American Express Canada has announced that starting on January 1, 2027 Platinum cardholders will no longer have unlimited access to Plaza Premium & Priority Pass lounges. Cardholders will receive 6 visits per calendar year to each network (6 Plaza Premium & 6 Priority Pass). This isn’t the first time we’ve seen American Express add lounge limits internationally with Spain adding a 20 visit limit and Germany adding a 50 visit limit.
Profitability of cards is obviously dramatically different in other cards but overcrowding in lounges has been a real issue for a long time and increasingly a talking point. I’ve long argued for a ‘guaranteed access’ limit and then unlimited visits when lounges are less crowded rather than having a hard limit like this.
