When we first started traveling for work, there was always an insane amount of jealousy towards travelers who had access to lounges. They always looked much more refreshed than the mere mortals who were waiting for their flight at the gate.

Going through an airport is already an exhausting experience even if you have a direct flight. However, add in a 10 hour layover with a 5 hour delay then paying for lounge access becomes pretty attractive.

There’s a wide variety of ways to get access to airport lounges, but one of the easiest and most popular is through Priority Pass.

Priority Pass Review

Priority Pass boasts over 1,300 lounges across the world. What’s interesting is that they don’t actually own the lounges. Rather, it’s a membership program that will get you access to lounges who sign up to be part of their network. 

Once you’ve cleared airport security, you can usually find a lounge to relax at. Once you start using lounges, you will never go back to waiting in the terminal for your flight. Your vacation begins as soon as you get to your lounge.

There are three tiers of access when it comes to Priority Pass:

  • Tier 1 (Prestige): Unlimited airport lounge access
  • Tier 2 (Standard Plus): 10 free visits and charges for additional visits
  • Tier 3 (Standard): You pay for every lounge visit at a discounted rate

The main difference between the membership options is that the higher tiers give you more visits to the lounges. This makes it stress-free when traveling since you don’t have to worry about whether it’s worth it to burn up one of your visits.

You’ll have to do some quick math on how much lounge access you need versus the price for each tier to see what makes sense for you. We have Tier 1 access as the lounge visits add up pretty quickly on return trips if you have a layover somewhere. If you travel more than 4 times a year, then we would recommend getting Tier 1 access.

Since Priority Pass doesn’t actually own the lounges, it means that the lounges you have access to can change from time to time as operators enter and exit the membership program. One example would be Plaza Premium lounges leaving the Priority Pass network in 2021.

There are some locations where Priority Pass doesn’t have any member lounges. In these locations, they usually offer airport dining, retail and spa discounts that you can redeem through the app.

Here is the most up-to-date list on Priority Pass Lounges: Priority Pass Lounge Search

How to get Priority Pass

You can buy Priority Pass access directly on their website, but the best way to get into the program is through a credit card.

Many cards, such as the AMEX Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve, will include Priority Pass access as part of their suite of benefits. What’s even better is that these credit cards often get you into lounges that are outside of the Priority Pass network as well. This means that you’ll more than likely be able to find a lounge even if the airport you visit doesn’t have any Priority Pass options.

Is Priority Pass Worth it?

We think Priority Pass is worth it only if you get it as part of your credit card benefits. Paying for Tier 1 (Prestige) access is already a good chunk of a premium credit card’s annual fee. You might as well pay a little bit extra to get the full benefits of a good rewards credit card.