Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
Part of Priority Pass hub
GUIDE
Priority Pass plans compared: Standard to Prestige
Priority Pass is an airport lounge membership programme provided by Priority Pass Limited, sold in three plans — Standard, Standard Plus and Prestige — with annual fees of £69, £229 and £419 as of 18 October 2026. [4] [5] All three plans open the same network of more than 1,900 airport lounges and experiences worldwide, while the charge for each lounge visit is set per person, per visit at a rate that depends on the plan the member holds. [4] [5]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Priority Pass sells three plans by travel frequency: Standard for the occasional traveller at £69 a year, Standard Plus for the regular traveller at £229 and Prestige for the frequent traveller at £419. [5]
- Every lounge or merchant visit is charged per person, per visit, and the rate depends on the membership plan; visits by accompanying guests are debited to the member's payment card in the same way as the member's own visit. [4]
- The value of a plan is shaped by more than the annual fee: entry can be capped or refused, some lounges and services cost extra, and access is never guaranteed. [4]
What are the three Priority Pass plans?
Priority Pass describes three membership plans and sorts them by how often the member travels. [5] Standard is presented as the plan for the occasional traveller, Standard Plus for the regular traveller and Prestige for the frequent traveller. [5]
| Plan | Annual fee | Full fee equivalent | Described as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | £69 | £5.75 a month | For the occasional traveller |
| Standard Plus | £229 | £19.08 a month | For the regular traveller |
| Prestige | £419 | £34.92 a month | For the frequent traveller |
The monthly figures are the full annual fee divided across twelve months, not a separate billing option shown on the plan table. [5] Memberships bought directly from Priority Pass may also carry a postage and handling charge of £10, €10 or US$10 depending on the customer's country of residence. [4]
Whichever plan is chosen, a Priority Pass membership covers more than 1,900 airport lounges and experiences worldwide. [5] The programme also includes merchants such as dining, spa and retail providers, and each of those publishes its own terms in its description on the Priority Pass website or app. [4] The programme's Conditions of Use, which govern how visits are recorded and charged, apply to use of the programme from 26 March 2026. [4]
How do visit and guest charges work?
Lounge and merchant visits are subject to a charge per person, per visit, and the applicable rate depends on the membership plan. [4] Where a charge applies, visits by accompanying guests are debited to the member's payment card just like the member's own visit. [4] The debit is taken either by Priority Pass or by the payment card provider or other organisation through which the membership is held, at the rates that party has notified. [4]
Guests are welcome in the lounges [5], but they must register and enter the lounge or merchant at the same time as the member. [4] The member is responsible for checking that the visit record shows the exact number of guests, because the charge is calculated from the record the lounge submits. [4] Where several people in one group hold their own memberships, each should present their own means of access and sign separately so that nobody is billed for another person's guest. [4]
Children are handled location by location: whether a lounge or merchant admits children, and on what terms, is decided by that location and set out in its description. [4] A member who holds more than one Priority Pass membership may use only one of them for a single visit. [4]
What changes the value of a plan?
Visit limits. Priority Pass, the payment card provider or another organisation may limit how many times a member can enter a lounge or merchant within a period, and within the same arrival or departure location. [4] Where the payment card provider sets that limit, the provider is responsible for telling the member about it. [4]
Entry is never guaranteed. Lounges are run by third parties and may refuse admission, cap the number of people inside, set their own opening hours and limit how long a member stays. [4] Some European lounges sit inside Schengen areas and admit only travellers moving between Schengen countries. [4]
Spending inside the lounge. Where a particular lounge requires a payment on top of the member's entitlement, that transaction is handled by the lounge itself. [4] Alcoholic drinks may be limited or unavailable, extra consumption is paid directly to the lounge, and telephone and Wi-Fi provision varies by location. [4]
Reservations and fast track. Pre-booked lounge access can carry a charge in addition to the visit charge, and if membership expires or becomes invalid after booking but before the visit date, the member is not eligible for access. [4] Airport fast track reservations are non-cancellable, non-amendable and non-refundable unless the law requires otherwise or the merchant cannot provide the service, and unused reservations expire without refund or credit. [4]
Where the membership comes from. Many payment cards include complimentary Priority Pass membership [5], and not every lounge can accept a payment card as the means of access, so a member should carry the Priority Pass card or the digital membership card as well. [4] Where a payment card is used as the means of access, no transaction takes place at the lounge and a charge may be applied later. [4]
How do you renew or change a plan?
Memberships bought directly from Priority Pass follow one of two billing arrangements. [4] Under automatic billing the membership renews itself, and a member who does not want that must cancel within 30 days of the renewal date in writing to the office that issued the means of access, or confirm in writing at least six weeks before the expiry date to stop automatic billing. [4] Under standard billing the membership simply expires unless the member asks in writing to renew before the term ends. [4]
First-time customers who buy directly may upgrade or downgrade within 14 days of the start of the membership, provided no lounge or merchant visits have been made; renewing customers may change plan only at the start of a new membership period. [4] First-time customers also get a 14-day cooling-off period with a full refund of membership fees, less the value of any services used during those 14 days. [4] Priority Pass may raise membership, lounge or merchant fees with 30 days' notice. [4]
Exceptions and limits
- Revocation. Priority Pass may revoke a membership at its discretion and without notice, and may cancel without refund a membership found to breach the Conditions of Use; where revocation is not for fraud or misuse, a proportional refund of the annual or enrolment fee is made. [4]
- Membership through a card provider. Changes to the programme are notified to the payment card provider, which is responsible for telling the customer, and cancellation matters go through that provider rather than Priority Pass. [4]
- Invalid means of access. Any lounge or merchant entered with an invalid means of access, including guests, is charged to the customer, and a replacement card may itself carry a charge. [4]
- Pre-book cancellations. Refunds follow each lounge's own pre-book terms and timeframes; cancellations outside the permitted window, or failure to use the booking, produce no refund. [4] If a lounge closes or leaves the programme after a booking, the booking is cancelled and the member is refunded or the entitlement reinstated. [4]
- Expiry and transfer. A means of access works up to and including its expiry date and is non-transferable, and only the named customer may use it. [4]
- Restaurant and other merchant offers. Dining, spa and retail offers are settled directly with the merchant, and any query or complaint about one goes to the merchant under that offer's own terms rather than to Priority Pass. [4]
Frequently asked questions
Is Priority Pass worth it if I fly only a few times a year?
Priority Pass describes Standard as the plan for the occasional traveller and prices it at £69 a year, while every lounge visit is charged per person, per visit at a rate set by the plan. [5] [4] A traveller who already holds a payment card that includes membership gets the terms of that membership from the card provider instead. [4]
Do guests get into the lounge free?
Guests can accompany a member into the lounges in the network [5], but where a charge applies their visits are debited to the member's payment card on the same per person, per visit basis as the member's own visit. [4]
Can a lounge refuse entry with a valid membership?
Yes. Lounges are owned and operated by third parties, and Priority Pass states that providing a means of access does not guarantee access or continued access, since capacity and admission decisions rest with the lounge. [4]
What happens to a pre-booked visit if my plan expires first?
If membership expires or becomes invalid after the reservation is made but before the lounge visit, the member is not eligible for access. [4] If the lounge itself closes or leaves the programme, the booking is cancelled and the member is refunded or the entitlement reinstated. [4]
Can I lend my Priority Pass card to family?
No. The means of access is non-transferable and may be used only by the named customer, with guests registered and entering at the same time as the member. [4]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Other lounge programmes, including DragonPass, and airport-run day passes are not covered here; see the comparison pages linked above.
- Priority Pass Conditions of Use, checked 18 October 2026
- Priority Pass airport lounges and membership plans, checked 18 October 2026