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The 45K AMEX Green Card Offer Includes a $100 LoungeBuddy credit per calendar year, in addition to its more important benefits such as 3X Membership Rewards points on travel and dining.
At first blush the LoungeBuddy statement credit seems like a throwaway benefit, since if you have another premium card such as a Chase Sapphire Reserve or AMEX Platinum, you'll have Priority Pass Select membership that gives you and up to two guests (for the Sapphire Reserve and AMEX Platinum) complimentary access.
That said, there are a few cases where it can be handy to have the LoungeBuddy credit:
Priority Pass/LoungeBuddy Lounges, When with More Than 2 Guests
For families of 4 or more, if only one member has a Priority Pass card, only two guests are complimentary, and the 3rd guest would pay $27. You could instead use your AMEX Green card starting with the 3rd guest, to get up to $100 reimbursed as statement credit.
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LoungeBuddy Lounges That Aren't Priority Pass Members
While most LoungeBuddy Lounges are available via Priority Pass, some are only available via LoungeBuddy, for example:
- Lufthansa Business Class Lounge, JFK Terminal 1 (although LoungeBuddy access is only available in the morning, prior to 2pm). Current cost at time of writing is $59 per person.
- Escape Lounge Bradley BDL: from $43 per person
- Escape Lounge Greenville Spartanburg GSP: from $44 per person
- Escape Lounge Minneapolis St. Paul MSP: from $40 per person
- Escape Lounge Oakland OAK: from $44 per person
- Escape Lounge Ontario ONT T2: from $44 per person
- Escape Lounge Ontario ONT T4: from $44 per person
- Escape Lounge Reno Nevada RNO: from $44 per person
- Wingtips Lounge St. Louis STL: from $36 per person
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Access the Plaza Premium First Lounge, Hong Kong
While Priority Pass members have access to the Plaza Premium Lounge in Hong Kong Terminal 1, near Gate 1, they need to pay an upgrade fee of HKD 250 (~$33), as the lounge offers a la carte dining with made to order entrees during its 6-11am breakfast service and 11am-midnight all day dining service, as well as a premium beverage selection (for example Aberlour 12 year and Glenlivet 12 year old whiskey, TWG teas, etc.) and a complimentary 10 minute neck and shoulder massage, subject to availability.
You could instead purchase access to the lounge with LoungeBuddy for $89 for 3 hour access, which will be reimbursed with the $100 per year AMEX Green credit.
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Give Lounge Access to a Family Member or Friend Who Wouldn't Have Access
While Priority Pass Select access can only be granted to guests if you're traveling with them on the trip, the benefit of LoungeBuddy is that you purchase a pass in advance. This makes it the AMEX Green $100 LoungeBuddy benefit perfect for gifting access to a family member or friend who perhaps is an infrequent traveler. If s/he doesn't already have lounge access and won't have lounge access via class of service or frequent flyer status, help make the journey a bit easier and more pleasant by gifting him/her a LoungeBuddy pass if they have a long layover.
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What do you consider the best uses of the AMEX Green LoungeBuddy benefit?
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