Priority Pass UK Review 2026: Is This Lounge Pass Worth It?

Airports have become increasingly stressful places to spend time. Whether it's hunting for somewhere to sit, paying £6 for a coffee, or navigating a departure hall so crowded it tips into full sensory overload. Waiting for a flight is not as simple as it should be.

These are exactly the problems Priority Pass was designed to solve. Instead of waiting in the terminal surrounded by noise, chaos and drama, members can access airport lounges around the world, offering a welcome respite coupled with comfortable seating, fast Wi-Fi, good food, great drinks and a noticeably calmer environment before jetting off to your destination.

What is Priority Pass and how does it work?

Priority Pass is the world’s largest independent airport lounge programme, giving members access to more than 1,800 lounges and travel experiences worldwide, regardless of airline or ticket type.

That means you can be flying economy on a short-haul flight and still enjoy many of the same pre-flight comforts normally associated with business class travel. Most lounges include refreshments, alcohol if you are so inclined, charging points, workspaces, comfortable seating and a quieter atmosphere, something that becomes especially valuable during delays or long layovers.

Simply go to the lounge, and show your Priority Pass membership along with your boarding pass to gain access.

It's not just about the lounges

Priority Pass isn’t just about lounges, it also gives £18 dining credit at select UK airport restaurants, doubling if your pass allows a free guest.

If your card comes via American Express, only two restaurants are available: Pizza Express at Gatwick South and Juniper & Co at London City. Other cards, such as those from Lloyds or HSBC, unlock more options.

Our experience: Using Priority Pass at Gatwick

Between us, we spend a lot of time at airports, and some of our favourite lounge experiences have been in airline lounges like the Concorde Room at Heathrow or the Al Safwa in Doha. But Priority Pass does a lot of the heavy lifting for us on our more everyday trips.

On a recent morning flight from Gatwick, we were in an already heaving North Terminal at 10am. Every seat taken, queues snaking back from every coffee counter. I headed straight to the No1 Lounge, found a quiet corner with a view of the apron, and actually got some work done before the flight. Bliss.

That's the thing about lounges: they don't need to be exceptional to make a difference. Even a straightforward one, with reliable free Wi-Fi, a hot drink and somewhere comfortable to sit, completely changes the rhythm of the morning.

Priority Pass membership tiers and costs

Priority Pass offers three main membership tiers in the UK, designed for different types of traveller.

Tier	UK Price	Visits Included
Standard	£69	Pay per visit (£24 per lounge entry)
Standard Plus	£229	10 included visits, extra £24 per visit
Prestige	£419	Unlimited visits

The Standard membership is aimed at occasional travellers. It costs £69 per year, and each lounge visit costs £24 per person for both the member and any accompanying guests.

The Standard Plus membership suits those who travel more regularly. At £229 per year, it includes 10 complimentary visits for the member. Any additional visits, and all guest visits, are charged at £24 each.

The Prestige membership is designed for frequent flyers. Priced at £419 per year, it includes unlimited visits for the member, while guests pay £24 per visit.

This tiered system allows you to choose the membership that best reflects how often you travel, avoiding unnecessary costs if you fly less frequently.

Occasional travellers can choose a lower-cost plan and pay per visit, while more frequent flyers often prefer a mid-tier option that includes several visits each year. The highest tier includes unlimited lounge visits and is usually the best value for anyone who travels regularly.

Without any offers, lounge access can appear expensive at first glance. However, once discounts are applied, and once you compare the cost to airport food, drinks and paid lounge entry, the numbers often look very different.

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Is Priority Pass good value?

For most people who fly more than three or four times a year, yes, a Priority Pass can be worth it, especially at the discounted rate.

Here's a straightforward example. Walk-up lounge access at a Heathrow or Gatwick lounge typically costs between £35 and £45 per visit. At that rate, Standard Plus membership (£183 after the discount) pays for itself after around five return trips, which is before you factor in what you'd otherwise spend on airport food and drinks, which adds up fast.

For the Prestige tier, its even cleaner if you travel frequently. At £377 with the discount, it works out at under £32 per trip if you use a lounge on just twelve return journeys a year.

The honest caveat: if you fly twice a year or fewer, the Standard tier with pay-per-visit access is probably the right call, if any. There's no point paying an annual fee for membership you won't use enough to justify.

Every Priority Pass lounge in the UK: Full list

Priority Pass coverage across the UK is strong. If you're travelling through one of the major airports, you'll usually find multiple lounge options available. So we have compiled a list of all the Priority Pass lounges in the UK.

Availability can change, so it’s always worth checking the Priority Pass app before travelling.

⚠️ = additional fee applies on top of the standard Priority Pass visit allocation

Airport	Terminal	Lounge(s)
Aberdeen	—	Northern Lights Executive Lounge
Belfast City (George Best)	—	Aspire Lounge
Belfast International	—	Causeway Lounge
Birmingham	—	Aspire Lounge, Clubrooms Birmingham ⚠️, No1 Lounge Birmingham
Bristol	—	Essence Lounge
City of Derry	—	Amelia Earhart Lounge
East Midlands	—	Escape Lounge
Edinburgh	—	Aspire Lounge (Gate 16), Escape Lounge, Turkish Airlines Lounge
Exeter	—	The Executive Lounge
Glasgow	—	The Lomond Lounge, UpperDeck - Glasgow
Humberside	—	Aspire Lounge
Inverness	—	Aspire Lounge
Isle of Man	—	Rendezvous Executive Lounge
Leeds Bradford	—	The Avro Lounge
Liverpool	—	Aspire Lounge
London Gatwick	North Terminal	Plaza Premium Lounge, No1 Lounge Gatwick, My Lounge, Clubrooms Gatwick North ⚠️
	South Terminal	No1 Lounge Gatwick, Club Aspire Lounge, My Lounge, Clubrooms Gatwick South ⚠️
London Heathrow	T2	No.1 Lounge Heathrow T2, Plaza Premium Lounge
	T3	No1 Lounge Heathrow T3, Plaza Premium Lounge, My Lounge, Clubrooms ⚠️
	T4	Plaza Premium Lounge, Blush Lounge by Plaza Premium
	T5	Club Aspire Lounge, Plaza Premium Lounge
London Luton	—	My Lounge, No1 Lounge Luton
London Southend	—	Skylife Lounge @The Pilot Cafe
London Stansted	—	Escape Lounge (temporarily closed)
Manchester	T1 & T3	Aspire Lounge, Escape Lounge
	T2	Aspire Lounge, Escape Lounge, 1903 Lounge ⚠️
Newcastle	—	Aspire Lounge
Newquay	—	Executive Lounge
Norwich	—	Norwich Airport Executive Lounge
Southampton	—	Spitfire Lounge
Teesside	—	The Rockliffe Lounge

How to get a Priority Pass free with American Express

Many travellers receive Priority Pass through premium cards issued by American Express.

Amex Platinum Cardmembers get a complimentary Priority Pass membership, allowing them and a guest unlimited lounge access.

Amex Gold Cardmembers also get a Priority Pass membership, with four free lounge visits per year. Extra visits for you or guests can be purchased at the standard rate.

Exclusive up to 30% discount on Priority Pass

At the moment, readers can access an exclusive 30% discount on Priority Pass membership, reducing the annual cost to approximately:

• Standard: around £48 per year

• Standard Plus: around £183

• Prestige (unlimited visits): around £377

Get the exclusive 30% Priority Pass discount here for Points Well Made readers.

An important thing to note is that this is a limited time offer, you have until the end of the month to utilise the 30% off.

Things to consider

Priority Pass isn’t flawless. Lounge quality varies, some get busy during peak hours, and entry can be restricted when they’re full. Not every lounge is luxurious, but even a basic lounge is usually more comfortable than the departure hall, especially if your flight is delayed.

It's worth checking lounge reviews before you travel to know what to expect . We cover a lot of them here on Points Well Made, so you're in the right place. And do make sure to keep an eye on airport developments, for example, Bristol recently opened the new Essence Lounge, and Manchester has a few more in the pipeline.

Pro tip: You can visit multiple lounges in a day if you fancied doing some lounge hopping and sampling all of their sparkling wines. We're certainly not going to discourage that!

Priority Pass FAQ

Can I use Priority Pass at any UK airport?

Priority Pass covers the vast majority of major UK airports, but not all have lounges. Cardiff has no lounge, but you will get a dining credit at Y Castell restaurant. London City has no lounge either, though Priority Pass holders, including ones issued by American Express, can use an £18 dining credit at Juniper & Co.. Always check the Priority Pass app before you travel, as availability can change.

Can I use Priority Pass with an easyJet or Ryanair ticket?

Yes, and this is one of the most common misconceptions about Priority Pass. It works entirely independently of your airline and ticket class. Simply present your membership card and a same-day boarding pass at lounge reception.

How many guests can I bring with a Priority Pass?

You can bring guests on any tier, but all guest visits cost £24 per person unless your membership includes free guest access. On Standard and Standard Plus, guests always pay. On Prestige, the member gets unlimited free visits but guests still pay £24. With Amex Platinum, both the primary and supplementary cardholder each get their own Priority Pass card admitting them plus one free guest. This means that a couple on one Platinum account can get four people into a lounge at no extra charge. Guest policies vary by lounge, so always check before you travel.

Can I use Priority Pass in arrivals lounges?

Most Priority Pass lounges are airside departure lounges. A small number of airports do have arrivals lounges in the network, but these are the exception rather than the rule. Check the Priority Pass app for your specific airport.

Does Priority Pass work if the lounge is full?

Unfortunately, no. If a lounge has reached capacity they can turn you away even with a valid membership, and this does happen at busy London airports during peak hours. Some lounges allow you to pre-book a slot for a small additional fee, which guarantees entry. We've covered exactly what to do if it happens to you: The Airport Lounge is Full — What Do I Do?

Is it worth getting Priority Pass just for UK airports?

If you fly regularly from UK airports, yes. Take Standard Plus at the discounted rate of £183, if you were to use all 10 visits, each one works out at around £18. If you were to compare this to the £35–45 it'll cost you in walk-up entry at most UK lounges, the potential value is obvious.

Does American Express Platinum include Priority Pass?

Yes. UK Amex Platinum cardholders get a complimentary Priority Pass membership with unlimited visits, plus one free guest per visit. A supplementary cardholder gets their own separate Priority Pass card with the same benefit. Amex Gold cardholders also receive Priority Pass, but with four free visits per year rather than unlimited access, with additional visits charged at the standard rate.

What's the difference between Priority Pass and DragonPass?

Both are independent lounge access programmes with significant overlap in the lounges they cover. So in practice, there's not much difference. Both programmes give you access to a broadly similar global network of airport lounges, with many lounges accepting both. The main difference for UK travellers is simply which card or bank account you get them through. If you're trying to choose between them, the lounge coverage at your most-used airports is really the only thing worth comparing.

Final verdict: Is Priority Pass worth it in 2026?

For most regular travellers, yes. It's not necessarily because lounges are glamorous (plenty of them aren't), but because the alternative, paying airport prices for mediocre food while standing around a overcrowded departure hall, has quietly become worse and more expensive. Against that backdrop, even a modest lounge starts to look good value.

The tiered pricing means you can match your membership to how often you actually fly, and with a discount currently available, the entry point is lower than usual. If you're on the fence, it's a reasonable time to try it.

Helena

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