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Do you like hanging out in the almost 50 Admirals Club® locations in 32 airports worldwide when you travel? Well, you might want to reconsider how you get access to these lounges.
If you can enter an Admirals Club thanks to your credit card, your access stays the same. However, if you buy an Admirals Club membership each year, you're in for some bad news. American Airlines will soon be increasing membership costs by up to 65%.
Here's what to know, and how to lock in current pricing before these changes go into effect.
Admirals Club lounges have been in the news a lot recently.
Between opening a new Admirals Club location in Philadelphia (PHL) and a pipeline of new or reimagined lounges in Chicago (ORD), Charlotte (CLT), Dallas (DFW), Miami (MIA), Washington, DC (DCA), Austin (AUS), and Nashville (BNA), American Airlines has been busy. These lounges have also received reimagined and expanded culinary offerings.
The airline has even introduced Provisions by Admirals Club, a new grab-and-go concept currently available in Charlotte and heading to New York (JFK) soon. Apparently, these openings and updates have gotten expensive. As such, Admirals Club membership options are getting a big overhaul.
Admirals Club Membership Changes
The biggest change is that individual memberships are substantially increasing in price. Starting August 23, 2026, here's how much you'll pay:
- AAdvantage member: $1,400 or 140,000 miles (up from $850 or 85,000 AAdvantage® miles)
- Gold: $1,350 or 135,000 miles (up from $825 or 82,500 miles)
- Platinum: $1,300 or 130,000 miles (up from $800 or 80,000 miles)
- Platinum Pro: $1,250 or 125,000 miles (up from $775 or 77,500 miles)
- Executive Platinum: $1,200 or 120,000 miles (up from $750 or 75,000 miles)
As a member, you will still be able to bring two guests and immediate family free of charge and access third-party lounges like the Oneworld Lounge in Seoul or The Qantas Club lounges throughout Australia. You can see the full list of Admirals Club and partner lounges here.
American Airlines is also making two other major changes:
- No more household membership option. American Airlines is removing the household membership option. Now, if you and your spouse each want access to Admirals Club locations, you'll both need to sign up for an individual membership. This isn't a huge loss, as there were hardly any savings for a household membership versus two individual memberships.
- New single membership option. American Airlines is also introducing a new single membership option, which costs just $750 or 75,000 miles. If you select this option, you cannot bring any guests with you to the lounge, and you cannot access any third-party lounges worldwide. However, if you frequently travel solo and you already get access to other lounges through a credit card, this is a cost-effective option to regularly access Admirals Club locations.
If you don't pay for a full membership, you'll still be able to buy a one-day pass for $79 or 7,900 AAdvantage miles.
How To Gain Unlimited Access for a Fraction of the Cost
In our opinion, there's very little reason to pay for an Admirals Club membership. Even if you opt for the single membership, you're paying $750 each year for unlimited access to Admirals Club without the ability to bring any guests. Why not pay $595 for unlimited access, plus the ability to bring two guests and access partner lounges?
If you're a frequent American Airlines flyer, the newly refreshed Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is a no-brainer. The complimentary Admirals Club membership (now a $1,400 value) is reason enough to get the card. You'll also enjoy a variety of new and improved perks, ranging from a $500 annual credit on American Airlines Vacation packages to complimentary Champion Status in the Omni Hotels & Resorts Select Guest program.
- Complimentary Admirals Club® membership for the primary cardholder
- Admirals Club® membership for authorized user accounts
- First checked bag free on domestic AA flights for you and up to 8 companions
- Priority check-in, TSA screening lines, and boarding
- 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after you spend $40,000 in purchases within the year
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Earn 10X miles for every $1 spent on eligible hotels booked at aa.com/hotels and eligible rental cars booked through aa.com/cars
- Earn 4X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases (increased to 5X miles through the end of the calendar year after you pass $150,000 in purchases annually)
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
If you don't need unlimited lounge access, you could also consider the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, which provides four Admirals Club passes each year. For those who only transit through an airport with an Admirals Club a handful of times each year, this is likely a better option. Plus, the ThankYou® Points you earn can be transferred to American Airlines AAdvantage at a 1:1 ratio.
- Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
Finally, if you want the best of both worlds, you can apply for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®. You'll also receive four Admirals Club passes each year, but you'll enjoy more benefits specific to American Airlines, like the ability to earn Loyalty Points on purchases and an annual American Airlines Companion Certificate.
Bottom Line
Admirals Club memberships are increasing by up to 65% on August 23, 2026. If you want to lock in current pricing, you should sign up for a membership before then. If you are already a member, you can renew your membership before October 3, 2026, to keep current rates. If you renew on or after October 3, only the new pricing will be available.
However, with so many ways to gain access to Admirals Clubs through credit cards, most travelers are better off getting a credit card than paying for a membership.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
