Airport lounge access can make a long connection or unexpected delay more comfortable. Many travel rewards cards provide lounge access as a card perk, often via a complimentary Priority Pass membership. But, the American Express® Green Card takes a different approach to airport lounge access.
Instead of providing membership to a network of lounges, the American Express Green Card provides up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year when you use the card to purchase lounge access directly through LoungeBuddy. Lounge access through LoungeBuddy starts at $8 per person, although most lounges cost between $26 and $61 per person.
Considering the Amex Green Card has a $150 annual fee, you can offset much of this fee each year if you maximize your card’s LoungeBuddy statement credits. So, let’s consider how to maximize these statement credits.
The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Use other lounge passes first
If you have complimentary lounge access through other means, use it when it’s available to save your LoungeBuddy statement credits for other trips.
For example, suppose you have The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. In that case, you have access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection; this provides Centurion Lounge access, a Priority Pass membership, access to Delta SkyClubs* with a reservation for a same-day Delta-operated flight and more. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
If you have select premium airline cards, such as the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) or the United Club℠ Infinite Card, you may have access to the airline’s lounges when flying that airline or its partners. Elite status or flying in premium cabins may also afford you lounge access.
Effective February 1, 2025: Eligible Platinum Card Members will receive 10 Visits per Eligible Platinum Card per year to the Delta Sky Club or to Grab and Go when traveling on a same-day Delta-operated flight.
Related: Best credit cards for airport lounge access
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Research your options
If you want to book a lounge using LoungeBuddy, you can see all the bookable lounge locations on the LoungeBuddy website. For example, the following image shows all the U.S. airports that currently have at least one lounge bookable through LoungeBuddy.
You can use the LoungeBuddy website to compare lounge options before booking. It’s worth the time to compare amenities, important information, reviews and costs on the LoungeBuddy website to help you decide which lounge to visit.
You might be surprised by some of the pricing differences between lounges at the same airport. For example, the Escape Lounge costs less than The Club CVG at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). As such, researching in advance will help you choose your most valuable option.
Finally, if you want access to a particular lounge, check whether you can purchase access for less through another method. Of course, this is only good advice if you’ll easily use your Amex Green Card’s LoungeBuddy statement credits each calendar year on other lounge visits.
Related: 5 ways to ensure you have lounge access before your next flight
Use LoungeBuddy to pay for extra guests
If you already have complimentary access to a lounge via other means, you may want to use LoungeBuddy to purchase access for your travel companions.
For example, Amex Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders get complimentary access to Escape Lounges for themselves and up to two guests. However, if traveling in a larger group, you might use LoungeBuddy to purchase lounge access for additional guests.
Similarly, suppose a lounge participates in both Priority Pass and LoungeBuddy. In that case, you can purchase access for additional travel companions through LoungeBuddy if you aren’t allocated enough guests through your Priority Pass membership.
Related: The 8 do’s and don’ts of visiting an airport lounge
Ensure your lounge visit is eligible
The LoungeBuddy website shows various lounges, including some you can’t book through LoungeBuddy.
So, even if you’re at the airport and want to visit a lounge, you’ll need to go to the LoungeBuddy website and use your Amex Green Card to book your lounge visit through LoungeBuddy in order to use your statement credits. To find lounges bookable online through LoungeBuddy, look for the green LoungeBuddy logo next to the rate.
Related: 9 domestic lounges that are worth going out of your way for
Keep track of your usage
You can continue using LoungeBuddy to purchase lounge access once you’ve exhausted your Amex Green statement credits. However, you may want to keep a note on your phone to track your LoungeBuddy usage.
This way, you’ll know when you book the lounge visit that puts you over the $100 mark for the calendar year; after this point, you won’t see any more statement credits from your American Express Green Card for additional LoungeBuddy visits the rest of the year.
Related: Is the Amex Green Card worth the annual fee?
Consider international lounges
Many lounges outside the U.S. cost less than domestic lounges. This means you may be able to squeeze more lounge visits out of the American Express Green Card’s LoungeBuddy statement credit each calendar year when you use it for lounges outside the U.S. Many of these lounges include more substantial food and better amenities than comparably priced lounges within the U.S.
For example, you can book six lounges through LoungeBuddy at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), with prices ranging from $28 to $46 per person.
Eight lounges at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) can be booked through LoungeBuddy for $34 per person.
A few lounges are accessible for even less. Entry to the Concordia Lounge at Indonesia’s Syamsudin Noor Airport (BDJ) costs just $8 per person when you book through LoungeBuddy. However, this lounge is in the domestic terminal, so you’d need to fly within Indonesia to use it.
Similarly, the Aviserv Lounge (West) in Mumbai offers three-hour lounge access for $9 per person; alternatively, it offers seven-hour access with a shower and four hours in a private sleep pod for $51 per person.
With options like these, you may be able to stretch your $100 statement credit into many lounge visits each calendar year.
Related: Why the Amex Green is great for points and miles beginners
Bottom line
One benefit of the American Express Green Card is a $100 LoungeBuddy statement credit each calendar year. You could stretch your credits to cover as many as 12 lounge visits each calendar year, but you could also use your entire credit for one or two premium lounge visits. Maximization looks different for each traveler, but you have plenty of options to use your LoungeBuddy statement credit in a way that provides the most value to you.
If you want to learn more about lounge access and the American Express Green Card, check out the following guides:
