Priority Pass Membership & Lounge Review 2024: Should You Sign Up?

Airport lounges aren’t just for the rich and famous. Budget and regular travellers can enjoy free Priority Pass Lounge access with the right know-how.

Looking to tick off your travel bucket list? Kudos for taking the initiative to arm yourself with knowledge on Priority Pass membership and benefits. 

Like it or not, air travel can be stressful. Having access to fancy airport lounges around the world can help make things more enjoyable and comfortable at the same time, particularly so if your trip comprises a long layover or unforeseen delay.  

That being said, anyone and everyone, including budget travellers, can enjoy all that Priority Pass lounges have to offer in Singapore and beyond. Read on to find out how! 

Table of contents

• What is Priority Pass?
• How does Priority Pass membership work?
• Priority Pass lounges
• Priority Pass benefits 
• How to get Priority Pass membership?
• How to use Priority Pass membership?
• Best credit cards for free Priority Pass lounge access
• Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
• Should you sign up for Priority Pass membership? 

What is Priority Pass?

Priority Pass is a global, independent membership programme that travellers can count on to access a network of airport lounges, restaurants, and mini-suites wherever in the world they may be, regardless of the airline they’re flying with or cabin class they’re flying in. Put simply, Priority Pass is exclusive and inclusive in different ways. 

How does Priority Pass Membership work?

With the Priority Pass membership, gain access to a whole slew of exclusive travel and lifestyle perks – from dining to shopping to airport lounge relaxation, who knew your pre-flight departure could be this interesting? 

Overall, there are three different Priority Pass tiers for members to enjoy:

As with most membership programmes, the base tier provides the most basic benefits, and the perks become increasingly exclusive the higher the tiers go.

For an occasional traveller, the Standard tier may be adequate as it offers a discounted airport lounge entry at US$35 per visit. In contrast, the Standard Plus tier suits more frequent travellers, offering 10 free visits per year, with each additional visit costing US$35 thereafter. Finally, for the globetrotter, the Prestige tier takes the cake with unlimited free airport lounge visits all year round, giving us a taste of what it means to be a global citizen.

List of airports with Priority Pass Lounges

For the uninitiated, Priority Pass is available in more countries and cities than any other similar programme. As of the time of writing, there are over 1,500 Priority Pass airport lounges, dining and facilities around the world, across the Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, Canada and North America. 

In Singapore, these are the airport lounges available under Priority Pass:

Although Priority Pass is the most common lounge network worldwide, it's notable to point out that ever since it lost its partnership with Plaza Premium Lounges to Dragon Pass. As a result, there are now network gaps in airports where Plaza Premium is the sole lounge operator (if you only have a Priority Pass membership).

Examples of affected airports include Brisbane, Cebu, Hong Kong Terminal 2, Langkawi, Kuching, London Heathrow Terminal 2, and more.

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Things you can do with Priority Pass Membership: Benefits 

#1: Airport lounge access  

Priority Pass members can look forward to enjoying complimentary refreshments, small bites, meals and drinks in the lounge. Most lounges also offer alcoholic beverages. 

Apart from filling up your tummy pre-flight, most travellers will appreciate the free Wi-Fi, comfortable recliners and seats, charging ports, magazines and newspapers, and private working spaces available within the lounge.

Some Priority Pass lounges even offer guests the opportunity to indulge in extra perks like showers, massages, sleeping areas, and spa treatments.

#2: Convenience 

Priority Pass lounges and facilities are available worldwide, and guests can enter the lounge of their choice —subject to capacity limits—easily with their Digital Membership Card via the enhanced Priority Pass mobile app. There’s no need to fuss around with traditional plastic membership cards! 

That’s not all. The Priority Pass mobile app also allows guests to navigate through the terminal using their bespoke indoor maps and airport guides with ease. Plus, all Priority Pass members enjoy 24/7 premium service and support year-round. 

💡 Pro-tip: Select Priority Pass members can redeem a free membership to WithU, a premium fitness app offering personalised training experience.

#3: Complimentary airport dining 

Priority Pass lounges aren’t available at all airport terminals. For example, London Heathrow’s Terminal 2 has an English pub/restaurant available for Priority Pass members to enjoy while there are two lounges available at London Heathrow’s Terminal 3 and one lounge available at Terminal 5. 

To check whether or not there are lounges or restaurants available at the airport terminal that you would be passing through, simply launch the Priority Pass mobile app. It’s super convenient, and you may even pre-book your lounge access spot for select airport lounges. 

#4: Airport dining, retail and spa discounts 

Priority Pass offers more than 800 airport dining, retail and spa options globally that members can redeem easily through the Priority Pass mobile app, if they have access to these extra perks. 

It’s worth noting that I don’t see any of such offers available to me after scouring the Priority Pass mobile app — my Priority Pass membership is the complimentary version tagged to my credit card. 

💡 Pro-tip: At the Dubai International Airport (DXB) Terminal 3, Priority Pass holders can access the Game Space, an ultimate gaming lounge open 24/7. Equipped with 40 PCs and even consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S, the gamers in your travel crew will be spoilt for choice, gaming their heart away.

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How to get Priority Pass membership?

Priority Pass has three distinct membership plans to suit different types of travellers — (i) Standard; (ii) Standard Plus; and (iii) Prestige. 

For the discerning ones amongst us keen on enjoying Priority Pass benefits, consider applying for the few credit cards that offer complimentary Priority Pass membership. 

Best credit cards to get Priority Pass membership

If you or your travel companion hold certain credit cards, you'll enjoy a complimentary number of Priority Pass lounge visits per year:

Credit card	No. of free visits per year
Citi PremierMiles Card Apply Now	2 visits
DBS Altitude Visa Card Apply Now	2 visits
Standard Chartered Journey Card Apply Now	2 visits
Standard Chartered Visa Infinite Card Apply Now	If ≤ S$200,000 in average deposits and/or investments: 2 visits   If ≥ S$200,000 in average deposits and/or visits: 12 visits    If ≥ S$1.5 million (Priority Banking member): Unlimited visits
DBS Vantage Card Apply Now	10 visits
Citi Prestige Card Apply Now	Unlimited visits + 1 guest
AMEX Platinum Charge Card Apply Now	Unlimited visits + select number of guests

Lounge access is also available at no extra charge if you’ve subscribed to:

• Priority Pass Standard Plus Plan: 10 free lounge passes per year 
• Priority Pass Prestige Plan: Unlimited lounge passes per year

See also: Cheap and Free Ways to Access Changi Airport Lounges

How to use Priority Pass?

1. Obtain a membership either by applying via website or through your credit card.
   
2. Wait for either your physical membership card or digital card via the Priority Pass app.
3. Use the Priority Pass website or mobile app to locate participating Priority Pass airport lounges at your departure or transit airports.
4. Present either your Priority Pass Membership Card (digital or physical) or credit card together with your valid same-day travel boarding pass to access the lounge.
5. Ta-da! Enjoy your lounge amenities and facilities before your flight departure. 

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Are Priority Pass lounges usually crowded?

To be honest, this depends. There’s no guarantee that the Priority Pass lounge you’re visiting will be crowded, quiet, or even accessible. 

Just to put things into perspective, the Priority Pass lounges at Changi Airport T3’s transit area were being used to accommodate passengers from SWISS at the time my husband and I wanted to pop by for ‘free breakfast’, before our morning flight to Malé, Maldives. This happened just last month! 

Before our flight back to Singapore, we had some time to kill and managed to get into Moonimaa Lounge at Velana International Airport in Malé, Maldives after about an hour’s wait as it was filled with fellow travellers. Be that as it may, we enjoyed a light buffet dinner and self-serve hot tea on the house — thanks to the complimentary Priority Pass membership that came with my DBS Visa Altitude Credit Card. 

Is there a limit to Priority Pass visits? Can I use my Priority Pass twice in a day?

No, there is no limit to the number of lounge visits usable in a day or year as long as you have a same-day boarding pass. However, if we're talking about free lounge visits, that's a slightly different story.

For instance, if you're visiting a Priority Pass lounge using a DBS Altitude Visa Credit Card and Citi PremierMiles, you're entitled to two complimentary visits per year. As a result, you'll have to pay a fee of US$35 for subsequent visits. The same applies to folks under the Standard Plus plan which offers 10 lounge passes annually. 

There is no limit to how many Priority Pass visits you can make if you hold more premium credit cards (read: Citi Prestige) or if you sign up for the Prestige Plan. Just FYI, Citi Prestige cardmembers can enjoy unlimited Priority Pass lounge access and bring one guest along per visit at no extra charge. 

How to get Priority Pass for free?

The only way to gain free Priority Pass membership would be to sign up for one of the aforementioned credit cards.

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Should you sign up for Priority Pass membership? 

You should sign up for Priority Pass membership if you’re a frequent traveller. Now that borders are opening and travel’s rebounding, having access to lounges worldwide is a huge plus in my book. 

Apart from getting a place to have a free meal or drink, airport lounges let guests freshen up, rest, work, socialise or even take a shower if the lounge has shower facilities. But of course, I would recommend you sign up for the right credit card to get complimentary Priority Pass access, if possible, instead of shelling out your hard-earned money on lounge visits. 

If you make at least S$120,000 per year, I highly recommend you get your hands on the Citi Prestige Card. Unlimited Priority Pass and a whole slew of exclusive travel perks await!