Regus business lounge to open in Terminal 5 – and you can qualify for a free pass
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Here is an interesting development. Most people know that there are NO third party airport lounges in Heathrow Terminal 5. This is not entirely surprising, as BA / Iberia have monopoly use of the terminal.
It does, however, impact people who have a Priority Pass, Lounge Club, Diners Club or Airport Angels card. They have nowhere to go unless they have British Airways or oneworld status.
Things are changing, though. Regus has announced that it is to open a business lounge in Terminal 5 this Summer.
To quote Regus:
“The move responds to a growing demand for ‘third place’ work locations where business travellers can check their emails, hold conference calls and meetings and print documents. Regus Express will offer a quiet, professional business lounge with a co-working space, private workstations, to be known as ‘ThinkPods’ and secure WiFi, as well as meeting rooms available by the hour.”
They also offer unlimited free TV and coffee, which is handy! I am a big fan of Regus. At least 50% of Head for Points is written in Regus business centres across London.
You will need a Regus BusinessWorld Gold or BusinessWorld Preferred card to access the Heathrow lounge. However, you can get one for FREE via many loyalty programmes.
Full details are in this article I wrote in January. However, if you meet any of the following criteria you can get yourself a free Regus BusinessWorld card:
Avis Preferred (all members – and FREE to join)
American Airlines elite members
National Car Rental (Emerald members)
RICS (any member)
TripIt (Pro level members, can be bought for $50)
United MileagePlus (Premier members?)
Virgin Flying Club (Silver, Gold and holders of the Black credit card)
If you meet any of the above criteria, this article from January has the links you need. It is not 100% certain that UK-based members will qualify for some of these, but there is no harm filling in the form.
Clearly, as long as Regus is willing to accept applications for the Avis offer from the UK, signing up via Avis Preferred for free is the easiest thing to do.
If you have Virgin status, you should apply via that route as you receive the ‘unlimited visits’ Gold card rather than the ’15 visits’ Preferred version.
If you have BA or oneworld status then this won’t be of any interest to you as you have Terminal 5 lounge access. For the status-less, especially business travellers who need to work before their flights, this is definitely worth looking at.
How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (March 2024)
Here are the four options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit 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 Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges. Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive a huge 120,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Platinum by 9th April 2024. You receive 80,000 points for spending £12,000 within 90 days and a further 40,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
American Express Business Platinum
Crazy 120,000 points bonus (to 9th April) and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.
Additional lounge visits are charged at £24. You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.
There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus. Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network. Guests are charged at £24 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.
HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard
A huge bonus, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review
PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.
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