LoungeBuddy is gone.
Lounge Surf is what comes next.

Lounge Surf is a matching app — not a ticket seller. We don't sell lounge passes and we don't operate any lounge. We connect travelers at the same airport on the same day so the one who already has lounge access can bring the other in as their guest. LoungeBuddy used to sell single lounge passes to anyone; after American Express acquired the company, that open marketplace was discontinued and the booking flow now lives only inside the Amex app for Amex cardholders. If LoungeBuddy was your way into lounges, here is what changed and what to use now.

How Lounge Surf actually works (and what it isn't)

What Lounge Surf is: a peer-to-peer matching platform. One person in the match must already hold a card, status, or membership that grants lounge entry (Priority Pass, Amex Platinum, airline elite status, etc.). That person posts their flight, gets matched with another traveler, and the two of you chat in-app to decide whether to actually meet — we facilitate the introduction; the meet-up itself is between you. If you both want to, you meet at the lounge entrance and the host signs the other in as their guest. Members with a verified profile (ID-checked via the Surfer Pass) carry a trust badge and tend to get picked faster, but verification is optional.

What Lounge Surf isn't: a lounge operator, a pass marketplace, or a travel agency. We don't issue tickets, we don't bypass airline policy, and we don't take responsibility for what happens beyond the introduction. Entry happens through the host's normal guest privilege at the lounge desk — same as if you were traveling with a friend who has Priority Pass.

What happened to LoungeBuddy

LoungeBuddy was an open marketplace where any traveler — on any card — could buy a one-off lounge pass for a specific airport on a specific date. American Express acquired the company, kept the booking technology for Amex cardholders inside their own apps, and shut down the open consumer marketplace. The standalone LoungeBuddy app and website are no longer the way to book a lounge.

What Amex cardholders should do now

If you hold an American Express card, the lounge-booking flow that used to live on LoungeBuddy now lives inside the American Express app itself. Amex Platinum, Centurion, and Business Platinum cardholders also keep their existing benefits (Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass via Amex, Delta Sky Club access on qualifying flights). For one-off paid passes, check the Amex app's travel section.

What everyone else can try — Lounge Surf

If you're on Visa, Mastercard, Diners, or any non-Amex card, Lounge Surf is the community alternative. To clarify what we are: a matching service. You don't buy a ticket from us. Instead, two travelers at the same airport on the same day are matched, chat in-app to decide whether to meet, and — if they choose to — the one who already has lounge access (their card, their status, their Priority Pass) brings the other in as a guest. Whether the lounge entry itself is free for the guest depends on the host's specific card policy: Chase Sapphire Reserve still includes 2 free guests per visit; Capital One Venture X moved to pay-per-guest in February 2026 (about US$35 per guest); Amex Platinum and Centurion now require the guest to be on the same flight, and Platinum charges US$50 per guest unless the cardholder hits the US$75k spend threshold. For Amex-hosted matches in 2026, Lounge Surf filters specifically for travelers on the same flight so the same-flight rule is satisfied automatically. Cost on our side: free, or €3.99/mo for a Surfer Pass with extra benefits including ID verification and a trust badge that helps you get picked faster.

Lounge Surf vs the old LoungeBuddy model