Priority Pass guest fee jumping up to £20 – what should you do?
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The Priority Pass guest fee is going up sharply.
Lounge access card Priority Pass has emailed members who hold a card directly with them – ie not via American Express Platinum or a similar deal – to inform them that the lounge visit fee is going up to £20 on 18th September.
The current fee is £15. The £20 fee applies to either yourself (if you have a basic Priority Pass card with no free access) or to any guests you bring (if you have unlimited free access for yourself).
It is not clear yet if holders of Priority Pass and Lounge Club cards issued via American Express and other financial groups will see a similar hike. I would be very surprised if they did not increase the fee.
Whilst Priority Pass is implying that the blame is down to lounges demanding more money, I get a feeling that this is actually demand management.
More and more people now have a Priority Pass – issuance has gone crazy in the US with virtually every premium credit card now offering it – but the number of lounges is not expanding as quickly. Putting up prices may also persuade airports to give over more space to new lounges.
Full details of the changes are on the Priority Pass website here.
If you had been thinking of getting a Priority Pass, today might be a good day to lock in a version with a number of free visits. Via this link you can save up to 25% on the standard fee, which means:
£51 for the Standard card – don’t get this, as you’ll be paying £20 per visit on top
£127 for the Standard Plus card – this comes with 10 free visits
£233 for the Prestige card – this comes with unlimited free visits
Alternatively, get an American Express Platinum charge card. This is substantially better than buying a Prestige card, as the Amex version is even better – you get TWO Priority Pass cards and each lets the holder bring a free guest. This means that it gets a family of four into a lounge.
Whilst Amex Platinum has a £450 annual fee, you get 30,000 Memership Rewards points for signing up (= 30,000 Avios) and a huge range of other benefits too. My full review of American Express Platinum is here.
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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (April 2025)
Here are the five options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.
The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,500 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.
You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges. Our American Express Platinum review is here.
You can apply here.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.
Additional lounge visits are charged at £24. You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.
There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus. Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network. Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.
The card has a fee of £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer. Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.
HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard
A good package, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review
Got a small business?
If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.
