Airport lounge access can transform your airport experience. Did you know that you don’t have to be flying in Business Class to enter most lounges? From credit card perks to loyalty programmes, here’s how to swap the crowded gate area for the comfort of an airport lounge.
There are several ways to get lounge access. The main ways include:
- Paying for annual lounge pass membership
- Purchasing a one-off pass
- Lounge access as an airline loyalty program benefit
- Access with insurance
- Particular bank accounts
- Credit card benefits
- Business or First Class travel
I recently covered how to access lounges with particular bank accounts, credit cards, and insurance options in this guide to credit cards with airline lounge access. Today, we will cover paying for annual lounge membership and getting discounted lounge passes.
In this post:
Annual Membership Lounge Pass Options
Purchasing a lounge pass is one of the most popular ways to get lounge access. There are plenty of options, with the main providers being Priority Pass and DragonPass.
Memberships vary from reduced lounge access to unlimited access for a set price. Some annual memberships also come with benefits such as certain credit cards, insurance options, and bank accounts.
Most lounges you can use via Priority Pass are privately owned lounges like Aspire rather than lounges owned by airlines (although some of these are available at select airports). Privately owned lounges can be fantastic, but often, they lack the facilities that top-end airline lounges have, such as spas and special facilities like saunas (e.g., Finnair’s Platinum Wing lounge).
While in a lounge, you can expect comfortable seating, free, fast Wi-Fi, free drinks (including alcohol, though premium options may be at an additional fee), and light snacks. Higher-end lounges often offer a full buffet with hot and cold dishes and shower facilities.
Lounge Access With Priority Pass
Priority Pass membership includes over 1,700 airport lounges, 370 of which are in Europe. It’s one of the biggest lounge pass programmes available, so you’ll have the chance to find a lounge you can access from your preferred airport.
Priority Pass has also partnered with several airport cafes and restaurants. You can get £18 restaurant credit instead of using one of your lounge access passes. This option is not always available if you get a Priority Pass membership via your credit card. Discounts on spa treatments at selected airports are also available.
Priority Pass Membership Options
There are several membership options to choose from, starting with the Standard Pass, which will give you discounted lounge access up to the Prestige Pass, which enables you to visit an unlimited number of lounges for free:
Keep a lookout for discounts and deals. There’s often 10-15% off deals.
Access to lounges is subject to space availability. You can also pre-book most lounges. Log in to the Priority Pass app to reserve a space. No money changes hands at the airport; you scan your Priority Pass card, and you will be charged at a later date.
Lounges You Can Access with Priority Pass
All lounges can be booked via the easy-to-use Priority Pass app. You can read the full Priority Pass Lounge Directory here. Accessing more than one lounge while at the airport is also possible.
Lounges available at Heathrow:
- Terminal 2: Plaza Premium and No.1 Lounge
- Terminal 3: Club Aspire and Plaza Premium
- Terminal 4: Plaza Premium and Blush Lounge by Plaza Premium
- Terminal 5: Club Aspire and Plaza Premium
Examples at Gatwick Airport:
- South Terminal: No.1 Lounge, My Lounge, Club Aspire, and Clubrooms Gatwick South
- North Terminal: No.1 Lounge, My Lounge, Clubrooms Gatwick North, and Plaza Premium
Another good example is New York JFK. There are a number of airline lounges available with Priority Pass. Lounges include:
- Terminal 1: Lufthansa Business Lounge, Primeclass Lounge, Turkish Airlines Lounge, Air France Lounge, KAL Business Lounge, and VIP One Lounge.
- Terminal 4: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. Air India Maharaja Lounge, Primeclass Lounge. Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club with Etihad.
NOTE: There are often only certain times when airline lounges can be used (detailed on the app). This is usually the time of day when the airline has fewer flights.
To access the lounge, you can simply turn up and scan your card. However, there are many times when the lounge will be too full to allow additional people. To combat this, you can pre-book lounges before you travel for a £6 per person fee.
Other Travel Benefits of a Priority Pass Membership
- Airport guides on the app.
- Pre-order food and drinks to take out at 485 cafes and restaurants in 44 selected US and UK airports.
- Access to airport suites for a select amount of time at selected airports.
- Free membership to the WithU fitness app.
- Discounts on shopping, airport transfers, car rentals, and Meet & Assist at selected airports.
Credit Cards with Priority Pass Membership
- The Platinum Card (AMEX) – Prestige Membership for you and a supplementary cardholder. Most lounges also allow guests. Guests usually come at a £24 fee if you purchase a Priority Pass membership, so this is a great benefit. The AMEX Platinum card gives access to several other lounges unavailable on Priority Pass, such as Eurostar lounges, selected Lufthansa lounges and more.
- Preferred Rewards Gold Card (AMEX) – 4 lounge entries.
- Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard – Prestige membership for you and a supplementary cardholder. £18 dining credit at selected airport restaurants.
- HSBC Premier Credit Card – £24 per entry
- HSBC Premier World Elite Credit Card – Prestige Membership for you and a supplementary cardholder.
Is Priority Pass Worth It?
This depends on your individual circumstances. It may not be worth it if you have elite airline status, which gives lounge access even if you’re flying in economy. Similarly, it’s not worth it if you always fly Business or First and get access with your ticket.
A pass is worth it if you want to use airport lounges and do not have elite airline status. Your pass should depend on how often you plan to use it in a year and if you have any other means of accessing a lounge. For example, if you get 6 free lounge visits per year with the Barclays Travel Plus Pack, choosing a plan with fewer visits is better.
If Priority Pass is your primary means of lounge access, a higher plan is well worth getting, as long as lounges are available in most places you frequently travel to. The Standard pass is worth it for a minimum of 3 yearly visits, the Standard Plus for 10 visits and the Prestige for 17+ visits per year.
If you plan to purchase the Prestige Pass, make sure you have a look at the credit cards that offer this benefit to see if it’s worth paying for a credit card instead for the range of other travel benefits as well as a Priority Pass membership.
Lounge Access With DragonPass
DragonPass is how I access lounges if I’m not flying in Business Class. I have a membership via Barclays Premier Banking and the Barclays Travel Plus Pack. DragonPass is also accessed via some credit cards, or you can purchase an annual membership.
The easy-to-use app offers over 1,300 lounges at over 755 airports worldwide, so you’ll likely find one at the airport you’re visiting. There are also airport spa and wellness perks, fast-track security discounts, and dining discounts.
Here are the current prices. Some options include unlimited visits, and some include discounted visits:
DragonPass also offers discounts to over 1,000 airport restaurants and cafes. The discount is either a percentage off your bill (up to 25%) or a set amount off (usually £15) with a minimum spend at over 50 airport restaurants. The set amount discount is equivalent to 1 lounge pass. Examples at Heathrow include The Curator (T3), Joe’s Coffee House (T4) and Leon (T2). There are also discounts at particular airport spas.
Lounges You Can Access with DragonPass
You can check lounge listings on the DragonPass Premier+ app and pre-book particular lounges with a booking fee of £6 per person. You can also view the airports with lounge options available here.
Major lounges with access include:
- Aspire
- Plaza Premium
- Escape Lounges
- Some SkyTeam lounges
- Sala VIP
NOTE: Not all lounges from these companies will be available.
There are also unique options like the sleep’n fly lounge South Node in Hamad International Airport’s main terminal.
Lounges available at Heathrow include:
- Terminal 2: Plaza Premium
- Terminal 3: No.1 Heathrow
- Terminal 4: Blush Lounge by Plaza Premium and Plaza Premium Lounge
- Terminal 5: Plaza Premium
Other Travel Benefits
- Discounted bookable fast-track security at some airports.
- Discounted treatments at selected airport spas.
- Pay-as-you-go or discounted limousine, airport transfer and meet and greet services.
- Partner discounts and offers via the DragonPass app.
- A personalised airport experience using the app.
Credit Cards and Bank Accounts with DragonPass Membership
- Revolut Ultra – Unlimited lounge access.
- Revolut Premium and Metal – Lounge passes for £22 per person.
- Barclays Premier Banking or Wealth account with Barclays Avios Plus – Lounge passes for £18.50 per person.
- Barclays Travel Plus Pack – 6 free lounge passes per year.
- The Royal Bank of Scotland Premier Reward Black Account – Unlimited lounge access for you and the joint account holder (if there is one).
- NatWest Reward Black – Unlimited lounge access.
- Ulster Bank ufirst Private Current Account – Unlimited lounge access for you + a joint account holder (if applicable).
Is DragonPass Worth it?
Similar to Priority Pass, you should use lounges enough times for the pass to be worth it—3 times with the Classic membership, 8 times with the Preferential Membership, and 16 times with the Prestige Membership. Make sure you also look into credit cards with a DragonPass benefit to get better value for money and also benefit from the other credit card benefits.
Priority Pass Vs Dragonpass
With Priority Pass and DragonPass being the best airline lounge passes in the UK – and with similar benefits, here’s a complete comparison:
Priority Pass Vs DragonPass Memberships
| Priority Pass | DragonPass | Comments |
| Standard: £69. Access to lounge passes for £24 for you + £24 for guests. | Classic: £68 per year. One free lounge visit, restaurant discounts, and the ability to purchase passes for £24. | DragonPass is better value as it includes a 1x free lounge pass before you have to start paying £24 for passes. Unless Priority Pass has access to all the lounges you want to visit and DragonPass doesn’t. |
| Standard Plus: £229 per year. You get 10 free visits, then passes for £24, and guests for £24. | Preferential: £168 per year, 8 free visits, guests and additional passes for £24 each. | Both options include free visits, then guests and passes for £24. My advice would be to go for the pass, which gives you access to the lounges you want to use. Going for Priority Pass just to get 8 instead of 10 passes isn’t worth it because the additional passes would work out at £30.50 each. |
| Prestige: £419 per year. Unlimited access. Guests for £24 per pass. | Prestige: £379 per year. Unlimited access. Guests for £24 per pass. Restaurant discounts. | Both passes give unlimited access but Priority Pass is more expensive. Weigh up the lounges that each lounge pass gives access to + the other perks. |
Aspire Lounges
Although both Priority Pass and DragonPass memberships include access to select Aspire Lounges, you can also purchase a membership directly with Aspire.
With the Aspire Lounge Pass, you’ll get unlimited access to Aspire lounges (also known as Executive Lounges by Swissport) for one year. One of the best perks of this membership is that you can bring a guest free of charge.
The annual membership is £259.99. Although you can access Aspire lounges via DragonPass, the yearly membership is less than the £379 for DragonPass. It’s a great option if you fly often from these airports and would opt to use the Aspire Lounge. The ability to bring a guest can save compared to having to purchase two DragonPass or Priority Pass memberships. You could even split the membership cost if you frequently travel with the same person!
Not all Aspire lounges participate in the membership programme. Here are the ones that do:
- Birmingham
- Cork
- Edinburgh
- Humberside
- Inverness
- Liverpool John Lennon
- London Luton
- Manchester (T1 & T2)
- Newcastle (Only the premium Aspire membership)
- George Best Belfast City
- Calgary International
- Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau
- Copenhagen
- Helsinki Vantaa
- Amsterdam Schiphol (26 & 41)
NOTE: Cocktails, champagne and prosecco are at an additional cost.
You can pre-book your lounge by contacting the head office by phone or email to guarantee your spot. You can also walk in, but this is subject to availability.
Is an Aspire Lounge Membership Worth It?
This pass is a great option if you mainly fly out of the airports listed above and like Aspire lounges! The unlimited pass is worth the money for 8-9 uses per year. If you’re travelling with a guest, the pass is worth it for just 4 uses a year. Remember that many credit cards and the lower DragonPass membership offer the option to book Aspire Lounges for £22-£24 per pass. You can also purchase an Aspire one-off pass starting at £30 direct.
Plaza Premium Lounge Passes
Plaza Premium has a unique lounge pass offering. You can buy lounge passes for 1-10 visits and save an average of 50% on walk-in rates. Each purchase is valid for 12 months.
The more expensive option is the 10 visits everywhere pass for £254.50, which grants 10 visits to any Plaza Premium lounges worldwide. Alternatively, you can opt for the 5-visit pass at £157.21. You can also buy passes for a particular region, like the 8-visit Australia pass or city (e.g. 2 visits to Kuala Lumpur).
Worth it?
Like the Aspire pass, this pass is worth it if you’re happy with just using Plaza Premium Lounges. However, there is no unlimited pass option, and the 10-visit pass means each pass is around £25.45, depending on the exchange rate, which is more than via other lounge pass options. Therefore, the pass would only be worth it if you do not have access to discounted lounge rates by other means.
Other Annual Airport Lounge Passes
There are a few other lounge pass options, including TAV Passport (best for frequent travellers to Türkiye or if you live in Türkiye), Diners Club, LoungeMe, Lounge Club, and Dreamfolks (better if you’re based in India).
One Off Airport Lounge Passes
Purchasing a one-off lounge pass is a good option if you’re not a frequent traveller and don’t have lounge access as a credit card or bank account bonus. Several lounge companies offer this option, and some airlines even offer it once you’ve booked. Remember that many of the lounges booked with a one off pass would often be better value for money with a DragonPass or PriorityPass membership.
Aspire Lounges: From £30
Lounge Pass: From £13.50
Holiday Extras: From £26
Revolut Premium and Metal: £22
Lounge Buddy: From £20
Escape Lounges: From £30.99
Reduced Airport Lounge Access
For reduced airport lounge access, you can purchase a reduced pass like the Classic DragonPass package, get reduced access as part of a bank account or credit card (e.g. Barclays Premier Banking = 6 reduced passes per year) or get a cheap rate through certain loyalty programmes or subscriptions.
O2 Customers: 18% off lounge access. Free access if your flight is delayed.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is free to join and gives discounted access to some lounges, including Clubrooms (Gatwick and Birmingham), No.1 Lounges (Heathrow Terminal 3, Gatwick, Luton and Birmingham) and MyLounge (Gatwick and Luton). More info here
Blue Light Card: Up to 30% off (usually 15-25%) some lounges via the Blue Light portal or Priority Booker.
Email Signup: Signing up for emails from selected lounges or airports means you will get discounts and codes emailed to you. For example, you can get 10% off Manchester Airport lounges by signing up for their email list.
Airline Status Lounge Access
If you’re a frequent flyer and don’t want to take out a credit card for lounge access, aiming for Airline Status is the way to go. You will get status automatically if you fly often with the same airline or one in a particular airline alliance. Higher status often includes lounge access. We will be posting a full article on this in the coming weeks.
Final Words
If you’re a frequent traveller, you shouldn’t be paying full price for lounge access. There are so many options out there to get discounted access. While paying an annual fee for a credit card with lounge access is usually better value, I recognise that credit cards are not for everyone.
Do you know of any other ways to get free or discounted lounge access? Let us know in the comments below. Which lounge pass is worth it for you?
