This Is the Best Airport Lounge Program in the US and It’s Not Even Close — Here’s How to Qualify for Entry

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

The best airpt lounge program is the American Express Centurion Lounge system.  But you can NOT just pay your way in, like with some other airpt lounges.

Entry is an exclusive perk that comes with

•  The Business Platinum® Card from American Express (great business credit card to apply f

or

in December because you’ll save $145 on the annual fee that they’re increasing soon!)

or

•  The Platinum Card® from American Express.

Keith on our team sums up why he’s a big fan of American Express Centurion Lounges, “You can consistently enjoy a hot meal and premium cocktails.  They even have a menu of specialty cocktails, similar to what you would find at a great restaurant.  Plus, except f

or

one time I had to wait, the lounges are not too crowded, which means you can find a relaxing seat.”

These two American Express cards also grant you access to Pri

or

ity Pass Lounges.  In my experience, Pri

or

ity Pass Lounges are pretty hit

or

miss.  They’re always way better than not having a lounge at all — so I don’t want to sound spoiled!  But while some of the Pri

or

ity Pass lounges I’ve been to had delicious food and free-flowing drinks, others aren’t as great.

or

t-lounge-centurion-seating.jpg” alt=”” width=”600″ height=”400″ /> Get Cozy and Comfy on Couches With Complimentary Premium Cocktails at an AMEX Centurion Airp

or

t Lounge

Here’s Where You’ll Find Each American Express Centurion Airpt Lounge in the US

  • Charlotte (CLT) — opens 2019
  • Dallas-F

or

t W

or

th (DFW)

  • Denver (DEN) — opens 2019
  • Houston Intercontinental (IAH)
  • Las Vegas (LAS)
  • Los Angeles (LAX) – opens 2019
  • Miami (MIA)
  • New Y
  • or

    k – (JFK) – opens 2019

  • New Y
  • or

    k-La Guardia (LGA)

  • Philadelphia (PHL)
  • San Francisco (SFO)
  • Seattle-Tacoma (SEA)
  • or

    t-lounge-food-amex-centurion.jpg” alt=”” width=”600″ height=”400″ /> Don’t Pay $37 f

    or

    a Mediocre Burger in the Airp

    or

    t When You Get Great Food at American Express Centurion Lounges

    Only American Express Platinum cardholders can get in so that keeps it exclusive.  You’ll enjoy:

    • fast and free Wi-fi
    • premium alcohol
    • hot buffet style meals (expect deliciousness like Eggs Benedict, Greek Yogurt, French Toast, Roasted Squash Soup, glazed fried chicken, and of course standard cold-food options like salads and cereals)

    showers

  • conference spaces
  • premium alcohol (oh, did I say that already? haha well, it’s w
  • or

    th repeating when there are specialty cocktails created by renown mixologists and handpicked wines selected by experts.)

    or

    t-lounge-houston-centurion-american-express-bar.png” alt=”” width=”1000″ height=”336″ /> Belly Up to the Bar at a Centurion Airp

    or

    t Lounge Like This One and Get Treated to Name-Brand Liqu

    or

    s, Wine, and Beer

    Priity Pass Lounges Are Good but AMEX Centurion Lounges Are on Another Level — Access Both Types With the AMEX Platinum Cards

    My buddy who lives in Las Vegas tells me he keeps The Platinum Card® from American Express in large part because of the awesome Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas and because he frequents airp

    or

    t restaurants that are covered with Pri

    or

    ity Pass.  He gets $28 w

    or

    th of food and drinks f

    or

    free at participating Pri

    or

    ity Pass restaurants.  And of course he has access to the Pri

    or

    ity Pass lounges too.

    Here’s the list of restaurants where your Pri

    or

    ity Pass from The Platinum Card® from American Express

    or

    The Business Platinum® Card from American Express will reimburse you $28 when you have a same-day boarding pass:

    Boston (BOS)

    • Jerry Remy’s Sp

    or

    ts Bar & Grill

  • Stephanie’s
  • Cleveland (CLE)

    • Bar Symon at Cleveland Airp

    or

    t

    Denver (DEN)

    • Timberline Steaks & Grille

    Greenville / Spartanburg (GSP)

    • RJ Rockers Flight Room

    Houston

    • Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar
    • Landry’s Seafood

    Indianapolis (IND)

    • The Fan Zone

    Lexington

    • Kentucky Ale Taproom

    Los Angeles

    • Rock & Brews
    • P.F. Chang’s

    Miami (MIA)

    • C

    or

    ona Beach House

  • Viena
  • Air Margaritaville
  • New Yk (JFK)

    • Bobby Van’s Steakhouse

    Ptland (PDX)

    • Capers Cafe Le Bar
    • Capers Market

    San Francisco

    • San Francisco Giants Clubhouse
    • Yankee Pier

    St. Louis (STL)

    • The Pasta House
    • The Pasta House & Schlafly Beer

    Syracuse (SYR)

    • Johnny Rockets at Syracuse Airp

    or

    t

    Tampa

    • The Cafe by Mise en Place

    Tucson

    • Noble Hops

    Washington, DC (DCA)

    • American Tap Room
    • Bracket Room

    Washington DC (Dulles)

    • Chef Geoff’s

    You Also Get Access to Delta Airpt Lounges with AMEX Platinum Cards

    When you’re flying with Delta, you can pop into Delta SkyClub lounges free of charge.

    Bottom Line

    Yes, each of these cards has a hefty annual fee.  But if you actually use a bunch of the perks and points f

    or

    travel, AND the airp

    or

    t lounges… you’ll come out way ahead.

    The annual fee on the

    The Business Platinum® Card from American Express 

    is about to jump from its current $450 to $595.  So if you’re considering this card, I recommend you lock in the lower $450 price by applying in December.

    You also get access to all these airp

    or

    t lounges with the

    The Platinum Card® from American Express

    Some of the other perks on these cards:

    • $200 airline fee credit (covers baggage fees and such on your selected airline)
    • Up to a $100 credit f

    or

    either Global Entry

    or

    TSA PreCheck (if you have it already, buy it f

    or

    someone you travel with)

    • Gold elite status with Hilton (free breakfast and upgrades when available)
    • Gold elite status with Starwood/Marriott

    Million Mile Secrets features a team of points and miles experts who have traveled to over 80 countries and have used 60+ credit cards responsibly to accumulate loyalty points and travel the world on the cheap! The Million Mile Secrets team has been featured on The Points Guy, TIME, Yahoo Finance and many other leading points & miles media outlets.

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

    Join the Discussion!

    6 Comments
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments