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

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 Platinum Card^® from American Express

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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 Platinum Card^® from American Express

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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Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

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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 1,400 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

• $695 annual fee (rates and fees)
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)

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Card Highlights

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards^® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards^® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card^®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card^® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• With American Express Global Lounge Collection^® you can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion^® Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club^® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, Escape Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass™ Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express^® App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card^® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card^®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card^® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
• $199 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: CLEAR^® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
• Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck^® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card^®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card^®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card^® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
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1. New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

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.

2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

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.

3. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

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)

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)

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.

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)

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.