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?

johan rebel

Not really surprising. Border fast track is the core of the Privium program, its raison d'être. Privium does not bundle all benefits together, you can chose between Basic and Plus. But both come with border fast track, that's the whole point of the program.

Johan

Xandrios

No reason why they couldn't simply skip the retina scan thingy and still allow the pax to visit the lounge. But I guess that is too much of an administrative hassle. Maybe complain with Amex saying you are unable to make use of one of the promised benefits?

johan rebel

Because the retina scan thing is what Privium is all about. Much as I like the lounges, they are not what Privium is primarily about. Along with Privium Parking etc., the lounges are part of the Plus package. Privium is not Priorty Pass. God forbid that they ever start selling stand alone lounge access packages. A modicum of exclusivity is one of the lounges' biggest drawing cards.

Security fast track used to be core benefit when they still had their own dedicated Privium checkpoint, but now members are relegated to the regular hoi polloi "fast" track. We all know how reliably fast that is.

Johan

MSPeconomist

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.

johan rebel

I honestly can't remember. I was one of the first to join Privium, but citizenship was not an issue for me. Their website currently says:

"You can only become a Privium member if you are in possession of a valid passport or European I.D. card from a country within the European Union, or one from Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway or Iceland. If you are an asylum seeker or refugee you are unfortunately not able to register as a Privium member due to limitations set by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee."

Anecdotally, from visiting the lounge pre-Brexit I got the impression that Privium used to have a lot of members from the UK. At certain times of day there would almost be enough very British suits in the lounge to almost fill an entire Club Europe cabin to LHR.

Johan

remymartin

Newbie question - which market AMEX Platinum does this benefit apply to? Do you need the physical card (thus, if not available in a certain market you can't get it)?

Markie

Existing members can keep Privium if they continue to pay:

I am a Privium member with a United Kingdom passport. What will change for me?

You are a Privium member and you can also remain a Privium member. So even after 1 January 2021, now that Brexit is a fact, the Privium membership will remain valid and the facilities available. What changes is that there will be an additional requirement from the government for British passport holders. A stamp must be put in the passport when entering and leaving the EU. This stamping takes place immediately after passing the Privium gate. In practice, this means that at the Privium gate you will be referred to the counter of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. You can therefore continue to use the Privium ports and you do not have to join the queue.

Pay on time to keep your Privium membership!

We would like to point out that it will no longer be possible for British citizens to become a new Privium member after 1 January 2021 due to the Brexit regulations. Make sure to pay outstanding invoices on time. If we do not receive your payment on time, the Privium membership will unfortunately expire. After January 1, 2021, it can no longer be reactivated for UK citizens. This is a Brexit consequence and a government decision. Privium has no alternative to offer in such cases.

Do you have a passport from the United Kingdom and would you like to become a Privium member?

Unfortunately, it is not possible for British nationals to apply for a new Privium membership. This is a Brexit consequence and a government decision. Privium has no alternative to offer in such cases.

GUWonder

US citizens with Global Entry membership used to be able to enroll in Privium. But it wasn’t cheap and involved fees to the US, fees to the Dutch and fees for Privium IIRC.

And even without GE membership, US citizens with Netherlands-issued diplomatic cards — and there were a lot of those — also were Privium-eligible. I think it was actually available to legions of Dutch-issued DC holders because several years ago there were definitely more diplomatic card holders using Privium than just US holders of such.

EEA country passport users — whether from an EU country or not — were also eligible for Privium.

I haven’t paid much attention to Privium eligibility for at least the last several years.

I prefer to get my entertainment by dealing with the potential passport control clown show at AMS to see how it goes, especially since I don’t have much uses for the AMS lounges if I can help it.

GUWonder

Dutch Amex Platinum has this:

https://www.americanexpress.com/nl/cards/privium/

And then there is this:

https://www.schiphol.nl/en/page/priv...ress-platinum/

Maybe I’ll try to get some EU citizen to apply using a US Platinum Amex to see if the discount is applicable.

etiene

I had to reactivate my Privium in January, or have it cancelled. It had previously been paused as I wasn't travelling - so that was another little Brexit dividend. Didn't get stamped on the way in or out though on my first trip this past week [shrug].

My partner is American, and I asked about the status on that front when I joined two years ago - at the time I think there was a page saying "can't get it anymore, but talks continue" and the agent I spoke to had no idea on timeline. Doesn't seem like it'll be soon.

dubistokay

Thanks for everyone's responses. Looks like there is no way to unbundle the membership, so I have now written to Privium. I'm new to Amsterdam, so still figuring things out, but I fear reaching SkyPriority Gold won't really help navigate the security fasttrack issue, as most of flights relevant to me (holiday destinations) are operated by low-cost airlines, who operate from a terminal without a SkyPriority lane but with a Privium lane. Please correct me if I'm wrong though.

Grouchy

In the past US citizens could indeed become a member of Privium if they where a Global Entry member. That was when FLUX-alliance was still a thing, FLUX was discontinued on 1 January 2017 because of RPT-NL that is coming eeeuh...*cough* soon.
Nowadays it's just EEA passport/ID card holders.

GUWonder

Did they finally boot out from Privium all the US GE members and all the Netherlands-issued diplomatic card holders with non-EEA passports?

Grouchy

IIRC if they already had Privium they could keep using the Privium lanes. However no new signups or reactivitions.