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The Best Centurion Lounges Around the World: My Reviews With Amex Platinum

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Andrew Kunesh
Edited by: Stella Shon
& Jestan Mendame
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American Express opened its first airport lounge at Las Vegas in 2013. Fast forward to now, and there are 15 Centurion Lounges across the U.S. and 10 abroad. These high-end airport lounges are in most of the country’s busiest airports and provide a comfortable place to rest or work before your flight.

Over the years, I’ve visited most of the U.S. Centurion Lounges and a handful of international locations thanks to the Platinum Card® from American Express. While the lounges are similar at their core — with locally inspired food, an extensive cocktail list, and freshly brewed coffee — I’ve found that some are better than others.

With that in mind, which are the best Centurion Lounges? Here, I’ll run through 6 of my favorite locations and discuss what makes them stand out.

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The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

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The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.
You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
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Why We Like This Card

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than the Platinum Card® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

Pros & Cons
Pros
  • The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,550 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
  • 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
  • 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com
Cons
  • $895 annual fee (rates and fees)
  • Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)
Card Highlights
  • You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
  • More Value! With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection®, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 complimentary Delta Sky Club® visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations), Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges. * As of 07/2025.
  • More Value! $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
  • More Value! $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $25 in statement credits each month after you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at participating partners. Enrollment required.
  • More Value! $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel® using the Platinum Card®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
  • New! $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights by Resy: When you use the Platinum Card® to pay at U.S. Resy restaurants and to make other eligible purchases through Resy, you can get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter with the $400 Resy Credit benefit. Plus, with Platinum Nights by Resy, you can get special access to reservations on select nights at participating in demand Resy restaurants with the Platinum Card®. Simply add your eligible Card to your Resy profile to book and discover Platinum Nights reservations near you, enrollment required.
  • More Value! $209 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR Plus Membership* with up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR Plus with the Platinum Card®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
  • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to the Platinum Card® Account*. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
  • Start your vacation sooner, and keep it going longer. When you book Fine Hotels + Resorts® through American Express Travel®, enjoy noon check-in upon arrival, when available, and guaranteed 4PM check-out.
  • New! $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That’s up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
  • $155 Walmart+ Credit: Receive a statement credit* for one monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) after you pay for Walmart+ each month with the Platinum Card®.*Up to $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups not eligible.
  • $100 Saks Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or saks.com on the Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits from January through June and up to $50 in statement credits from July through December. No minimum purchase required. Enrollment required.
  • Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
  • $895 annual fee.
  • Terms Apply.
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1. New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

Entrance of Centurion Lounge at JFK airport
The New York-JFK Centurion Lounge. Image Credit: Katie Seemann

The Centurion Lounge at New York-JFK is relatively new, opening in late 2020. It’s one of my favorites too, mainly due to the speakeasy — 1850 — on the lounge’s lower floor. This bar serves up a rotating cocktail menu designed by Jim Meehan of New York’s famous cocktail bar, Please Don’t Tell (PDT).

Beyond the speakeasy, there’s a standard bar on each floor and a buffet on the upper level. The lounge used to have an Equinox Body Lab spa, which has since been replaced with a coffee bar called Blue Roast by American Express. Given my love of java, I prefer the coffee bar.

The JFK Centurion Lounge has a ton of seating, too. I usually visit the lounge once (or more) a month most of the year, and I’m rarely put on a waitlist unless I’m traveling during the peak holiday travel season. Regardless, check the Amex app (iOS, Android) and check in before you arrive to speed up the entry process.

Hot Tip:

Amex Platinum card holders can access the Global Lounge Collection and qualify for complimentary guest access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases within a calendar year. Once earned, guest access remains available for the rest of that year, the entire following year, and through January 31 of the subsequent year.

2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

The Reserve by American Express at ATL Centurion Lounge
The Reserve by American Express at the Atlanta Centurion Lounge. Image Credit: Andrew Kunesh

The Centurion Lounge at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) is one of my favorite airport lounges in the U.S. At 26,000 square feet, it’s a massive lounge with 2 outdoor spaces, a whiskey bar, a standard bar, and a buffet.

The Reserve by American Express — the lounge’s on-site whiskey bar — is a highlight of the lounge, with over 20 whiskeys and a handful of cocktails on offer. The ATL Centurion Lounge has some of my favorite lounge food, too. Atlanta-based James Beard Award semifinalist Deborah VanTrece designed the global soul food menu, and it’s always been delicious on my handful of visits since the lounge opened in early 2024.

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3. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

Centurion Lounge DCA Bar Media
The bar at the Washington-Reagan Centurion Lounge. Image Credit: James Larounis

The Washington-Reagan Airport (DCA) Centurion Lounge is one of the newest Centurion Lounges, opening in July 2024. I visited the lounge at the end of last year and was impressed by its design and large amount of seating, which should make it hold up well during busy travel periods. Even the bar is massive, with an impressive 12 seats.

Food and drink are what you’d expect from a Centurion Lounge. While a local chef did not create the menu, American Express partnered with Executive Chefs Michelle Bernstein, Ravi Kapur, and Michael Solomonov. These award-winning chefs have restaurants in Miami, San Francisco, and Philadelphia, respectively, and worked on menus in other Centurion Lounges.

There are no special perks to mention, but I think that’s OK for this lounge. It’s a great addition to DCA and the perfect pitstop before a short domestic flight from the nation’s capital airport, and one I’m looking forward to visiting again.

4. New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

The Study at the LGA Amex Centurion Lounge
The Study at the New York LaGuardia Centurion Lounge. Image Credit: Jarrod West

As a Delta flyer, I rarely visit LaGuardia’s Terminal B. However, I find myself on the occasional United, American or Air Canada flight from the airport — and before boarding one of these flights, you’ll find me posted up at the LaGuardia Airport (LGA) Centurion Lounge.

This lounge reopened in June 2021 after the renovated Terminal B opened. It fixed many issues plaguing the original LGA Centurion Lounge, namely moving it from landside to airside. The lounge is relatively small at 10,000 square feet, but it packs the features you’d expect, like hot food, a bar, and plenty of self-serve espresso machines.

I’m a huge fan of dining in this lounge. The menu was designed by New York-based Cédric Vongerichten, owner of the modern Indonesian restaurant Wayan. The LGA Centurion Lounge features Indonesian-inspired bites like Soup Jamur and Martabak Telor, which have always been delicious during my visits.

5. London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

American Express Centurion Lounge Heathrow Terminal 3 view from relaxation through to dining area
London Heathrow Centurion Lounge. Image Credit: Daniel Ross

The Centurion Lounge at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is one of a handful of international Centurion Lounges. It is located in LHR’s Terminal 3, home to most Oneworld and SkyTeam airlines. The lounge is filled with unique British artwork, including London Tube maps and a collection of antique cricket bats.

Food and drink are excellent, with a Middle Eastern-inspired menu designed by Israeli chef Assaf Granit. There’s also a large bar that serves exclusive cocktails and British beers and a specialty tea cart filled with British tea, scones, and cakes. All this is to say, there’s no doubt that you’re still in London when you visit this Centurion Lounge.

American Express Centurion Lounge Heathrow Terminal 3 afternoon tea
The tea cart at the Heathrow Centurion Lounge. Image Credit: Daniel Ross

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But it’s not a perfect Centurion Lounge. As Upgraded Points Senior Content Contributor Daniel Ross mentioned in his review of the lounge, there are no windows. This made me feel a bit claustrophobic after spending a couple of hours in the lounge before a delayed flight, but it’s still well worth a visit.

6. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)

American Express Centurion Lounge Hong Kong - Tendered Bar
Bar at the Hong Kong Centurion Lounge. Image Credit: Greg Stone

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is home to the first international Centurion Lounge. It’s a small lounge at 8,000 square feet, but it’s packed with unique features like a reservable conference room and 2 shower suites. The shower suites are particularly useful before a long transpacific flight from HKG.

There is limited seating in the lounge, with a notable lack of lounge chairs or couches. However, with so many lounges at HKG, I’ve never had to wait to enter this Centurion Lounge during my numerous visits. I can’t say the same for most U.S. Centurion Lounges I’ve visited.

Final Thoughts

I’m a big fan of American Express Centurion Lounges. The bank has built up a substantial network of lounges over the years, and each feels more premium than airline-operated lounges. And with 2 more Centurion Lounges expected to open by the end of 2026, those with the Amex Platinum card will soon have even more lounges to enjoy.

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About Andrew Kunesh

Andrew was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs but now lives in Queens, New York.

He’s a lifelong traveler and took his first solo trip to San Francisco at the age of 16. Fast forward a few years, and Andrew now travels just over 100,000 miles a year, with over 40 countries, 20 travel credit cards and 3 airline statuses under his belt. Andrew was formerly a Senior Editor at The Points Guy and CNN Underscored.

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