How to Access Priority Pass Lounges

Priority Pass is the world’s leading program for independent airport lounges. Membership in Priority Pass allows passengers to access over 1,300 lounges worldwide, making it one of the best ways to ensure uninterrupted lounge access on all your travels.

Having a separate lounge membership can be handy if you’re flying in economy and don’t have access to a lounge with a business class or First Class ticket. Even if you have elite status with an airline, Priority Pass can still come in handy if you find yourself travelling on a different airline alliance as a one-time exception.

Let’s look at everything there is to know about the Priority Pass program, including which credit cards include Priority Pass membership, how you can enroll, how many guests you may bring, and which lounges you have access to, to help you make the most of your membership.

Priority Pass via the Amex Platinum Cards

The Priority Pass website lists a handful of membership packages, which would apply if you were looking to purchase an annual membership outright.

However, there’s almost no reason to purchase one of these memberships directly. Instead, the most common way of obtaining a Priority Pass membership is to get a premium travel credit card that automatically grants you Priority Pass memberships of varying levels. 

The American Express Platinum Card and American Express Business Platinum Card are the prime Canadian-issued candidates for those looking to enjoy the benefits of Priority Pass. That’s because these cards come with a Priority Pass Select membership, which grants free unlimited visits to airport lounges worldwide for the cardholder and one guest.

You aren’t able to purchase a Select membership outright, even if you wanted to. It only comes as a side benefit on high-end travel credit cards.

For net annual fees of $499 (taking into account the Platinum Card’s $200 annual travel credit), this can be an excellent value proposition if you can make use of Priority Pass lounges often enough.

Keep in mind that the Platinum Card and Business Platinum Card have additional lounge benefits in addition to Priority Pass, such as providing access to Plaza Premium and Centurion Lounges worldwide, and it can be confusing to keep track of them all.

Another benefit of these cards is that supplementary Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders are also entitled to their own Priority Pass Select…