AMEX Priority Pass will exclude Restaurants (August 2019)
#61
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Long Beach, CA
Programs: AA PLTPRO, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,559
Amex Plat cardholders can still use the Centurion lounges where those are available. However, the PP membership is sold as an important benefit for Hilton Aspire and Bonvoy Brilliant card holders and those individuals will have no more options if a restaurant was it in a particular airport.
#62
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Rockin' the Bakken
Programs: Several
Posts: 978
The ability to use restaurants via PP was literally one of the few reasons why I have kept this card. I transit DEN often and make use of the Timberline restaurant. I should have mentioned it's the HH Ascend card that was converted years ago from the no AF version. Maybe Amex will let me convert it back down to the no AF HH card.
I've had the Platinum card in the past as well, and was really thinking about getting the Schwab version once my account balance can steadily stay above amount for the $200 fee waiver, but I think this really changes the value proposition of the card since its a benefit I use frequently compared to the $15/month Uber credit.
I've had the Platinum card in the past as well, and was really thinking about getting the Schwab version once my account balance can steadily stay above amount for the $200 fee waiver, but I think this really changes the value proposition of the card since its a benefit I use frequently compared to the $15/month Uber credit.
#63
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Before this thread was opened and before the US bloggers put up threads about this. I heard that this was hitting HKG Amex Plat users and suspected that it wouldn’t be long for Amex’s cost-cutting and budget-target objectives coming with an eventual hit against customers with US Amex Plats too.
It seems that Priority Pass found a way to make money off the PP restaurant arrangement and that is why it expanded the restaurant arrangement, way more so in the US than anywhere else. Could PP have done the airport restaurant expansion access in part because of how Amex, Chase and Citi (and others) were paying for their bank card customers’ use of bank card-related Priority Pass? If so, I have to give Priority Pass’s owners and and management some credit for having set up a way to increase the amount of money they got from their bank card partners and to increase the benefit for the bank card customers. I can’t say I’m surprised to see Amex cut it and being the first at it for PP restaurants.
I do note that this cut from Amex may hit more than just Priority Pass-affiliated restaurants.
It seems that Priority Pass found a way to make money off the PP restaurant arrangement and that is why it expanded the restaurant arrangement, way more so in the US than anywhere else. Could PP have done the airport restaurant expansion access in part because of how Amex, Chase and Citi (and others) were paying for their bank card customers’ use of bank card-related Priority Pass? If so, I have to give Priority Pass’s owners and and management some credit for having set up a way to increase the amount of money they got from their bank card partners and to increase the benefit for the bank card customers. I can’t say I’m surprised to see Amex cut it and being the first at it for PP restaurants.
I do note that this cut from Amex may hit more than just Priority Pass-affiliated restaurants.
#64
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
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We shall see I guess. Like you commented it seemed too good to be sustainable long term.
#65
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
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It would be sustainable if the average # of annual visits by cardholders was kept to a reasonable level, maybe a few a year. It does not work when you have too many frequent visitors and not at all if you have more than a few abusers who visit multiple restaurants for takeout in a single day.
The better course would be to establish reasonable limits as was done for lounge guests (again likely the result of abusers). 10 visits a year would keep the majority of travelers happy (including me) while weeding out the heavy users that break the bank.
The better course would be to establish reasonable limits as was done for lounge guests (again likely the result of abusers). 10 visits a year would keep the majority of travelers happy (including me) while weeding out the heavy users that break the bank.
#66
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
Programs: Global Mercenary
Posts: 193
A better way to use the credit is on Uber eats. I have a sneaking suspicion that Uber artificially inflates ride prices when you have available credit. Uber eats, meanwhile, can’t really change menu prices.
#67
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 264
I got to use the $28 restaurant credit exactly one time, last year, SFO, Yankee Pier (breakfast). It was just a salmon lox bagel and Irish coffee.
A few weeks ago, I passed Yankee Pier on the way to AMEX CL for a 1/2 hour visit (flight out of T3). They had a line and it looked fully packed inside. I was thinking, how many people were using $28 PP credits. Guess the answer was too many.
The next thing to go, AMEX might restrict SFO CL visits to people flying out of T3.
A few weeks ago, I passed Yankee Pier on the way to AMEX CL for a 1/2 hour visit (flight out of T3). They had a line and it looked fully packed inside. I was thinking, how many people were using $28 PP credits. Guess the answer was too many.
The next thing to go, AMEX might restrict SFO CL visits to people flying out of T3.
#69
Suspended
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Amex has had some people working on deals with restaurants/coffee shops/bars at some airports to replicate sort of what Priority Pass has done with some airport FBE locations. They worked on this for Amex Plat/Centurion cardholders even at some airports that have Priority Pass lounges. But it’s been so thinly worked on that it doesn’t seem to be a prequel to Amex going big into proviidng at-airport, non-lounge FBE benefits of the sort that Priority Pass has been growing.
I suspect that with this Amex cut aimed at Priority Pass, Priority Pass may even be less eager to expand the non-lounge FBE tie-ins than it has been. And any Chase or Citi replication of this Amex move may result in Priority Pass becoming even more shy.
I suspect that with this Amex cut aimed at Priority Pass, Priority Pass may even be less eager to expand the non-lounge FBE tie-ins than it has been. And any Chase or Citi replication of this Amex move may result in Priority Pass becoming even more shy.
#70
Join Date: Mar 2017
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Posts: 2,035
We have yet to see the effect of some of the cards that are rumored to be refreshed... I can guarantee there will be a large AF increase and minimal benefit increases. But then again, the AF didn't increase on the refreshed Blue Cash Preferred, so maybe the rumored Green refresh won't see an AF increase.
Notice how they drip feed all "reimbursements" (i.e: Uber and GrubHub credits) except the airline credit? And with the airline credit, AMEX just limits it to incidentals where Citi and Chase do either all travel or all airline travel/lounges.
Last edited by mikesyr18; May 29, 2019 at 5:29 am Reason: Added Second Reply
#72
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Truth or Consequences, NM
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, UA Silver, Mobile Passport Unobtanium
Posts: 6,192
To my knowledge, there are no airports that had/have the restaurant feature that also have Centurion lounges. Removing the restaurant credit will neither add to nor subtract from the number of guests entering Centurion lounges.
#73
Join Date: May 2019
Programs: Krisflyer
Posts: 20
#74
Join Date: Sep 2007
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#75
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
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EDIT: cross-referencing the AMEX and PP sites, IAH and SEA also have a PP restaurant though not necessarily in the same terminal/concourse.