EXCLUSIVE: Four British Airways lounges in the USA have joined Priority Pass

Times are hard, but are they this hard? Or is actually a smart move? British Airways has signed up some of its airport lounges in the United States with the Priority Pass lounge card programme.

Some of the flagships, such as New York JFK and Boston, are excluded.

Four lounges are now in the programme, however.

As of today, you can enter the following British Airways lounges with a Priority Pass:

• San Francisco (International Terminal A)

• Seattle (South Satellite)

• Washington Dulles (Concourse B)

• New York Newark (Terminal B)

Newark may not be ‘new’ (it’s not listed as a ‘new’ lounge) but the other three only joined Priority Pass today.

It’s not as bad as you think

The good news, if you’re worried about overcrowding, is that this is not actually a big negative for BA premium passengers.

Priority Pass holders will only have access to these lounges at restricted hours.

• San Francisco – 5am to 11.30am

• Seattle – 5am to 10am

• Washington Dulles (reviewed here) – 6am to 2pm

• New York Newark – 8am to 2pm

These should not clash with a wave of British Airways departures. What BA is doing is cashing in on its real estate at times of the day when it doesn’t have many, if any, passengers of its own to look after.

This isn’t even a ‘BA thing’. Virgin Atlantic struck a similar deal a few years ago, and other major European airlines have also joined Priority Pass in recent years. When the bulk of your flights are in the evening, it is a shame not to monetise your assets for the rest of the day.

You can check the details by searching for the lounges on the Priority Pass website here.

As a reminder, you can buy a Priority Pass directly here. You also get two (soon to be four) free visits each year with an Amex Gold card and unlimited free visits, for up to four people at a time, if you get your via an American Express Platinum card.

PS. The British Airways lounge at Amsterdam Schiphol is also in Priority Pass. However, there is some doubt as to whether this lounge will ever reopen. It is worth noting that, when the Singapore lounge reopened recently, BA’s publicity said that ‘all’ BA lounges were now open again. This implies that Amsterdam may not return, and will join Manchester and Newcastle as victims of the pandemic.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

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.

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.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.