Priority Pass

[HighFlyer]

Does anyone have one of these for lounge access? and are they worth it (IYHO) ?

I considered it recently as i have two flights in PE booked and have no lounge access. I know that the average shared lounge isnt a Clubhouse, but you kind of get used to having somewhere private and relaxed to sit and wait for your flight, so i thought that this may be the option?

I read that i can buy one and my fellow companions can accompany me for a fee of £15 to the lounges. Seems reasonable to me, as long as they have access to enough decent lounges around the globe.

Any comments appreciated.

I have PP.
Its very useful to me for Gothenburg Airport and Malaga airport, plus Birmingham.
The lounges are OK, away from the madding crowd, with TV, drinks (normally self service) and newspapers.
Worth it as far as I am concerned.
If you have a particular airport I can check the availability of lounges for you.

[Bazz]

Highflyer, have been a member of PP for several years and have found the lounge options generally pretty good, as you say they are not Clubhouses but are much better that the departures lounges. Some of them are very pleasant.

you can get them free with platinum amex and centurion too

They have three levels of membership
Standard $99 but pay per use ($24)
Standard plus $249 inc 10 visits
Prestige $399 unlimited visits

I was a member for years but now in VS AU and *A AU its not worth it for me.
the lounges are usually of a fair standard self service drinks etc

Obviously pick the membership that reflects your no of flights per anum

breaks out standard plus is better if you fly more than once every two months (or 6 times a year)
and prestige if you fly more than 16 times a year

Highflyer: I note from the Itinerary Calendar that you are flying LGW-LAS in December. The Priority Pass will get you into about three lounges in LGW. Out of those three, i have visited the Continental President's Club which was very spacious and comfortable, although it has limited food and drink. The US Airways lounge has recently joined the program, so i might be visiting that one at the end of this month - whichever i go to, i'll try to get some pics. The other one is the Servisair lounge, but that doesn't sound as good as the airline ones, from what i've read.

In LAS, you can access the landside America West lounge using the PP but bear in mind it's at Terminal 1, not the one Virgin flies from. You can get a free shuttle back and forward though, although i have never bothered.

The Amex Platinum gets you the equivalent of a Prestige membership of Priority Pass, which together with the comprehensive travel insurance for you + spouse + children under 21, may represent good value for the £275 fee. It's not invitation-only like it used to be - in fact they seem to be rather free and easy about who gets them these days. I've heard of someone with a £12k salary and an Amex credit card being phoned and offered one!

quote:It's not invitation-only like it used to be - in fact they seem to be rather free and easy about who gets them these days. I've heard of someone with a £12k salary and an Amex credit card being phoned and offered one!

LOL that why I got one:D

I have PP through AMEX Plat and have used it a lot.Its well know at participating lounges noboby ever gives you a dirty look when its used to gain access unlike the plat card itself(before it was trashed by centurion arrival).I once took a whole rugby team into a lounge at Rome with the one card no problems. With the mentioned insurance if you never use the card its a good deal.The recent amex 3xmiles offer on supermarket and petrol spend netted me over 10k miles.

Is it worth it?

I'd say so, particularly at overseas airport. As i've said elsewhere I like checking in nice and early and so I usually get my money's worth from a lounge. The lounges are generally pretty good and I've always been welcomed, PP card never queried.

The real value comes if there is a delay, three or four hours hanging around a departure lounge with one pokey cafe and a small duty free shop can be awful, Having a PP pass can make the awful bearable.

VSlf

[RichardMannion]

I get two PP with my UK Centurion Card as part of my annual fee - If I didn't have a Centurion, I would def sign up for a PP.

Hard to put on the value of getting away from the noise and commotion of the main departure lounges - I like my time reading the magazines and newspapers in peace, with free drinks and snacks.

Sure none of the lounges are up to CLubhouse standard, but its quiet!

Thanks,
Richard

[HighFlyer]

Thanks guys!

I didnt know that Amex Plat was applyable for now, i still thought it was invitation only. Anyone know how much the annual fee is?

If its reasonable, i may just get that instead and use it as a flash accessory and a priority pass. I will do an online application and see how that goes.

You can change Amex points for miles too cant you? (although i gather you get 1 mile (not 2 miles) for each pound spent?)

Thanks for you help!

you can apply £275 fee
details af Amex Charge Cards

[Bazz]

quote:Originally posted by HighFlyer
...You can change Amex points for miles too cant you? (although i gather you get 1 mile (not 2 miles) for each pound spent?)

Thanks for you help!

You are correct, one Amex Membership Reward Point is exchangeable for one Flying Club reward mile. There are promos from time to time but the Amex (Gold) two/four card offer has been withdrawn.

quote:Originally posted by Bazz
There are promos from time to time but the Amex (Gold) two/four card offer has been withdrawn.

the four offer has gone but the 2 offer is still available

I'm pretty sure Bazz was only referring to the card which gave 4 MR points for VS spend, 2 MR points otherwise (an very good deal which mcuth benefits from! )

The card that's still available is virtually identical to a normal Gold card, except for 2 MR points for VS spend + no fee for the first year.

AU wouldn't get you a PP anyway You'd need Plat for that..

I noticed on the BAA worldperks site they advertise a special rate for PP to Perks members - they dont say how good the rate is though or for which PP Level..

The information doesn't seem to be freely available on the net - i assume it's in the WorldPoints literature they send you when you sign up. I just signed up recently, so when i receive it, I can let you all know. Alternatively, i'm pretty sure there are others on this board who are already members - so maybe someone knows already?

quote:Originally posted by onionz
I'm pretty sure Bazz was only referring to the card which gave 4 MR points for VS spend, 2 MR points otherwise (an very good deal which mcuth benefits from! )

Indeed ;)

Re the Worldpoints Priority Pass arrangement - according to the site (log in, go to Members Overview > Rewarding Yourself), you have to use some points to get the discounts as follows:

50 Points
Free lounge visit plus 15% discount on annual Standard membership of Priority Pass
Enjoy access to more than 450 airport VIP lounges worldwide and only pay for the visits you make, for just £15 per person per visit. The annual fee is £59 plus 50 points, which includes the first lounge visit FREE - worth £15 - a total saving of £25 on the usual fee.

75 Points
£30 off the annual fee for Standard Plus membership of Priority Pass
This plan provides you with 10 FREE lounge visits included in the annual fee. After the 10 inclusive visits have been used, a charge is automatically made for each additional visit. The annual fee is £129 plus 75 points - thatÕs a saving of £30 on the usual fee.

100 Points
£40 off the annual fee for Prestige membership of Priority Pass
Unlimited access for the very frequent traveller. Designed for those who wish to make a one-off annual payment and enjoy free entry to any participating lounge throughout the year. The annual fee is £219 plus 100 points Ð thatÕs a saving of £40 on the usual fee.

Cheers

Michael

Actually, I think anyone can access those details if you go straight to the page it refers to:
http://www.baa.carlson-rm.com/scheme_overview/current_rewards.html

Cheers

Michael

[mitchja]

As a WorldPoints card holder I've just had a look in my BAA summer magazine and you can get the standard Priority Pass for £59 and 50 BAA Worldpoints. You then pay £15 per lounge visit but your first visit is thrown in for free.

Ther is also another reward with BAA Worldpoints that gives you 10% discount on 'Lounge Pass' visits for 25 points with prices starting at £13.50 per lounge visit.

All my BAA WorldPoints go into my VS FC account - You need 500 points and you get a 1:1 points transfer.

Regards

Yes, i took the liberty of signing up for this programme even though some postings on FT indicate it's a bit of a pain trying to get the points awarded when spending in the airport.

Another good use of the points is 50 points for a half price trip on one of the three "Expresses" (HEX, GEX, S..hmmm..what is the correct abbreviation for Stansted Express?:D).

At 6 quid instead of 12 quid for a single, they start to look good value!

And the BAA WorldCard VISA is interesting. It earns a point for every pound spent, and these points can be tranferred to FC at 1:1 ratio as mitchja points out, or to bmi Diamond Club at 1.5:1 ratio. This is the same as the MBNA credit cards, but there's an additonal benefit of unlimited free upgrades to First Class on the Expresses by using/showing the BAA card. So that makes the VS and the BMI credit cards seem a bit redundant. Plus the BAA card is run by Bank of Scotland, not MBNA if that sways it for anyone!:)

Rather than continue to hijack this thread on Priority Pass, i have started a new one here to discuss the BAA WorldPoints scheme. .

Could someone give me the details of the PP lounges at LHR T3 and EWR Terminal B?

Off to NYC in September on VS1 + VS2 and am thinking of getting PP before then.

T3 has a Servisair Lounge and a Kuwait Oasis Lounge (both next door to each other). There's a thread around here somewhere about the lounges at T3.

There's a Delta Crown Room and a Northwest Worldclub at EWR - B. Both are airside and therminal B is structured so that once you go through security you can only get to lounges in the same area as your departuure gate. When I flew from EWR in May, I couldn't access either of the lounges from the gate which I was departing.

TJ,
There is a website that lists the lounges

[Nottingham Nick]

quote:Originally posted by Jonathan
TJ,
There is a website that lists the lounges

You have to be a member to see full details of the lounges though[:(][:(]

Nick

Jonathan / TJ - The publically available list only shows which airports have lounges that you can use. It doesn't give any details about the type of lounge or which terminal they're in, which limits its usefulness if you're basing your purchasing decision on being able to use lounges for a specific trip.