Review: the American Express Lounge at a Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League game

One advantage of being an American Express Platinum cardholder is the opportunity to access special offers and complimentary experiences. These are generally not bad, although I am so busy these days that I rarely get to one.  Details of what is available are sent out in the monthly ‘Vista’ email.

You probably know that American Express is a major employer in Brighton.  You may not know that it is also the headline sponsor of the new Brighton & Hove Albion football stadium, now known as the American Express Community Stadium (or, apparently, “the Amex” to locals).

American Express has a suite in the stadium.  Reader Tim managed to get free tickets from Amex for a recent Premier League game and offered to write up his experience.

Over to Tim:

“In July American Express Platinum card members received an offer of complimentary Amex Lounge tickets for Brighton & Hove Albion FC Premier League games. The offer was allocated on a waiting list basis, and the Platinum Concierge advised that factors such as annual spend and time of cardmembership were taken into account. I was allocated tickets for Brighton vs West Ham, my third choice. A quick check showed equivalent hospitality tickets for this game started at £185 per person.

The American Express lounge is located at the South East corner of the stadium. It’s a nice space, with floor to ceiling windows looking out across the pitch. There is a bar at one end, and most food & drink, including beers and wines from the bar, is free. Tea/coffee, etc was self service.

and

and

In the two hours before kick off we were served a three course ‘bowl food’ menu.  I opted for vegetable spring rolls, fish pie and lemon meringue. For each course guests were give the option to try multiple bowls and despite the small serving sizes the food was good and there was plenty available. A cheese selection was served at full time.

We sat at a table for six, and as tickets are allocated at two per card member this encouraged us to talk to other guests. We had driven three hours from Bristol and were surprised to find that despite this being a neutral area, most people were local supporters of Brighton or West Ham.

We had reserved balcony seating alongside the lounge for the match itself (FA rules meant that the lounge windows were covered during the action to prevent people drinking alcohol whilst in view of the pitch).  The view of the action was very good, although I doubt there are any bad views in this modern stadium. Unfortunately the match didn’t quite live up to the hospitality, with few exciting moments in the 1-0 home win!

The Amex lounge is a fairly new offer.  As I know Amex will read this, one area for improvement is communication about what is and isn’t complimentary.  A few times people were embarrassed to be called back to pay for certain spirits and snacks, and no one mentioned until full time that the lounge had free wifi.  This would have been useful given that the stadium had almost no mobile reception.

Overall, it was a fantastic card perk to be able to have a free night out watching a Premier League game from the Amex Lounge.”

Thanks Tim.  If you enjoy using your miles and points to watch Premier League football from VIP suites, you might also find our article on redeeming Emirates Skywards miles or American Express Membership Rewards points for Arsenal tickets of interest (especially now they are winning again).

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (March 2025)

Here are the five options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,500 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here.

You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A good package, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

Got a small business?

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

American Express Business Platinum

Up to 120,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.