American Express Canada has actually quietly upgraded the Terms for The Platinum Card ® and Business Platinum Card ®, laying out a major shake-up to their airport lounge benefits.

Beginning January 1, 2027, cardholders will no longer take pleasure in automatic endless access to Plaza Premium and Top priority Pass lounges.

Rather, lounge check outs will be topped each year, unless you spend enough to unlock your way back to unrestricted comfort.

Let’s unpack what’s altering, who’s affected, and how you can still drink that pre-flight wine in peace.

What’s Changing: Yearly Go To Caps Coming in 2027

Starting with the 2027 calendar year, both the Personal Platinum and Organization Platinum cardholders will receive a set number of complimentary visits to Plaza Premium and Priority Pass lounges:

  • Personal Platinum and Organization Platinum cardholders: 6 complimentary gos to per calendar year
  • Supplementary Platinum cardholders: two complimentary check outs each year
  • Supplementary Gold cardholders: no complimentary access

Each see counts as one entry per person, indicating if you bring a guest and cover their entry, that’s another check out deducted.

As soon as you have actually consumed your complimentary sees, you can still get in, however you’ll have to pay the lounge’s standard entry charge. Complimentary gos to reset each January first and end at year-end.

Aspire Air Canada Cafe Toronto Billy Bishop What’s Not Changing Till December 31, 2026, it’s service as typical. Platinum, Business Platinum, and Business Platinum cardholders

  • will continue to take pleasure in: Limitless access to Plaza Premium, Priority Pass, Centurion, Escape Lounges,
  • and Swissport Executive Lounges. Complimentary visitor policies that normally enable one travel companion.

The 2027 changes just use to Plaza Premium and Concern Pass networks. Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges, and airline-operated lounges under the Global Lounge Collection stay unaffected.

You Can Still Have Unrestricted Lounge Gain Access To … But With $20,000 Annual Invest

For frequent leaflets, there’s good news buried in the small print. Amex is adding a spend-based faster way to recover unrestricted gain access to at both Plaza Premium and Priority Pass lounges.

When your total qualified purchases on your Platinum or Business Platinum account struck $20,000 in a fiscal year, your account will immediately open endless Plaza Premium and Priority Pass gain access to for all qualified Platinum cardholders on the account, consisting of extra Platinum cards.

This upgrade usually processes within a week (though Amex alerts it could take up to 12 weeks). Once activated, the endless access remains valid for the rest of that year and the whole list below year.

For example: If you hit the $20,000 invest in Might 2027, you’ll have unlimited gain access to valid until December 31, 2028.

Qualified purchases consist of routine transactions at Amex-accepting merchants, leaving out fees, cash loan, and refunds. If returns or chargebacks drop your overall spend below $20,000, Amex might withdraw the benefit.

A Step Back in Worth or a Smarter Move?

I believe this is a medium-sized deal, not disastrous, but certainly a hit for Canadian tourists. Unlike the U.S., Canada doesn’t have any Centurion Lounges, so Plaza Premium and Top priority Pass kind the foundation of the Amex lounge network here.

If you’re a casual tourist taking one or two annual journeys, the six-visit cap may not impact you much– especially with access to other lounges still intact.

Gem Changi Lounge, Singapore However, for frequent leaflets or those who frequently travel with family, this modification might sting. Since guest access counts toward your check out total, couples or families could easily burn through all 6 check outs after simply two round trips. For something called The Platinum Card, that feels a bit nickel-and-dime.

That stated, Amex has made it possible to earn back limitless access with spend. Striking the $20,000 threshold isn’t impractical.

It relates to roughly $1,667 a month, easily achievable if you use your Platinum card for everyday expenses or make rent payments through platforms like Chexy.

Let’s be sincere. This change doesn’t sit well for a product that costs $799 annually. Premium cards are expected to simplify travel, not make cardholders make back the perks they currently had.

For context, the American Express ® Gold Rewards Card, which costs a fraction of the Platinum’s annual fee, currently uses four complimentary Plaza Premium gos to, so the brand-new six-visit cap on the Platinum doesn’t precisely yell “ultra-premium.”

On the flip side, lounges have actually become significantly overcrowded, typically looking like food courts with fancier cheese boards.

By limiting casual access, Amex may actually enhance the experience for travellers who meet the invest limit. If this procedure thins out the “everyone’s a VIP now” crowd, we may see shorter lines, quieter seating areas, and better food schedule.

IMG 6290IMG 6290 Airport lounges can be very crowded nowadays

Comparing to Other Cards

It’s also worth keeping in mind that mid-tier cards like the Scotiabank Passport ® Visa Infinite Card * offer six complimentary lounge visits per year, all for an annual cost of $150, less than one-quarter of the Platinum’s price tag.

Plus, the Scotiabank Passport ® Visa Infinite Card * also comes with no foreign transaction fees, a function still missing out on from Amex’s high-end lineup.

Scotiabank Passport ® Visa Infinite * Card

  • Earn 35,000 Scene+ points upon investing $2,000 in the very first 3 months
  • Earn an additional 10,000 Scene+ points upon investing $40,000 annually
  • Earn 2x Scene+ points on groceries, dining, entertainment, and transit
  • Plus, make 3x Scene+ points on grocery purchases at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, and FreshCo
  • Visa Airport Companion membership with six complimentary lounge visits per year
  • Redeem points for a statement credit against any travel expenditure
  • Minimum earnings: $60,000 individual or $100,000 family
  • Yearly cost: $150

Naturally, the Platinum’s differentiator stays access to The Centurion Lounge network and Great Hotels + Resorts, but those matter less if your main concern is airport convenience before launch.

Conclusion

Starting January 1, 2027, Platinum and Company Platinum cardholders will be limited to six Plaza Premium and 6 Priority Pass sees annually, with 2 visits for Supplementary Platinum cardholders.

Cardholders who spend $20,000 every year on their account will still delight in endless gain access to for both networks, maintaining the existing experience.

For now, absolutely nothing changes till the end of 2026, so take pleasure in the lounges while they stay really unlimited, however it deserves reassessing the card’s value when your next annual fee comes due.

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