Originally Posted by
dubistokay
Hi everyone,
I'm an EU citizen and my partner is British. We have recently moved to Amsterdam and applied for AMEX Platinum with a view to benefit from the card's Privium privileges. We soon learned that non-EU citizens are completely barred from the Privium scheme. While this makes sense from an immigration standpoint (Privium offers a fast border passage via iris scan), I was surprised that the program doesn't offer a "light" membership without the fast border passage but with lounge and security fasttrack access. I've asked around and Privium appears to be insistent on bundling all of the benefits together, effectively making it impossible for a non-EU citizen to become a member.
Has anybody else come across this issue? It appears that there is no other way to access AMS security fasttrack (other than by flying premium), which is the only relevant benefit for me (don't care for the lounge/iris border scan). Or am I missing something?
SkyPriority at AMS gives fast track security and lounge access, to the KLM Schengen and nonSchengen lounges. You get SkyPriority from buying premium cabin tickets on KLM and its SkyTeam partners or from flying a SkyTeam carrier as a passenger with SkyTeam ElitePlus status (essentially the Gold or 50,000 status miles annually level).
BTW, when Privium was first introduced, I think it didn't require EU citizenship, although the pricing wouldn't have made sense for anyone who didn't fly to/from/through AMS regularly.