Priority Pass: How to Invite as Many Guests as Possible to Airport Lounges?

To the point This article looks specifically at the issue of holding multiple Priority Pass accounts to optimize the number of guests you can bring into airport lounges.

Cards with access to Priority Pass Credit Cards in Canada Credit Cards in France

Strategies for Inviting the Maximum Number of Guests to Airport Lounges Define the Number of Annual Lounge Admissions Apply for a Credit Card... ... Or Take out More Than One Credit Card

Managing Priority Pass Accounts Online Management Smartphone Management

Conclusion Frequently Asked Questions

The best way to get as many guests as possible into airport lounges is to take out one (or more!) credit cards that offer Priority Pass as part of their benefits. Because when you’re travelling with several people, whether with a spouse, family, relatives or friends, it can be useful to have several Priority Pass accounts at the same time.

This article is part of our feature on airport lounges.

Amex - Cards with access to Priority Pass

If you’re an occasional traveller, the best way to gain access to Priority Pass is to take out a credit card. In both France and Canada, there are various cards that offer Priority Pass membership and, consequently, free airport lounge visits.

For those who prefer to avoid the use of credit cards, it is also possible to purchase a Priority Pass membership directly from the company by visiting the Priority Pass website. Subscriptions range from US$79 to US$469 per cardholder, and do not include free visits for guests.

Credit Cards in Canada

Here is the list of credit cards that provide a Priority Pass account in Canada:

Card	Number of accesses
American Express Platinum Card^®	Unlimited for cardholder and one guest
Business Platinum Card^® from American Express	Unlimited for cardholder and one guest
Scotiabank Platinum American Express^® Card	10 free annual admissions

Credit Cards in France

Here is the list of credit cards that provide a Priority Pass account in France:

Card	Number of accesses
American Express Platinum Card	Unlimited for the cardholder and one guest, and for the additional cardholder and one guest
American Express Platinum Business Card	Unlimited for cardholder and one guest, and for additional cardholder and one guest

Strategies for Inviting the Maximum Number of Guests to Airport Lounges

Before taking out a credit card, the first important step is to define your lounge access requirements for the next 12 months. We often talk about this, so make sure you know how it works before you embark on the process.

Define the Number of Annual Lounge Admissions

Begin by asking yourself these questions:

How many total lounge accesses do you estimate you’ll need (counting yourself and each guest)?
Are you looking to have access to lounges in every airport you visit?
- Will your stopovers be long enough to get to the lounge?
- Is it necessary/desirable to go to the lounge at your final arrival airport? If so, is there an arrival lounge (most lounges are only accessible for departures)?
- Is it necessary/desirable to go to the lounge when departing from your city of residence?
Will you have Business or First Class tickets on certain flights? If so, lounge access is included in the ticket (generally, airlines offer it even with award tickets).
Will you have access to non-Priority Pass lounges via credit cards you own, such as the National Bank Lounge in Montreal or a Centurion lounge?
Do any of the targeted lounges offer free access to children? If so, until what age?

This list does not need to be accurate down to the decimal point! The idea is to estimate your needs realistically, so as to apply the right strategy to optimize your lounge access while minimizing the associated costs. This requires a certain amount of preliminary research, of course, but the aim is to optimize subscriptions and their benefits over time.

Priority Pass accounts cannot be combined. Each account is independent of the other and must be managed according to the type and number of accesses it provides.

Apply for a Credit Card...

In France and Canada, American Express’s top-of-the-line cards give the cardholder and one guest unlimited access to Priority Pass airport lounges worldwide.

As you’ve read in our previous articles, we don’t usually recommend taking out the extra card for your spouse. It is often preferable that everyone take a card in their own name, both for the welcome bonus and, in this case, for lounge access.

If everyone subscribes to one of American Express’s top-of-the-line cards, for example, the “pair” will be able to hold four unlimited lounge accesses. This could be useful in the case of a family mini-tour of the world. Plus, if one of the partners sponsors the other to obtain the second card, he or she will also have earned points for the sponsorship.

... Or Take out More Than One Credit Card

To be able to invite as many people as possible to the airport lounge, you could take out several credit cards

A Canadian could, for example, apply for the Platinum Card^MD from American Express and the Scotiabank Platinum American Express^® Card to obtain two separate Priority Pass accounts. The American Express Platinum^MD Card would allow him to invite one guest for free, while the Scotiabank Platinum American Express^® Card would give him ten free annual admissions. So he could invite up to eleven people with him.

Please note that if you close the credit card that gave you access to a Priority Pass account, the Priority Pass account will be closed within 24 hours. The credit card used to obtain the Priority Pass account must therefore remain active for as long as you wish to access the lounges.

However, it’s not necessary to have the credit card with you. It can just as easily be in your drawer at home. What’s important is that the credit card account is active (i.e. not closed).

Inviting Guests With Priority Pass - Managing Priority Pass Accounts

Priority Pass - Online Management

Each Priority Pass account is accessible online. We suggest creating a user name for each account rather than using the series of numbers proposed by Priority Pass.

What you could do to make managing your different accounts easier, for example, would be to use a simple coding system.

FIRST NAME+LAST NAME_SCOTIA-10: For a Priority Pass account earned with a Scotiabank Platinum American Express^® Card (10 for 10 access)
FIRST NAME+LAST NAME_AMEX-ILL: For a Priority Pass account earned with an American Express Platinum Card^® in Canada or American Express Platinum Card^® in France (ill for unlimited).

Priority Pass - Smartphone Management

After creating each of your accounts, we recommend that you download the Priority Pass application(iOs, Android) to your smartphone.

When you launch the application, you’ll be able to log in to each of your Priority Pass accounts and display the digital membership card that gives you access to airport lounges.

Only one account at a time can be displayed in the app. So, if you wish to use several accounts when accessing a lounge, you must:

Login to the first account
Show the digital membership card for this account
Log out of the first account
Reconnect to the second account
Show the digital membership card of the second account

This of course requires an Internet connection. If you don’t think you’ll have Internet access at the airport where you’ll be, take a screenshot of each of your cards and save it in your phone before you travel.

On your iPhone, the solution is to add the cards to the Wallet app. To do this, simply go to the Priority Pass app, connect to each of your accounts and add each card to the Wallet. It will then be possible to display all your Priority Pass cards simultaneously.

Unfortunately, if you use the Wallet app, you won’t be able to identify which account is which, either the one with unlimited access or the one with six accesses per year. You’ll have to memorize it to make sure you choose the right Priority Pass account.

Inviting Guests With Priority Pass - Conclusion

With a minimum of preparation and planning, it’s relatively easy to estimate the number of lounge accesses you’ll need over the next twelve months. Based on this calculation, we’ve shown how simple it is to obtain and manage multiple Priority Pass accounts simultaneously, in order to invite the maximum number of guests to airport lounges and maximize your visits. All that’s left to do is plan your subscription requests carefully, and you’ll be able to travel with ease, enjoying the magnificent privilege of airport lounges.

In addition to the undeniable relaxation provided by lounges, as opposed to communal waiting areas, this also results in significant savings on meals and drinks. Have a good trip!

Inviting Guests With Priority Pass - Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Priority Pass card work?

Priority Pass is a program offering access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide.

How can I get a free Priority Pass?

The best way to get a Priority Pass card is to take out a credit card. For example, American Express offers annual subscriptions to Priority Pass to holders of its high-end credit cards.

How much does Priority Pass membership cost?

Priority Pass subscriptions range from USD 79 to USD 469 per holder. For USD 79, you will be entitled to the Standard Pass. This means that, in addition to your annual subscription, you must pay for each of your visits and those of your guests. For 279 USD, you’ll be entitled to the Standard Plus membership; ten visits are offered each year, but you’ll have to pay for your guests’ access. Finally, for 469 USD, you’ll have unlimited access to all the lounges, but you’ll have to pay for your guests’ access.