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Updated 16 October 2026
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Is Priority Pass Worth It? UK Review & Price Analysis
Priority Pass came out on top in our recent comparison of UK airport lounge membership schemes, thanks to its extensive lounge network, flexible membership options and additional airport dining benefits. But how does it stack up against simply paying for lounge access when you travel?
We compared Priority Pass with the cost of paying directly for 38 UK airport lounges and found an average walk-up price of £40.51, or £35.52 when booked in advance through Holiday Extras.
Depending on how often you travel, Priority Pass can be considerably cheaper than buying lounge access individually – and its £18 airport dining credit adds another potentially useful benefit.
We looked at the numbers to work out who should consider Priority Pass, which membership makes sense and when you’re better off simply paying for lounge access as you go.
What is Priority Pass?
Priority Pass is a membership programme that gives access to over 1,600 airport lounges across 600 cities worldwide. Unlike airline lounge access, it doesn’t matter which airline you’re flying, which cabin you’ve booked or whether you have frequent-flyer status.
Once you’ve joined, your digital membership card is available through the Priority Pass app. At a participating lounge, simply present your membership along with your boarding pass to gain entry.
What do you get in an airport lounge?
All lounges are different and do vary in terms of size and quality. Refreshments wise, you can expect complimentary drinks (normally including alcohol), hot food & snacks. Generally you will find quiet places to work, including desks and power sockets. Wi-Fi is pretty much standard in all lounges.
In a world where WH Smith in airports charge £3.99 for a bottle of Coke and £2.69 for a packet of crisps, having a space with inclusive food/drinks is clearly attractive to many people. It can represent a big saving when you include multiple drinks and hot food that would normally have been purchased in the terminal.
I’ve previously held a Priority Pass myself and used it at many UK and overseas airports. For me, one of the biggest benefits wasn’t necessarily spending hours in a lounge – it was being able to pop in for something to eat or somewhere quiet to sit without having to decide whether it was worth paying £35+ for that particular visit.
Priority Pass UK coverage
Across the UK, Priority Pass coverage is excellent – it is accepted at 47 different airport lounges across 32 different UK terminals – in some larger airports you can actually have as many as 3 different lounge options. This includes lounge access at all significant airports in the country including all four terminals at Heathrow (T2-5), both North & South terminals at Gatwick plus Manchester terminals 2 & 3.
It is probably easiest to say which UK airports you cannot access a lounge with Priority Pass – but that is more down to the lack of lounge provision. Neither London City, Bournemouth or Glasgow Prestwick actually have business lounges, although you do get an £18 dining credit to use in London City and Bournemouth. You cannot use Priority Pass to enter the 51° Executive Lounge at Cardiff (although you do get an £18 credit to spend in the Y Castell bar & restaurant). Apart from these the other airports without coverage are mainly in the Scottish islands. If you want to check a specific lounge, this article lists all the lounges you can access with a Priority Pass.
Coverage around the world is extensive – there are over 600 other airports outside the UK, including 104 across Europe.
Priority Pass Membership Options
There are 3 different memberships available, depending on your travel pattern. Max Your Trip readers can currently save 30% on Priority Pass Standard, 20% off Priority Pass Standard Plus and get 10% off Priority Pass Prestige when joining through our link: Get your Priority Pass discount here
| Membership | Normal price | Our offer | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | £69 | £48 (30% off) | Entry per visit is £24 for member, £24 for guest |
| Standard Plus | £229 | £183 (20% off) | 10 free visits, then £24 for member, £24 for guest |
| Prestige | £419 | £377 (10% off) | Unlimited visits, £24 for guest |
(all pricing and analysis in this article is based on the above offer prices)
Standard membership is the most flexible option but if you are going to do six or more lounge visits a year, you will be better off with Standard Plus as this is cheaper in terms of average cost per entry. Six lounge visits might seem a lot but this is only 3 return trips – many people will do two holidays a year, plus mini breaks and work travel on top of that.
If you are someone who commutes between London and Belfast, Manchester, Newcastle or Scotland once a month – that is 24 potential lounge visits a year – plus holidays & mini-breaks. If you are are going to make 19 lounge visits a year, the Prestige membership, which comes with unlimited lounge access, is definitely for you. This is especially so if you typically use carriers such as Ryanair or Easyjet or Loganair – who do not generally offer lounge access to their frequent flyers.
If you fly a lot for work – but normally connect via the likes of Heathrow, Amsterdam or Frankfurt – having lounge access at your layover is a huge benefit. 4 lounge visits per trip (2 on the way out and 2 back) means that Prestige has paid for itself after less than five trips.
What if you usually travel as a couple?
Couples shouldn’t automatically buy two memberships. One person can hold the membership and bring the other as a £24 guest. At lower usage levels this is cheaper than buying two memberships, although one person does lose the flexibility of lounge access if you ever travel separately.
However if you are both frequent travellers and will both use 7 lounge entries a year, then getting two Standard Plus memberships is a better option than Standard + £24 for the guest – in addition, you can both use your lounge entries when the other is not present.
If you are both heavy travellers, 8 return trips each (actually 16 lounge entries) per year is the point at which two Prestige memberships makes more sense – plus as these are separate memberships, these entries do not necessarily have to be as a couple.
Priority Pass £18 dining credit
Priority Pass cards also include dining credit – in the UK, this gives the member an £18 dining allowance which can be used at 22 different UK airport cafes, bars & restaurants against meals and/or drinks. This includes two venues at London City – the only major UK airport currently without a lounge. This benefit is not just available in the UK, Priority Pass includes over 215 airport dining locations globally (the credit value varies depending on the location).
Which UK airport restaurants can I use the Priority Pass dining credit?
- Birmingham: Shelby & Co Bar and Kitchen
- Bristol: Starbucks, Brigg and Stow, Cabin Bar
- Cardiff: Y Castell
- Glasgow: Bird & Signet
- Liverpool: Sable & Co
- London City: Soul & Grain, Juniper
- London Gatwick North Terminal: Brewdog, Tortilla, Juniper & Co, The Breakfast Club
- London Gatwick South Terminal: Pizza Express
- London Heathrow Terminal 3: Evergreen Bar & Restaurant
- London Heathrow Terminal 5: The Globe Pub & Kitchen
- London Luton: Avalon Crafted Coffee, Nolito, Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen
- London Stansted: The Camden Bar & Kitchen
- Manchester Terminal 2: The Evergreen Bar & Brasserie
- Newcastle: Aster & Thyme Bar & Restaurant
Standard and Standard Plus members need to be careful
Unless you have the Prestige membership, there is little point in using the dining credit or you will be paying more per visit than the £18 worth of food & drinks that you will receive.
If you have a Priority Pass Prestige membership with unlimited entry, then you may be tempted to use your card in multiple bars and restaurants during the same visit. Priority Pass states that dining credits are intended as an alternative to lounge visits and repeated use of multiple venues during the same airport visit may result in additional charges – so be warned!
What else does Priority Pass include?
- For an extra charge, 5 additional premium lounges are available in UK airports. These are the Clubrooms at Birmingham, Gatwick North, Gatwick South and Heathrow Terminal 3, plus the Lomond Lounge at Glasgow. Charges are approximately £10 on the door or £15 if you also want to make a reservation.
- The Priority Pass app enables you to search for available facilities at each airport, make lounge reservations and book car hire or airport transfers.
Is Priority Pass cheaper than paying for airport lounges?
| Entry method | Average UK lounge price |
|---|---|
| Pay at the door | £40.51 |
| Pre-book via Holiday Extras | £35.52 |
| Priority Pass Standard | £24.00 + membership |
We checked 38 UK airport lounges that accept Priority Pass. The average walk-up price was £40.51, ranging from £29 at Six Eight One Lounge at Leeds Bradford, to £57 at Plaza Premium Heathrow Terminal 4.
Pre-booking was cheaper. Of the 38 lounges, 35 could be booked at a discount. Holiday Extras typically gave a discount of 14% compared to the on the door price, bringing the overall average cost down to £35.52.
When does Priority Pass Standard pay for itself?
Based on the walk up price – Priority Pass is cheaper by the 3rd lounge visit
- 3 visits at £40.51 walk up price per visit = £121.53
- £48 annual fee + 3 visits at £24 per visit = £120.00
Based on the pre-booked price – Priority Pass is cheaper by the 5th lounge visit
- 5 visits at £35.52 pre-booked price per visit = £177.60
- £48 annual fee + 5 visits at £24 per visit = £168.00
But value isn’t just the cost per visit…
There is also a difference between the value of a lounge visit and what you would actually have been willing to pay for it.
We wouldn’t suggest that someone making 20 Prestige visits has necessarily received £800 of value simply because the average walk-up price is around £40.
The benefit of unlimited access is convenience. A spare 20 minutes becomes enough time to grab some breakfast, have a coffee, charge your phone or find somewhere quiet to send an email without deciding whether that particular visit is worth another £35–£40.
Who gets the most value from Priority Pass?
- The regular leisure traveller: 3 return trips can mean 6 potential lounge visits. Standard Plus should be seriously considered.
- The UK business flyer: someone flying London–Belfast/Manchester/Edinburgh etc. monthly could have 24+ departure opportunities a year – plus leisure trips. Prestige membership will provide real value for money.
- The Bleisure traveller: people who combine their business trips with leisure travel often need space to work while travelling.
- The connecting traveller: if you are travelling for work and usually connect via a hub, having lounge access at your departure point and your connecting airport (and on the return trip too) really makes Prestige Membership a consideration.
- The low-cost frequent flyer: If you are a frequent flyer with BA, you can get lounge access with Silver status after 50 flight segments in a year. However, if you are a heavy user of easyJet/Ryanair/Jet2 you will not receive any airline-provided lounge access from buying flight tickets alone.
When Priority Pass isn’t worth it
- Infrequent Flyers: If you are going to visit an airport lounge 1-3 times a year, then you might as well just pay for individual lounge entry. You can pay on the door or get an additional discount by booking in advance.
- Business Class Travellers: If you always fly business class, you will usually get lounge entry included (although recently we have seen some carriers introduce Business Light fares that exclude this).
- Airline Status Passengers: Frequent flyers who fly enough with a particular airline can usually earn a level of status which includes lounge access. British Airways (Silver), Virgin Atlantic (Gold) and Air France/KLM Flying Blue Gold all give lounge entry to their status passengers.
Lounge access isn’t always guaranteed
Lounges have finite capacity, so on extremely busy days you may be put on a waiting list or asked to go to an alternative lounge. I suspect that all UK lounges are packed to the rafters on the first Saturday of the school summer holidays, but a few years ago when I had a Priority Pass, I can honestly say that I never experienced any issue with being turned away.
However, Priority Pass now offer the ability to secure your entry by pre-booking your space.
How to pre-book Priority Pass lounges
Priority Pass now has a pre-booking facility for UK lounges via their app. There is a charge to reserve your spot which Priority Pass says varies by lounge but when we did some checking, all UK lounges seemed to charge £6 per person.
Reservations generally open about three months before travel but my recommendation would be not to bother unless you know you are going to be travelling on a very busy day for the airport.
Priority Pass with American Express Platinum
The American Express Platinum card comes with unlimited Priority Pass entry included, although at £650, this is a very expensive way of getting entry! It is also important to note that with the exception of three locations (Juniper & Co at London City, Pizza Express at London Gatwick South and The Camden Bar & Kitchen at London Stansted, Priority Pass cards issued via an American Express card do not offer the dining credit.
Can your employer pay for Priority Pass?
If you travel regularly for work, it may be worth asking whether your employer will pay for the membership. Your company may prefer paying a fixed annual cost rather than reimbursing individual lounge visits, airport meals or workspace costs throughout the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Membership Year start?
The membership year runs for 12 months from the date you open your Priority Pass account.
Can I use Priority Pass when flying Ryanair or easyJet?
Yes, there are no restrictions from the Priority Pass side, as long as the lounge accepts Ryanair and Easyjet passengers.
Can I take a guest into a Priority Pass lounge?
Yes, guests are charged at £24 each
Can a Priority Pass lounge turn me away?
In the rare circumstance that the lounge is full, you may be asked to wait until space becomes available. For a small fee, you can reserve space at the majority of UK airport lounges.
Can I use more than one Priority Pass lounge on the same day?
The Priority Pass website states: “There is no limit to the number of lounge visits you can use in a day or a year as long as you have a valid same-day boarding pass”.
Does Amex Platinum include Priority Pass?
Yes, but you are paying a much larger fee and the dining credit is only available in three airport facilities in the UK.
Can I use Priority Pass when I arrive at an airport?
Generally no — most lounges are airside departure lounges, although there are exceptions internationally.
Our Take
Priority Pass isn’t automatically good value – but for many travellers, the numbers can really work and make a significant difference to your travel.
If you only visit an airport lounge a couple of times a year, our recommendation would be to just pay for access when you need it. But our research found that UK airport lounges cost an average of £40.51 at the door and £35.52 when booked in advance. At those prices, even Priority Pass Standard can start paying for itself after a relatively small number of visits.
Standard Plus looks particularly interesting for someone taking three or more return trips a year and expecting to use a lounge at both ends. Frequent business travellers and regular low-cost airline passengers are where Prestige really starts to make sense – especially because unlimited access means you don’t have to justify paying £35–£40 every time you only want a quick meal, coffee or quiet place to work.
Dining credits add another useful dimension for Prestige members, while the global network makes the membership much more useful than simply buying access to one particular UK lounge.
Lounge entry can be restricted when facilities are busy (although I personally have never experienced this), not every airport has equally good coverage and paying for a membership makes little sense if your airline ticket or frequent-flyer status already gives you lounge access.
The key is to estimate how many times you will realistically use it over the next 12 months before choosing a membership. For occasional travellers, pay-as-you-go may still win. For regular travellers without airline lounge access, Priority Pass can be an extremely good deal.
Which Priority Pass should I buy?
| Your travel pattern | Start with |
|---|---|
| 1–3 lounge visits a year | Buy lounge access separately |
| 4–6 visits a year | Priority Pass Standard |
| 7–17 visits a year | Priority Pass Standard Plus |
| 18+ visits a year | Priority Pass Prestige |
| Mostly travel as a couple | Compare one membership + guest fees first |
| Already have Amex Platinum | Check your included Priority Pass |
| Usually fly business / have lounge status | You may not need Priority Pass |
How to Purchase
Check current Priority Pass membership prices including special Max Your Trip reader discounts using this special link
Alternatively for a one-off lounge booking, visit Holiday Extras via this special link and get an additional discount on most lounge entries
