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.

A First-Hand Review of the Escape Lounge in the Minneapolis Airport

  • 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.

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

    Million Mile Secrets team member Meghan had a layover in the Minneapolis airport during her recent trip to Europe.  So I asked her to write about her experience at the Minneapolis Airport’s Escape Lounge.

    Meghan:   Having The Business Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a lot of great perks.  One of those is access to airport lounges, including Delta Clubs, Priority Pass Select locations, Centurion Lounges, International American Express Lounges, and Escape Lounges!

    The Escape Lounge Is a Comfy Place to Send Some Time. Especially If You Can Get in Free!

    Here’s more about the Escape Lounge in Minneapolis’ airport, including where to find it, the snack spread, quality of the Wi-Fi, seating options, and more!

    About the Escape Lounge Minneapolis Airport

    The Escape Lounge in the Minneapolis airport is part of the American Express Lounge Collection.  So you have to hold the personal or small business AMEX Platinum card to enter.

    This particular lounge used to be a part of the Priority Pass network.  But in mid-2017, it left that program.

    With lounge access, you can bring up to 2 guests for free.  But you’ll need to pay for a day pass ($45 each) for any additional guests.  It’s open daily from 4:00 am to 8:00 pm.

    How to Find the Lounge

    Finding the lounge is easy, because the Minneapolis airport isn’t hard to navigate (like some airports that go on forever!).  It’s located on the Mezzanine Level above the entrance to Concourse E.  That’s accessible from the Airport Mall, where you’ll find most of the airport’s shops and restaurants.

    To Get to the Escape Lounge, You’ll Have to Climb the Stairs or Take the Elevator to the Mezzanine Level

    Lounge Amenities

    The lounge isn’t huge.  But it’s divided into 3 sections.

    There’s a seating area near the food,  another area by the bar where drinks are served, and a third area at the opposite end of the lounge that has more private seating, including small couches, comfy leather chairs, and a few large round tables.

    The Wi-Fi is fast and reliable.  And because of the separate seating areas, it was easy for us to find a quiet spot.

    It was near closing time when we visited at ~7:30 pm on a Friday, so there wasn’t much going on.  But the noise level might be different during another time of day.

    Staff Had Already Shut Down One of the Seating Areas When We Arrived

    When we arrived, the staff had already cleaned up certain sitting areas.  But were still serving food and beverages.

    The bar was well-stocked with a wide variety of options, including complimentary beer, wine, and liquor (with the premium drinks costing $4 to $15).  There was also a small nacho bar, some warm sandwiches, a salad bar, and a variety of desserts.

    Check out the beverage menu and the food menu.

    The Meat at the Taco Bar Looked as Though It Had Been Sitting out for a Little Too Long

    As for the food selection – I wasn’t overly impressed.  But that could have been because it was toward the end of the day, and things didn’t look that fresh.

    Em Liked the Tasty Orzo and Giant White Bean Salad!

    We did find a few decent options at the salad and dessert bars, including a pasta and bean dish, and delicious chocolate chip cookies!

    For the Priority Pass Crew

    Here’s a fun tip!  If you also have access to Priority Pass lounges, with a card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, for example, consider the PGA MSP Lounge.

    It’s right next door to the Escape lounge, and each guest can get a $15 voucher for food at Ike’s at the Airport, a well-known restaurant and cocktail bar.

    The Various Seating Areas Offer Something for Everyone. You’ll Find Comfortable Leather Chairs for Conversing With Friends, to Booths for Working, & Sofas for Relaxing!

    On our return trip, we picked up our food vouchers from the PGA MSP Lounge, placed a to-go order at Ike’s, and took it back to enjoy in the Escape Lounge in peace and quiet. 😉

    Between our 3 vouchers, we had $45 to spend!  We ended up with 2 orders of chicken fingers and fries, lettuce wraps, and a Caesar salad to share.  It was TONS of food!

    Bottom Line

    Team member Meghan recently visited the Escape Lounge in the Minneapolis Airport during a layover on the way to Europe.  She had free lounge access because she’s an AMEX Business Platinum cardholder.

    Overall, she found the Escape Lounge to be spacious and relaxing, with reliable Wi-Fi, and a decent food and beverage selection.  And said she’d happily visit again if the opportunity arises!

    Have you ever been to this Escape Lounge?

    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! :)