Star Alliance airport lounge in Amsterdam to offer cash entry

The Star Alliance lounge at Amsterdam Schiphol has joined the increasing list of Star Alliance lounges globally to offer cash entry.

A similar deal is already in place at Star Alliances lounges in Rome, Rio, Buenos Aires and Los Angeles.

There are two reasons why this deal is not hugely attractive:

• the first is the cost, at €50 per person, although a 5% discount will be available if you are a member of any Star Alliance frequent flyer programme

• the second is that you must be flying with a Star Alliance airline to gain entry, even if you wish to pay, so isn’t an option for flying to the UK

I’ve never visited the lounge but it is described as:

The lounge offers a sleek, contemporary space inspired by Holland’s ever-changing skies and landscapes.  Decorated with original Dutch furniture and art, the lounge offers free Wi-Fi and spaces dedicated to business and leisure flyers, including personal work booths, a communal worktable, a bar, and spacious dining and relaxation areas. It can accommodate up to 150 guests.

The picture above looks classy. Free entry will continue to be offered to First and Business Class passengers as well as Star Alliance Gold cardholders.

Full details of all Star Alliance lounges which offer paid access, plus pre-booking, can be found on the alliance website here.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (March 2023)

As a reminder, here are the four options to get FREE airport lounge access via a 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 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta Air Lines and Eurostar lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.

Until 30th March 2023, the sign up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to 120,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. T&C apply, see the application forms for details.

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 £20.  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.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free LoungeKey card, allowing you access to the LoungeKey network.  Guests are charged at £20 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.