Roundup
Is Amex Platinum still worth it for lounges? A crowding reality check
Value the lounge visits you actually complete—not the network size on the brochure or the retail price of benefits you never use.
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The Centurion Lounge
LAX · Tom Bradley International Terminal · Los Angeles
4.6/5 overallCount both completed visits and attempts abandoned because of a queue.
Opened 2020. Rated 4.6/5 across 14 measures. 2 showers. Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders: guests $50 each (children 2-17 $30, under 2 free), or 2 free guests after…
Get in with: Centurion Lounge
The Centurion Lounge
DEN · Concourse C · Denver
4.8/5 overallEvaluate this location against your normal departure concourse and time.
Denver's Centurion Lounge is on the mezzanine of Concourse C, just past Gate C46. Passengers in Concourses A and B can reach it, but need the train to get to C.
Get in with: Centurion Lounge
The Centurion Lounge
JFK · Terminal 4 · New York
4.7/5 overallTerminal access and usable visit time matter more than the brand alone.
Amex opened this Centurion Lounge in Terminal 4 in late 2020. At about 15,000 sq ft, it is one of the largest in the network.
Get in with: Centurion Lounge
The Centurion Lounge
SEA · Concourse B · Seattle
4.6/5 overallInclude only visits you can realistically use when valuing the card.
The Seattle Centurion Lounge is on the mezzanine of the Central Terminal, above the food court. Facing the food court windows, turn left and follow the signs to the elevator.
Get in with: Centurion Lounge
Start with successful visits#
The U.S. consumer Platinum Card's published annual fee is $895. Whether lounge access justifies a meaningful part of that cost depends on your travel pattern. The fee is confirmed on Amex's card page.
Count visits when you entered, found a useful seat and had enough time to eat, work or rest. Keep a separate count of attempts abandoned because of queues, terminal logistics or closed doors. Both belong in the renewal decision.
A card that works beautifully on six trips may be worthwhile. One that theoretically covers twenty airports but repeatedly fails on your actual flights may not be.
Give each visit an honest value#
Use what you would otherwise spend, not an inflated lounge day-pass price. If you would normally buy a $20 meal and a coffee, that is a better starting point than assigning every visit $80.
Here is an illustrative calculation, not a forecast: 12 successful visits valued at $30 each produce $360 of personal lounge value. If you independently value other card benefits at $400, the total is $760—below an $895 fee. Twenty similarly valued lounge visits would change the result.
Deduct guest charges and consider the time spent making detours. Avoid counting the same meal twice as both a travel saving and a lounge benefit.
Your home airport matters more than the global map#
Write down your usual terminal, airline and departure times. Then identify the lounges those trips actually make usable.
At Denver, for example, your choice of card affects which bank lounge you can enter. At JFK, a lounge in one terminal may be irrelevant to a flight elsewhere. An impressive network total cannot fix the wrong location.
Sky Club access is another conditional benefit. See our Platinum and Delta guide before including those visits in your estimate. Do not value an allowance you cannot use with your usual fare or carrier.
Treat a waitlist as a cost#
A queue can cost the meal you expected, your preferred work period or the chance to sit before boarding. Track its effect rather than deciding that any wait makes the card worthless.
Useful entries in a travel log are simple: airport, date, local time, quoted wait, actual wait and minutes spent inside. After several trips, your own pattern is more relevant than another traveler's best or worst visit.
The Centurion waitlist guide explains why this article does not promise a reliably empty airport.
When renewal makes more sense#
The lounge case is stronger when you fly often through accessible locations, mostly travel alone or have suitable guest benefits, and have a second option during disruption. It is weaker when most trips are early, late or through terminals the card serves poorly.
I'd compare renewal with buying a few visits and meals individually. Also consider whether another card already covers the same useful rooms. More cards can add flexibility, but overlapping benefits do not automatically add equal value.
This is a decision framework, not a claim that one card is right for every traveler. Fee checked October 3, 2026; account terms and offers can differ.
Related reading#
Cite this article
Patrick Karsh. “Is Amex Platinum still worth it for lounges? A crowding reality check.” Lounge Frog. Published 2026-10-02. Updated 2026-10-14. https://www.loungefrog.com/news/amex-platinum-lounges-worth-it-crowding
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Quick answers
Which lounge networks get you into these lounges?
Centurion Lounge opens 4 of the 4. Each lounge's page lists every program and card that admits you.
Written and checked to our editorial standards. Scores follow our methodology. Join the discussion below.
