Virgin Atlantic’s San Francisco airport lounge joins Priority Pass
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As of today, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in San Francisco has joined Priority Pass.
Don’t get too excited though. It is only open to Priority Pass cardholders from 6am to 12.15pm. These are times when Virgin Atlantic does not have any flights of its own. You won’t be getting in with one during Virgin’s flying hours.
This is the fourth Clubhouse in the US to join Priority Pass, following New York Newark, Washington Dulles and Los Angeles.
You won’t get to experience the standard Virgin Clubhouse catering, because a substantially reduced offering is generally in place when the lounge is only serving Priority Pass customers.
With no Virgin Atlantic passengers to impress, it is purely open to make money for the airline, which means cutting the service available so it can make money off the £15 or so that Priority Pass will pay per guest.
That said, no-one loses here. Virgin Atlantic gets to generate some revenue, Priority Pass gets to increase its footprint and Concourse A passengers at San Francisco International get somewhere new to hang out.
You can find out more about the lounge on the Virgin Atlantic website here and on the Priority Pass website here.
You can buy a Priority Pass here. Alternatively you receive two free Priority Pass cards, each of which allows a free guest (so a family of four is covered) with American Express Platinum.
Our full review of Priority Pass is here if you don’t know anything about it.
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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.
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