New: save 10% on Qatar Airways flights, Priority Pass adds global lounge pre-booking

News in brief:

Save 10% on Qatar Airways flights

To celebrate its 9th win as Skytrax’s ‘World’s Best Airline’, Qatar Airways has launched a 10% discount code.

You need to move quickly as it is only valid to 23rd August.

Flights must be taken between 1st September 2025 and 30th June 2026.

The 10% discount is only on the base fare, so it will be a lot lower on economy tickets where taxes and charges are a high proportion of the total fare. For business class it will be closer to 10% off the headline price.

The good news is that the discount is valid from all European departure points, so you can start somewhere cheaper than the United Kingdom if you wish.

The bad news is that the discount varies by fare sub-class, so read the terms and conditions first.

If you are not already a member of Qatar Airways Privilege Club, you will also receive up to 9,000 bonus Avios on your first flight.

Full details and the promo code you need can be found on this page of the Qatar Airways website.

Priority Pass offering global lounge pre-booking

Priority Pass, the airport lounge club operator, has been offering pre-booking at many of its UK lounges for the last couple of years.

If you have The Platinum Card from American Express, you now receive credits each year for free pre-booking at selected UK lounges, as we covered here.

Priority Pass has been quietly rolling out pre-booking to other parts of the world. To be honest, outside of the United States, this is usually not necessary. However the reservation fee may be worth paying for peace of mind.

This page of the Priority Pass website shows the global list of lounges which can be pre-booked.

As well as the UK, it covers Argentina, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominica, Cyprus, Ecuador, Germany, Greece, Japan, Mexico, Panama, El Salvador, Peru, Puerto Rico, the UAE and the US.

You cannot use your free credits from The Platinum Card to book these lounges. You are restricted to the UK lounges listed here.

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

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

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 14th October 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This would convert to 80,000 Avios! The spend target is changed to £10,000 within SIX months of approval. T&C apply. 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 14th October 2025, the sign-up bonus on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card is doubled to 40,000 Membership Rewards points. This would convert to 40,000 Avios! The spend target is changed to £5,000 within SIX months of approval. T&C apply. 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:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th October 2025, the sign-up bonus on The American Express Business Platinum Card is increased to 120,000 Membership Rewards points. This would convert to 120,000 Avios! The spend target is changed to £12,000 within three months of approval. T&C apply. Click here to apply.

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.