American Express opens a new lounge at Stockholm Arlanda for Platinum cardholders

You are probably aware of the American Express network of Centurion Lounges. You will find these in various airports around the world, primarily in the US, for the exclusive use of Platinum and Centurion cardholders. We reviewed the only Centurion Lounge in Europe, in Heathrow Terminal 3, last week.

Alongside Centurion Lounges, American Express has an ad hoc network of other airport lounges – I went to one in Mexico City many years ago. They are advertised alongside the Centurion Lounges on the Amex website but are not officially part of the group.

The only European site is at Stockholm Arlanda, and it has just had a major overhaul.

Can you access the lounge if flying to London?

The new American Express lounge is at Stockholm Arlanda’s Marketplace in Terminal 5 between gates E and F.

The downside is that British Airways operates from Terminal 2. You can see the list of Terminal 5 carriers on the airport website here. Norwegian and SAS flights to London, and indeed the rest of the UK, depart from Terminal 5 so those passengers can access the lounge.

What’s inside the new American Express lounge at Arlanda?

What makes this different from other American Express lounges is the focus on food. In fact, the lounge is officially called ‘American Express Lounge by Pontus’ after Pontus Frithiof, a high profile Swedish chef who oversees the food.

For clarity, this is not a traditional airport lounge per se. It is basically a smart restaurant where food and drink is free! I’m not sure if there is anywhere to sit if you just want to put your feet up and get your laptop out. Whilst the photo below just shows the bar, it is surrounded by ‘traditional’ restaurant tables.

The new lounge covers 700 square metres, which is double the size of the previous lounge. In terms of design:

With inspiration from Scandinavian nature and simplicity, Maria Whyte and her team have carefully planned every square meter of the lounge to reflect Nordic beauty in everything from design to materials, color choices and furniture. The dynamic lighting in the lounge changes throughout the day and creates a play of light on the walls and ceiling, like the beautiful reflections of the sea. Together with the lighting, the elements of Nordic art, raw slate stone, sparkling crystals, solid oak and carefully selected textiles will contribute to an almost magical and dreamlike atmosphere.

Frithiof already operates a fine dining restaurant at the airport, La Girafe, and will open an Italian-American themed site called Little Italy later this year. In the American Express lounge he offers local dishes such as traditional shrimp sandwiches and salmon salad, as well as various hot and vegetarian options.

Drinks are ‘carefully selected to complement the menu’ and include local beers as well as wine and champagne.

Before the renovation, the lounge offered a range of free meals with additional upscale options available for cash. There was also a difference between what premium drinks you could order for free if you were Platinum vs Centurion. It isn’t clear if this is still the case in the new lounge.

American Express Lounge by Pontus Frithiof is open Monday to Friday from 5am. It closes at 6pm from Sunday to Friday and at 3pm on Saturday.

You can get access with your American Express Centurion or Platinum card. You are allowed one guest per Platinum card and two guests per Centurion card.

You can find out more on the airport website here.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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