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Those who have The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express might be glad to know they now have access to Virgin Clubhouses — which are some of the best lounges around. This comes after Plaza Premium took over the management of the lounges. Accordingly, select Amex cardholders now have access to five of the Virgin Clubhouse lounges for free.
Virgin Clubhouses Now Available to Amex Platinum Cardholders
Virgin Clubhouses are some of the nicest lounges around. They serve fantastic meals of local cuisine (Boston clam chowder in Boston, English Breakfasts in London, etc.), offer complimentary drinks and alcoholic beverages from around the world, and have cozy, stylish, and peaceful spaces to relax before your flight.
There are currently six Virgin Clubhouses. These include the original in London (LHR) and branches in Boston (BOS), San Francisco (SFO), New York (JFK), Washington, D.C. (IAD), and Johannesburg (JNB). Traditionally, these Clubhouses were restricted to only Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, Delta One, and a few Diamond and Platinum elite status members when traveling on a Virgin or Delta flight leaving the U.K.
Now, those with the Amex Platinum, the Business Platinum Card, and the Amex Centurion Card can access almost all of these Virgin Clubhouses — regardless of which airline you're flying. Per the access terms and conditions:
This benefit is available to Platinum Card Members. Card Members receive complimentary access to any global location of Plaza Premium Lounges. Card Member must present his or her valid Card, a boarding pass showing a confirmed reservation for same-day travel on any carrier and government-issued I.D. In some cases, Card Member must be 21 years of age to enter without a parent or guardian. Card Members may bring up to one (1) companion into Plaza Premium Lounges as complimentary guests.
The only exception is a big one: the London Heathrow (LHR) Virgin Clubhouse isn't available to cardholders.
Still, with this addition, Platinum and Centurion cardholders now have access to over 1,200 lounges in 130 countries, including the following lounges:
- Centurion Lounges
- International American Express Lounges
- Priority Pass Lounges
- Escape Lounges
- Delta Sky Club Lounges (when flying Delta the same day)
- Plaza Premium Lounges
- Air Space Lounges
- Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Note that the Virgin Clubhouse lounges in Los Angeles and New York Newark are permanently closed. And the lounge in Boston is temporarily closed — scheduled to reopen sometime in April 2022.
Virgin Clubhouse Lounge Access History
Virgin Clubhouses were briefly available to Priority Pass lounge members. But, access via Priority Pass is no longer possible as Plaza Premium lounges ended access for Priority Pass members.
Now that Virgin Clubhouses are part of the Plaza Premium collection, Amex cardholders with Platinum and Centurion cards once again have access to the Virgin Clubhouse locations for free.
Be aware that these clubhouses are only open 3-4 hours before a scheduled Virgin Atlantic departing flight. You must present your boarding pass to enter. Arriving passengers don't have access to these lounges. Eligible cardholders can bring one guest for free. Children under two years old are admitted for free.
Our Take
If you're leaving Boston, San Francisco, New York-JFK, Washington Dulles, or Johannesburg and have an Amex Platinum, you should definitely take advantage of the Virgin Clubhouses. These lounges are some of the nicest you'll find. Grab a great bite to eat, enjoy a complimentary drink, and relax before your long-haul flight.
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This is wrong. LHR lounge is not accessible with this :/
You’re right 🙁 I really wish that all of the Virgin Clubhouses were added without that major exception of LHR.
It’s nice to have another option. I still wonder what Amex will do with their own access though. For the annual fee I would expect more.
Do you have to have a Virgin Atlantic boarding pass or can it be any airline?
Any airline! The Amex lounge collection website notes: “Member must present his or her valid Card, a boarding pass showing a confirmed reservation for same-day travel on any carrier and government-issued I.D.”
Do we just need to show up with our AMEX Platinum card? We’re flying out of IAD next Sunday.
Yes, plus your boarding pass and ID. Note that the lounge is only open from 2pm-8pm though.
Something is not clear here. Can the boarding pass be on any airline? If you’re saying it’s limited to VS passengers, those passengers already have access to the lounge (assuming they are flying Upper Class).
So the only change is that now ALL VS passengers, regardless of fare class, can enter this lounge if and only if they are Amex Platinum/Centurion? But all other flyers on any other airline CANNOT enter, regardless of fare class or Amex Plat or Centurion?
Lots of ambiguity in this post, please clarify.
Yes, any airline. I added the terms and conditions from the Amex lounge collection website to the post to clarify that.