Amex Platinum Lounge Changes Are Almost Here—What’s Your Strategy?

As you might have heard, American Express Canada has updated its lounge access policy to outline significant changes to how Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders in Canada will access Plaza Premium and Priority Pass lounges. Starting January 1, 2027, Plaza Premium and Priority Pass access for Amex Platinum and Business Platinum in Canada will transition from unlimited to limited annual visits.

Now that we’re just about six months away from the changes kicking in, let’s re-evaluate them and the overall lounge strategy.

Reminder: January 1, 2027 — Changes to Platinum Lounge Access

Beginning with the 2027 calendar year, Plaza Premium and Priority Pass will move away from default unlimited access for Canadian Platinum cards and shift to a fixed number of complimentary visits per year:

• Basic Platinum and Basic Business Platinum cardholders will receive six (6) complimentary visits per calendar year to each network, totalling 12 visits annually.

• Eligible Supplementary Platinum and Eligible Supplementary Business Platinum cardholders will receive two (2) complimentary visits per calendar year.

A “visit” is defined as one person’s single entry into a participating lounge. The standard entry requirements still apply: a valid, unexpired eligible card; a same-day boarding pass; a government-issued ID, and compliance with each lounge’s house rules and capacity limits.

With Priority Pass, Amex Platinum cardholders are limited to 6 visits a year

Guest Access Rules

Crucially, you can apply your complimentary visits to accompanying guests. If you bring a companion and choose to cover their entry, it will deduct one visit from your balance. Once your available visits are used up for the year, you can still enter by paying the prevailing usage fee charged by the lounge network.

Issuance and expiry are straightforward, with complimentary visits allocated when the account opens and then every January 1, and expire December 31 of the same calendar year. Deductions are tied to the eligible Amex card shown at entry.

Unlock Unlimited Access with Annual Spend

As you might expect, Amex is tying unlimited lounge access to a minimum spending requirement. It is very straightforward: spend $20,000 per calendar year and reactivate unlimited lounge access. This unlimited lounge access includes one guest per entry, rather than using one of your six allotments.

The window Amex grants is very generous as Amex processes the upgrade and continues through December 31 of the following calendar year. For example, if you qualify on May 1, 2027, unlimited access runs from activation through December 31, 2028.

Note that Supplementary Gold cards remain ineligible for both the default visits and the “earned unlimited” benefits. If lounge access for a partner or family member is essential, they’ll need a Supplementary Platinum card.

Note that you can check in the Amex app whether you’ve reached the $20,000 spending threshold, which is a fantastic new feature.

Check if you’ve reached $20,000 in spend

Changes to Centurion Lounge Access

In a separate announcement not specific to Amex Canada, Amex announced a slew of changes to Centurion lounge access beginning July 8, 2026. First off, the good news: Amex Canada Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders continue to be eligible for two guests per visit free of charge (along with unlimited visits). Conversely, Amex US have no complimentary guest access until meeting a $75,000 USD annual spending threshold.

Amex Centurion Lounge – Philadelphia (PHL)

The first change is that guests accessing the Centurion lounge must be on the same flight as the main cardholder. This policy makes a lot of sense because allowing a guest to hang out in the lounge without the Platinum cardholder present is a bit of a loophole in the first place.

The second change is that cardholders and eligible guests will only be able to access the Centurion Lounge only 5 hours before departure during layovers. The latter part is key because, right now, you can bypass the 3-hours-before-departure rule that Centurion Lounges have, as long as you are on a layover between two flights. This is an unfortunate but understandable change that I hope will help address the overcrowding situation.

Are these Negative Changes?

The short answer is yes. Of course, it’s a negative change that unlimited lounge access is changing to 6 + 6 (I don’t want to say 12 because you’re limited to 6 Priority Pass and 6 Plaza Premium visits and not a total of 12 visits per se).

The new framework particularly bites in frequent visits to Priority Pass lounges with guests or during family travel, where multiple entries per trip are common. If you’re able to meet the $20,000 annual spending requirement, signing up your partner for a Supplementary Platinum makes sense because unlimited access is effectively restored, bypassing the two-visit limit.

It comes down to a shift in mindset for me: I bypass wallet fatigue by keeping the Amex Business Platinum as my default lounge card with unlimited visits, and I can even bring a friend. However, now that Amex no longer solves that issue by also requiring me to keep track of my visits, I’ve deduced it’s possible to rack up an impressive stack of lounge passes for very little paid in annual fees:

• TD First Class Visa Infinite ($139 annual fee): 4 lounge passes
• BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard ($150 annual fee + FYF): 4 lounge passes
• Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ ($150 annual fee): 6 lounge passes + free supplementary card with 6 lounge passes

Amex Platinum: To Keep or Not to Keep

As such, there are probably many cards you already hold that include lounge access, so it’s worth adding them up and seeing whether the Amex Platinum and its 12 visits are worth paying the $799 annual fee. Of course, the evaluation changes drastically if you’re also using Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges (Centurion Studio Partner), and airline-specific lounges available under other parts of the Global Lounge Collection. These stay at unlimited visits.

Keep unlimited access to Aspire International Lounge Review – Montreal (YUL) with Amex Global Lounge Collection

And that’s actually why I’m keeping my Amex Platinum. The $200 travel credit + $200 dining credit go a long way towards offsetting the $799 annual fee, and I frequently visit Amex Centurion and Global Lounge Collection lounges. But, I recognize it might not be the case for many Canadians (there are no Centurion lounges in Canada), so it’s important to re-evaluate based on your own travel patterns.

Takeaway

The move from unlimited Plaza Premium and Priority Pass access to six visits each remains a meaningful devaluation, particularly for travellers who frequently visit lounges with guests or family members. However, cardholders can restore unlimited access by spending $20,000 annually, and Amex continues to provide unlimited access to Centurion Lounges and the rest of the Global Lounge Collection

More than anything, these changes are a reminder to evaluate the Platinum card as a whole rather than through the lens of a single benefit. Between the travel and dining credits, Centurion Lounge access, hotel status, insurance, and broader lounge network, many cardholders will still find significant value in the card. The question isn’t whether the lounge changes are negative—they are—but whether the overall package still aligns with your travel habits.

Featured Image Credit: Amex Canada