What is Priority Pass? How to get a Priority Pass card, reviews about it

People who often have to fly are familiar with the procedure of tedious waiting for a flight in the waiting room. Overcrowded rooms and large queues in cafes will not accommodate everyone. Make the Priority Pass map more comfortable. What is this and what are the advantages of its owner, you will learn from this article.

Introduction

Cardholders can change their lives for the better. Priority Pass is an international access program in one of 600 VIP airport halls around the world. Regardless of the airline and the class that will fly, a pass to the lounge zone (lounge for luxury) is the card and air ticket for the current flight. The cardholders are guaranteed silence and tranquility in a separate waiting room, as well as low prices, provided they purchase an annual subscription. Separately, there is a range of business class rooms in more than 300 cities around the world.

Possibilities of cardholders

The Priority Pass cardholder can invite to the waiting room the increased comfort of friends to have a free snack, drink, take a shower before the flight. But in some VIP-halls there are restrictions on the number of invited guests, as well as their age (not all children are admitted). The fee (if this is provided) for the use of the phone, the Internet, Wi-Fi, fax is made directly to the staff of the VIP-hall. The list of free services available includes TV, fresh newspapers and magazines, the ability to charge popular phone models, smartphones and tablets.

The account of visits is conducted in one of two ways: through the electronic terminal, which is installed at the entrance to the hall, or to the cardholder is issued a "visit ticket". In the second case, the cardholder must verify the correctness of the data specified in the ticket, concerning himself and all the people accompanying him.

Administration VIP-halls can limit the maximum stay (usually no more than 4 hours) in order to avoid overflow of the premises. To increase the time spent in a comfortable lounge, you will have to pay twice for visiting the hall. The fee for visiting VIP-halls is charged for each visit per person, based on the conditions of participation in the program. The program provides access to meeting rooms.

Access to the hall is available to persons with an air ticket of the same day, provided that it was purchased without a discount. Outside the United States, you must also provide a boarding pass for the current flight at the entrance to the hall. In some European countries, access to VIP-halls is open only for tourists traveling in the Schengen countries.

How to become a member of the program

Great opportunities are opened before the participants of the Priority Pass program. How to access it? This card is not a means of payment, it is valid until the term indicated on the front side, and in the presence of the owner's signature on the back. The Priority Pass card is an application to Gold, Platinum, Infinity, Selective cards. Sometimes it is issued along with classic credit cards. But every bank has its own rules.

In Sberbank, only the participants of the Sberbank-Premier program can get a card, that is, customers who have issued a Platinum American Express card. The annual service cost is 15 thousand rubles. Under the condition of the pre-ordered order, you will have to pay 10,000 rubles for the annual maintenance of Priority Pass. UralSib and Avangard banks issue a card for free. The first service charge for 365 days is 6000 rubles, and for the second - 3000-5000 rubles, depending on the type of the main payment card (GOLD or PLATINUM). In some cases, Avangard Bank employees can offer to issue Priority Pass for free, if the turnover for Mastercard Standart is quite large. Raiffeisenbank issues a card when connecting the package "Premium" and monthly charges 3000 rubles.

How much does it cost

The Priority Pass card in Russia is also issued by Rosbank, Absolut, Unicredit Bank, SNGS. In Ukraine, a card can be issued in Privatbank, OTP, VTB, VAB, Russian Standard, and, more recently, Delta Bank has joined the program. Before making a card in any bank, you need to specify the service charge. Practice shows that banks often draw up the first category of Priority Pass cards . What is it? There are three main categories of tariffs:

1. 100 euros annual fee, every visit to the owner or his guest is paid at 24 euros at a time.
2. 250 euros - 10 visits are included, each followed by 24 euros per visit per person.
3. 400 euro per year - unlimited visit to the cardholder and 24 euros for a one-time visit to the guest.

But if you spend time and issue a card in the "right" bank, you can find the rates for which the issue of the card and all visits will be free of charge. This is the best option for a large family.

Alternative method

The second way to get a card is via the Internet, on the Priority Pass website. But, in addition to registering on the site, paying a membership fee and the cost of delivery, you will also have to tie the new card to the usual bank, from which the funds will be written off. This whole procedure takes about 30 days. The membership fee depends on the tariff:

$ 399 per year - no restrictions.

$ 249 per year - $ 27 for all visits, starting with the eleventh.

$ 99 per year - $ 27 for all visits to the owner and his guests.

Scope of application

When making a card, a bank employee is required to provide a directory with a list of airports around the world in which the program operates. The availability of the directory allows you to significantly reduce the time to find the right airport with a VIP-hall. But even if there was no handbook at hand, the list of airports can be found in two ways. The first - on the official website of the service on the "Find you lounger" sign in the left column you need to enter the country, city and airport. The second is through the application for gadgets with the operating system iOS, Android, and more recently also the BlackBerry.

It is interesting that anybody can set himself an application. Many airports have the opportunity to enter the lounge zone at a rate of $ 10-20, on terms of "application fees". When you first start the program does not require the input of any member data. And you can use the application without an active Internet connection. Within the application, you can save your favorite bookmarks and view your search history.

On practice

The advantages of the card are obvious - the opportunity to relax between the flights in the recreation room of an increased level of comfort. But there are some nuances of participation in the Priority Pass program. User feedback on the forums is confirmed. Firstly, there are rules in each VIP-hall: in one there are limited the number of admissions to the lounge zones, in others it is necessary to pay for the guests separately. You can draw two cards in different banks in your name, then the guest will miss for free. The second option is to issue a card in Raiffeisenbank. When connecting to the "Premium" package, guests can be held free of charge in the lounge zone.

Secondly, in Russia, the capabilities of the map can be used only at the airports of Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Pulkovo. In Ukraine - Kharkov airport, Borispol and Zhulyany. Much more opportunities open at international airports. Participants of forums actively share useful information. At Dubai, Barcelona and Hong Kong airports, food, hot showers, drinks, and Internet access are available free of charge in the lounge areas. In the VIP hall of Nairobi airport, air conditioning is installed, unlike the airport itself. The ideal way to use the card is when traveling with children. In such cases, free seats in rooms with food and drinks are guaranteed.

Summary

If a tourist travels more than 3 times a year, and moreover, with a family with two children, the registration of the card will significantly save the budget and allow you to comfortably pass the time between flights.