American Express Canada has quietly updated the Terms and Conditions for The Platinum Card® and Business Platinum Card®, outlining a major shake-up to their airport lounge benefits.
Starting January 1, 2027, cardholders will no longer enjoy automatic unlimited access to Plaza Premium and Priority Pass lounges.
Instead, lounge visits will be capped each year, unless you spend enough to unlock your way back to unlimited comfort.
Let’s unpack what’s changing, who’s affected, and how you can still sip that pre-flight wine in peace.
What’s Changing: Annual Visit Caps Coming in 2027
Beginning with the 2027 calendar year, both the Personal Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders will receive a fixed number of complimentary visits to Plaza Premium and Priority Pass lounges:
- Personal Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders: six complimentary visits per calendar year
- Supplementary Platinum cardholders: two complimentary visits per year
- Supplementary Gold cardholders: no complimentary access
Each visit counts as one entry per person, meaning if you bring a guest and cover their entry, that’s another visit deducted.
Once you’ve used up your complimentary visits, you can still enter, but you’ll have to pay the lounge’s standard entry fee. Complimentary visits reset each January 1st and expire at year-end.
What’s Not Changing
Until December 31, 2026, it’s business as usual. Platinum, Business Platinum, and Corporate Platinum cardholders will continue to enjoy:
- Unlimited access to Plaza Premium, Priority Pass, Centurion, Escape Lounges, and Swissport Executive Lounges.
- Complimentary guest policies that generally allow one travel companion.
The 2027 changes only apply to Plaza Premium and Priority Pass networks. Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges, and airline-operated lounges under the Global Lounge Collection remain unaffected.
You Can Still Have Unlimited Lounge Access… But With $20,000 Annual Spend
For frequent flyers, there’s good news buried in the fine print. Amex is adding a spend-based shortcut to reclaim unlimited access at both Plaza Premium and Priority Pass lounges.
Once your total eligible purchases on your Platinum or Business Platinum account hit $20,000 in a calendar year, your account will automatically unlock unlimited Plaza Premium and Priority Pass access for all eligible Platinum cardholders on the account, including supplementary Platinum cards.
This upgrade typically processes within a week (though Amex warns it could take up to 12 weeks). Once activated, the unlimited access remains valid for the rest of that year and the entire following year.
For example: If you hit the $20,000 spend in May 2027, you’ll have unlimited access valid until December 31, 2028.
Eligible purchases include regular transactions at Amex-accepting merchants, excluding fees, cash advances, and refunds. If returns or chargebacks drop your total spend below $20,000, Amex may revoke the benefit.
A Step Back in Value or a Smarter Move?
I think this is a medium-sized deal, not catastrophic, but definitely a hit for Canadian travellers. Unlike the U.S., Canada doesn’t have any Centurion Lounges, so Plaza Premium and Priority Pass form the backbone of the Amex lounge network here.
If you’re a casual traveller taking one or two annual trips, the six-visit cap may not impact you much — especially with access to other lounges still intact.
However, for frequent flyers or those who regularly travel with family, this change could sting.
Since guest access counts toward your visit total, couples or families could easily burn through all six visits after just two round trips. For something called The Platinum Card, that feels a bit nickel-and-dime.
That said, Amex has made it possible to earn back unlimited access with spend. Hitting the $20,000 threshold isn’t unrealistic.
It equates to roughly $1,667 a month, easily achievable if you use your Platinum card for everyday expenses or make rent payments through platforms like Chexy.
Let’s be honest. This change doesn’t sit well for a product that costs $799 annually. Premium cards are supposed to simplify travel, not make cardholders earn back the perks they already had.
For context, the American Express® Gold Rewards Card, which costs a fraction of the Platinum’s annual fee, already offers four complimentary Plaza Premium visits, so the new six-visit cap on the Platinum doesn’t exactly scream “ultra-premium.”
On the flip side, lounges have become increasingly overcrowded, often resembling food courts with fancier cheese boards.
By limiting casual access, Amex might actually improve the experience for travellers who meet the spend threshold. If this measure thins out the “everyone’s a VIP now” crowd, we might see shorter lines, quieter seating areas, and better food availability.
Comparing to Other Cards
It’s also worth noting that mid-tier cards like the Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Card* offer six complimentary lounge visits per year, all for an annual fee of $150, less than one-quarter of the Platinum’s price tag.
Plus, the Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Card* also comes with no foreign transaction fees, a feature still missing from Amex’s high-end lineup.
- Earn 35,000 Scene+ points upon spending $2,000 in the first three months
- Earn an additional 10,000 Scene+ points upon spending $40,000 annually
- Earn 2x Scene+ points on groceries, dining, entertainment, and transit
- Plus, earn 3x Scene+ points on grocery purchases at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, and FreshCo
- Visa Airport Companion membership with six free lounge visits per year
- Redeem points for a statement credit against any travel expense
- Minimum income: $60,000 personal or $100,000 household
- Annual fee: $150
Of course, the Platinum’s differentiator remains access to The Centurion Lounge network and Fine Hotels + Resorts, but those matter less if your primary concern is airport comfort before takeoff.
Conclusion
Starting January 1, 2027, Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders will be limited to six Plaza Premium and six Priority Pass visits per year, with two visits for Supplementary Platinum cardholders.
Cardholders who spend $20,000 annually on their account will still enjoy unlimited access for both networks, preserving the current experience.
For now, nothing changes until the end of 2026, so enjoy the lounges while they remain truly unlimited, but it’s worth reassessing the card’s value when your next annual fee comes due.
