Followers of my blog know that I have just got an American Express Platinum Card. A few weeks ago, I had my first experience using the concierge service. So here is the story.

I was at the Philadelphia International Airport going to Orlando for a conference. My flight was on Southwest Airlines (I paid for it because it was cheap and did not warrant during any membership reward points or using my Chase Flexible Reward Points). It turns out that there was a flight delay and that it was going to take a few hours.

So while my friend Jim, who was travelling with me, and I sat at the terminal, a thought suddenly came to my mine. Since I had just got my Amex Platinum Card, I should call the concierge service and check if they could get me into an airport lounge to chill out the next few hours.

As it was my first call, the concierge operator (whatever you call them) kindly took down my details and told me to wait while she checked to see if she could help me. After a few minutes, she told me that there was a Delta Crown Room just outside the security check point and I should be able to use it by just “flashing my Amex Platinum Card”. I asked her if she was sure as I am not flying with Delta. She said she was positive and even checked with her colleagues!

So Jim and I made our way out and went into the Delta Crown Room. We told the receptionist our situation but we were politely told that it was not possible to use their lounge. It was only possible if we were flying on Delta. We said that American Express told us it was possible. She then said that everyday, about 20 Amex Platinum or Centurion Cardholders come in thinking they could use the lounge without a Delta ticket. She took out the rules and showed them to us.

We felt a little embarassed and made our way out. I then called concierge again and told them my experiences. This time, the lady who answered my call was more experienced and told me that the earlier information I was given was wrong and she apologized for the error and confusion. She told me it was a common error made by a new members of the team!

Jim and I then actually took a walk all the way from terminal E to I believe terminal B where the Marriott was. We chilled out at the Marriott for a while before heading back for our flights.

Well, it sure wasn’t the best impression that Platinum Concierge made with me. Having said that, I am not going to get upset or anything like that. Having been a American Express® Preferred Rewards Gold Card for the last 13 years, I have been satisfied with the service. I have lost a card overseas (and a new card arrived within one day), got Amex not to accept a bill in which I felt I was ripped off and did not have to pay for car rental insurance whenever I rented a car. I will overlook this incident, but will report to you all any of my new adventures with this card.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 31st, 2007 at 2:07 am and is filed under American Express Credit Cards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.