Amex Plans Centurion Lounges at Newark and Heathrow T5, Expanded Lounges in Philadelphia and Houston

If you use the Centurion Lounge in Philadelphia, plan around it now. American Express will temporarily close that lounge for renovations, and the project is expected to finish by the end of 2027 (AwardWallet, Upgraded Points). Before an upcoming PHL trip, confirm the closure start date in the Amex app or on the Amex lounge pages.

Our inference: the new Newark and Heathrow lounges are a year or more away, so they should play little role in a card decision you make today.

What Amex announced

American Express plans two new Centurion Lounges, at Newark (EWR) and London Heathrow (LHR). It will also expand its existing lounges in Philadelphia (PHL) and Houston (IAH) (AwardWallet). AwardWallet calls this Amex's biggest Centurion Lounge expansion yet.

Newark: bigger, but later

The Newark lounge will be in Terminal A and span two floors. It will be roughly 30,000 square feet (AwardWallet says more than 30,000; Upgraded Points says 30,000), and AwardWallet says it will be the largest location in the Centurion network (AwardWallet).

When Amex first announced the Newark location, the plan was about 18,000 square feet and a 2026 opening. The lounge is now expected in 2027 (Upgraded Points). Plans include three bars.

According to AwardWallet:

• Once Newark opens, Amex will be the first credit card issuer with a lounge at all three New York City airports.
• Capital One and Chase both have lounge concepts at JFK and LaGuardia, but neither has one at Newark.
• Newark doesn't have a Priority Pass lounge.

Our inference: Newark flyers without airline lounge access may gain the most from this project, but only once it opens.

Heathrow Terminal 5

The new 9,000-square-foot Heathrow lounge will be in Terminal 5 and is expected to open in 2028. It will add to the existing Terminal 3 lounge, which opened in 2021 (Upgraded Points). AwardWallet says this will make Amex the first card issuer with two lounges at Heathrow.

One limit for Delta cardholders: Delta operates from Terminal 3. Upgraded Points says cobranded Delta cardholders will not have access to the new Terminal 5 lounge.

Philadelphia and Houston

Philadelphia: The lounge will double in size to more than 12,000 square feet across two stories. Completion is expected by the end of 2027.Houston: The expanded lounge is expected to be finished by 2028 (Upgraded Points, AwardWallet). Planned features include:

• a Blue Roast coffee bar
• new specialty dining and craft cocktail options
• redesigned restrooms and premium shower suites

If you connect through IAH during the project, check the lounge's status before you count on it.

Who can get in

The Centurion Lounges take these cards:

• Platinum Card, Business Platinum Card and Centurion Card: eligible for access.
• Delta SkyMiles Reserve cards: access only when you are flying Delta that same day (Upgraded Points).

AwardWallet reports a $50 fee per adult guest. It also says spending $75,000 on your card in a calendar year unlocks complimentary guest access.

Limits of this news

Amex has given only years for most of these openings, not specific dates. Newark has already moved from 2026 to 2027. Our inference: treat all of these timelines as targets, not commitments, and don't plan an itinerary around a lounge that isn't open yet.