Lounge Battle: Amex, Chase, Capital One
[00:00:00] Airport lounges used to be a nice to have, but now they're a deciding factor when picking a premium travel card. Today we're comparing MX Centurion, chase Sapphire and capital one lounges to see which one actually delivers the best experience from food and amenities to access rules and overcrowding.
We'll break down what matters and who each lounge is actually really. If you wanna find out which lounge is the best for you, this episode will make the choice clear.
Hey, I'm Chris. Welcome to the Upgraded Points podcast. And I'm Katie. And today we are recording earlier than usual, so I have coffee with me. We are gonna hear from Chris about a great upgrade. We've got a fun bit of Kimpton news, and then we are talking all about airport lounges. Before we get to that, don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast.
And if you have questions or comments for us, you can reach us at podcast@upgradedpoints.com. So let's get it started. Chris, I need to hear about [00:01:00] this upgrade 'cause this sounds like a good one. Yeah, so I flew from New York to Rio on American Airlines, uh, last month, and I was booked in basic economy and I had been watching the instant upgrades on the app and it price had fluctuated.
It started at about like. At one point I reached over $4,000 to go from economy to business class, which is obviously crazy. Thank you. Um, but it, it dropped and it got around a thousand dollars, about 24 hours before check-in. And I was like, okay, this is trending in the right direction. I think if it gets a little bit lower, I'll, you know, I'll pull the trigger.
But once check-in opens, uh, with American Airlines, those instant upgrades disappear in the app. So I kind of gave up, I figured, um, I lost my chance. Um, but when I went to go check in in New York, I said, Hey, listen, I, I know there's some, some, some seats available. Are there any paid upgrades left? I tried doing it in the app, wouldn't let me.
The lady typed on her desk for a minute and then she goes, yeah, I could do for 500. And I was like, yes. Oh my [00:02:00] God. Yes. Yes. Um, I don't know if I could have negotiated that any further. I don't know if she had any leeway at all. Um, but you take that and you enjoy your Exactly. I tried to say it. Cool. Um, but I was so excited previously at, when I've asked at check-in, they're like, oh no, you have to call American Airlines and, you know, go through the reservations and all that.
And so that's what I was expecting. Um. But I don't know if something has changed with this instant upgrades and how this, they're being processed now. I, I posted on threads about it and people have said that it, this is a thing. So I guess I've just been missing out. Um, but now I am, I'm pretty excited because I do those instant upgrades a lot.
I just did it for premium economy as well, for $300. So there's some good value out there, but now that there could be even more value out there if, you know, if the price isn't right in the app, maybe it's worth doing a, a check-in as well. That's awesome. You could upgrade from basic economy. I feel like. I know that would be something that in the fine print, they're just like, no, you can't upgrade.[00:03:00]
Even if you know from basic economy, I don't know if had something to do with my status. I'm Platinum Pro, so I don't know if there's like levels there, um, that impact, you know, the prices, but. Yeah, I'm not sure. Was that a paid ticket or a award ticket? Yeah, it was cash. Yeah, cash, basic economy ticket. It was like $500 I think for economy.
And so I was in, you know, economy extra because of, you know, my, my status. But um, yeah, skip premium and rate to business for, for $500 live flat, 10 hour flight. I mean, nice. That was a good deal. That's a great, that's a great deal. Well played, Chris. Yeah. Thank you. Okay, so I wanted to mention this, um, the Kimpton password, and this is a weird, kind of fun little quirk that you can, um, get at Kimpton Hotels.
If you tell them the secret password, you get some extra little perks or a gift. And right now through February 28th, 2026, if you mention the life of a Kimpton [00:04:00] guest. To the front desk, they will give you a mystery gift, and that can be an upgrade or free parking, or a free drink or breakfast or food and beverage credit.
We've heard of all kinds of different gifts, um, being handed out. Have you ever done this, Chris? Because I don't know if I have the balls to go up and just like work that into a conversation or like, how is that super awkward? No, I mean, the, the front desk, they know the deal. I mean, no one's trying to make it awkward.
Uh, I did it last year in Sydney. We stayed at the, the Marlow, I believe it was called. Um, and there was also at the time, uh, you know. Special promotion. So I had during check-in, I said whatever it was, I wasn't trying to be sneaky about it. I said, I heard if you say this, you get something. I was like, oh, okay.
Very good. And they gave us some, uh, I think it was like sunblock or sunscreen something. Oh, something for the beach. So that was pretty cool. Yeah. I have like a nightmare of like going up and like sly like, and then just looking at me like, [00:05:00] what are you talking about? That's fake. No, Katie, it's actually for Hyatts.
You should do that at a Hyatt. Oh God. Life of a Kimpton guest. Mr. Hyatt, life of a Hyatt guest. Yeah. We'll see if that happens. Oh well. So try it out. Uh, send us an email if you do that. I wanna hear what you get and how your experience was. Okay, let's move on 'cause we have to talk about lounges today. This is one of our favorite topics, or at least mine, 'cause lounges make your travel day so much better.
Um, and it's become one of the main reasons why people get high-end travel credit cards. Yeah. Amex has been dominant for a long time, but over the past few years we've seen a big surge from the competitors and it's really shaken up the lounge landscape. Yeah, definitely. So we're gonna talk about what each of these lounge networks offer, and we're gonna focus on Amex, UR, and Chase, Sapphire and Capital One lounges.
What they offer, what can be improved, and then what is the best fit for your travels. So Chris, let's kick it off with the Chase Sapphire lounges. [00:06:00] So the Chase Sapphire lounge by the club. Uh, so these are, are run by this, this, uh, lounge company called The Club. And these are priority pass lounges actually.
And there are currently nine of them with two more coming soon. So there's one in Hong Kong. There's one at New York, JFK, LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, Washington, and Boston. And by time of recording, uh, so by the time this comes out, the new Las Vegas lounge is gonna be brand new. So that's gonna be, uh, good to see.
And then there's also one in Dallas and LA coming. So these are really great lounges. Uh, Katie and I both really enjoy visiting these lounges. I spent pretty much the whole day there at JFK, the other, uh, last month. Um, oh, we spent the whole day hit the JFK one. Yeah, I know. The worst one in, in the network.
Chris, we're gonna talk about that in the next segment. There was some invisible lounge next to it. I couldn't, I couldn't, I couldn't see what it was downstairs. That's why [00:07:00] you didn't see. I could smell. There's a lot of cheese coming from the other one. So I avoid it. Um, but the, these, now we've lost all of our listeners and they have no idea what we're talking about.
Our lactose intolerant listeners stick around boy than than stick around. Stick around and we'll tell you. Go on. Sorry. If you wanna get into one of these lounges with far less cheese, if you have the Chase Sapphire reserve card, the Ritz Carlton card, or the JP Morgan Reserve card, these can all get you in.
Um, now guest policy, that's where things are gonna vary a little bit. Uh, you can get in with two free guests if you have the Chase Phi Reserve card. So this is nice option for a lot of our listeners. We, a lot of people have this card. Now, the Ritz Carlton card, that one comes with unlimited guests, so this is a little hack.
This card is not available for new applications, but if you have a Chase Marriott co-branded card and you've had it for at least 12 months, you can call and request a product change to this Ritz Carlton card. This card has a $450 annual [00:08:00] fee. At the time of recording. Um, but with unlimited guests, this could be a no-brainer and well worth it for families because this card also has a long list of other benefits as well.
So that's a nice one. Um, these lounges, oh, lemme just step back one sec. I mentioned that these lounges are a priority pass. Uh, lounge. So if you have a priority pass from any other card, you actually get one visit per calendar year. So if you have an Amex card or a Capital One card that has a priority pass, you'll be able to swipe that pass once to get into any Chase Sapphire Lounge in the world.
Once per calendar year. So don't forget about that. It's a nice little nice little trick there. Talking about what these lounges have in LaGuardia. This is one of the nicer of the, of the lounges. It's of my favorites. Yeah. I have not been there yet, I guess. That's great. I gotta, I need to go on a little lounge tour.
Uh, this one has a spa with free facials, so. And they're [00:09:00] quite nice. I've tried them. They're great. Are resident expert in lounge spas in Boston. She spent a a lot of time in the massage chair. So much that she had to go buy one for herself. I did, yeah. Yeah. Totally worth it though. And Philly has a spot in the game room and I've seen photos of that one that looks are really good.
It's really cool. Yeah. As Katie mentioned, I spent, as I mentioned, I spent the day at JFK and as Katie kind of snuffed about. The JFK lounge has absolutely nothing, so I don't get that one. I just don't get it. I used my one priority pass there. It was still worth it because I ate and drank the whole day and it was great.
It was, you know, it was better than sitting anywhere, you know, in the, and obviously in the terminal, but yeah, no, Chris, actually the JF FK lounge, we have to be fair. It does have one thing. It has. Um, a long line all the time and really snarky front, uh, desk attendants or front door attendants. That's true.
Yeah. Every time I've tried to get into that lounge, there's a wait and the [00:10:00] people at the front like are not happy to be, there's true. Forget it. If you try to get in on a layover over that three hours, they do not care. So, not, not my, that, not my favorite lounge there. So I got in early, so I, I, you know, I, I mentioned that I was there all day because my flight kept getting delayed.
So I got in exactly three hours before my flight, but then my flight was delayed another five hours. So I was there, I got in. You gained the system there, Chris. Yeah, I knew that was a potential that could have happened. So I knew I was gonna, I needed to get in quickly, uh, before it started getting delayed, but.
Uh, once I got in the staff was incredible, but I agree that, that like the, out by the front, it was crazy because Ryan came to say hi to me. One of our fellow writers, um, our news editor, and they were like bouncing us away from the door. Like, you cannot talk here, get outta here. So we had to like go near the elevator to hang out for a couple minutes.
So I agree with that, uh, that sentiment there. Yeah. Yeah. Don't get that one. All right, Katie, is there anywhere else, perhaps at JFK that you would prefer to [00:11:00] spend some time? Jeez. Hmm. Where would I go? Cheese. Oh God. Um, so yeah, there is a little thing I like to call the Capital One lounges, and I'm, I'm giving Chris never heard of that a hard time because a few episodes ago he admitted that he had never been to a Capital One lounge.
And I'm not gonna let him forget that. Scorned for life. Um, so this network, there are currently six locations, so it's a lot smaller. Then, well, not a lot. It's a little smaller than the Chase Effer collection. Um, six current locations. One on the way there is Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, JFK Washington. Dulles coming soon to LaGuardia and that is a Capital One landing at LA coming soon to LaGuardia.
And then there's also a Capital One landing at Washington Reagan. And the Capital One landing is just a little bit different than the full Capital One Lounge. It is more of a [00:12:00] restaurant concept. So they call it, um, an elevated food and beverage and essential airport amenities like luggage, nooks, and private restrooms.
So think more restaurant, these are done. The Capital One la, um, landings are done in partnership with the Jose Andres group. So it is definitely more foodie focused. You're gonna have a restaurant experience and it's, it's different than the lounges, but I, I've not been to one of those. Um, but I am, I'm sure they're quite nice based on, they sound nice how many times I've been on regular lounges.
Um, to get access to these, you need to have the Venture X or Venture X business card. Um, and your authorized users have access currently. The bad news is beginning on February 1st, 2026, um, authorized users are losing their lounge access. If you're a primary card holder, you will be able to pay $125 a year for each [00:13:00] additional card holder for them to maintain their lounge access, which okay, could make sense in some situations.
Um, and then, um, the Venture X cardholders are also losing their. Guest privileges, which is a big bummer. 'cause currently until February 1st, you can bring in two guests with a Venture X card. If you have a venture or a Spark Miles card, um, you can purchase passes to the Capital One Lounge for $45 each. So for you and your guests, $45 each.
It could make sense. Yeah, it's, yeah, depending on your, how long your labor is. Absolutely. Absolutely. How hungry you are. And Capital One's actually really good, um, about if you're on a long layover, they do not give you trouble if you're coming in eight hours ahead of time. I've done that many times. So unlike the sapphire lounges, oh, okay.
Good to know. Yeah, so like I said, right now you can bring in two guests for free. That changes on February 1st. [00:14:00] Um, one thing I do like about the Capital One Lounges two is in the Capital One app. You can easily see the wait times, like if the lounge is busy, and you can join the wait list really easily through their app, easier than some of the other lounge.
Um, some of the lounge networks. So let's talk about features of the Capital One lounges. They hands down, have the best grab and go options. They really came out swinging with their first lounge at DFW with a really strong grab and go game, which the other lounges really don't have. I would say the Sapphire and centurion lounges go out of their way to make it hard for you to take anything out of the lounge.
That's true. Whereas Capital One invites you to take stuff outta the lounge, not only do they have grab and go sections at at each of their lounges with drinks and snacks and even things like. Little pre-made salads and sandwiches, so it's not just like a bag of nuts and a bottle of water. Um, they have really thoughtful grab and go items, but they also have like [00:15:00] little grab um, bags by like the pastry section.
So if you wanna grab a cookie or something for the flight, they have a bag right there for you. Whereas if you wanna do that at Centurion or Chase Sapphire, you have to kind of sneak it. Yeah. Line your pockets with plastic bags. Exactly. Um, they also have some really cool features. Like there's a coffee bar at, um, Dulles and I went to, that one's been open a couple, maybe two years.
I went to the opening of that, so I actually have not been to that one in a couple years. But they had, um, one of the very first like full barista staffed coffee bars in a lounge. Um, and they had a really cool machine at the time that would make like latte art. And so I'd given them the upgraded points logo and they made me a upgraded points latte, which was kind cool.
Oh yeah, that's cool. Um, JFK, which we've talked about quite a bit. I've actually been at that lounge probably three or four times in the last few months. Oh, wow. Has a um, it has a coffee bar as well with [00:16:00] New York Bagels, which is fantastic. Nice. And then way in the back, they have a cheese monger. Which is just so weird and cool.
I love it. Yeah, I don't think that, is there anyone else that has that? I don't think so. And it had been closed the first, like handful of times I'd been there and I was kind of like, is this thing real? Like I see it but I, it's always closed. And the last time I was there, when we were on our way to Thailand, um, in November, it was open and we made an appointment for a cheese tasting.
They offer a full cheese tasting experience. So you go and they explain all the different cheeses, um, and you pick out, I forget how many, three or four a piece plus. So then they make you a plate with all the accoutrements, with like the fun little dried fruits and the jams and the honey and it's amazing.
They'll do wine tastings with the cheese, um, or wine pairings with the cheese if you want that. Nice. It was just a super [00:17:00] cool experience. So unique and I absolutely loved it. So make sure you don't miss that. They also have at some of their lounges, um, carts that'll come around with specialty items. I haven't seen this at JFK, but I've heard that it does exist there.
Um, I've had them come around with like espresso drinks, kind of around cocktail hour that they could do with or without alcohol. Um, I've been there when they brought around a dessert cart with teas and macarons. So it's just those little touches just make the experience so fantastic. And I was talking to, um, Alex, who's on our team, and he said he just visited the JFK lounge and was really impressed and he thought it reminded him of what centurion's used to be like.
Um, and he said, you know, the service, uh, from the moment he walked in the checkout, everything was just top notch. And then he had mentioned the fancy carts that they come [00:18:00] around. So I just, it's a great experience all around. I wish the footprint was a little larger, um, but they're growing and if you can access one, definitely do it.
Then send Chris a snarky email. Yeah, we'll pressure him into, send me a guest pass. People send you a guest pass. If, if we find ourselves in the airport together before February 1st. I will guess you right in. All right, well send me your schedule. We'll probably cross paths at JFK. Sounds good. All right, well, let's move on to the American Express Centurion lounges.
These are the OG lounges. Uh, these really, you know, set the tone for, for, for travel and lounges and airport lounges. Right now there are a long list of locations and you can find them in the US in Atlanta, Charlotte. Dallas, Denver, Houston. Las Vegas. Los Angeles. We're almost halfway there, folks. [00:19:00] Miami, New York.
JFK. LaGuardia. Philadelphia. Phoenix. San Francisco. Seattle. Washington. Reagan. And it just opened in Salt Lake City. And if you're abroad, you still have options for Centurion lounges at Tokyo Heida. London, Heathrow in Hong Kong, Melbourne, Sydney, and more is even more coming to Newark and to Amsterdam as well.
So of the two previous ones, this is the f the clear winner, at least in terms of footprint. So that is, yeah, Y you can't argue with that. The Centurion Law Network is the biggest, no question. Also have some guest issues. Uh, if you wanna access this lounge, you will need an American Express Platinum Card or the Business Platinum Card.
If you have the Delta reserve card, you can get access when you book your Delta flight with your reserve card. So you need to be specific about that. Now, none of those cards come with free guests. Uh, that changed a [00:20:00] little while ago. Now it costs $50 to bring in adult guest or $30 if you wanna bring kids from two to age 17 Now.
Uh, lemme just make sure I'm reading this properly. You can only bring two into the lounge for free. Oh, that's right. So there's, once you spend $75,000 on your card, you will then be gifted, uh, this guest access, and you can bring two guests with you each time. So if you spend more than $75,000 on your Amex Platinum card each year, then you will be able to bring two guests.
Nice little perk if, especially if you're already spending that money. Um, let's talk about some special features in these lounges because there are some pretty cool ones. In Atlanta and Tokyo. They have outdoor terraces and we love a little outdoor terrace at the airport. Check out those planes. In Atlanta, there is a whiskey bar.
At JFKI have the 1850 speakeasy, which is a really cool little hidden bar. Mm-hmm. Uh, Denver has a craft beer bar. Uh, salt Lake City has an espresso bar now. Uh, [00:21:00] Stella was actually just there for the, for the opening, and she loved it. She says that, um. A lot of these lounges are leaning into the espresso and made to order coffee drinks.
She mentioned that Capital One was one of the, you know, the leaders there. Um, but in Salt Lake City, they're even using local beans. And she said if she's not eating in the lounge and she's saving money by getting one of these nice drinks, so she doesn't have to go out into the, you know, and get a Starbucks or a Dunking or whatever in the terminal.
So she says, having these little nice touches makes a difference even if you. Popping quickly. Um, I a hundred percent agree with that. And I also just like, I'm, I'm not really a drinker, so the cocktails don't do it for me. Sure. But if I can go in and get a fancy coffee, I feel like I'm winning. So I really appreciate, I mean, it's great having the bar and all that stuff.
I know most people really get into that, but for me, like to have that coffee bar makes it special. So I'm really happy to see more of the lounges now, kind of embracing that. And I wouldn't be surprised if we see [00:22:00] more of that because in a trend in general, people are drinking less. Yeah. So having these, you know, open bars may not be that, you know, the incentive to either get paid, get into the lounge, get that special card, so having these little extra parks like coffee or these, you know, dessert trays or whatever it is, walking around really needs a, you know, can differ, differentiate.
A, a lounge. Yeah, a hundred percent. Alright, uh, let's keep the list going. We're gonna head to Tokyo. They have a traditional Japanese sweetss bar and live kitchen, which is very cool. And actually someone messaged me on thread saying that, that that, um, lounge was really nice, so Really? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You should put that on your list.
You have to check it out. Yeah. Um, I was actually just looking at my lounge options for January. I'll have some first class options because of my one, my Platinum Pro status. So I guess I'll have to do some lounge hopping. Oh, future episode. Yeah. Um, and finally, Mexico City is set up like a restaurant. Have you been to that one?
I [00:23:00] had probably the best chili kilas I've ever had in my life at the Mexico City Century line at the airport. Oh my God. It is my go-to breakfast when I'm in Mexico, and it was spectacular. I don't actually love, 'cause this the Mexico City one set up like a restaurant. Not my favorite. I really prefer the lounge feel.
'cause I feel like when I'm, you know, I'm done eating at the like, sort of restaurant, like I feel like they want me to leave. Yeah. Um, but the food was great. Okay. Yeah, I love Mexican food. Me too. Okay, let's take a quick break and then we will come back and continue our conversation about, uh, these amazing lounges.
Welcome back. We just got through with our discussion about the three big lounge networks, the Chase Sapphire lounges, the Amex Centurion lounges, and the Capital One lounges. But the real question is, if you could only pick one [00:24:00] lounge network, what would it be? So Chris, I'm gonna ask this question to you, but we actually poses this to other members on the upgraded points team.
So we have a couple of. Comments from them as well. Chris, why don't you start us off? Alright. I'll read, uh, Stella's response and she says quote, overall, I don't think you can beat the Amex and Tru Lounges network. Uh, some are better than others, but I'd rather have a credit card that gives me access to all of those or Adult Sky Club when there's no Amex Lounge, rather than have access to Chase Sapphire or Capital One lounges with just a handful of locations.
End quote. And yeah, I, I agree. I mean, just for the, the number, the sheer number, you, you can't go wrong. Yeah. With Amex Centurion, like she said, it gets you into those Delta Sky Clubs too. So really, if you're looking for the most amount of lounges, Amex, hands down, I think wins. So I a hundred percent agree with that.
Stella. [00:25:00] Okay. So Alex, um, said. In his opinion, um, he said, quote, from a pure, purely quality standpoint, capital One lounges are hard to beat. Um, but Centurion are so far ahead with their network, the same as what Stella just mentioned. Um, and he said he wouldn't bet against Amex sorting out some of their dips in quality like overcrowding, um, in the coming year.
And he also mentioned, um, that sidecar is another step towards solving that. So he thinks that maybe we're gonna see some changes and some improvements to the Amex Centurion Lounge Network in 2026. Side note, quick, we didn't mention this earlier. Sidecar is, I think the official name is Sidecar by Centurion.
It is an express option available where some centurion lounges already are, so it's not in any new airports. It's where some of those centurion lounges are. You'll find a [00:26:00] sidecar by Centurion. It is an express option that's kind of a speakeasy style. Um, you can find cocktails, small bites. There is a 90 minute limit, so it is specifically made for just those quick, like, I'm gonna pop into the lounge and have a quick drink situations.
It is not a grab and go concept. They were very clear when it, when this started, not grab and go, but it is a quick stop in and, and get a drink situation that hopefully will help with some of the overcrowding at the centurion lounges where people might have a two or three hour layover and they're sitting there for a while.
People who just want a quick drink can go to the sidecar. So I do think that that's a, a good thing to watch for 2026. Yeah. Okay. What do you think, Chris? What would you. I mean, I, first of all, I guess I need to get myself into a Capital One lounge because everyone is saying such good things about this.
Yeah. Um, and as much as I like the cha, the Chase Sapphire lounges, the footprint is [00:27:00] pretty limited. So I would need to go, uh, centurian lounges just for the footprint and like. They have some really cool stuff as well. I think I saw someone, there was like a, a tomahawk steak carving station going on somewhere the other day as like, wow, that's, that's pretty good.
So, uh, my pick is gonna be centurion lounges. What about you? Okay, well, uh, as we know, I love the Capital One lounges. There's some amazing features on those, but I have to go Chase Sapphire here. Yes. The footprint is way smaller than Centurion. With the Chase Sapphire lounges, they have great food. They have amazing perks, like a spa treatment.
I can get a facial at some of them. I can get a 30 minute chair massage. But the real kicker for me is that I can still. Bring in my husband and daughter for no extra charge. They have not gotten rid of their guest access. And that's huge to me. 'cause right now I only have one Sapphire card in my family, and that's a big deal.
So I'm sticking with Chase Sapphire. If I only had [00:28:00] one. That's what I would pick. Okay. That makes sense. Well, let's close out the show. I wanted to read a couple of comments that we have on, on our reviews here. This one is a review from Apple Podcasts. It's from a traveling fool. Uh, it says, I thought the information was really interesting and the hosts were really listening, were really easy to listen to.
They didn't yell or talk over each other. Or try to be unnecessarily intense and I liked it. Thank you. A traveling fool. I try not to be too intense, especially when talking about cheese mongers in, in New York, Chris and I are anything, it is not intense unless you see me in a, in an airport. Very delayed.
Well, maybe stay outta my way or when I'm trying to board a plane, I don't have, oh yeah. Oh actually, yeah. Group, show me your boarding pass. Oh, um, another comment we got, which is short and sweet and simple. Um, and this is one from, I love his name, [00:29:00] Mayo, the Condiment. Oh, hello. Yeah. So Mayo says, great travel tips and hacks and fun hosts.
Thank you so much for that. Thank you. Uh, ratings and reviews really help other travelers find this show. So if you like what we do, please help us out and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. Yep, we appreciate it and any questions or comments for us, or if you'd like to submit a question for us to answer on the air, or if you have another reason why Chris should go to the Capital One lounge, you can send us an email at podcast@upgradedpoints.com and we'll see you next week.
