Airport Lounge Access

[wasCB14]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Thank you all for the responses!

Answering some questions to clarify, my local airports are SJC (San Jose, CA) and SFO (San Francisco, CA). I’ve been leaning towards Priority Pass because San Jose (because I much rather fly out of San Jose right now BUT if I get lounge access, this might change) only has one lounge which is The Club in SJC through priority pass.

The reason why I hit so many airports at once is because whenever we fly overseas, we go to multiple destinations like Asia and Europe, so we end up hitting many airports in one trip.

Right now I don’t use Uber as much but wouldn’t mind using it to maximize the credit just like I do with my Amex Gold getting Grubhub once a month for $10 so I can get the credit back. If I were to get the Amex Platinum, I’d just make sure that I actually use the Uber credit.

Thanks for all the responses again!

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SFO has a nice Delta SkyClub. There is a Centurion at SFO, but it's really only convenient if you're in T3 (all or mostly United). I'm not sure if there is easy access from I-G.

[charp150]

As others have said, PP lounges are hit or miss based on airport location.  PP lounges tend to fall into one of two categories.  The first are third party general use lounges at certain airports accessable via PP membership.  These are, in my experience, mediocre at best.  Then there are the underutilized foreign airline lounges at certain airports (like British Airways at IAD) that PP has agreements with.  The caveat with those is that you can only access during a certain timebox and during that time period the lounge offerings tend to be heavily throttled from what they offer to travelers of the airline outside the PP hours.  There are also some one offs like the Minute Suites and some resteraunt credits.  

IMHO, Delta offers the best lounges around.  As has been already mentioned, the AMEX Plat will provide access but only when flying Delta.  Centurion lounges are highly overrated in my opinion (and overcrowded).  

I travel fairly frequently and find the Delta lounge access useful as they provide a reasonably quiet place to have business calls and do computer work.  Personally, if I didn't travel as much I wouldn't find much value in having lounge access and would be OK with being relegated to the general airport population.  

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Thank you all for the responses!

Answering some questions to clarify, my local airports are SJC (San Jose, CA) and SFO (San Francisco, CA). I’ve been leaning towards Priority Pass because San Jose ( I much rather fly out of San Jose right now BUT if I get lounge access, this might change) only has one lounge which is The Club in SJC through priority pass.

The reason why I hit so many airports at once is because whenever we fly overseas, we go to multiple destinations like Asia and Europe, so we end up hitting many airports in one trip.

Right now I don’t use Uber as much but wouldn’t mind using it to maximize the credit just like I do with my Amex Gold getting Grubhub once a month for $10 so I can get the credit back. If I were to get the Amex Platinum, I’d just make sure that I actually use the Uber credit.

Thanks for all the responses again!

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If it's lounges you're focused on, Amex Plat might be your best bet. You get PP in addition to the Centurion + Delta lounges (if flying Delta). CSR alone isn't so great for lounge access since as many others had mentioned, domestic PP lounges are generally crapshoot, and as someone also from the area who flies out of SFO and SJC frequently, I can tell you PP won't go far here as far as lounge access is concerned. Considering the average income level here, keep in mind that a signifcant chunk of people who fly out of SFO and SJC likely own multiple premium cards with lounge access, and as such, lounges will generally be kind of crowded.

Best to stick with business / first class lounges or Delta / Centurion that comes with Amex Plat

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

If I were you, I would go with the Citi AA Executive.  Reason being Priority Pass is hit or miss especially in large metro areas when they close due to overcrowding (this happens all the time at JFK and LAX).  Since you have to fly through so many airports, it seems that you are not in a large metro area (forgive me if I am wrong) so Centurion Lounge access is probably limited.  I have a Platinum card and am seriously considering the Citi card as a coverall when PP does not work.  There are so many AA lounges, so you are probably covered at smaller regional airports.  Remember, at the moment the AA card gives access regardless of airline whereas Delta Amex requires a Delta ticket.

I am a huge proponent of lounges as they save me a lot of money since I will generally have a cocktail at the airport.  I was flying internationally last week, and the PP was closed as we went for lunch in the terminal, we would have saved $90 if the lounge was open...

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From the AA website:

Changes to access

Starting November 1, 2019, boarding passes for same-day travel on American Airlines or partner airlines will be required for entry.1 Same-day priority verification cards will be accepted.

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Without that upcoming constraint, Citi Exec with free authorized users is a very solid lounge access card.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for pointing that out.  While crappy it I fly AA/partners 90% but still something to consider.

I actually logged in to change my suggestion.  If only flying two or three times per year it is silly to pay for AA Executive, especially if you are in NoCal.  Do Platinum IMO, it is an awesome card.  Better yet do Platinum business before the price goes up.  1.5X for charges over $5K.

[Anonymous]

Hey guys,

Thank you all for your help, I've been doing some research as well and I think that I'll probably go for the Amex Platinum as it offers way more lounges than the other cards + access to centurion lounges. I will probably wait until until February/ March to actually apply for the card.

Anyways, thank you all!