Frequent fliers have strong opinions about air travel. There are those who cram everything into a carry-on for a weeks-long trip and those who check a bag for a weekend getaway. There are travelers who pride themselves on knowing the best airport hacks and always carrying the coolest gadgets and others who take a more straightforward approach. There are those who get to their gate right when their flight is boarding and those who arrive at the airport with hours to spare. The latter can be split into two more groups: loungers and non-loungers.
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How to Give the Gift of Airport Lounge Access With Priority Pass
Airport lounge access can be decided by a number of things, such as your fare class for a particular flight, status benefits you might receive from airline rewards programs, and what credit card you use. But there’s another way to gain lounge access: Priority Pass.
Priority Pass memberships are available for anyone to purchase, with three levels of membership designed to suit fliers of different frequencies. The fact that anyone can purchase a Priority Pass membership also means that it’s giftable. This holiday season, rather than stock stuffings with gadgets and comforts that some travelers love, without really knowing if the travelers in your life fall into that camp, why not give a gift that your loved ones can use in whatever way they choose? Because if nothing else, having Priority Pass lounge access means free food, and everyone likes that — especially when it comes to airport prices.
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What is Priority Pass?
Priority Pass is a membership program that provides access to a global network of more than 1,300 airport lounges in 140 countries, regardless of the airline or ticket class you’ve booked. This means that Priority Pass members can enjoy amenities such as complimentary drinks, snacks, comfortable seating, quiet areas, and sometimes even showers or beds, depending on the lounge. Some airport restaurants also participate in the program, meaning members may be able to get a credit toward their bill when eating outside of a lounge.
The Priority Pass program offers three levels of membership at different price points: Standard, Standard Plus, and Prestige. Beyond the annual fee for the membership itself, the main difference between these levels is the cost per lounge visit, with the Prestige level offering free lounge access for members. One thing to note before gifting a Priority Pass membership is that not all airports or terminals have participating lounges, so you may want to consider which airports the traveler in your frequents, where they plan to travel, and how often they fly.
How much does a Priority Pass membership cost?
How much a Priority Pass membership costs depends on the level of membership that you purchase. A Standard membership costs $99 per year, plus an additional $35 fee for every lounge visit. Guests also get lounge access for a $35 fee. A Standard Plus membership costs $329 per year and includes 10 free lounge visits. Every subsequent costs $35 for both members and guests. Prestige memberships cost $469 per year. With that, members get unlimited free lounge visits, although guests will still be charged a $35 fee per visit.
How to gift Priority Pass
Gifting a Priority Pass membership is as easy as getting one for yourself. Simply go to the Priority Pass website, select the membership that you’re interested in purchasing, fill out the personal details of the gift recipient, input a delivery address for the physical Priority Pass card, and pay. The most important thing to remember when gifting Priority Pass is that the name on the membership card must match the cardholder’s identification, so be sure to purchase the membership in the gift recipient’s name as written on their driver’s license or passport.
What is Priority Pass Select?
For certain credit cardholders, there’s another way to gift Priority Pass: designate the traveler in your life as an authorized user on your credit card and let them reap its benefits.
Credit cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offer Priority Pass Select memberships as perks. Select memberships are only available to individuals through their financial institutions. Lounge access via Priority Pass Select grants members access to lounges in busy airports all over the world.
While adding an authorized user to your credit card is not something you’d be advised to do for just anyone, it could be a good option for gifting Priority Pass to a trusted family member while skirting the traditional membership fees. Just remember that some credit cards charge annual fees for authorized users, so be sure to check the details of your credit card with your financial institution before making your beloved traveler an authorized user. 