AMEX Melbourne Lounge to Open on March 27

illumination on 08/03/2018 - 00:33
Last edited 08/03/2018 - 10:28 by 1 other user

So I think Melbournians have been waiting for this for a while and I'm sure this is good news to many.

AMEX are finally adding to the solitary Sydney AMEX lounge by opening a Melbourne AMEX lounge on March 27. This lounge was previously said to be opening late 2017 but has been delayed and the opening date has finally been announced.

If it's anything like the Sydney AMEX lounge, it'll be a "solid" lounge with ok food choices but nothing to call home about. As someone who loves lounges though, I think it's great! It beats sitting at the gate, that's for sure.

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Comments

  • Samsungnote10 on 08/03/2018 - 01:18

    Do supplementary cards work as well?

    • illumination on 08/03/2018 - 01:19
      +1

      They do, and they will just use up the two per calendar year quota of the primary cards.

      If you're using an unlimited entry card then no quota to worry about.

      • Samsungnote10 on 08/03/2018 - 01:27

        Thanks!

        Is it 2 entries per calendar year?

        • illumination on 08/03/2018 - 01:46

          For most Australian credit cards yes, it's twice per calendar year.

          You would probably know if you have a card which gives you unlimited :P

  • [Deactivated] on 08/03/2018 - 03:08

    Sydney one looks okay in pictures.
    I'll stick to the Virgin and Singapore Airlines lounges though.

    • illumination on 08/03/2018 - 10:59

      I actually don't know which one's better. Generally, I expect an airline's one to be better than a "generic" one though.

  • GourmetFoodie on 08/03/2018 - 06:31

    Thanks. Look forward to checking it out. Better or worse than virgin? (I think virgin has been crap for years!)

  • try2bhelpful on 08/03/2018 - 06:43

    That would be right, just after NAB has cancelled my platinum AMEX cards. Are any of the eligible ones “no fees”?

    • bluesky on 08/03/2018 - 07:16

      No, afraid not.

      • try2bhelpful on 08/03/2018 - 07:26
        +1

        Suspected as much. Thanks for the reply saved me trawling through them all.

    • illumination on 08/03/2018 - 11:01

      Closest would be… $395 AMEX Explorer which gives a $400 Travel Credit every card year.

      Now, yes, $395 is far from free, but if you can reasonably use the $400 Travel Credit (must be used via AMEX Travel portal) then you could consider it an effectively fee free card.

      If you need to "sell" it on Ozbargain for a $50-100 cut price, then whatever discounted price you sell it for becomes the effective annual fee, which I would argue is still great for a card like the AMEX Explorer.

  • jhaley3180 on 08/03/2018 - 07:53

    Very exciting. I find Melbourne's international lounges somewhat lackluster.

  • gaz3342 on 08/03/2018 - 08:42

    Do you get free alcohol in the Sydney one?

    • trilby on 08/03/2018 - 10:16

      Yes, not self serve though like other lounges, but doesn't appear to be any limit.
      Food is OK, but not that many choices.
      Can get quite busy at peak hours - so sometimes you may not get in, but never had any problems

    • victorwilson on 08/03/2018 - 12:39

      When the toilets are busy, the staff will direct you to the elevator next to the toilet, which takes you to the more spacious toilet facilities in the Skyteam lounge downstairs. Once you're in, there's no reason why you can't stick around and help yourself to the self-serve beer, wine and spirits, plus a bigger variety of food options. The food and drink area is towards the back of the lounge near the toilets and elevator, so it also saves you from the awkwardness of encountering any Skyteam lounge front desk staff.

  • Choc0 on 08/03/2018 - 10:24

    Nice. Going to give the Westpac altitude Amex a whirl before it goes into oblivion a few days later.

    • illumination on 08/03/2018 - 11:03

      I think you'll have about a week to use it then. AFAIK the Westpac AMEX stops working on 4 April?

      • Choc0 on 08/03/2018 - 11:03

        Yep, and I fly on the 28th. :D

    • illumination on 08/03/2018 - 11:03
      +2

      Yep linked to it in the middle of the description :P

  • gaz3342 on 08/03/2018 - 10:42

    How do you get in? Just flash your Amex card at the entrance or do you have to pre-book ?

    • illumination on 08/03/2018 - 11:04
      +1

      Have to SWIPE your eligible AMEX card and show an eligible boarding pass (which gets its QR code scanned, I believe).

      • gaz3342 on 08/03/2018 - 11:34

        Cheers mate

  • hashtagbargain on 08/03/2018 - 10:43

    Which eligible AMEX cards do you use? My platinum reserve is not on the list :/ And I pay $200 for it already. Any suggestions?

    • illumination on 08/03/2018 - 11:11
      +1

      Here's the official page

      Are you sure you have the Platinum Reserve? The Platinum Reserve is on the list, and I think the annual fee for it is $295 not $200. The Platinum Reserve is also relatively hard to get (you can't apply for it standalone anymore).

      It sounds like you might be referring to the Platinum Edge ($195 annual fee)?

  • Cluelessness11 on 08/03/2018 - 11:03

    OMG YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSS FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

  • NotAnAudiophile on 08/03/2018 - 12:42
    -1

    Can you get in without an amex? Like pay for it?

  • MathNerd on 14/03/2018 - 09:38

    Thanks OP.
    On a recent trip to the US (MEL-SYD-DFW-SAT return), I went to the AmEx lounge in Sydney and was impressed. Can't wait for the Melbourne equivalent, it'll make flights much more manageable (especially without any FF status to get lounge access).
    Any lounge is better than no lounge :)

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