Are You Considering An Airport Lounge Pass?
Not sure whether it is good value?
Don’t worry! This article will help you decide if an airport lounge pass membership is right for you.
In this post we are going to compare pay-as-you-go lounge access with lounge access via Priority Pass,
Priority Pass is one of the largest airport lounge pass membership schemes and have the largest number of lounges available for members to use.
1. Airport Lounge Pass – Accessing Lounges with A Membership Pass
Before we jump into comparing prices there are a couple of things to know about accessing airport lounges;
- Some lounges restrict access to airport lounge pass scheme members to certain times of the day, generally off-peak periods. This is because they can sell their space at peak times for peak prices to other users, or take bookings directly.
- It is not always clear if this is the case at an airport lounge which can be frustrating.
- You generally cannot access the lounge more than 3 hours before your flight time. For example, if you are flying at 12 noon you generally can’t generally access the lounge before 9am. This is usually to help the airport lounges manage the number of people using the lounge at any one time.
- One of the good points about using an airport lounge is that you can carry on using the lounge if your flight is delayed. This makes dealing with a delay a bit easier to bear.
2. Airport Lounge Pass – Which Lounge To Compare?
To compare a membership scheme such as Priority Pass with pay-as-you-go access it is easier to use the same airport lounge for ease of comparison.
One of the most popular lounges in the UK is the No 1. Lounge in Gatwick’s South Terminal, so we will use that as our comparison.
3. Airport Lounge Pass – Costs to Access the Number 1 Lounge, Gatwick
Here are the prices for the different ways you can pay to access the Number 1 Lounge at Gatwick (South Terminal).
- If space is available you can pay at the door, without the need to book in advance. The cost is £40 per visit. (3 hours)
- You can book online through Gatwick Airport/No1 Lounges. The cost is £32 per visit. (3 hours)
- You can book online through Holidayextras. The cost is £24 per visit (2 hours)
- You can use Priority Pass. The cost is £20 per visit after you have paid a one off joining fee of £69 for a Standard membership.
4. Airport Lounge Pass – How Does Membership Compare With Cheapest Access Prices?
You would have to visit 17 times with the Priority Pass to beat the holidayextras price, although bear in mind that is only for 2 hours access not 3, when taking the £69 fee into account.
You would have to visit 6 or more times with the Priority Pass to beat the Gatwick Airport/No1 Lounges price.
Now, this comparison is a little unfair on Priority Pass because generally, people that have an airport lounge pass are visiting more than one airport and more than one airport lounge.
However, the overall approach kind of works the same.
As a general rule, you can say that if you are using lounges 6 times or more per year then a Priority Pass should provide a saving compared to pay-as-you-go access.
However, that depends on where you are travelling to and from and who you are travelling with. Check out cheap airport lounges to find out the best option for you based on your travel plans.
5. Airport Lounge Pass – Pay as You Go Compared to Different Membership Levels
If you are travelling more regularly then you need to consider whether pay-as-you-go access is the better option by comparing this to a different Priority Pass membership level.
We’ve already compared the price of pay-as-you-go access and standard membership.
For more frequent travel let’s look at pay-as-you-go airport lounge access and Standard Plus membership.
Priority Pass Standard Plus Membership
Priority Pass Standard plus membership is £189 and this gives 10 free visits with members and guests paying £20 thereafter.
This makes the cost per visit for 10 visits £18.99 per visit.
Paying at the door for 10 visits at No 1 Lounge would come to £400 in total (3 hour visit)
Booking online at Gatwick No 1 Lounge for 10 visits would come to £320 in total (3 hour visit)
Booking at Holidayextras for 10 visits would come to £240 in total (2 hour visit)
This means if you plan on using an airport lounge 10 times or more a year, then Priority Pass Standard Plus membership is cheaper than pay-as-you-go access.
Priority Pass Prestige Traveller Membership
Prestige Traveller membership which costs £339 per year. This gives unlimited membership for the member each year. Guests are still charged at £20 per visit.
The cost per visit for 15 visits with Prestige Traveller membership is £22.60 per visit
Paying at the door for 15 visits would cost £600 in total
Booking online at Gatwick No. 1 Lounge for 15 visits would cost £480
Booking online at Holidayextras for 15 visits would cost £360
6. Airport Lounge Pass: Professional Traveller Summary
- Airport lounge pass membership is worth considering if using lounges more than 6 times a year
- Priority Pass standard plus membership is a good value option if used more than 6 times a year, and definitely above 8-10
7. Interested in Airport Lounge Pass Membership?
Priority Pass is one of the most popular airport lounge pass membership schemes. It has a huge number of lounges available to members.
Find out more information by clicking the banner below.
Further Reading
If you have found this Airport Lounge Pass article useful you might also like;
Cheap Airport Lounges – work out the cheapest way to access airport lounges based on your travel plans.
Airport Lounge Membership Comparison – compares the most popular membership schemes to find the best one for you
6 Fab Flight Hacks – for help finding great flight deals
Find out more on my Airport Lounges page
Other Articles
- Best Compression Packing Cube Set – Saves Luggage SpaceLooking for A Compression Packing Cube Set? Why Do I Recommend This Compression Packing Cube? Currently £18.69 and free Amazon Prime delivery – why not get yours now? Compression Packing Cube Set If you want to reduce the size of the luggage you travel with then you need compression packing cubes. These cubes work exactly… Read More »Best Compression Packing Cube Set – Saves Luggage Space
- Check Out The Best Packing Cubes for Travel 🧳Looking for Packing Cubes? I’ve got two great recommendations here. I am going to start with a recommended regular packing cube and then a compression packing cube. Why Do I Recommend This Packing Cube for Travel? Currently £17.99 and free Amazon Prime delivery – why not get yours now? The Best Packing Cube for Travel… Read More »Check Out The Best Packing Cubes for Travel 🧳
- Book Light – Makes Reading Easy when TravellingAre you looking for a book light? This is the one that I use when travelling – it’s tiny but powerful. (This is one of my recommended travel gear items – find the rest of my Travel Essentials page) Why Do I Recommend This Book Light? Currently £10.98 on Amazon with free Amazon Prime delivery… Read More »Book Light – Makes Reading Easy when Travelling
- Easyjet Cabin Bag – Check Out This Great Underseat CaseAre you looking for a great Easyjet cabin bag? This is my favourite case for travelling on Easyjet as it means no luggage fees! (This is one of my recommended travel gear items – find the rest on my Travel Essentials page) Why Do I Recommend This Easyjet Cabin Bag? Currently £49.99 and £3.99 UK… Read More »Easyjet Cabin Bag – Check Out This Great Underseat Case
- Travel Probiotic – A Great Way To Stay Well When TravellingAre you looking for a travel probiotic? This is the brand that I use when I travel somewhere I think this might be helpful. Why Do I Recommend This Travel Probiotic? Currently £19.99 and free Amazon Prime delivery. Why not get yours now? The Best Travel Probiotic During my travels, I have often been in places where… Read More »Travel Probiotic – A Great Way To Stay Well When Travelling
- Wired Earphones – Great Value and Great for TravellingAre you looking for a some wired earphones? Check out these earbud style ones which are good value with a good sound. Why Do I Recommend Wired Earphones? Currently £10.99 and free Prime delivery? Why not get yours now? The Best Wired Earphones Wired earphones are great to have when travelling. They are a backup in case… Read More »Wired Earphones – Great Value and Great for Travelling
- 10 Travel Essentials You Need for a Great TripHere are my 10 travel essentials based on years of travelling with thousands of travellers all over the world. During that time I have met all sorts of travellers, travelling on all types of holidays from budget to luxury ones. No matter what the holiday has cost I have seen guests across all types of… Read More »10 Travel Essentials You Need for a Great Trip
- This Great Travel Document Holder Will Keep You OrganisedAre you looking for a great travel document holder? This one has room for multiple passports/documents, money, cards, pen holder & phone pocket! Why Do I Recommend This Travel Document Holder? Currently £8.49 with free Prime delivery ? why not get yours now? The Best Travel Document Holder Keeping travel documents and items together makes travelling less… Read More »This Great Travel Document Holder Will Keep You Organised
- Great Value Earbuds – Super Light and Fab for TravellingAre you looking for some great travel earbuds? These are great value and come with a charging case. Why Do I Recommend These Earbuds? Currently £18.99 and free Prime delivery? why not get yours now? The Best Earbuds Travelling can often be quite a noisy experience. Airports, train stations, hotels, buses, cities and streets – all can… Read More »Great Value Earbuds – Super Light and Fab for Travelling