We may receive a commission when you use our links. Monkey Miles is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com and CardRatings. This relationship may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Monkey Miles is also a Senior Advisor to Bilt Rewards. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
American Express Centurion Lounge opens at London Heathrow Terminal 3
Amex continues to expand its global network of Centurion Lounges and on October 12th, 2021 they opened the American Express Centurion Lounge London – the first in Europe. The new lounge will be over 7000 sq feet and feature a menu curated by Michelin-Star Chef Assaf Granit. Let’s take a look at the new lounge that is actually open to guests, unlike many other lounges in Terminal 3 ( valid as of time of publishing ). I have to say…Terminal 3 has the best lounge offerings in London: The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse outside security, Qantas, Cathay, BA, AA, and now a Centurion Lounge? Terminal 3 is where it’s at!
Remember:
- Starting Feb 1, 2023
- U.S. Platinum Card® and U.S. Business Platinum Card® Members will be charged a $50 USD fee for each guest (or $30 for children aged 2 through 17, with proof of age). U.S. Platinum Card® and U.S. Business Platinum Card® Members will qualify for Complimentary Guest Access for up to two guests per visit after spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 and in each calendar year thereafter
The bar looks stunning, seen below, and in the vein of all Centurion lounges sounds like it will offer excellent mixed drinks. Legendary mixologist Jim Meehan will have a few tasty treats like
the Wayne’s Collins, a mashup of the Tom Collins and White Negroni, and non-alcoholic mixtures like the Hare of the Fog, a Negroni riff featuring England’s own Seedlip spirit and Aecorn aperitifs. The lounge will feature global wines sourced from France, Italy, Argentina, and more – exclusively selected by Wine Director Anthony Giglio.
A few key features of the Amex Centurion London lounge
First Ever British-Inspired Tea Cart which will have both hot and cold tea selections as well as immune booster drinks, mango infused coconut water, peach iced tea, etc. I’m always down for some English Tea.
There is an art installation featuring British Art and Design from Carne Griffiths and Stephen Marshall with furniture from Konk, Naughstone, and Deadgood. You can see in the image below that each piece comes with a QR code so you can learn about the artist.
Overall
This will be a fantastic option for travelers especially if you don’t have One World Status, are tired of the Priority Pass lounges, and aren’t in business class. Currently, the Qantas and Cathay Lounges are both close ( incredible offerings from both ) and if you happen to be in Heathrow Terminal 3, from the looks of it, you’ll have a great option to visit. One thing to keep in mind, Amex Platinum and Centurion comes with Priority Pass memberhips, so you can always visit the lounges included in that portfolio if the Centurion Lounge is further from your gate or crowded.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.