No1 Traveller lounge at Stansted Airport to close permanently on Christmas Eve

The No1 Traveller ‘pay as you go’ lounge at London Stansted is to close for good on Christmas Eve.

This is not a great loss, to be honest.  Because it was situated on one of the piers, it was only accessible to some passengers, not all, depending on which gate your flight was allocated.  The round trip if your flight went from a different pier was quite a trot.

Whilst I never visited myself, general feedback was that it never managed to reach the very high standards of the No1 Traveller lounges at Gatwick.  You may remember my review of the Gatwick North lounge earlier in the year which is substantially better in every respect than the British Airways lounge upstairs.

The good news is that an ‘Escape’ lounge is due to open in the main terminal in February.  Some of the No1 Traveller staff have been offered jobs in the new facility.

‘Escape’ is the lounge brand owned by Manchester Airport.  The new ‘Escape’ lounge at East Midlands Airport (also owned by Manchester Airport, as is Stansted) looks very impressive as I wrote a couple a months ago.  I have also enjoyed my two visits to the ‘Escape’ lounge in Manchester Terminal 3 used by Virgin Little Red.

In the long run, this will be a positive development if the new ‘Escape’ facility maintains the brand standards – especially as its position in the main terminal will make it easy for everyone to access.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (April 2025)

Here are the five 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 1,500 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 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 £290 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 good package, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

Got a small business?

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits 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.