Originally Posted by
Symmetre
My Amex business platinum is $399 a year Canadian and gives me unlimited lounge access.
But you're right, anyone who gets a card specifically for lounge access needs their head examined. It's not a good value for that alone.
If you get a card for the combination of lounge access, travel insurance, rental car insurance and points earning potential, then it may very well be worthwhile - as it is for me with the business platinum Amex. Although it costs me $400 a year, it probably saves me $800 a year by not having to insure rental cars. After that, everything else is just gravy.
Frankly, it would be nice to see WestJet do a co-branded card with Amex that has similar benefits, but rewards in Westjet dollars rather than Amex points.
I also have the AMEX Business Platinum. The lounge benefit is excellent especially if you fly WestJet. Most of the Canadian lounges are in the area of the airport where WestJet operates from. It is almost as if the two were made for each other. It is a bit of a pain being on AC and having to go all the way over to the WestJet area in Vancouver or Calgary for the better lounge experience.
The one weakness of the program is lounge access outside of North America. In the US the program is tightly aligned with Delta.