Bits: £15 Uber sign-up credit, 50 free lounge passes to be claimed

News in brief:

Uber sign-up credit now £15

If you haven’t tried out the cab app Uber yet, now is an excellent opportunity.  The ‘first ride’ bonus you get when you sign up via HfP is now £15.

The credit is valid for three months so it is worth signing up even if you won’t be in an Uber city for a few weeks.

The £15 is valid against your first ride.  Unused credit is lost so it is best to make your first ride a longer one – or take an UberLUX and arrive in a Mercedes S-Class!

Uber is currently available in London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Wakefield and Newcastle.  It is also operates outside the UK but the £15 credit is only valid for a ride in the UK.

To claim your £15 credit, simply download the Uber app for your smartphone and enter the code HEADFORPOINTS on the payment page.

50 free passes to the Plaza Premium lounges in Heathrow

Travelling through Terminal 2 or Terminal 4 before May 15th?  Or even Hong Kong? Airport lounge app loungebuddy – which I profiled last week – is giving away 50 passes to the Plaza Premium lounges in Heathrow T2, Heathrow T4 and Hong Kong.

Simply email support@loungebuddy.com with ‘Plaza Premium Free Lounge Visit’ in the subject line.  The first 50 people to respond will get a free access pass added to their loungebuddy account, so you will need to download the app if you get one.

Remember, you MUST be using T2 or T4 departures at Heathrow or Hong Kong T1 departures or T4 arrivals by May 15th.  This is a relatively small group of people so your chances of getting a pass are pretty good.  Note that the Plaza Premium arrivals lounge in Terminal 2 is NOT included.

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

Here are the six options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

Your best value option (but no points):

The cheapest route to a Priority Pass airport lounge card is via the Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard.

The credit card has a fee of £15 per month, and comes with a Priority Pass which gives unlimited free access for the cardholder. If you add a free supplementary cardholder, they will also receive unlimited free access.

Unlike the version of Priority Pass you receive with American Express, the Lloyds Bank version also lets you access £18 airport restaurant credits.

Even better, the credit card has 0% FX fees and comes with 0.5% cashback. Full details are in my Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard review.

Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard

A Priority Pass, 0% FX fees and up to 1% cashback for £15 per month Read our full review

Lounge access via American Express cards:

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 in-depth review of The Platinum Card from American Express is here.

You can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card 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 Credit Card review here.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

Lounge access via HSBC Premier credit cards (Premier account holders only):

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 The American Express Business Platinum Card which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

The American Express Business Platinum Card

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.