in that the Priority Pass website is no longer an accurate guide as to what you can access with an American Express-issued Priority Pass. You need to use the ‘Find A Lounge’ function on the Amex website – click here – which is the only place you can see which restaurants will still accept your Amex-issued Priority Pass card.

Getting airport lounge access for free from a credit card

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, here are the three options to get FREE airport lounge access via a credit or charge card:

The Platinum Card from American Express

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

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta and Eurostar lounges. Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

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

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with two free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £20. You get two more free visits for every year you keep the card.

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus. Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A huge bonus, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free LoungeKey card, allowing you access to the LoungeKey network. Guests are charged at £20 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer. Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.