Free Stansted lounge access with Stansted Express …. at a price

I’ve no idea how long this offer has been going, but Stansted Express is currently offering ‘free’ access to the No 1 Traveller lounge at Stansted with the purchase of a first class ticket (one way or return).

I put the word ‘free’ in quotes because you are, technically, paying for it.

Stansted Express has three ticket types.  One way pricing is:

Standard Class – £23.40, but reduced to £12 if you book online 7 days in advance, and £8 if you book 30 days in advance

Business Plus (with a First Class seat) – £29.90

First Class – £37.50

The ONLY difference between Business Plus and First Class is that, in First Class, you can use your train ticket to access the Fast Track security lane at Stansted and the No 1 Traveller lounge.  You are effectively paying £7.60 for Fast Track security and the lounge.

It is not clear if through-tickets from other stations, which allow you to use Stansted Express but are not marked Stansted Express on the ticket, would be accepted.

The No 1 Traveller lounge at Stansted is well regarded although I haven’t used it myself.  I couldn’t find a ‘real life’ photo of the interior, but you can find out more on the No 1 Traveller website here.

Entrance to the lounge is normally £17.50.  It is by Gate 49, which is on the pier used by Ryanair for most of its international flights.  You can access the lounge even if using a different part of the airport, but they advise giving yourself 20 minutes to get to your gate.

There is a similar offer available with Gatwick Express, with No 1 Traveller lounge access bundled in with First Class rail tickets.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (June 2021)

As a reminder, here are the three options to get FREE airport lounge access via a credit or charge card:

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here. 

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta and Eurostar lounges. The card has a sign-up bonus of 30,000 points.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with two free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here. 

Additional lounge visits are charged at £20.  You get two more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free LoungeKey card, allowing you access to the LoungeKey network.  Guests are charged at £20 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.