Card with best airport lounge/hotel upgrade features?
 

edited

Hands down! The AMEX Platinum CHARGE card (note: only charge accounts, not optima platinums i.e. AMEX SPG and AMEX Delta). Card offers hotel upgrades at hundreds of hotels via AMEX's fine hotels and resorts program and airline club access (Continental and Delta)

Well, it matters a lot WHICH features you care about and which ones you don't.

For example, the regular charge AMEX that someone else recommended supports only a tiny amount of the airline programs that the Starwood AMEX supports. If you want to earn airline miles, either Starwood AMEX or Diners Club are the way to go (unless the tiny number of airlines the regular AMEX can transfer to fit all your needs).

Airport lounges where? Internationally, Diners Club gets you into lots of airport lounges (you don't need anything but the card, so it works whatever class or airline you're flying), but extremely few in the US.

There are also programs independent of charge/credit cards that can get you into lounges for an annual membership fee. One of these that I looked at (I forget the name) had lounges at a lot of airports in the US, but typically only in one or two of the terminals at airports where I'm usually in a completely different terminal.

I'm not sure what you mean by hotel upgrade from a card. I'm only familiar with hotel upgrades by being elite in a frequest guest program, and I wasn't aware of any charge/credit cards that automatically make you that (especially not permanently), you typically have to requalify (via points and/or nights and/or stays and/or maybe promos) each year.

Consolidate?
 

Keep the Starwood card. Starpoints are the most valuable bonus you can earn with your charged dollars.

The best card for elite-program membership is the AmEx Centurion card but at $2500/year you better really want it.

QL

NorthWest World Clubs are also included.....

Any current info?

B of A Amex Accolades
 

Get a B of A Amex Accolades card. I have one and it gives you a free membership to Priority Club, the airport lounge card.

In deciding whether the Platinum Amex is worth it for lounge access, you also need to check whether it will work for you on the routes you usually fly. For example, if you regularly fly from airport x on Co but that Co uses NWA's lounge, your Amex won't get you into NWA's lounge (it would only get you into a Co lounge with a Co airline ticket).

I assume that the OP is US-based? In some other countries, AmEx Plat comes with PriorityPass in addition to co/NW/* lounge access -- making it extremely handy and worth the price ;)

Yes, you're right. I'm talking about the standard US Plat Amex, as opposed to other versions of the Plat card.

<snide-remark>

Ahh, you're talking about the non-standard devaluated version of Plat that's issued in the US, not the standard versions issued elsewhere ;)

Well, no, actually I was talking about the "standard US Plat Amex", not the "standard, US Plat Amex". Comma position is key to the meaning of the phrase: "standard" modifies "US" (in order to distinguish, e.g. the Hilton version of the US Plat Amex from the regular US Plat Amex). If I had been referring to a "standard, US Plat Amex", I would have been adopting a US-centric view of the world (where the US is standard and everything else is a variation) - and that is an attitude a Canuck would be unlikely to adopt. :)

I agree. The Starwood card is a cheap card to have and is the best card for collecting miles. I always wind up using it for hotel stays though. I think the fee is now $45 from $30? I have an Amex Plat. charge card, so they never charge me a fee for my Starwood card.

The Amex Plat. was a good deal until they took away the 2 for 1 domestic airfare (on the US issued card). I hear FHR is good but I haven't used it since my extra $ has been going toward other things lately rather than staying at $500/night hotels. The lounge access is nice, but you have to use the lounge for the airline in which you are flying that day. Also, unless you're flying Continental, you won't get the free wireless internet in the lounge. You still get the free snacks/booze though.

The HHonors card has no fee, so why cancel it? I suppose if you don't use it you could. I have both this card as well as the 2 mentioned above. I alternate between the Starwood and HHonors for daily spending.

The company is American Express.... :D

As others have mentioned the devalued Platinum card is probably your best bet for lounge access (depending on which airline you fly). As for as the hotel rewards, instead of worrying about FHR through AMEX, you can utilize Virtuoso for hotel upgrades. Both programs include a lot of the same hotels including the upgrades and lunch/spa credit.

The card I would recommend, (Depending on Airline and $spend) is the Merrill+ card. You can get discounts on AA or Delta, you still get concierge and a lot of hotel/car discounts plus if you spend $50K in a year you get comp membership to Delta "OR" AA lounges.

Just a thought.....please let me know what you decide.