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The rule changes are intended to ease the overcrowding. Over the past few years the clubs have become so crowded that sometimes they have a line outside, and you have to wait for someone to leave to even get in.
I have used the AmEx for years which provided me membership. Now it's not a "full" membership, but provides a limited number of club visits per year. They are still tweaking the changes. I will probably keep the AmEx but I can easily see myself letting this go. Another club where I'm a member has also raised their annual dues to an extreme amount and even with my grandfathered status, I'm in for a huge increase on a club I can only visit in person once or twice a year. (They have a LOT of great virtual resources, though, so I'm torn.)
Bottom line, they are trying to eliminate inexpensive ways to get in as a way to ease the crowds. They will have plenty of high-revenue, corporate card, corporate membership people in the clubs and that's how it was originally created anyway. All of the changes over the last 20 years that allowed small-fry guys like me to get in for a few hundred bucks a year -- well, word got around and it eventually had to be reined in.
As for the value of the club -- it is quieter, has food and beverage included in the membership, nicer restrooms (often with showers which are fantastic if you're on a long layover traveling internationally or getting in somewhere super early), and it's just nice to be in a less crowded spot. I make a habit of going to the airport WELL in advance of my flight. Traffic to ATL is unpredictable a lot of the time, and it's best to leave early to save anxiety over being stuck in traffic. So I always travel with a big time buffer and the club is a nice perk for having gotten through security early.
The best way to get in cheap, I suppose, is to travel with a friend who has a membership that allows a guest or a guest pass. They will have to be with you, though.
Alternatively, there are non-airline lounges in some airports where you can buy day passes -- or at least you could. I bet they are tweaking rules, too.
Good luck.
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