We are an independent publisher. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, our site does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We strive to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, but some information may not be current. So, your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms on this site. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

This page may include: credit card ads that we may be paid for (“advertiser listing”); and general information about credit card products (“editorial content”). Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Apply Now” button or “Learn More” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. When you click on that hyperlink or button, you may be directed to the credit card issuer’s website where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Each advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its ad offer details, but we attempt to verify those offer details. We have partnerships with advertisers such as Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Discover. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services. Some of that content may also contain ads, including links to advertisers’ sites, and we may be paid on those ads or links.

For more information, please see How we make money.

What’s Happening Now at This AMEX Centurion Lounge Needs to Happen at All Airport Lounges ASAP

  • Million Mile Secrets

    • 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.

    Belly up to the bar airport lounge

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

    Before I discovered miles and points and travel credit cards, I had never stepped foot in an airport lounge.  But now I almost take these special spaces full of free food and drinks and WiFi for granted.  But there’s a major problem that’s gotten worse in recent years.

    I’ll explain, but first, in case you don’t know, here are a few credit cards that come with airport lounge privileges:

    Airport Lounges Like AMEX Centurion Are a Victim of Their Own Success.  They Need to Build Them Bigger to Accommodate More Guests

    Airport Lounges Are Suffering From Overcrowding — AMEX Centurion Is Doing Something Positive About It

    There are a record number of air passengers, perhaps due to the strong economy.  And more credit cards have added airport lounge access as a free perk.  And that’s why we have a problem… some airport lounges are stuffed with people all trying to stuff their faces with the tasty food, beer, wine, coffee, and more.

    And that defeats the purpose of having a somewhat-exclusive lounge where you can relax in quiet before your flight.

    The AMEX Centurion Lounge at Miami International Airport is about to be closed for part of January.  American Express says they’ll be upgrading and expanding the lounge.  This is what needs to happen at many airport lounges in the US.

    I’ve visited more than a few Priority Pass airport lounges in the US and Europe and haven’t experienced overcrowding yet.  (You can get Priority Pass membership with cards like Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express.)

    But when talking with folks here at Million Mile Secrets and listening to reader comments on the blog, overcrowding is certainly an issue in the more popular lounges, especially during peak travel seasons.

    American Express realizes that their AMEX Centurion Lounges are one of the treasured perks that comes with The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express so they’re right to invest in expanding the spaces.  I hope they accelerate this process! 

    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! :)