Amex Platinum is Ending Its Lufthansa Lounge Perk

If you carry the American Express Platinum Card® or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you will soon lose access to Lufthansa lounges.

American Express quietly updated its lounge access policy, removing the ability for Platinum cardholders to use Lufthansa lounges unless they are actually flying in a premium cabin on Lufthansa. Before this change, cardholders could flash their Amex Platinum and walk into a Lufthansa lounge regardless of what ticket they had. That benefit is now gone. This affects travelers flying through major German hubs like Frankfurt and Munich, where Lufthansa lounges have long been a top perk for points and miles enthusiasts.

The change applies to the standard Amex Platinum card as well as the Business Platinum. Centurion Lounge access and Priority Pass access through Amex are not affected by this update. The Lufthansa lounge access that is being cut was specifically the complimentary access tied to your card status, not access earned by booking a business or first class ticket. If you book a Lufthansa business or first class ticket, you will still get into the lounge.

Our Take

Since this is a fairly niche perk, this is primarily a loss for Amex Platinum cardholders who frequently fly to/from Frankfurt or other airports with a Lufthansa lounge presence.

Lufthansa lounges provided good value, especially in Frankfurt, and being able to access them on an economy ticket was one of those quiet perks that added value to the card if you were someone who used this benefit.

If you have been holding onto the Amex Platinum largely for access to this perk, then this may impact your decision to keep the card, but for the majority of Amex Platinum cardholders, this change likely won’t make much of a difference.