American Express Platinum Travel lounge access now gated by ₹1 lakh spend — from 1 Oct 2026
American Express Platinum Travel's domestic lounge access will require ₹1 lakh spend in the preceding quarter from 1 October 2026. The one-time exception for the October–December 2026 quarter requires ₹70,000 spend between July and September 2026. This change effectively raises the price of the lounge benefit from the ₹5,000 fee to ₹4 lakh a year of spend.
From 1 October 2026, American Express will change the Platinum Travel card’s domestic lounge access. The card will offer up to two complimentary domestic lounge visits in a calendar quarter, earned by spending ₹1 lakh or more in eligible transactions in the preceding calendar quarter. This is a change from the current system, where cardholders get 8 complimentary domestic lounge visits a year with no spend condition. The visit count remains the same, but now cardholders will have to spend ₹1 lakh or more in the preceding quarter to earn the lounge visits. For the October–December 2026 quarter, cardholders will need to have spent ₹70,000 or more between July and September 2026 to qualify for lounge access. This one-time exception applies to the first affected quarter. The new spend requirement effectively raises the price of the lounge benefit from the ₹5,000 fee to ₹4 lakh a year of spend. This change will impact moderate spenders who used to enjoy the lounge benefit without a high spend requirement. Our take: With the change set to take effect on 1 October 2026, cardholders should use the remaining window to make the most of the current system. They should aim to make the most of their lounge visits before the new spend requirement kicks in. If they cannot meet the new spend requirement, they should consider alternative uses for their card or adjust their spending habits accordingly. However, since this is a devaluation, the best course of action would be to burn the lounge visits before the 1st of October and then reassess the card’s value proposition.