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The changes below have taken effect, and this post is no longer being updated. Here is our archive of major updates from card issuers and loyalty programs.
Priority Pass Select members who have their membership through holding a US-issued American Express card are losing non-lounge access privileges from August 1, 2019. The move affects every membership associated with any Amex card offering Priority Pass membership like the The Platinum Card® from American Express, or the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card card. Priority Pass defines “non-lounge” as bars, cafes, and restaurants. The entire list of non-lounge facilities will be unavailable for Amex Priority Pass Cardholders, bar a select few.
Facilities That Will Remain Available
The cut is deep, and almost every participating Priority Pass restaurant and bar will no longer be accessible from August 1, 2019. There is a handful of facilities that are an exception, and these include:
- Minute Suites at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International ATL- Concourse B & Concourse T
- Minute Suites at Charlotte Douglas International CTL- Atrium
- Minute Suites at Dallas / Fort Worth international DFW- Terminal A & Terminal D
- Minute Suites at Philadelphia International PHL- Terminal B
- Sleep’n’fly – the new airport sleep concept by YAWN at Dubai International DXB- Terminal 3, Concourse A
- The Grain Store at London Gatwick LGW- South Terminal
Amex Cards Affected
Currently, three American Express cards provide you with a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. The devaluation of Priority Pass membership affects the following cards:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
One thing to remember is that this only affects Priority Pass Select memberships associated with Amex cards like the Amex Platinum. It does not affect memberships associated with Chase or any other financial institutions. That means Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Citi Prestige® Card Priority Pass cards should still have access to non-lounge facilities. So if you have multiple memberships, remember to take a Sharpie, and mark each Priority Pass card with the name of the credit card it is associated with.
Our Take
This is bad news, and there is no way to sugarcoat it. Even though the Amex Platinum card comes with an impressive host of features and benefits, the devaluation of the Priority Pass membership is a hammer blow to the value of the card, and makes competitor cards like the Sapphire Reserve seem that much more attractive since they provide unrestricted Priority Pass membership. The major concern here is that other issuers will see this move as a clever cost-cutting measure and follow suit. If Chase or Citi pulls this benefit too, you can bet the other won't be far behind.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $120 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 10X points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 10X points on Chase Dining (including prepaid reservations and prepaid takeout purchased through Chase)
- 5X points on airfare purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on all other travel
- 3X points on dining at restaurants
- 1X points on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
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