The bad news

The Canadian Amex website shows changes to the travel lounge benefits on these two premium cards:

🇨🇦 Amex Business Platinum Card [Best-ever 200,000 points]

The terms for airport lounge access will change as follows:

Starting January 1, 2027, complimentary access to Plaza Premium Lounges and Priority Pass lounges will have new annual limits. The change applies to both the personal and Business Platinum Cards:

  • Basic Card: 6 visits per year
  • Additional Platinum Card: 2 visits per year
  • Additional Gold Card: no complimentary visits

To keep unlimited access as before, spend $20,000 during a calendar year. That unlocks unlimited access through the end of the following year, including for supplementary Cardmembers.

These changes apply only to Plaza Premium Lounges and Priority Pass lounges. The terms for other proprietary and partner lounges in The Amex Global Lounge Collection remain unchanged.

Our take

This is a meaningful cut, because in Canada the lounges most commonly available through The Amex Global Lounge Collection are Plaza Premium Lounges and Priority Pass lounges.

If you travel frequently or need multiple lounge visits for a family, plan ahead:

  • Spend $20,000 in 2026 to unlock unlimited access.
  • Compare lounge benefits on other Canadian credit cards.

🇨🇦 Canadian credit cards: Airport lounge benefits, including the new Wealthsimple VIP option

  • Consider U.S. credit cards that include lounge access.

For example, the popular:

Or a card with benefits and no annual fee:

🇺🇸 U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature