Priority Pass credit cards – free airport lounge, here I come!

What is Priority Pass and how do I get it with a credit card?

Priority Pass is a membership program that gives you access to over 1,600 airport lounges around the world. Members pay a yearly membership fee, and may also have to pay lounge entry fees.

Want to avoid paying anything? Some credit cards in Australia offer Priority Pass lounge access. Here's what's available:

• The most common offer is 2 lounge visits per year. Any additional visits will cost US$35 each. Cards offering this include the Westpac Altitude Black; the Amplify Signature from St.George, Bank of Melbourne and Bank SA; and the Citi Premier Card. The BOQ Specialist Signature offers 4 passes, but most people can't apply for it.
• Some Platinum cards offer unlimited lounge visits per year, including American Express Platinum, American Express Platinum Business and Citi Prestige.
  

How much is Priority Pass with a credit card worth?

Credit card membership isn't identical to standard Priority Pass membership. So the most useful question to ask is: what would it cost you to get into a lounge otherwise?

Here's what you'd pay at each of the Priority Pass-accessible international lounges within Australia for a single casual visit as of August 2024.

That means that if you use your 2 passes for international lounges from Australia, they're worth around $140. That's decent, but every card offering this has an annual fee of at least $150, and often much higher.

The only domestic lounge option for Priority Pass is the Rex Lounge in Adelaide, Melbourne or Sydney. Those normally cost $33 for casual entry. The Rex Lounges are pretty basic, with no hot food and no bathroom facilities (other than Sydney).

Regular Priority Pass members can use their passes for a $36 food or drink credit at some airport restaurants. However, only Citi's Premier Card lets you use your credit card passes this way. Every other credit card Priority Pass option we've encountered can only be used for lounge access. (Note that the $36 is roughly half the value of any of the lounge access options in Australia, so it's not a great value choice.)

The unlimited lounge visit Platinum options offer higher value, but the trade-off is a much higher card fee. That perk is roughly equivalent to Priority Pass Prestige, which costs US$469 a year (around $700). That value can help offset the high annual card fee, but only if you're going to make more than 10 lounge visits in a year.

Our expert says: Priority Pass is a nice-to-have, not a key feature

"I wouldn't pick a credit card solely for Priority Pass, given that it's quite hard to use your passes within Australia. If you're travelling overseas often and use a lot of different airlines, then it's a great additional feature. But given the higher fees on cards offering it, you'll need to be looking at other card features as well as this before making a choice."

Angus Kidman

Editor-at-large

How to join Priority Pass with a credit card

The process is slightly different for every card, but usually you'll need to enrol in Priority Pass using your credit card details.

For example, with a Westpac Altitude Black Credit Card, you need to visit prioritypass.com/westpacblack and follow the prompts to enrol.

With American Express Platinum and Platinum Business cards, you can just call the number of the back of your card.

Once your Priority Pass account is activated, you'll be sent a plastic membership card and can activate a digital one. You need to show one of these cards to visit a lounge or get other Priority Pass benefits at the airport.

If you want to contact Priority Pass, the closest customer service centre to Australia is in Hong Kong and can be reached on 0011 852 2866 1964. You can view other Priority Pass contact centres on the website, or contact your credit card company.

Where are Priority Pass lounges located?

There are Priority Pass lounges at airports all around the world – including airports in London, Los Angeles, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong. Priority Pass says it offers access to "1,600+ lounges and experiences", though that figure includes restaurants as well as lounges.

In Australia, there are Priority Pass lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth international airports, as well as Rex domestic lounges in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Outside Adelaide, these domestic lounges aren't useful if you're flying with Qantas as they're in a different terminal.

The Priority Pass website has a search tool you can use to find lounges for your travel plans.

What traps should I be aware of with Priority Pass lounges?

• Access isn't guaranteed. Lounges get busy, and they'll give priority to paying customers with bookings over Priority Pass members. So there's a chance you might not get into your chosen lounge as planned.
• Not all services are included. Typically, you'll pay extra if you want to use a shower or for premium alcoholic drinks.
• You can't stay in the lounge indefinitely. Each individual lounge will enforce visit length limits. In Australia, 2 hours is typical. Not a major restriction given you often can't check into an international flight until 3 hours before, but something to bear in mind.

Written by

Amy Bradney-George

Editor

Amy Bradney-George was the senior writer for credit cards at Finder, and editorial lead for Finder Green. She has over 16 years of editorial experience and has been featured in publications including ABC News, Money Magazine and The Sydney Morning Herald. See full bio

Amy's expertise

Amy has written 565 Finder guides across topics including:

• Credit cards
• Frequent flyer
• Credit score
• BNPL
• Money management
• Sustainability

Co-written by

Angus Kidman

Editor-at-large

Angus Kidman is the international editor-at-large at Finder. He's an award-winning journalist who has reported on technology, travel, finance and other topics for over 30 years. Angus appears regularly on Sunrise, Today, The Project, Seven News and other TV and radio shows. See full bio

Angus's expertise

Angus has written 202 Finder guides across topics including:

• Frequent flyer
• Travel
• Technology
• Broadband