Amex Platinum cards in Germany now have a cap on Priority Pass use
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Whilst many holders of Priority Pass airport lounge cards in the UK complain that they find it difficult to get access (which is why American Express Platinum is currently trialling free reservations until the end of 2024), it seems that there is no problem in Germany.
(This isn’t a surprise – the UK and US are the only countries where you should have a realistic concern about being turned away from a Priority Pass lounge.)
German holders of The Platinum Card who applied from 2nd September are having their lounge access capped.
From this week, new cardholders are restricted to 50 Priority Pass visits per year if you get your Priority Pass from a German-issued Amex Platinum card.
There are some odd quirks though:
- the cap only applies to lounges accessed via Priority Pass – lounges which you access by showing your Platinum card (Lufthansa, Plaza Premium, Centurion etc) are not included
- the cap covers the main and supplementary Platinum cardholders and any guests they bring in without charge – but there is no way of keeping track of how many visits you have done between you
- the cap of 50 is not, it turns out, a firm cap – it is the level at which American Express is now allowed to terminate your Priority Pass membership, but it many not necessarily do so
Whilst 50 lounge visits seems like a lot, it is just six trips per year for a family of four which uses a lounge at both ends of their journey. That said, the ability to use Plaza Premium lounges outside the cap would remove some of the sting if such a rule was brought in here.
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