Priority Pass Help

KevinUTO1867

Hi, I have just received an offer for what looks to be a decent discount off Priority Pass access.

However, when I delve further into what Priority Pass offers, it appears that you have to pay an extra fee to pre-book airport lounges. Sadly, their website doesn't list what the pre-book fees are - just that it varies based on airport.

Having done the maths vs booking lounge access as and when, the savings seem ok - c. £11/adult with the Standard membership. So, a family of four using, say the lounge at Glasgow Airport, would save £22 (the membership is £44 currently via the MSE link). We would have to use it for two visits in the year to break even. Then factor in I'll have to pay a pre-book fee (as we want guaranteed entry, not paying £44/year on the off chance they can accommodate us!), it's starting to feel like I'm paying the membership for potentially very little saving (if any).

Has anyone had experience using this service? And if so, any idea what the pre-book prices are?

TELLIT01

If the site has a 'Contact us' link use that to ask.  If there is no way to contact them they should be avoided.

DullGreyGuy

KevinUTO1867 said:

Hi, I have just received an offer for what looks to be a decent discount off Priority Pass access.

However, when I delve further into what Priority Pass offers, it appears that you have to pay an extra fee to pre-book airport lounges. Sadly, their website doesn't list what the pre-book fees are - just that it varies based on airport.

Having done the maths vs booking lounge access as and when, the savings seem ok - c. £11/adult with the Standard membership. So, a family of four using, say the lounge at Glasgow Airport, would save £22 (the membership is £44 currently via the MSE link). We would have to use it for two visits in the year to break even. Then factor in I'll have to pay a pre-book fee (as we want guaranteed entry, not paying £44/year on the off chance they can accommodate us!), it's starting to feel like I'm paying the membership for potentially very little saving (if any).

Has anyone had experience using this service? And if so, any idea what the pre-book prices are?

I have to say with 10 years of using it I can only remember a handful of times when been turned away at the door due to it being full. 

Lomond Lounge - £16 and doesn't accept walk ins 
Upper Deck - does allow walk ins and would strongly suspect the fee would be £6 as all other lounges of a similar standard are the same

Unfortunately never got my online access to work so can't see for definite myself.

KevinUTO1867

DullGreyGuy said:

KevinUTO1867 said:

Hi, I have just received an offer for what looks to be a decent discount off Priority Pass access.

However, when I delve further into what Priority Pass offers, it appears that you have to pay an extra fee to pre-book airport lounges. Sadly, their website doesn't list what the pre-book fees are - just that it varies based on airport.

Having done the maths vs booking lounge access as and when, the savings seem ok - c. £11/adult with the Standard membership. So, a family of four using, say the lounge at Glasgow Airport, would save £22 (the membership is £44 currently via the MSE link). We would have to use it for two visits in the year to break even. Then factor in I'll have to pay a pre-book fee (as we want guaranteed entry, not paying £44/year on the off chance they can accommodate us!), it's starting to feel like I'm paying the membership for potentially very little saving (if any).

Has anyone had experience using this service? And if so, any idea what the pre-book prices are?

I have to say with 10 years of using it I can only remember a handful of times when been turned away at the door due to it being full. 

Lomond Lounge - £16 and doesn't accept walk ins 
Upper Deck - does allow walk ins and would strongly suspect the fee would be £6 as all other lounges of a similar standard are the same

Unfortunately never got my online access to work so can't see for definite myself.

Thanks for this, much appreciated.

I think the Lomond Lounge is adults only, so we'll have to slum it in the Upper Deck!

I have had a look around and LoungePass seem to do discounted access - 2 * £32/adult and 2 * £21/child = £106. Priority Pass would be 4 * £24 = £96. Should the Upper Deck be £6/person pre-book fee, Priority Pass would work out at £120 - so £14 more expensive before the membership fee of £44. Based on that, I guess it's only worthwhile if you don't pre-book and you manage to gain access 5 times per year before you save anything.

I think Glasgow is one of the cheaper lounges (Edinburgh is £42/adult and £29/child, Heathrow is £40/adult and £38/child), so perhaps that plays a part too.

Amex Gold comes with 4 free Priority Pass passes a year, but seemingly can only bring 1 guest per visit. So, I'd have to leave the kids outside... or take one in with me and buy two additional passes for my wife and other child.

KevinUTO1867

TELLIT01 said:

If the site has a 'Contact us' link use that to ask.  If there is no way to contact them they should be avoided.

I've reached out to them, but thought I'd get some valuable feedback from their customers too. 

NoodleDoodleMan

We used GLA lounges a couple or so times a few years back - wasn't too impressed with one of them , can't remember it's name now.

The other was OK, nothing more though.

They was no entry fee with our Diners Club card and that was free to join then, otherwise I would not have bothered.

KevinUTO1867

NoodleDoodleMan said:

We used GLA lounges a couple or so times a few years back - wasn't too impressed with one of them , can't remember it's name now.

The other was OK, nothing more though.

They was no entry fee with our Diners Club card and that was free to join then, otherwise I would not have bothered.

Thanks. It's purely to get out of the hustle and bustle of the airport - two trips in the school holidays and one is long haul!

DullGreyGuy

KevinUTO1867 said:

DullGreyGuy said:

KevinUTO1867 said:

Hi, I have just received an offer for what looks to be a decent discount off Priority Pass access.

However, when I delve further into what Priority Pass offers, it appears that you have to pay an extra fee to pre-book airport lounges. Sadly, their website doesn't list what the pre-book fees are - just that it varies based on airport.

Having done the maths vs booking lounge access as and when, the savings seem ok - c. £11/adult with the Standard membership. So, a family of four using, say the lounge at Glasgow Airport, would save £22 (the membership is £44 currently via the MSE link). We would have to use it for two visits in the year to break even. Then factor in I'll have to pay a pre-book fee (as we want guaranteed entry, not paying £44/year on the off chance they can accommodate us!), it's starting to feel like I'm paying the membership for potentially very little saving (if any).

Has anyone had experience using this service? And if so, any idea what the pre-book prices are?

I have to say with 10 years of using it I can only remember a handful of times when been turned away at the door due to it being full. 

Lomond Lounge - £16 and doesn't accept walk ins 
Upper Deck - does allow walk ins and would strongly suspect the fee would be £6 as all other lounges of a similar standard are the same

Unfortunately never got my online access to work so can't see for definite myself.

Thanks for this, much appreciated.

I think the Lomond Lounge is adults only, so we'll have to slum it in the Upper Deck!

I have had a look around and LoungePass seem to do discounted access - 2 * £32/adult and 2 * £21/child = £106. Priority Pass would be 4 * £24 = £96. Should the Upper Deck be £6/person pre-book fee, Priority Pass would work out at £120 - so £14 more expensive before the membership fee of £44. Based on that, I guess it's only worthwhile if you don't pre-book and you manage to gain access 5 times per year before you save anything.

I think Glasgow is one of the cheaper lounges (Edinburgh is £42/adult and £29/child, Heathrow is £40/adult and £38/child), so perhaps that plays a part too.

Amex Gold comes with 4 free Priority Pass passes a year, but seemingly can only bring 1 guest per visit. So, I'd have to leave the kids outside... or take one in with me and buy two additional passes for my wife and other child.

It is adults only, its entry fee is also higher if paid in cash than upper deck... unfortunately upper deck is one of the more basic loungers. 

You seem to only be considering the outwards lounge though, happy to be in cattle for the way back? Would the Standard+ with 10 free visits, ie 5 trips both directions maybe be better value? 

All comes down to how much you travel, a friend ended up getting the AmEx Platinum because both cardholder and 1st secondary cardholder get an unlimited visits PriorityPass each and can take 1 guest in each for free. So his wife and 2 kids go to their second home on the med 5-6 times a year plus holidays and whilst £650 fee is very high the savings on lounges more than covered the other options plus there are other benefits to the card. 

Doshwaster

KevinUTO1867 said:

NoodleDoodleMan said:

We used GLA lounges a couple or so times a few years back - wasn't too impressed with one of them , can't remember it's name now.

The other was OK, nothing more though.

They was no entry fee with our Diners Club card and that was free to join then, otherwise I would not have bothered.

Thanks. It's purely to get out of the hustle and bustle of the airport - two trips in the school holidays and one is long haul!

My experience of lounges you can get into with Priority Pass are very variable. Some are great while others you are better off being in a bar/restaurant in the terminal.

In the end, I cancelled PP as I wasn't getting value for it. I also have Silver status with British Airways which gives me airline lounge access when flying with One World which are generally better than the third party ones.

Voyager2002

This kind of thing changes rapidly... at the end of August I flew out of Bristol and there was no option to book lounge access. Sure enough, the lounge was full up. Earlier this week I flew out of Bristol again: now you can make a booking for £6 but I did not bother and still got in.

My membership is free with my AmEx card: the rules doubtless vary according to the kind of membership you hold, but you cannot rely on them staying the same throughout the period for which you have paid.

DullGreyGuy

Voyager2002 said:

This kind of thing changes rapidly... at the end of August I flew out of Bristol and there was no option to book lounge access. Sure enough, the lounge was full up. Earlier this week I flew out of Bristol again: now you can make a booking for £6 but I did not bother and still got in.

My membership is free with my AmEx card: the rules doubtless vary according to the kind of membership you hold, but you cannot rely on them staying the same throughout the period for which you have paid.

AmEx have recently added the ability to pre-book, with some levels of cards getting some complimentary pre-bookings. 

The membership to PP AmEx issue do not align to PPs own direct proposition to make things somewhat unhelpful