What You Need To Know About Priority Pass (For Beginners)

by Daniel | Last Updated September 4th, 2024

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Is there anything better than having access to free food and drinks before you fly out from an airport on a long trip?

Well, a Priority Pass Membership can provide you with this and quite a lot more.

As one of the largest airport lounge access programs in the world and one of the best, it is possible to gain access to over 1,500 different airport lounges from all over the world.

Now Priority Pass can either be acquired by applying directly through their website or it is possible to receive a complimentary membership via a select few credit cards.

Some credit cards (usually cheaper ones) only offer limited access to lounges whereas more exclusive and expense cards tend to offer unlimited access to lounges and sometimes even credit that can be used at different airport restaurants. 

In this article, I’m going to go over everything there is to know about Priority Pass.
This will include how to use it, which credit cards actually offer Priority Pass, and then which credit cards offer the most exclusive benefits through Priority Pass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v68RLGk_AC8

What is Priority Pass and how does it work

Now if you’re totally new to Priority Pass let’s start by going over what exactly it is and how it works.

So Priority Pass is basically one of the largest airport lounge access programs in the world.
And interestingly enough, they have just celebrated their 30th year in business.

Currently, Priority Pass provides access to over 1,500 airport lounges, restaurants, cafes, and even spas in more than 600 cities in over 148 countries.

And even with 1,500 plus lounges, there are still new airport lounges being added to the program each and every year.
So it’s pretty fair to say that if you do decide to get a Priority Pass membership, there is a pretty good chance that there will be a participating airport lounge or restaurant at most reasonably sized airports that you visit. 

How To Get a Priority Pass Membership 

So if you are interested in actually getting a Priority Pass Membership there are 2 ways to do this.
The first way would be to go to the website https://www.prioritypass.com/

And here it is possible to choose between 3 different memberships:

• Standard
• Standard Plus
• Prestige

Standard

For the Standard membership, it will cost $99, and for this, all you get will be access to all Priority Pass lounges but it will cost $35 per visit per person, so if you bring 1 guest it will cost $70 to access the club

Standard Plus

Then the Standard Plus membership has an annual fee of $329 and with this, you will receive 10 free passes each year, after this, it will cost $35 per visit, and any guest you bring in will cost $35 each.

Prestige

Now the best value out of these 3 options is the Prestige membership which costs $469.
This provides you with unlimited access to all lounges, and then any guest will cost the same $35 each.

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Save Up To 20% Off

Now if you are thinking about getting a Priority Pass membership and would like to save some money on the first year of membership, you can use this link that will give you:

• 20% off a Standard membership which will save you $20
• 15% off a Standard Plus membership which will save you $50

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Credit Cards that offer Priority Pass

Now if you’re not so keen on spending this much money on a Priority Pass membership, the most cost-effective way of obtaining one would be to get one of the following 9 credit cards that actually offers a Priority Pass membership as a perk.

Now the level of membership that is offered with these credit cards will vary slightly from card to card, which you can see in the list below

And currently, there are 5 different credit card companies that offer a Priority Pass Membership which include:

American Express cards  

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Chase cards  

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Capital One cards 

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Bank of America cards 

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US Bank cards

How To Use Priority Pass

So now that I’ve covered what Priority Pass is, how it works, and when you can use it, I’ll just talk you through how to get your Priority Pass card.

Now if you do have one of the credit cards that was listed in the video earlier you have the option of either enrolling through the credit card online portal or it is possible just to call the helpline on the back of your credit card and speaking to a representative that should be able to complete the process for you.

Once this is done your actual card will be sent to you via mail, and this will probably take a week or two.

Now when you receive your card you can then head over to Priority Pass to activate your card.
Then when you are on the activation page you just input your membership number and hit continue.

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You may then be asked for the last 4 digits of your payment card as you can see here on the screen.
So put that number in and hit continue.

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This will bring you to the next page where you can then create your account.

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This is where you can input your personal details, and once this is done just hit ‘create account’ and your account should be ready to go!

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When Can You Use Priority Pass?

Now once you do have a Priority Pass Membership I recommend that you download the Priority Pass app so you can quickly and easily see which airline lounges and restaurants are available at the Airport you are visiting.
Along with this, the app will also be able to provide you with more detailed information on some of the more specific requirements of each available lounge. 

As each lounge is a separate business, they all have slightly different rules and restrictions which are worth knowing about before you decide to turn up.

This can be anything from time limits allowed in each lounge, which is generally limited to around 3 hours.

Also, a majority of lounges will allow kids in for free but the age limit can vary anywhere from 2-6 years of age.
And then some lounges will only allow a maximum of two kids per family.

Now one other thing to be aware of is that access to specific lounges may be restricted due to space constraints. 

This can happen sometimes in larger airports during busier times of the year, and when this happens it is not uncommon to have the option of being put on a waitlist.
This actually happened to me at LHR earlier this year and unfortunately, both of the lounges in the Terminal I was in were totally full and the waitlist was over an hour which didn’t really allow for me to gain access, as I had to board my plan by the time I could access the lounge.
And in this situation, it can useful to have the Priority Pass app to see if there is actually a participating restaurant at the airport that you can go to instead.

Restaurants and Cafes 

Now along with lounge access, there are also approximately 30 restaurant locations just in the US that offer a credit of up to $28 that can be used on the day of your flight.
And it is possible to bring 1 additional guest and receive a credit for them as well, so in total it is possible to receive a credit of up to $56, which will usually be taken off your total bill.

Be Relax Spas

Now there is also approximately 10 location across the US that offer access to Be Relax Spa, and here it is possible to receive a selection of different massages and Aromatherapy treatments than run anywhere from 10- 30 minutes.
Just be aware that it is not uncommon for services like these to have a waitlist, so it is likely that you will need to make a booking.
And generally speaking, it is only possible to 1 visit per cardholder on the day of your flight, also, it is not possible to book in a guest for this service.

Minute Suites

Finally, there’s complimentary access to approximately 12 different Minute Suites across the US.
Generally speaking Minute Suites come with a daybed sofa, pillows, blankets, a workstation, luggage storage, and a noise-canceling system that can help you get some rest.
Basically, with your Priority Pass membership, it is possible to receive 1 hour of access free, with the option of extending your stay at a discounted rate of around $28 to $34 per hour, which is pretty good seeing that the normal pricing is $48 per hour.

Now with all of the benefits, I listed above it is most likely that you will need present both your Priority Pass membership card and your same-day boarding pass to actually receive the credit.

What Benefits Do You Actually Get?

So now that you have a somewhat better understanding of how and when you can use Priority Pass to access airport lounges, let’s take a look at what you can actually expect when you get into one of the lounges.
Now not all lounges will be the same, and some will be better than others, but generally speaking, they will have similar amenities.

So as you would expect pretty much every lounge now has free Wifi and multiple charging points so you can plug in and get work done.

Then at least in my experience pretty much every lounge has a decent range of free food and refreshments, which. Includes alcoholic beverages.

Now occasionally some lounges will have extra features such as complimentary massages, spa treatments and sleeping areas.
And if you happen to find a lounge that does offer some of these benefits, make sure to see if you need to book an appointment, as it’s not uncommon for there to be a waitlist to use benefits like this. 

Final Thoughts 

So there you have it, that covers pretty much everything there is to know about the Priority Pass Membership.
And in my opinion, I think it’s a really nice benefit to have, especially if you can get it as a perk from one of the credit cards that I mentioned before.

I’ve been using my Priority Pass Select Membership for the past 5 years now and have always enjoyed being able to get a decent bite to eat, a coffee, and a glass of wine when I’m traveling.

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

Now if you want to learn how you can fly first class for less than $100, check out this article here.