Come Fry With Me

To get into "The Club at DFW", you need a Priority Pass membership.

I find some AMEX Platinum web pages (mostly for other countries) that state Priority Pass as a perq of AMEX Plat, but just called Plat customer service and an under-informed rep said only Centurian cardholders get airport lounge access, including Admiral's Club. Which is wrong, but doesn't get me any closer to an answer to my question.

So amid total confusion and disinformation.....do Plats get Priority Pass? Is it something I need to sign up for?

Jblackbelt

a US Platinum Card member does not. a IDC Platinum Card would. really depends on the country where it was issued, as each country has different benefits.

Come Fry With Me

IDC Platinum doesn't google....did you mean ICC?

Jblackbelt

no, meant IDC as in the international dollar platinum card, like the international euro card.

http://www.americanexpress.com/lacid...benefits.shtml

Come Fry With Me

Hmm. Extra $100, but a much better airport lounge perq. On a quick glance, I don't see anything missing that I get with my regular USA Plat. Is there any downside? Or additional extra benefits?

Come Fry With Me

Ah, one additional perq: free extra cards. THAT'S a nice deal.

sbm12

Pretty sure it isn't an option for US residents. That might exclude you from getting it.

Jblackbelt

i believe sbm12 is correct. not an option for US residents... if prioritypass is something you really want there are plenty of cards out there that offer it, such as citi chairman, merrill lynch accolades card, american express centurion card, or you can just purchase priority pass as well directly from them. some of these cards are not easy to obtain, i think citi chairman is the only one you can actually apply for.

Come Fry With Me

Yep, seems correct.

The inborn human inability to ever "get enough" is really encapsulated here. No matter what card you have, no matter what you pay for it, there's always stuff not included....even with centurion. I guess we all just want to pass cleanly and smoothly through life, but you can't buy off all the snags!

Thanks, all.

tony2x

Yes, in my opinion the US Plat card has few benefits compared to some of the International offerings. I had PP membership with my UK plat card, transferred it to the US and found the 'benefits' sadly wanting. Now I'm in HKG and it seems the benefits are worth having again. Priority Pass & Travel Insurance makes the price of admission worth it alone. I do miss Premium Car Rental protection though.

So it is horses for courses, some you win, some you lose and some other cliches that escape me right now.

mia

US residents can hold an International Dollar/Euro Card, but American Express may ask "why" you need it.

Customer service is in the UK, not the US, and the website lags more than a generation behind the US version. US consumer protection laws do not apply. None of the Extended Warranty, Return Protection or Purchase Protection coverage, but far superior Travel Insurance. Membership Rewards program has fewer and different partners, no transfers to Aeroplan or ANA, but you can transfer to Cathay Pacific. No Points Advance or Points Purchase options. No Bonus Points Mall. None of the shopping partner benefits.

hopscotch1

Sometimes I think that I would rather have the Priority Pass than the domestic lounge benefits (AA/CO/DL). Do others out there feel similarly to this?

Just thinking off of the top of my head, but you would have to pay for guests. But, usually my guest is my wife and she has a platinum as well so would presumably have her own priority pass. I am sure that there many other pros and cons.

greglvnv

If you want Priority Pass at low cost, apply for the Citi Platinum Amex Card. The annual fee is $99 and anyone with decent credit qualifies. Plus, you get 15000 Thank You points just for signing up and up to 3 Thank You points for each dollar you spend for the first 2 years. You can't beat it!

No, I don't work for Citi by the way.

TAHKUCT

With Priority Pass membership from Citi you only get 3 visits per year free and then pay $27 per each entry and also you pay $27 for each guest.

"Complimentary PriorityPassTM Airport Lounge Access2

Let the Citi® Platinum American Express® Card be your access to over 500 VIP airport lounges in more than 90 countries and 275 cities worldwide on any airline or class of ticket. Relax in comfort, away from the chaos, and enjoy complimentary refreshments and snacks with Priority PassTM.

Free annual membership in Priority PassTM, VIP airport lounge program (a $99 annual savings) and the cost of your first 3 cardmember lounge visits waived (normally $27 per visit) – initial enrollment required with yearly renewal. " - From citi.com

SusanDK

+1 As usual, mia is absolutely correct.

The UK-issued IDC has excellent travel and medical insurance, and the rental car coverage is both CDW and ALI, so you can waive both. AFAIK, with the U.S.-issued cards, only CDW is covered.

We were very impressed last year when AmEx insurance (IDC card) covered my husband's emergency appendectomy while on vacation in the U.S. I've also used the delayed baggage insurance once when my luggage did not arrive until 1 1/2 days after I did. I purchased toiletries, makeup, underwear and a change of clothes for around $400 and it was reimbursed without much hassle (submit a claim with original receipts).

Also, you get two Priority Pass memberships, one for the primary and one for the secondary Platinum card holder, with the supplementary card being free. So both my husband and I have Platinum cards in our names, plus both have Priority Pass memberships, plus I have a separate Platinum card for business use, plus we can add several more Gold cards if desired (I can't even remember how many since the three cards are enough for us). That's all for the single annual fee which I believe is $550 right now.

Susan