The credit card lounge battle between Amex and Chase goes beyond the airport

An airport lounge – without security checks or boarding passes.

Credit card companies American Express And Hunting are increasingly taking their luxury lounge wars outside the airport. From an air-conditioned retreat in the middle of the desert at Coachella to an exclusive meet-and-greet with athletes at the Paris Olympics, these companies are investing heavily in high-end hospitality spaces to woo affluent cardholders.

“It’s very expensive, but I think what’s happening is issuers are discovering that it’s a premier differentiator,” said Donald Fandetti, managing director of consumer credit equity research at Wells Fargo. “It’s all about providing services and experiences that make the cardholder worth paying that annual fee.”

American Express’s Platinum and Chase’s Sapphire Reserve cards — the market’s leading premium cards — both increased their annual fees last year. The Amex Platinum now carries a fee of $895 per year, and the Sapphire Reserve has a fee of $795.

The perks associated with these cards, like dining credits, hotel upgrades, and digital partnerships, help offset the cost. This is an effort to capture and retain the biggest spenders. Amex and Chase have been battling for years to become the preferred card of America’s elite.

Increasingly, access makes the difference.

“Credit cards [with] higher fees, that will send a certain signal. But what we really need to make sure is that we understand the psychology of exclusivity,” said Dan Bennett, head of behavioral science at Ogilvy Consulting. “It’s easy to say, ‘I have a lot of resources.’ It’s harder to say, “I have enough social capital to earn my place.” » »

Some of the events American Express Platinum Cardmembers gained lounge access in 2025 include the US Open tennis tournament; Stagecoach Music Festival in California; and several Formula 1 races around the world.

Meanwhile, lounges for Chase Sapphire Reserve customers were present at the Chicago music festival Lollapalooza; Miami Arts Week; Sundance Film Festival; and the PGA Tour.

While some lounges and brand activations are open to all customers or even all event attendees, many of these spaces are exclusively reserved for premium cardholders.

“We find this customer to be very engaged,” said Laura Picciano, chief executive officer of Chase Sapphire. “Once you get their business, there’s a lot of loyalty. So they’re an important segment to continue to nurture.”

While temporary credit card lounges are popping up at festivals and sporting events, they have also become popular, permanent fixtures inside stadiums and arenas.

American Express has partnerships with more than 20 locations around the world. Eight of them currently have lounges, including Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium and London’s O2 Arena, with a new location expected to open this year at New York’s Barclays Center.

Bess Spaeth, executive vice president of global brand and experiences management at American Express, said factors such as footprint, ability to provide food and beverage, and visualization capabilities are all factors in deciding which locations will have lounges.

“It’s a real puzzle that we’re trying to look at all the pieces of and think about holistically in terms of how to best serve our members in these spaces,” Spaeth said.

Chase has set up lounges at Madison Square Garden and the Chicago Theater that are open to all of its customers, although Madison Square Garden has a dedicated area for Sapphire Reserve cardholders.

“Trade shows are really interesting because economists would view them more as a networking tool,” said Chenzi Xu, an assistant professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley. “These lounges become especially valuable when there is a set of them that you can access in a variety of different locations…not just at an airport perhaps, but at another exclusive event.”

Chase and American Express are courting wealthy customers who are not only willing to pay increasing annual fees but also rack up higher balances on their cards.

Those with a credit score of 720 or higher, which is typically required to get approved for a Sapphire Reserve or Platinum card, spend more than double the average of those with scores between 660 and 719, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

American Express said earlier this year that it had shifted its marketing budget from no-fee cards to its more premium offerings, in an effort to attract more affluent cardholders.

American Express credit card fees totaled nearly $10 billion in 2025, up about 18% since 2024. Chase does not break out credit card fee revenue.

“Chase works very hard to compete with [American Express]”, Xu said. “They simply enhance the benefits of these cards for the consumer. That competition is good for the consumer, but it’s competition that only happens at the high end, and at the low end you don’t see as many entries and you don’t see as much competition. »

This upper level is essential for credit companies. A 2025 Mastercard report found that affluent consumers, defined as households with income of $200,000 or more and at least $250,000 in investable assets, spend 4.3 times the general population on discretionary purchases.

According to JD Power data, cardholders with annual fees over $500 spent an average of $3,200 per month from May 2025 to June 2026, an increase of approximately 17% from the previous 12-month period.

Meanwhile, those with cards with fees under $500 spent an average of $1,144 per month, up about 6% from the previous year.

It’s yet another sign of what economists commonly call a “K-shaped economy” in which high earners accelerate freely, while lower-income consumers retreat in some areas. It also gives even more importance to the biggest spenders during times of economic uncertainty.

“The appeal of the premium segment for these card issuers is that they have big spenders,” Fandetti said. “This business is growing a lot, so you have to have a really big revenue base to fund all these shows and rewards and perks.”

Trade shows are just one way for credit card companies to leverage their sponsorships with these venues.

Paul Needham, Chase’s head of dining and lifestyle, said it also offers things like gift bags, premium viewing areas, special access to merchandise and cash back on food through its partnerships.

Chase and American Express also often offer discounts or statement credits for purchases at their respective sponsored locations as well as certain events like music festivals.

“I think when you take a broader view of sports and entertainment venues, what we’re really trying to do is both elevate those moments for our customers, but also reach our customers in places and settings where we know they’re so passionate and so excited to be there,” Needham said.

Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders have access to dinners at FIFA World Cup grounds in New Jersey and California. Meanwhile, Marriott Bonvoy partnered with American Express in April to recreate New York’s iconic Rao’s restaurant at one of its hotels for dining with cardholders. Marriott has long partnered with American Express and Chase for its co-branded credit cards.

This card category, which also includes co-branded offerings from Delta Airlines And Hiltonaccounted for about a quarter of American Express cardholder spending in 2025, according to an Amex report.

Ogilvy Consulting’s Bennett said one of the main considerations for credit card companies looking to establish themselves in some of these physical spaces is whether they can play an authentic role at the event in question. He said American Express at Coachella is a good example because it provides a space to cool off amid the desert heat.

“You can’t just establish these kinds of corporate fortresses in exactly the same way in every location. That’s not going to solve the problem. What will reduce the problem is having a good understanding of the needs of the customer in each of those locations,” Bennett said.

Spaeth says part of American Express’ strategy has relied on fandoms, ranging from collaborations with musical artists like Harry Styles and Olivia Rodrigo to the NFL and Formula 1.

American Express’ partnership with Formula 1 began in 2023 and marked its first new sports sponsorship in over a decade. A year later, the company expanded the deal further and began offering new fan perks, like trackside lounges.

“We hope that you engage in these moments, deepen the emotional connection you have with American Express and that it really puts the American Express Card at the top of your wallet,” Spaeth said.