Canberra Added to Priority Pass Network

A café at Canberra Airport has been added to the Priority Pass network, giving members another option when travelling in Australia.

Priority Pass members can now receive a $36 food & beverage credit at City Hill Coffee, located near gate 8 at Canberra Airport. This is offered in lieu of lounge access, and could be a good option for Virgin Australia flyers as the Virgin Australia Lounge remains closed indefinitely.

Food & beverage credits at participating airport bars, cafés and restaurants are available to paid Priority Pass members and those with a complimentary membership through their Citi Prestige credit card. But unfortunately, those with complimentary Priority Pass membership through an American Express credit card are excluded.

For those with unlimited and/or complimentary Priority Pass visits, this is basically a free meal. But if you’re paying for each lounge visit, this is a poor deal because the AUD36 voucher would cost you USD32 (~AUD45).

To access the credit, you may need to show a same-day flight boarding pass.

There are now 15 Australian airport cafés, bars and restaurants that participate in Priority Pass, located in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra airports. (Of those, 8 appear to be currently open.)

However, the Velcoity Espresso & Bar at Gold Coast Airport (not to be confused with the Virgin Australia Lounge) recently withdrew from the Priority Pass scheme.

No1 Lounges withdraw from Priority Pass

Priority Pass members have also recently lost access to lounges operated by No1 Lounges. While most No1 Lounge locations are in the UK, they also operate three lounges at Australian international airports.

Priority Pass members could previously access No1’s “The House” lounges in Sydney and Melbourne, normally used by Etihad Airways and Virgin Australia customers, for a $20 surcharge. But this option has now been removed. (The lounges are currently closed, anyway.)

Priority Pass has faced some criticism in recent months for not refunding memberships, even though many lounges have been closed and members unable to fly due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions this year.

Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: City Hill Coffee at CBR Airport joins Priority Pass

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.