I first visited the American Express-branded lounge at Sydney International Terminal 1 when it opened back in 2015. Since then, the Point Hacks team has gotten to visit the lounge a number of times, so we’ve updated this guide with new photos, a wifi speed test and a comparison with the SkyTeam Lounge next door.
There is a range of American Express cards on the market that will offer you access to the lounge, which is a really solid perk, so for Sydney residents who are premium American Express cardholders (or anyone who has to travel through Sydney International a lot), this is a nice benefit.
I also got the chance to chat with the Product Manager at American Express who was responsible for launching the lounge about how it came about. In this guide, there’s a mix of American Express-supplied images along with my own photos, and I’ll give you my take on the lounge too.
Lounge Details
The lounge is open every day from 6am until 11pm.
Both the download and upload speeds using the wifi connection are excellent:
Lounge Location
It’s close to gate 24, which is fairly central in the terminal complex, another few minutes’ walk beyond the Qantas Business and First lounges.
Located right next to each other and operated by the same company, Plaza Premium, you might want to read our comparison of the two lounges in our review of the SkyTeam Sydney Lounge if you are flying a SkyTeam carrier.
At the entrance, there’s a green wall which helps set the tone for the design of the interior.
Lounge Seating
The lounge is split down the centre, with a long bar and high seating.
Otherwise there’s some low comfortable seating against the far wall.
Along with outward facing window seats for those who want to soak up the view.
There are also window side seats that are inward-facing.
Food & Drink
In terms of food and drink, there’s a barista service, well stocked bar, and a range of food options throughout the day.
Who is the American Express Sydney lounge useful for?
If you’re flying Economy or Premium Economy frequently and value lounge access, using the American Express lounge instead frees you from the likes of paid membership programs like Qantas Club. You can access the American Express lounge with any ticket, on any airline, as long as you are an eligible cardholder.
Even if you travel in Business Class (with accompanying lounge access elsewhere with your ticket), this is likely to be a quieter lounge than the some major Business lounges at Sydney International, so could be worth seeking out.
Cards eligible for access
Access to the American Express lounge at Sydney International is limited to those holding one of the higher-end Amex cards in Australia, as well as international holders of the Platinum and Centurion cards.
Eligible for unlimited access:
- American Express Platinum and Platinum Business Cards
- American Express Centurion and Business Centurion Cards
Eligible for two entries per calendar year:
- David Jones Platinum American Express
- Qantas American Express Ultimate Card
- American Express Velocity Platinum Card
- American Express Explorer Card
- Westpac Altitude Black & Earth Black American Express Cards
- Commonwealth Bank Diamond Awards American Express Card
And some others that aren’t so common:
- American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card
- American Express Corporate Platinum Card
- American Express Qantas Corporate Platinum Card
The two entries per year can be used by the primary or supplementary cardholders on an account or by bringing a guest.
Additional visits beyond the two included with these cards are also possible at a cost of $55 per adult and $35 per child.
Children otherwise visit free during one of the included visits, which is a great perk – most other lounges/frequent flyer programs include children as one of the guests.
What I learned from chatting to American Express about the background of the lounge
- The Lounge style, such as the green wall, the marbles, the wood and other surfaces, is consistent with other American Express airport lounges around the world
- The majority of visitors that use the lounge are Platinum Charge cardholders and anecdotally they use the lounge over others due to its quietness and exclusivity
- Numbers have shown the lounge is popular week in week out, being slightly busier before lunch with many international business travellers taking flights leaving in the morning
Summing up: the American Express Lounge Sydney
The seating and workspaces are all comfortable and relatively informal, and the views out over the tarmac are definitely more interesting than the Qantas Business Lounge upstairs.
The food and drink offerings are about the average you’d expect from an international lounge in Australia.
The big misses this lounge makes are a lack of a family room/kids’ area and shower facilities.
If you’re a frequent traveller through Sydney International in Economy or Premium Economy across a range of airlines, then the lounge access as a Platinum Charge cardholder would be really valuable.
As a Black or equivalent cardholder with bank-issued American Express, then the two visits per year are a nice perk as well, and ideal for family holidays where you’ll be able to get you and the kids in without issue.
I would happily spend a few hours here catching up on work or having a drink and something to eat before a flight.
American Express Platinum Charge - 80,000 Membership Rewards points
With a 80,000 Membership Rewards points bonus available on sign up, the American Express Platinum Charge is a great card for those who want to earn Membership Rewards points on everyday spend with lots of additional benefits. Read the Point Hacks guide for the full rundown.
- 80,000 Membership Rewards points signup bonus
- $300 travel credit annually
- Unlimited access to certain airline lounges - including Virgin Australia Domestic, Delta and American Express lounges globally
- Access to American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts perks & discounts
- 3 Membership Rewards points earned per $ spent at restaurants, 2 points earned per $ on travel spend, and 1 point per $ everywhere else except for utilities and the ATO
- $1200 p.a. annual fee
- Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the preceding 18 month period are ineligible for this offer. Previous and existing bank-issued American Express companion cardholders are eligible for this offer.
- Bonus points require $1,500 minimum spend in first 3 months
- Charge card, not credit card - balance requires payment in full each month but with no pre-set spending limit - more about this
Read the Amex Platinum Charge guide →
Point Hacks earn a maximum of $300 per applicant for this card. More about this →
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Keith Mason
Was just at this lounge yesterday and found it over packed, very warm and basically an embarrassment for AMEX. They need to relocate it and get a bigger space or take their name off of this one….really poor. Stayed less than 5 minutes, the outdoor waiting areas at the gate were more comfortable for sure….mostly empty and this was 3pm on a Friday.
Hi Keith,
Appreciate if you may help me with below questions:
1) I am landing at Sydney domestic, can I still use the lounge (I have CBA Diamond and have few hours left to leave airport for my destination)
2) Can I use the second pass for the next day , again from Sydney Domestic?
Thanks
Unfortunately the lounge is airside in Sydney International so you’ll need to have an flight departing from the international terminal and appropriate boarding pass to gain access.
Thanks for the reply Keith. Any recommendations of an Australian based cc for access in HK / Japan?
You’d probably want to look for a Priority Pass linked card – our full guide to Priority Pass is here.
Does anyone know if you can use the Explorer card for lounge access in Hong Kong and Haneda (Tokyo)? Not fussed if there is a contribution required…
No, there are no lounges really outside of Sydney that offer access with Amex Explorer.
Does the ANZ Black Amex still grant 2 free passes per year for those with existing cards? I know that ANZ recently removed the AMEX linked card from this product.
I believe the ANZ Amex can be used to access the Sydney as long as it remains active (until 5th August). After that point it’s game over.
I’ve used this lounge once with my CBA Diamond Awards Amex card. It is quite small and was very full when I visited. The staff were very friendly, had a great view over the tarmac- beats sitting in a crowded noisy departure lounge (if you can manage to even get a seat). Would definately visit the Amex Lounge again next time I travel through Sydney international.
Is this lounge in a practical location for flying in from an international flight and out on domestic 3 hours later? I’m not very familiar with Sydney airports!
Thanks forever the guides!
Sorry for the delayed reply… no, the American Express lounge would be of no use arriving on an international flight into Sydney as it is airside in the Sydney international departures area where you need a valid boarding pass for an international flight to access.
Love the lounge, shame it’s a bit small and when it’s full not pleasing.
In saying that, more AmEx lounges should be build across Australia! And a centurion one too
I have been a regular visitor/user of the lounge since it’s opening in 2015. I agree that this is a decent place to relax before boarding but would like to highlight a few shortcomings: 1. Space is quite limited and your experience would vary greatly, depending on how busy it is during your visit. The fact that so many card variants offer admission (twice a year) certainly makes it a busy place most of the time; 2. F&B options are really limited but are generally of decent quality with timely refills; 3. The fact that only one wash room for each gender is available tells a lot about the small-ish venue; 4. Last but not the least, the service quality at the reception deteriorates greatly (and steadily) over time. I felt I was cordially welcome and received a cheerful farewell/thank you on leaving during my visits in 2015. In recent visits, the reception staff were more like gatekeepers whose focus was more on entry record processing. The reception also paid no attention when I left the lounge. It’s like “Hey it’s free, so don’t expect us to thank you for your patronage”
I have a UK Amex platiunum card, would this get me in?
Hi Keith, I read your updates all the time and find them very useful, so thanks. I have used my Amex Platinum Edge card to enter the Amex Lounge at Sydney Airport but I also have a NAB Platinum Amex. Does that card give me entry too?
No NAB cards are on the list, unfortunately.
Hi Keith
How do I go about getting my 2 visits a year to this lounge? Do I need to apply for a guest pass or just show my Anz black Amex card?
You just show your credit card and visits are logged against your card number.
Hi Keith. Does the new The ANZ Frequent Flyer Black card get you access to this lounge?
The recent guide only mentions Qantas lounge access.
Cheers
Sorry for the delayed reply Phil – yes, the ANZ Black cards do offer 2 x visits to the Amex Sydney Lounge annually.
There’s no bathrooms in the lounge and yes it is very small but nice for an hour or so to get away from the people and noise in the airport generally. If you are like me and suffer anxiety getting through lines of people then go here for a chill before the plane ride.
How does the Amex lounge compare to the Qantas business lounge? And which one would you prefer and why? Cheers
They are different beasts, and I am still yet to spend a significant amount of time in the Amex lounge to really compare, so others would be best placed to judge. In short, Qantas Lounge has more space (but more people), a kids area, a small amount of bar/table service at certain times of day and showers. The Amex Lounge is smaller, (hopefully) less popular, (I think) a smaller selection of food, with a better view.
Hi – did the lounge have shower facilities? Thanks for the review.
No showers in the Sydney Amex lounge to my knowledge – biggest feature missing IMO.
This Amex Lounge shares shower and bathroom facilities with the SkyTeam lounge downstairs. One can ask at the bar (not the reception) to use the shower, and they’ll sort it out. I did this Feb ’17.
Thanks for the review, looking forward to trying this out later in the year in favour over the SYD Qantas Business Lounge.
Any more being established in Australia.
Rumours of a Melbourne lounge around, but nothing confirmed in the slightest.
I was there not long ago and found the lounge to be quite tiny in space.
does the platinum edge card qualify for entry?
Unfortunately not!
A comment below says that the holder got entry with the platinum edge card. Do you think that it is possible to get in with the Edge based on availability / friendliness of the request?
I would expect that that is a one-off. On my visits they have looked pretty closely at the card and compared to a print out of card images they have on hand to verify, before then swiping you in for access.