The First Casualty Of LoungeBuddy’s Purchase By American Express

by joeheg

Much has been speculated of what intent American Express had for LoungeBuddy. AMEX announced the acquisition on March 11, 2019 and the deal was finalized on April 1st. It didn’t take long for the first casualty of the purchase to materialize.

As of April 15, 2019, the $25 LoungeBuddy credit for TripIt Pro users will disappear.

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I’d imagine this perk needed to go away since American Express is now only allowing the purchase of lounge passes to American Express cardholders.

I am a huge fan of TripIt and upgraded to the Pro version during a 50% off Black Friday sale. Their alerts for flight delays and changes are the fastest of any service I’ve seen so that alone was worth it for me to sign up. The other perks, like 4 months free of CLEAR and $25 LoungeBuddy credit were just extra benefits.

I did sign up for CLEAR and while it’s nice, I’m not sure it’s worth paying for to keep it. I never tried to use LoungeBuddy and now I’m not sure I’ll be able to.

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When you go to the LoungeBuddy FAQ about the AMEX acquisition, there is this explanation:

  • I am a TripIt member and have a credit to use on a booking. How can I redeem the credit I have?
    • You may redeem in the same way as before through May 15, 2019.  If you need assistance redeeming your credit please email support@loungebuddy.com.

So it looks like you’re able to apply for the credit until April 15th and then you need to redeem the credit until May 15th. I’m not sure if that means you need to use it before then or not. TripIt is forwarding anyone with questions about redeeming the credits to LoungeBuddy.

Final Thoughts

While I never used LoungeBuddy, it’s becoming clear the intent American Express has for the company. Is anyone else thinking that a credit (maybe monthly or quarterly) for a LoungeBuddy pass becomes yet another statement credit benefit of the American Express Platinum card?

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary

 

 

1 comment

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[…] The First Casualty Of LoungeBuddy’s Purchase By American Express by YMMV. TripIt Pro is losing the $25 credit on April 15th, 2019. […]

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