See NFL games in Munich with Marriott Bonvoy

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

• BJ says:

  6 Oct6 October 05:33

  “There are no published plans to change the rules for UK cardholders at this time”

  What about UNPUBLISHED plans? Have amex UK entrusted you with any information regarding this? I am guessing not given your recent comment that you pointed out to amex the difficulty of HfP promoting Platinum while remaining in the dark about 2025 benefits package this late in the day. Any change since that meeting?

  • Rob says:

    6 Oct6 October 09:31

    Not heard anything – I do need to chase them re Plat benefits though.

    • BJ says:

      6 Oct6 October 11:29

      Presumably it’s reasonable to assume though that such things are planned months, if not a year or more, in advance. In such case they’re then being very tight-lipped about it or nothing much is changing. That you’ve heard nothing probably makes little change more likely

      • meta says:

        6 Oct6 October 14:45

        That Rob has heard nothing is very likely that change is happening because they want people to hold onto the card as long as possible in hopes it continues. I also think that 50% of cardholders will just assume it continues… Changes might not be introduced straight from 1 January either.

        • Rob says:

          6 Oct6 October 15:36

          One of the providers of Amex Plat benefits told me three months ago that change was coming, but Amex itself has denied this – although its possible the vendor hadn’t told Amex at the time.

        • NicktheGreek says:

          6 Oct6 October 15:38

          I messaged on chat a few weeks ago regarding cancelling due to uncertainty on these points. I was assured they were extended into 2025 but yet to be announced (maybe as part of a wider piece, or in conjunction with benefits to be removed). Would seem strange for the agent to say it’d been extended, rather than just a holding statement if it was not the case. Let’s wait and see.

        • BJ says:

          6 Oct6 October 19:28

          Yes, when taking stuff at face value but I’ve always thought it a bit more complex than that. Rob has had to maintain confidences at times while at others he has been able to drop hints, and sometimes he knows nothing. It might just all boil down to who he speaks to and when, and whether info he gets is a slip of the tongue, implied or intentional, and on top of all that Rob’s ability to read between the lines. Of course it could just as easily be a whole lot simpler than that.

    • tw33ty says:

      6 Oct6 October 18:15

      If those limits were brought to the uk card, I’d be hitting the cap after six months.

      With the priority pass maybe changing, and the insurance providers changing for Amex platinum from jan 1st, I wonder if there’s more changes to come

  • BlairWaldorfSalad says:

    6 Oct6 October 18:11

    @Nick I’d be screenshotting that chat now

    • TGLoyalty says:

      6 Oct6 October 22:36

      We know Amex don’t care about what their agents say be lucky to get £50 compensation

• Vrp says:

  6 Oct6 October 06:08

  If priority pass benefits are restricted, then that’s the end of platinum for me. I use it mainly for lounge access. My free HSBC premier card gives me the travel insurance I need and I don’t crave the hotel benefits that much.

• Joe says:

  6 Oct6 October 07:16

  Hope Amex don’t start this nonsense in the UK!

  • JDB says:

    6 Oct6 October 07:49

    @Joe – it may be for the greater good that they should introduce a ‘fair use’ policy which isn’t uncommon for any all you can eat type offers. In view of lounge overcrowding complained of by many and sometimes the same people asking how you can get ten people in on one Amex (including advice from some posters to go out and bring the next guest in, rinse & repeat) something has to give.

    • BJ says:

      6 Oct6 October 07:56

      There is a whole lot of stuff with lounges needs to be sorted out including by the lounge operators themselves. My memory from 20-25 years ago was that with the exception of the USA lounges were always a pleasure. Nowadays, at some airports at some times the experience has become so bad that an empty gate area is a more pleasant place to wait.

      • Yorkshire rich says:

        6 Oct6 October 08:06

        Exactly this. We visited the lounge in DPS last week and to put it politely, it wasn’t very good.

        After 180 seconds, we left and I sat on a few seats in a spacious area near the gate area. Much better.
        Same happened at Manchester a few week before. Albeit I gave it Alittle longer than 180 seconds and there was no quiet area in the Ryanair Terminal.

        • Alex says:

          6 Oct6 October 09:13

          I’m surprised you managed to find a quiet corner at Manchester- still much less likely to have someone be loud in any of the lounges

        • BJ says:

          6 Oct6 October 11:37

          Empty gates seem rare at many airports these days too, probably mainly down to the growth of LCC.

        • TooPoorToBeHere says:

          6 Oct6 October 17:34

          It is quiet at the far end of the domestic prison/corridor, on the steps down, and usually in the downstairs area. There are also decent (for an airport) bogs and a vending machine down there.

      • BBbetter says:

        6 Oct6 October 08:23

        The problem is compounded by the cost of airport F&B. When even Burger King can charge double what it charges elsewhere, people try to look at lounges as a way to save money.

        • BJ says:

          6 Oct6 October 11:35

          If they factor in just one or two drinks the difference between lounges and other F&B merchants essentially vanishes.

    • Michael C says:

      6 Oct6 October 08:04

      To be fair, some of the LHR lounges are more ‘all you CAN’T eat’!!

      • VinZ says:

        6 Oct6 October 09:16

        Ah ah ah so true!

      • BJ says:

        6 Oct6 October 11:38

        😀 @Michael C

  • Andrew says:

    6 Oct6 October 07:57

    Priority Pass is the only solid benefit of the UK Amex Platinum. Travel insurance can be bought elsewhere (often with much better coverage and service) or completely free with HSBC Premier current account, hotel status is mediocre with Marriott easily obtained for Hilton, the concierge is a joke and customer service reaching new depths of incompetence every year.

    Mess with Priority Pass and it could be the final nail in the coffin for the card.

    • BBbetter says:

      6 Oct6 October 08:19

      The priority pass offered by other credit cards like hsbc premier or Lloyds WE MC is far superior. The only saving grace for Amex is allowing a guest on each card.

      • JDB says:

        6 Oct6 October 08:31

        @BBbetter – the offer by HSBC, Lloyds etc is superior because they have a better clientele. Amex, by a combination of misfortune and cack-handedness, attracts too many cardholders determined to take the mickey. Amex can’t afford to live with them nor live without them. A perfect storm. Meanwhile, the ‘regular’ cardholder loses out.

    • Qrfan says:

      6 Oct6 October 09:26

      I totally disagree. You can buy lounge access for cash directly from priority pass in exactly the same way as you can buy insurance directly. We’ve had platinum for years and I value lounge access via pp at £0, and have used it only once. The lounges are generally rubbish, are often full in Canada as well as the uk, I’d rather buy a proper meal in a restaurant, and it’s rare we travel economy without status anyway. I still get plenty of value out of the card.

    • BJ says:

      6 Oct6 October 11:44

      Dining credits work for me. Always have friendsvto Blue Elephant in Bangkok so that’s a genuine saving. Ivy gif vouchers in UK have been well-received by family. HN are genuine savings too. The travel insurance probably increases my blood pressure though.

• Hilda M says:

  6 Oct6 October 07:38

  I missed that mail ! 🤦‍♀️ (am based in Spain) It says you can have 20 visits between 24th Oct and this year end, and then 20 annually.

  No real difference for me as I usually have access via BAEC Lifetime Gold and/or Business Class. Though a charge did show up one month after using the Las Vegas Centurion Lounge & bringing a guest which I’m not sure if valid but never chased it.

  • PB884 says:

    6 Oct6 October 10:22

    Me too! I just re-checked my emails and nothing. Spain was already worse than the UK because no free guests with the main card holder PP and the supp holder PP. And I think imminently there is a 10€(?) monthly charge being introduced for the supp card. Amex also now only lets you book hotels (not flights) with the annual 250€ voucher. Cuts cuts cuts. There is currently a 20% bonus to send Avios to Iberia+ which I haven’t seen for a few years though.

    • Hilda M says:

      6 Oct6 October 13:14

      The mail was there when I checked back. Agree UK one so much better though I think the 250 voucher is only for hotels on it too. I tried to use it on a booking but couldn’t see how with a flexible booking & I just don’t prepay these days.

      • PB884 says:

        6 Oct6 October 16:15

        What date was the email? Thanks

        • Hilda M says:

          6 Oct6 October 16:44

          3 Oct with heading Actualización del beneficial Priority Pass

        • Hilda M says:

          6 Oct6 October 16:45

          … beneficio 🤪

        • PB884 says:

          6 Oct6 October 19:52

          Thanks – I double checked and no email. I’ll get in touch at some point to confirm.

      • Robert says:

        6 Oct6 October 16:28

        It forces you to pay at the time of booking because it is the only way to use the voucher.

    • Robert says:

      6 Oct6 October 16:26

      It does not allow you to book only a flight, but it is possible to use hotel plus flight

• roberto says:

  6 Oct6 October 08:29

  With so many cards offeing access and all the on-the-beach type of customers frequenting lounges it’s not hard to understand why they are both dumbing down and getting so busy.

  The days of “Business” lounges has long gone. I was at Gatwick last week and the queue for the Number 1 lounge looked 20 deep as I passed.

  The priority pass has become almost a joke product – its hardly exclusive, you don’t get any priority and often you can’t even pass into the lounge.

  If you do get in there are no seats , often no good food , poor drinks and snotty kids running amock as their chav parents quaff cheap bubbles whilst loudly facetiming their friends about living their best life..

  It’s all gone Pete Tong

  • JDB says:

    6 Oct6 October 08:41

    @Roberto – a perfect summary of PP 2024. I don’t really understand why PP or junior hotel statuses are considered appropriate ‘benefits’ for the Amex flagship product.

  • Ken says:

    6 Oct6 October 09:08

    There a ridiculous snobbery about on the beach or self payers in lounges.
    For a start , they have actually paid cash or their holiday company pays miles more than Amex do.

    Secondly, the obsession about guzzling alcohol of dubious quality while at an airport seems to extend to Amex PP holders.

    I can just about understand drinking to ‘get your monies worth’ when you are 18, but in your 30s, 40s etc ?
    It’s a bit weird.

    • Qrfan says:

      6 Oct6 October 09:34

      You can call it snobbery, but you don’t really get that issue at airline lounges. Different customer base, much nicer environment, even when busy.

    • JDB says:

      6 Oct6 October 09:58

      @Ken – well yes, the Amex PP holders who are trying to shoehorn in more guests than their entitlement (ie seeking to evade payment) are several notches below those who are actually paying directly for access! However, when anyone asks on this site how to get extra people in without paying, there are always posters offering various ruses; I really don’t know why as it’s very self destructive/shi**ing in your own nest. I also doubt whether these people determined to break in exercise any more moderation than OTB punters.

  • HampshireHog says:

    6 Oct6 October 10:30

    If you think Gatwick is bad try Manchester T3 Escape…you’ll want to

  • Nyyr7877 says:

    6 Oct6 October 16:27

    It’s “amok”, not “amock”.

    Spelling matters, especially when you’re trying to appear sophisticated to internet strangers as you put down chavs as part of your “justifying my sad existence Sundays”.

• BlairWaldorfSalad says:

  6 Oct6 October 09:25

  Again I raise the contrarian view that it is the free alcohol in lounges, not the free access per se, that is the problem. Cut the alcohol entitlement once inside and I’d bet the overcrowding/chavviness problem would go away.

  • The real Swiss Tony says:

    6 Oct6 October 09:45

    I was in the T2 Plaza Premium lounge yesterday morning before 8am because a trip to the B gates wasn’t worth the effort. Struggled to find a seat and was then greeted by a group of 15-20 boorish Americans doing shots with the full encouragement of the bar tender.

    This is a multi-layered problem. I think the OTB crowd get vilified because 1) the lounge operators were happy to sell all the capacity and that tv ad is a toe-curling watch that lacks any aspirational quality for the typical HfP reader.

  • JDB says:

    6 Oct6 October 10:04

    @BWS – sad but true! We do read here of people guzzling rum/whisk(e)y and cokes at breakfast presumably just because it’s free…

  • Lady London says:

    6 Oct6 October 14:43

    yeah but the problem would then move… to disturb my own other arrangements. Keep them there in the lounge thanks, it’s doing me a favour

• Nate1309 says:

  6 Oct6 October 13:46

  I wish AMEX would roll out more centurion lounges in the UK.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    6 Oct6 October 22:38

    I wish anyone decent would roll out more lounges with greater capacity in the UK

• Sandgrounder says:

  6 Oct6 October 18:27

  As usual, the customers of unlimited use passes the operators want most are the ones who pay for but don’t use the service. The people at the top end probably fly business, the people who earn close to the eligibility limit probably don’t travel more than 10 times a year. They are probably losing money on the guy who commutes between the UK and Ireland and does 100 legs on Ryanair.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    6 Oct6 October 22:40

    But the reality is Amex would or should be worried about the average use per cardholder.

    Focusing on upsetting everyone, even if logically they won’t hit 20 a year, for the few that do 100 visits is counterintuitive.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.