What Happened to LoungeBuddy? (And the Best Free Alternative)

LoungeBuddy used to be the go-to app for finding an airport lounge on the way to your gate. If you've searched for it recently expecting to open the app or log back in, here's what actually happened -- and where to go instead.

What happened to LoungeBuddy?

LoungeBuddy launched as an app for discovering and booking airport lounge access on the fly. American Express acquired the company in 2019, folding its lounge-search technology into the Amex travel ecosystem. The standalone app and website have since been shut down -- if you visit loungebuddy.com today, it redirects straight to Amex's own Platinum Card lounge page.

In other words: LoungeBuddy didn't quietly disappear, it got absorbed. The lounge-finding experience it pioneered now lives inside Amex's own tools, which is fine if you carry a Platinum Card -- less useful if you don't.

Why people are still searching for it

Old habits die hard. LoungeBuddy was genuinely useful for years, so plenty of travelers still type the name into Google out of muscle memory when they're standing in an airport trying to find somewhere quiet to sit. If that's you, welcome -- you don't need the old app back, you just need a lounge finder that still works.

What to use instead

Airport Lounge List is a free, no-login-required directory that does what LoungeBuddy did -- search by airport, compare access methods, check amenities -- without the booking fees or the acquisition risk. We put together a full breakdown of how the two compare in our LoungeBuddy alternative guide, including a feature-by-feature table and airport-by-airport lounge listings.

A few places to start:

• Search lounges by airport -- the core feature LoungeBuddy was known for
• How to access airport lounges -- every entry method, from credit cards to day passes to memberships
• Lounge networks directory -- Priority Pass, LoungeKey, DragonPass, Plaza Premium, and Amex Centurion, compared side by side

Lounge access has actually gotten better since LoungeBuddy shut down

The lounge landscape LoungeBuddy operated in doesn't really exist anymore. Since it closed, Capital One built out its own lounge network, Chase launched Sapphire Lounges, and Amex kept expanding Centurion locations -- so there are more ways to get into a lounge today than when LoungeBuddy was still running. The hard part now isn't finding a lounge, it's knowing which access method actually gets you in the door, which is exactly what our access methods guide is for.