Free Airport Lounges - Which Card?

pjereed

Does anyone know the best way for getting free access to Airport Lounges? I know some cards offer them through 'Priority Pass' but I'm having a bit of trouble finding them!


Thanks for any assistance you can give...

Caz3121

How often would you be using the pass? It tends to be the paid cards that offer this such as Amex Platinum @ £450 per year....so only really worth it if you can use the other benefits or will be accessing a lounge on a regular basis (also you would still need to pay for guests) may be better looking at the lounge passes themselves or just pay as you go

w211

The Priority Pass offered by American Express, for their Platinum charge card, you're able to admit one guest in for free with you.

You are also able to have a supplementary card holder, and they will also get a Priority Pass, again they can also admit a guest for free.

If you give your supplementary card to your spouse, and have two children with you, you can all get in for free.

Considering they cost £259 each from their website (and guests still have to pay £15), it is good value if you're able to apply and be accepted for the Amex card, as long as you use it.

dj1471

The Amex Gold card gets you two free visits a year and is free for the first year, (£140 after) subsequent visits are £15 which isn't bad (depending on the lounge...).

pjereed

Thanks for the replies.


Well I'm likely to be using it 6 times next year, but then I'd also like my wife and two children to be allowed access too - how does that work?

chattychappy

What kind of flights? Will you keep this flying up?

If you make a few non-discounted longish flights on Star Alliance airlines (plenty of those) then typically that's enough to get a gold card which gives you lounge access when you fly on their carriers. A Star Alliance gold card allows you to take a companion in provided they are on the same flight. PP will charge for companion access. I had Priority Pass for a few years (with American Express Platinum Chargecard) but as I increasingly flew business class and/or with an airline gold card, I found I was using PP less and less. Bear in mind that with PP, not all airports/terminals are covered and often you get the "bog standard" lounge with not as much "VIP-ness" as airline lounges. (It depends...)

PP was still useful, but I lost it when I abandonned Amex Plat.

A number of websites offer lounge access on a "PAYG" basis.

Paully232000

pjereed wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.


Well I'm likely to be using it 6 times next year, but then I'd also like my wife and two children to be allowed access too - how does that work?

with the amex plat card, you have to pay for additional people accessing the lounge, unless they are a supplementary card holder and get it free.

You have to pay for additional people, including children, and depending on their ages, some lounges dont allow access, or limit it to certain times of day.

chattychappy

w211 wrote: »

TConsidering they cost £259 each from their website (and guests still have to pay £15), it is good value if you're able to apply and be accepted for the Amex card, as long as you use it.

Yes, there is no more expensive way to get PP than directly from PP. I had a long chat with a PP rep. The reason for this is simple. PP get billed by lounges per usage. People who apply directly get PP because they want to use lounges. They are heavy users. A percentage of people who apply via Amex and other providers use PP less if at all.. They might not care for the benefit, or think "oh yeah that's handy" and in fact only use it once or twice a year.

When I lived in Taiwan, there was a CC that offered PP free. No fee on the card, nothing. The reason was simple: at that time, few Taiwanese travelled and most who did so would be as part of tour groups. It would have cost the CC very little to obtain the cards from PP.

Anthorn

V.I.P. priority pass if you don't want or can't get a credit card such as Amex. Can be as low as £15 per visit for annual membership of 70 quid or free for an annual membership fee of £260 quid. Similar prices for your guests.

i.e. prioritypass.com

w211

pjereed wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.


Well I'm likely to be using it 6 times next year, but then I'd also like my wife and two children to be allowed access too - how does that work?

If you apply for the American Express Platinum Charge Card as mentioned.

You'll be the main cardholder, and you'll get a Priority Pass. You will then be able to take one of your children into the lounge for free.

You make your wife a supplementary cardholder (i.e. she'll also given her own charge card, and any purchases she makes on it, will go onto your bill - which you'll be responsible for). She will also get a Priority Pass card of her own. She can then take the other child into the lounge with her for free.

It is true, that many of the lounges you'll be given access to using the Priority Pass tend to be the more "basic" ones, and may limit the time you're allowed to be in there, and some will also have a minimum age restriction.

However, if you're going to use it 6 times (i.e. 3 round trips), and you travel with the same airline/alliance, then by joining up to their frequent flyer scheme, the frequency you plan to fly may be enough to be eligible for one of their premium/elite tiers, which will enable you lounge access anyway, regardless of class of travel.

msallen

w211 wrote: »

However, if you're going to use it 6 times (i.e. 3 round trips), and you travel with the same airline/alliance, then by joining up to their frequent flyer scheme, the frequency you plan to fly may be enough to be eligible for one of their premium/elite tiers, which will enable you lounge access anyway, regardless of class of travel.

That's possibly true (it will depend on the airline/alliance and the length of the flights) but the OP would only earn status after having flown them, so it wouldn't give him lounge access in the meantime.

If you want immediate access, and want it for four people - at least on some of the flights, then either the Amex Plat or buying your own Priority Pass(es) are probably the best options. Do some research on the different versions of the PP (which offer different numbers of free entries) and if you know exactly how many lounge visits you want (bearing in mind that multi-leg trips will involve multiple lounges) you can work out which option is the best.

Don't forget too that topcashback or quidco will mean an effective discount on either the Amex Plat or the PP.