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Plaza Premium launches Lounge Pass

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As we covered three weeks ago, Plaza Premium is leaving the Priority Pass airport lounge card scheme at the end of June.

This is bad news for American Express Preferred Rewards Gold cardholders, as it reduces the options for using your two annual free lounge visits. It make NO DIFFERENCE to holders of The Platinum Card, because Amex has a direct deal with Plaza Premium for Platinum cardholders.

Plaza Premium has just launched a new product called Lounge Pass. See this page of its website.

You can prepay for visits to Plaza Premium lounges globally:

  • 2 visits costs £54
  • 4 visits costs £108
  • 6 visits costs £142

Until the end of May, you save 10% on the prices above if you are a member of Plaza’s Smart Traveller loyalty scheme.

The reason I am mentioning this is that I think Plaza Premium has bigger plans for its Lounge Pass.

The company has been making aggressive statements recently about sharply increasing the number of lounges it works with, and about creating new partnerships.

It wouldn’t surprise me if we soon see other independent lounges joining Plaza Premium Lounge Pass with a view to creating a more focused competitor to Priority Pass.

If, for example, No1 Lounges (which has also split with Priority Pass) and Plaza Premium were available via the same membership scheme, it would prove attractive to UK banks looking for an alternative to Priority Pass.

Let’s see where this ends up. You can buy a Lounge Pass, or learn more, here.

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Getting airport lounge access for free from a credit card

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.

Category

General

Comments (21)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • JohnT says:
    10 May10 May 07:11

    Presume no more news on Dragonpass expiring? Has anyone been reinstated or tried for a refund.

    • Stuart314 says:
      10 May10 May 09:41

      I emailed to get a refund on 5 unused visits, (the Red by Dufry, really cheap promo ones that were highlighted on HFP). Was offered a year’s extension of membership and the 5 visit coupons. I was more than happy to accept.

    • Char Char says:
      10 May10 May 17:13

      Well you probably read my previous comments about this, I managed to get a refund eventually but took over a month, they were delaying replies due to negotiations.

      They will reactivate them for you and extend membership but they had already done this once before expiring them again so I decided to go for refunds rather than go through the same process again iincasethey decide to expire them again.

      Was not a lot of money per visit obviously but its no good if you are travelling and wanted to use them over the past month and your visits weren’t showing or if it happens again and you can’t get a reply.

  • lumma says:
    10 May10 May 07:22

    You’ll need a decent credit limit to get the 1.5 million virgin miles from the credit card

    • cinereus says:
      10 May10 May 07:39

      Yeah this was trivial before but since the changes at the start of last year 1.5 million points will take a lot longer.

      • Alex D says:
        10 May10 May 08:16

        Even a 50K credit limit, which is rare for virgin is going to take you 2.5years providing you hit your cap every single month!

      • Dave says:
        10 May10 May 08:42

        What changes at the start of the year?

        • Jonathan says:
          10 May10 May 09:08

          Your points earning is limited to credit limit monthly. Ie. With £10k limit you can keep spending 10k, pay it off & spend again but you will only earn £10k worth of points/statement period.

  • Carol says:
    10 May10 May 10:10

    Hi Rob, I have sent you an email for a platinum card referral please

  • Julian says:
    10 May10 May 11:11

    Surely a complaint would see the bonus membership points still awarded retrospectively if an application is not approved straight away and before May 12th as the member or potential can’t control that. It seems bonkers not to make the date of application rather than the date of approval the critical date.

    • mark2 says:
      10 May10 May 14:26

      The offer clearly states approval, so it is up to the card holder to act accordingly. I speak as someone who has cut it very fine.

  • R C says:
    10 May10 May 11:36

    Any ideas on what a referral from Business Plat to BA Premium Plus earns for the referrer? Do self-referrals still work?

  • mhuk01 says:
    10 May10 May 12:05

    Can I refer someone to the BA premier card for them to get the 30,000 avios and to then downgrade to the free card? If so how long would they need to keep the premier card for?

    • Rob says:
      10 May10 May 12:10

      1 Yes
      2 As long as it takes to spend the qualifying amount

      • mhuk01 says:
        10 May10 May 12:12

        Brilliant. Could they then theoretically upgrade when they get near to the 10K spend threshold for the 2-4-1?

        • Rob says:
          10 May10 May 12:35

          Yes, but I wouldn’t necessarily want to risk Amex coming after me by downgrading at £3k and upgrading at £9.5k!

  • Fred S says:
    10 May10 May 15:06

    How is the 24 month Amex wait calculated? Is it to the day, so for example if previous card cancelled 9 May 2019, making an application now 10 May 2021 would mean I’m eligible?

  • Andrew says:
    11 May11 May 14:18

    Amex New Accounts (0800 032 7404) told me today explicitly that the ‘approved by’ is wrong, they have communicated this out already, and as long as you have applied by 12 May 2021 you will receive the bonus points. As with many things Amex not sure if this is correct?

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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