Access to airport lounges was traditionally an exclusive perk of flying Business Class or holding elite airline status. But even if you’re not a frequent flyer, you can enjoy access to airport lounges around the world with the right credit card or by buying a Priority Pass membership.

Priority Pass members have access to more than 1,500 airport lounges in six continents. The real beauty is that you can use the lounge regardless of your class of travel or the airline you’re flying – you just need a same-day boarding pass to get into the lounge. (By comparison, Qantas Club or Virgin Lounge membership only gets you into their lounges when flying with certain airlines.)

Priority Pass lounge network

Priority Pass boasts an impressive network of over 1,500 lounges. For example, you’ll find airport lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore, Bali, Auckland, Nadi, Dubai and London Heathrow – to name just a few airports. Most are third-party and contract lounges, rather than airline-specific lounges – although some airline lounges are also included.

At the time of writing, there are 12 Priority Pass lounges located in Australia. These include all three of the Rex domestic lounges and nine international lounges. Note that “The House” lounges have a $20 surcharge for premium lounge services.

Unfortunately, the Plaza Premium Lounge in Brisbane will close on 1 July 2024. The Aspire Lounge in Brisbane closed at the end of May 2024. A new Plaza Premium Lounge will open later this year in the location of the former Aspire Lounge.

Here’s the full list of current Priority Pass lounges in Australia:

Priority Pass restaurant vouchers

Priority Pass also partners with various airport restaurants, cafés and bars. In lieu of a lounge visit, members can claim an AUD36 credit at selected eateries in the domestic terminals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Perth, Townsville and Canberra airports. Priority Pass has also recently added three eateries at Adelaide Airport.

Plus, there are restaurant locations in the international terminals in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. That means you could get a free meal every time you fly from one of these airports!

At the time of writing, Priority Pass members can access food and beverage credits at the following Australian airport locations:

Please note that this list is subject to change at any time.

Unfortunately, this benefit is not available to Priority Pass members who received complimentary membership via an American Express credit card. But paid-up Priority Pass members and those with membership through a Citibank Prestige card continue to receive this benefit.

Membership levels

There are three Priority Pass membership options:

• Standard
• Standard Plus
• Prestige

Standard membership (USD99/year) entitles you to access any affiliated lounge for a fee of USD35 per visit, while Standard Plus membership (USD329/year) includes 10 annual lounge visits.

Prestige members (USD469/year) receive unlimited Priority Pass lounge access for a whole year. This can be quite a good deal if you’re flying a lot.

By signing up through Australian Frequent Flyer, you can receive 20% off Standard membership or 10% off Standard Plus membership for the first year.

All Priority Pass members can bring one guest with them into the lounge for an additional USD35 per visit.

Complimentary Priority Pass membership via credit cards

Rather than buying membership directly, some Australian credit cards offer complimentary Priority Pass membership as an included perk!

Amex Platinum, Amex Centurion and Citi Prestige cardholders enjoy complimentary Priority Pass Prestige membership. This comes with unlimited airport lounge access for the cardholder plus one free guest per visit! This is a great benefit, although note that Amex cardholders are not eligible for airport restaurant credits.

The following Australian credit cards also offer complimentary Standard Priority Pass membership plus two included annual lounge visits (subsequent visits are charged at USD35 each):

• Westpac Altitude Rewards Black
• St.George Amplify Rewards Signature
• Bank of Melbourne Amplify Rewards Signature
• Bank SA Amplify Rewards Signature
• Citi Premier
• Citi Premier Qantas

The BOQ Specialist Signature card, costing $400/year and available to certain industry professionals, comes with Standard Priority Pass membership and four included annual visits. BOQ Specialist Signature cardholders can also bring a guest for free into the lounge with each included visit.

LoungePair

If you only plan to visit one or a small number of lounges each year, you may consider purchase one-time access passes through LoungePair rather than buying a Priority Pass membership. This is likely to be cheaper for you, and AFF members can even get a discount on LoungePair purchases!

Read our LoungePair guide for details.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 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.