Priority Pass and Plaza Premium kiss and make up – you can access Plaza lounges from today

The long running dispute between airport lounge card group Priority Pass, and leading independent airport lounge operator Plaza Premium, has been settled.

Starting today, you can access 63 Plaza Premium lounges with a Priority Pass or LoungeKey card.

This includes the Plaza Premium lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 5, which has never accepted Priority Pass in the past. Image below.

Whilst I don’t have any inside knowledge of the settlement, I do know that the original dispute centred around money. Primarily, it centred around the fees that Priority Pass paid to lounges which Plaza Premium felt were too low.

(You may remember that No1 Lounges also quit Priority Pass before the pandemic. It only returned when the company went into administration and was bought by a sister company of Priority Pass.)

Plaza Premium was happy working with DragonPass (which paid more) and American Express via The Platinum Card. It also felt that it could sell capacity itself, either via direct sales to customers or via deals with holiday companies and airlines.

It isn’t clear what has changed. One possibility is that Priority Pass was concerned to see DragonPass picking up contracts in the UK (eg NatWest Black, Barclaycard) due to DragonPass having a broader UK network. I can’t imagine that it hasn’t agreed to pay more per visit.

Whatever the reason, Plaza Premium and Priority Pass are now friends again.

Whilst this is good news for Priority Pass cardholders, it isn’t necessarily good news for American Express Platinum or DragonPass cardholders. Plaza Premium lounges, whilst never empty, were usually emptier than their Priority Pass-accepting equivalents. This will no longer be the case.

When are Plaza Premium lounges rejoining Priority Pass?

39 lounges go live TODAY, Tuesday 6th June.

The remaining 24 lounges go live on Tuesday 20th June.

Importantly, the lounges which go live today include all of the UK ones:

• Plaza Premium Heathrow Terminal 5, reviewed here

• Plaza Premium Heathrow Terminal 2, reviewed here, image above

• Plaza Premium Heathrow Terminal 4, reviewed here

• Blush by Plaza Premium Heathrow Terminal 4 (no HfP review yet)

• Plaza Premium Gatwick North, reviewed here

• Plaza Premium Edinburgh, reviewed here, image below

You can see a list of the 63 participating lounges, together with their entry date, on this page of the Priority Pass website.

Note that all of the Plaza Premium UK arrivals lounges are permanently closed.

How can you get a Priority Pass or LoungeKey card?

Here are four options to get a Priority Pass or LoungeKey airport lounge access card via a UK credit card.

Remember that Amex Gold is free for the first year and comes with four airport lounge passes.

You can see all 1,300 lounges available in the Priority Pass network on its website here.

Credit cards which give airport lounge access include:

• 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. 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. You can apply here.

• The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder, allowing unlimited free visits. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

• If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead. Our American Express Business Platinum review is here and you can apply here.

• HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free LoungeKey card, allowing you access to the LoungeKey network (a slightly smaller version of the Priority Pass 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.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (May 2025)

Here are the six options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

Your best value option (but no points):

The cheapest route to a Priority Pass airport lounge card is via the Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard.

The credit card has a fee of £15 per month, and comes with a Priority Pass which gives unlimited free access for the cardholder. If you add a free supplementary cardholder, they will also receive unlimited free access.

Unlike the version of Priority Pass you receive with American Express, the Lloyds Bank version also lets you access £18 airport restaurant credits.

Even better, the credit card has 0% FX fees and comes with 0.5% cashback. Full details are in my Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard review.

Lounge access via American Express cards:

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 in-depth review of The Platinum Card from American Express 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 American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card 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 Credit Card 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.

Lounge access via HSBC Premier credit cards (Premier account holders only):

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.

Got a small business?

If you have a small business, consider The American Express Business Platinum Card which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

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:

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