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Effective January 1, 2027, holders of the American Express Platinum Card® and the Business Platinum Card® from American Express in Canada will be limited to 6 free visits per year each to the Plaza Premium and Priority Pass lounge networks, replacing the current unlimited access.
Supplementary cardholders will receive 2 complimentary visits per calendar year.
One visit equals one person entering the lounge. So, if your family of 4 enters a Plaza Premium or Priority Pass lounge, you will have 2 complimentary annual visits remaining on your account.
Access will continue to be unlimited for Centurion lounges and other international lounges (Delta SkyClub, Executive Lounge by Swissport, Global Lounge Collection, Aspire).
To bypass this, you can regain unlimited access by spending at least $20,000 per calendar year on your card.
Once this minimum spend is confirmed within the year, you will have unlimited access until December 31 of the following year. For example, if you reach it on October 15, 2027, you will have unlimited access until December 31, 2028.
When this unlimited access is “unlocked” for Priority Pass and Plaza Premium lounges, it will be granted to all eligible primary and supplementary Platinum cardholders on the account. Additionally, cardholders will be able to bring one travel companion for free.
American Express announced these changes well in advance, giving Platinum cardholders just over a year to adapt and plan their travel habits. This allows customers to gradually familiarize themselves with the new system.
The timeline for the changes is as follows:
No change
Complimentary and unlimited access for the cardholder and one additional traveller to over 1,400 airport lounges in more than 130 countries, including Centurion, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass, and other international lounges.
Complimentary and unlimited access to Centurion lounges and other international lounges
6 free annual visits to the Plaza Premium network and 6 free annual visits to the Priority Pass network OR, after $20,000 in eligible spending during the year, a return to unlimited access for Plaza Premium and Priority Pass.
Supplementary Gold Cards remain ineligible for lounge access, even with the new system.
The impact depends on your travel profile. If 12 annual visits to the Priority Pass and Plaza Premium lounge networks are enough for you as an occasional traveller, if unlimited access to Centurion Lounges meets your needs, and if you’re confident you can regain unlimited access by spending $20,000, these changes should not be an issue for you.
Otherwise, this will require a bit more organization, and you will need to plan your visits and distribute the complimentary accesses among the different lounges.
You will be entitled to 6 complimentary visits per network (Plaza Premium and Priority Pass), totaling 12 annual visits. Each additional personal or Business Platinum Card receives 2 visits per calendar year.
If you have an American Express Platinum Card® and a Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you will have 24 complimentary visits in total.
Free lounge visits reset every January 1. They expire on December 31 of the same calendar year and do not carry over from year to year.
You can still access lounges by paying the lounge entry fee, typically between $32 and $45 USD per person, depending on the lounge.
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