Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Priority Pass: Everything You Need to Know!

by Daniel | Last Updated September 4th, 2024

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If you like the idea of getting access to over 1,500 different airport lounge from all over the world that provide you with free food, drinks and a comfortable place to relax before your upcoming flight, then a Priority Pass membership is definitely worth considering.  

Along with lounge access Priority Pass membership also includes a handful of valuable benefits that include the ability to get a free massage at some airports, or a restaurant credit at select airports across the globe.

The whole idea with Priority Pass is to make your travel more comfortable by transforming your entire airport experience. 

And it doesn’t matter if you’re a frequent flyer or an occasional traveler, a Priority Pass Membership basically opens up a world of premium benefits designed to make every journey more enjoyable.

Now there are a two ways you can get a Priority Pass membership, the first way would be to receive a complimentary Priority Pass Select Membership via a handful of different credit cards.

The second way would be to apply directly through their website, and by using this link you can save up to 20% off your first year of membership.   

Now whether you get a Priority Pass membership via a credit card offer or directly from their website, you will see in the picture below that there are 3 different options available. 

If you do receive a complimentary Priority Pass Select Membership from your credit card the benefits you have access to will vary depending on which credit card you have. 

So in this article I’m going to talk you through everything you need to know about Priority Pass from beginning to end. 

This includes how to sign up for a Priory Pass membership, how to use your membership correctly, and which credit cards offer a complimentary Priority Pass as a benefit.

What is Priority Pass and how can it benefit you? 

Now if you have never heard of Priority Pass before reading this article, I’ll just give you a quick run down about what it is and how it actually works. 

So Priority Pass was founded 32 years ago back in 1992, and it is currently to largest airport lounge access program in the world.
They actually provide access to over 1,500 lounges in over 600 cities and 145 countries, and they are continually adding new lounges each and every month. 

So if you do get a Priority Pass membership, there is a pretty good chance that you will be able to find a lounge or airport experience when you travel.

How To Get a Priority Pass Membership 

Now like I said before, there are two ways you can get a Priority Pass membership.
The quickest and easiest way would be to go directly to their website: https://www.prioritypass.com/

Now once you are on their website you will see that there are 3 different membership options to choose from:

• Standard
• Standard Plus
• Prestige 

Standard Membership

And it’s worth noting that, if the lounge you are visiting allows for the general public to access the lounge, it can cost upwards of $65 per person.
So the $35 entry fee per person is not to bad

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Standard Plus Membership

Essentially it allows for 10 free visits each year, which based on $35 per visit works out to be a value of $350.
If you manage to use all ten free visits within the year, it will then cost you the same $35 per person per visit. 

So if you know you will visit just 7 airport lounges in the course of a year, it is actually more cost effective to get the Standard Plus membership over the entry level Standard membership 

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Prestige Membership

So this is clearly a great option for anyone that travels quite frequently and wants to get as much value as possible.   

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Save Up To 20%

Now if you are interested in purchasing a Priority Pass Membership and want to save some money, it’s worth noting that you can save a fair bit by using my link.
Basically you will get the following discounts:

• 20% off a Standard membership ($20 off)
• 15% off a Standard Plus membership ($50 off)

Get Discount Pricing Here

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Credit Cards That Offer Complimentary Priory Pass Select Membership 

So the second and most cost effective way to get a Priority Pass membership is receive it as a perk from you credit card provider.

Now in the US there is approximately 11 different credit cards that provide Priority Pass Select Membership as a free perk. 

But its worth noting that not all of these membership come with the same benefits, and thats not to surprising considering these credit cards do vary quite a bit when it comes to the annual fee. 

So let’s take a look at the current line up of credit cards that offer a Priority Pass Select Membership.

American Express Cards  

Now at the time of writing this article, American Express currently has 3 different cards that offer a Priority Pass Select Membership. 

Amex Platinum Personal & Business card

The first two cards, and the most expensive cards in the line up are the Amex Platinum personal and business cards.

Both of these cards provide you with unlimited access to Priority Pass lounges.

They also allow you to bring along up to 2 guests free of charge. If you want to bring along more than 2 guests, it will cost you $35 per guest. 

I’ve had the personal Amex Platinum card now for the past 8 years and really enjoy all of the benefits it comes with. 

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Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card

The third card from Amex that offers a Priority Pass Select membership is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card.
Now this card is great hotel credit card that comes with a ton of different benefits, the only negative is its $650 annual fee.
In terms of Priority Pass lounge access it is exactly the same as both Amex Platinum card.

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Chase Cards

Next up is Chase which currently has 2 different credit cards that come with a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership.

The first card is the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, which is a card that I have been using ever since it first came out in 2016.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Now just like the all of the Amex card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card also allows for unlimited Priority Pass lounge visits and the ability to brings along up to 2 guests free of charge. 

If you want to bring along more than 2 guests it will cost an additional $27 per guest.

Now up until July 1st 2024, it is possible to receive a restaurant credit of up to $28 per person at select airport with a maximum of two people or a total credit of $56.

\Unfortunately after July 1st 2024 this benefit will no longer be available with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

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Chase Ritz Carlton Credit Card

Then the second card from Chase that offers a Priority Pass Select membership is the Chase Ritz Carlton credit card.

Now this card is not available to new applicants, but if you want to learn how to get it just read this article here. 

So this card offers the same unlimited access to Priority Pass lounges as the Reserve card .
The only main difference is that you are able to bring in an unlimited amount of guests.
Now I’m sure there is an actual limit to the amount of people you can bring along in to a specific lounge, but according to pretty much every online review of this card, it says that you can bring along unlimited guests free of charge. 

And just like the Chase Sapphire Reserve card the restaurant credit will no longer be avail after July 1st 2024. 

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Capital One

Next up is Capital One which also has 2 different credit cards that offer a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership.

Capital One Venture X card

The first card is the Capital One Venture X card, and this is a fantastic card the provides you with the ability to earn a ton of points through everyday spending.
It also has some great benefits that can quite easily cover the cost of the annual fee.

This card basically offers the same Priority Pass lounge access as the Amex cards do, which is unlimited lounge access and the ability to bring along 2 guest free of charge.

And there is no access to any restaurant credit with this card.

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Capital One Venture X Businesss card

The second card from Capital One is the Venture X Business card.
And this card offers the same Priority Pass lounge access as the personal card.

Now there is slight difference with certain versions of this card.
If you hold one of the original cards that was issued by Mastercard you will actually maintain the restaurant credit.
However if you apply for a new card, which happens to be issued through Visa, it will no longer offer the restaurant credit or non lounge airport experiences.

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Bank of America

Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite credit card

Now this is another great credit card that comes with some valuable benefits and perks.
In terms of lounge access it allows for unlimited access with the ability to bring along 2 guests free of charge.

One thing that only this card offers over all of the cards in this list is the ability to apply for up to4 Priority Pass Select Memberships totally free of charge.

So if you have a large family this card can be really quite valuable seeing that Prestige Priority Pass memberships usually costs $469 each. 

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UBS

UBS Visa Infinite credit card

The next card on the list is the UBS Visa Infinite credit card.

Now this card is a little unusual as doesn’t offer a sign up bonus but is still relatively expensive at $495 a year.
When it comes to lounge access, this card allows for unlimited access and the ability you to bring along 2 guests free of charge.
And as far as I know it does offer the restaurant credit. 

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US Bank

Now the final two credit cards that offer a Priority Pass Select membership are both from US Bank.

US Bank Altitude Reserve card

The first card Is the US Bank Altitude Reserve card and this card has a $400 annual fee.
And the Priority Pass Select membership that comes with this card allows for a total of 8 lounge visits each year, and this can be used to bring along guests.
After you have used all 8 visit within in a calendar year, it will then cost $35 per person per visit.

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US Bank Altitude Connect Signature card

Then the last card from US Bank is the US Bank Altitude Connect Signature card.
Now whilst this card is substantially cheaper than the US Bank Altitude Reserve card it only allows for 4 lounge visits each year.
And once you have used all 4 complimentary vists, it will then cost $35 per person per visit. 

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So as you can see from this list of credit cards, some of the Priority Pass Select memberships are more restricted than others.

if you want full access to all of the Priority Pass benefits which includes lounge access, restaurant credits, massage treatments and more, then you can just purchase at membership directly from their website. 

How To Get Your Physical Priority Pass Card

So now that I’ve gone over the basics of how Priority Pass works, let’s go over how to get your physical Priority Pass card.

If you purchase a membership directly from the Priority Pass website, they will have your Membership kit produced within 3 business days.
Then depending on where you live will determine how long your physical card will take to arrive.

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Now if you have a credit card that provides you with a complimentary Priority Pass Select Membership you should be able to enroll directly through their online portal.

However, if this isn’t possible I would recommend calling the helpline that is listed on the back of your credit card.
Here you will be able to talk to a representative from the bank that should be able to point you in the right direction. 

Once you have competed your enrollment, it generally takes around 1 – 2 weeks to receive your physical card.

Activating Your Priority Pass Card 

Now when you finally receive your physical Priority Pass card you are going to need to go over to the Priority Pass website to activate your card.

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Now on the first page you will see that it will prompt you to enter your membership number.
Once you have put your number in, go ahead and click ‘continue’ 

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Now it is possible that you will need to also provide the last 4 digits of your credit card (as you can see below)
So put that number in and then click continue

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And once you have completed the previous step the next page will ask you to create your account.
Basically all you need to do is input your personal details in the the required fields and then click ‘Create Account’

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And from here your account should be active and ready to use!

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Now once you click the ‘ok’ button it will bring you to your actual Priority Pass account, and here you will be able to see:

• Your plan and when it expires
• Recent lounge visits
• Your general details 
• The ability to rate lounges you have visited

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Download The Priority Pass App 

Now once you have received your physical card and activated your account, I recommend that you download the Priority Pass app.

This is quite useful for a couple of reasons.

First of all it doubles as a digital membership which means it can be used to access Priority Pass benefits at airports in place of your physical card. 
This can be extremely useful if you happen to misplace your physical card.

It also has airport maps that can help guide you through the maze of people and terminals to where the airport lounge you are looking for is. 

And finally it can give you important information about the lounge you will be visiting, and this can be really helpful if you are looking to bring a guest or want to bring in your kids, as some lounges do have certain restrictions. 

Potential Restrictions To Be Aware Of

Now it’s worth knowing that pretty much all lounges that are part of the Priority Pass Program are independently run, so they all have slightly different conditions of entry. 

This is why it’s important to check these conditions of entry before you arrive at the specific lounge you want to visit.

As an example, quite a lot of lounges will only let you in 2- 3 hours before your flight is scheduled to leave, and this is partly to help reduce overcrowding. 

And this is good to know, as if you turn up to the airport 6 hours early and try to get in to the lounge, you may well be denied entry. 

Also, most lounges allow children in to their lounge, and if they are within a specific age range (usually 2 years or younger) they will be allowed to come in for free, although some lounges allow for kids 6 years and younger in for free as well.

Now one thing that you must know is that during busy times of the travel season some lounges may restrict entry into their lounge, even if you have a Priority Pass membership.
And this is usually dues to overcrowding issues.

Now there are a few ways to get around these issues.

The first option would be to see if they have a waitlist that you can join, but I must say that this can be a bit hit or miss.
If they do have a waitlist and put you on it, it might take 5 minutes to get in, or it could end up taking a couple hours.
It really just depends on how busy the airport and lounge is on the specific day you are traveling.

The other option that some lounges offer is the ability to ‘pre-book’ the lounge you want to visit upto a few months before you actually fly.

And if a lounge has this option, it will usually have a visible text that says: ‘ Pre-book available’ – which you can see I the picture below.

I’ve done this quite a few times now specifically when I travel through London Heathrow.
As I am usually traveling through LHR during the summer period, the airport gets extremely busy, as do the airport lounges.

So I generally make my booking a few days before my scheduled flight, but you can do it a few months in advance if you so desire.

Now bookings can be made through either the Priority Pass website or app, and for me to pre book one of the lounges at LHR currently costs £6, which is not to bad.

Extra Benefits That Come With Priority Pass 

Now along with access to well over 1,000 airport lounges world wide, select Priority Pass memberships also come with a few nice perks or airport experience that can help to make your travel more enjoyable. 

Be Relax Spa

So one benefit you may not have realized Priority Pass offers is a credit worth up to $44 that can be used at a Be Relax Spa.
And here you can choose between variety of different back, hand or foot massages that range in time from 10 – 30 minutes.
The current treatment options are as follows:

• Be Back 15-minute Massage plus O2 (a US$38 value) 
• Be Back 30-minute Massage (a US$38 value) 
• Polish Change plus Hand Massage (a US$38 value)
• Be Feet on lounger 10-minute plus O2 (a US$44 value)

I actually visited a Be Relax Spa in LA at the Tom Bradley International Terminal and got the 30 minutes massage.
Here they put me in an electric massage chair, which  I must say was pretty relaxing.

So currently there are more than 30 spas spread over 14 cities in 3 continents.
And 16 of these are located in the US.

Now if you are considering visiting a Be Relax Spa, it’s worth getting there well before your flight leaves as they can sometimes be busy.
If they are busy they will usually put you on a waitlist,
This is what happened to me when I visited the Be Relax Spa at LAX, but thankfully it only took around 20 mins to get in.

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Restaurants and Cafe Credit

Now there is also a restaurant credit of up to $28 that can be used at around 35 different airport restaurants and cafes in the US alone, with plenty more options available overseas. 

So this is included with your Priority Pass membership if you purchase it directly from their website.

Now there are only a few credit cards that still offer the restaurant credit as an additional perk.
Unfortunately most credit card companies have been removing this benefit over the past few years, assumedly to save more money.

To find out if you actually have access to the restaurant credit all you need to do is sign in to your Priority Pass account and then search an airport that usually offers access to a restaurant. 

If a restaurant option comes up, then you have this benefit, and if no restaurants come up, it’s quite possible you don’t have access to this benefit. 

Minute Suites

Another benefit that comes with select Priority Pass memberships is access to 15 different Minute Suits that are all located within the United States.

And Minute Suites essentially provide you with a private room where you work or sleep.
Generally speaking, most room have a daybed sofa, Pillows and blankets, a smart TV, WiFi, workstation and luggage storage.

So the free hour you can get with your Priority Pass membership is valued at $55.
And it is possible to extend you stay at a discounted price, which is generally $34 per additional hour. 

Game Space – Gaming Lounge

Now there are a few other benefits at certain airports, one being access to Game Space at Dubai International Airport which is a gaming room.

And at this specific location you are allowed unlimited game play using one of the 40 different purpose build gaming stations.  

Are All Priority Pass Lounges Equal?

Ok so one thing you might be wondering is: Are All Priority Pass Lounges Equal?
Well the short answer is no, there can be quite a fair difference between lounges.
It really depends on where you are traveling and which lounge you visit.

I’ve been using Priority Pass now for just over 8 years and generally speaking, most lounges are pretty good.
There has only been one or two instances where a particular lounge wasn’t that great, but it was better than nothing.
At a base level you will generally have access to free food and drinks and some where comfortable you can sit and relax.

Final Thoughts

So that covers pretty much everything you need to know about what Priority Pass is and how it works.  

And to be honest I think it provides quite a decent amount of value, especially if you are a frequent traveler. 

I actually have 2 Priority Pass memberships that I have been using for the last 8 years, one from my Amex Platinum card and the other from my Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
And because I travel a lot, I visit a fair few lounges each year, so it really does provide me with a lot of value. 

Now don’t forget that you can save up to 20% off a Priority Pass membership just by using my link.

And if your looking for a great airline related credit card, make sure to read my review and comparison of the Amex Delta Sky Miles Credit cards.