Terminal 5 Aspire lounge is now in Lounge Club – a good reason to get American Express Gold

On Wednesday, I wrote about some strange happenings with the Aspire Lounge in Terminal 5 at Heathrow – the only third-party lounge in the terminal.

When the Aspire Lounge opened in Terminal 5 at Heathrow (here is our latest review), there was some annoyance that, whilst it was open to Priority Pass cardholders, it was NOT available to members of sister scheme Lounge Club.

This was especially frustrating for American Express Preferred Rewards Gold cardholders, since they get two free entries to a Lounge Club airport lounge each year.

As I wrote on Wednesday, the Terminal 5 Aspire Lounge does now appear on the Lounge Club website – see here.

However, a couple of Head for Points readers who tried to get in late last week had been turned away, saying that it was a website error.  One was told that they had been turning away a lot of people that day who had been trying to get in via Lounge Club.

The good news is that Lounge Club IS being accepted at the Aspire Lounge in Terminal 5.  It turns out that Lounge Club members have been able to gain access since 3rd November.

It turns out that no-one actually told some of the staff in the lounge about the change, which is why people were being turned away.  Following my article Aspire apparently acted quickly to correct this.

You should not now have any problems getting in with a Lounge Club card – apart from the usual problem that the lounge is small and it is often forced to turn people away at peak times.

With Lounge Club now accepted as the Terminal 5 Aspire Lounge – and with the lounge currently undergoing an expansion, which should reduce the risk of being turned away – the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold charge card becomes more attractive.

Amex Gold is free for the first year and comes with passes allowing you two free visits (either two for yourself or one visit for you and a guest) to any Lounge Club lounge.  This HfP article compares the UK lounge networks of Priority Pass and Lounge Club whilst the Lounge Club website shows you their full overseas network.

If you keep Amex Gold after the first free year – at a cost of £140 – you will continue to receive two free Lounge Club passes each year.  Additional lounge visits cost £15 which is a lot lower than the standard rate for most of these lounges.

My full review of Amex Gold is here if you want to find out more.  Don’t forget that you also get 20,000 Avios points (if you convert your 20,000 Amex points to Avios) for signing up For Amex Gold and spending £2,000 within 90 days.

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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.