How to Score a Major Discount on Priority Pass Airport Lounges

Airport lounges used to be an exclusive luxury reserved for first-class flyers and million-mile road warriors. But today, programs like Priority Pass have opened those doors to the rest of us, offering free food, drinks, high-speed Wi-Fi, and a quiet escape from terminal chaos.

The only catch? Retail memberships can be pricey. If you want luxury comfort without the luxury price tag, here are the absolute best ways to score a massive discount on a Priority Pass membership.

1. Look for Seasonal Retail Sales (Up to 30% Off)

If you want to buy a membership directly from Priority Pass, never pay full retail price right away.

Priority Pass frequently runs promotional discounts throughout the year. You can regularly find sales offering 20% to 30% off standard retail rates during major holidays and shopping events, such as:

• Black Friday and Cyber Monday
• Summer travel kick-off sales
• End-of-year holiday promotions

Pro-Tip: Before clicking buy, always do a quick search for active promo codes or check their official offers page.

2. Check Your Premium Credit Cards (The "Free" Route)

The absolute cheapest way to get Priority Pass is when it's bundled into a credit card you might already own (or are thinking about getting). Many premium travel credit cards offer a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership as a core benefit.

While these cards carry annual fees, the value of the lounge access—combined with other travel credits—easily outweighs the cost. Popular cards include:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Free membership + 2 guests
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Free membership + 2 guests (Enrollment required)
• Capital One Venture X: Free membership + 2 guests

Note: Be sure to log into your credit card dashboard and physically click "Enroll" to activate your pass before your next trip!

3. Leverage Existing Travel Loyalty Programs

Are you a frequent flyer or a hotel loyalist? You might have a discount hiding right in your inbox.

Certain airlines, hotel chains, and car rental companies partner with Priority Pass to offer exclusive member discounts. For example, some elite status tiers or airline loyalty programs allow you to redeem frequent flyer miles for a membership, or offer a flat 10–15% discount just for being a registered member of their ecosystem.

4. Utilize Corporate or Group Discounts

If you travel frequently for business, check with your company’s HR or travel department. Many large corporations have corporate wellness or travel perks that include heavily discounted—or entirely subsidized—Priority Pass memberships.

Similarly, some alumni associations, professional organizations, and specialized union groups offer member benefit portals that feature travel discounts.

Summary: Which Option Is Best For You?

• If you travel multiple times a year: Getting a premium travel credit card is the smartest financial move, as the lounge perks easily cancel out the annual fee.
• If you travel occasionally: Wait for a Black Friday or summer retail flash sale to lock in a Standard or Standard Plus membership at a 30% discount.

Happy lounging!

The Shrinking Perks Of The Amex Platinum: 2026 Cutbacks & Key Dates

Following the massive refresh that bumped the annual fee to a hefty $895, American Express isn't slowing down. While 2026 hasn't brought a single ground-shaking overhaul, Amex has been quietly cutting, slicing, and swapping out perks.

Whether you are looking to maximize your remaining benefits or trying to decide if the card is still worth its premium price tag, keeping track of these timelines is crucial. Here is the updated list of the Amex Platinum Card Changes in 2026 and the exact dates they take effect.

---

📅 The 2026 Timeline: What's Changing (and When)

Benefit / Feature	The Change	Effective Date
Saks Fifth Avenue Credit	The $100 annual credit is discontinued entirely.	March 26, 2026 (New applicants) / June 30, 2026 (Existing members)
Uber VIP Status	Uber VIP status is replaced by "Signature Support for Amex" priority customer service.	May 7, 2026
"Events by Amex"	Dedicated program wound down; core exclusive ticket access rebranded.	June 10, 2026
Centurion Lounge Rules	Access restricted to within 5 hours of departure; guests must be on the same flight.	July 8, 2026
Lufthansa Lounge Access	Complimentary access to Lufthansa Business Lounges is removed.	October 1, 2026

---

🔍 A Closer Look at the Key Changes

1. The Death of the Saks Fifth Avenue Credit

Following Saks Global filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year, Amex officially pulled the plug on the $100 Saks Fifth Avenue statement credit. For new cardmembers, the perk vanished instantly on March 26. Existing cardholders had until June 30, 2026, to squeeze out their final use of the credit.

2. Tightened Rules at the Centurion Lounge

Starting July 8, 2026, Amex is clamping down on lounge crowding with two major rule adjustments:

• The 5-Hour Rule: You can no longer camp out all day. Lounge access will be limited to within 5 hours of your departing or connecting flight.
• Same-Flight Guest Policy: If you pay to bring guests into the lounge, they must now be booked on the exact same flight itinerary as you, closing a long-standing loophole.

3. Uber VIP Swapped for "Signature Support"

On May 7, 2026, Amex quietly retired Uber VIP status. In its place, cardmembers get Signature Support for Amex, which offers 24/7 priority live agent support directly inside the Uber, Uber Eats, and Postmates apps.

Note: The core $200 annual Uber Cash credit and the Uber One credit remain completely unchanged.

4. Lufthansa Lounge Access Exit

The latest travel perk to face the chopping block is the partnership with Lufthansa. Beginning October 1, 2026, Platinum cardholders will officially lose access to Lufthansa Business Lounges.

---

💡 Is the Platinum Card Still Worth It?

With these subtle erosions to the lounge network and shopping credits, the value proposition of the $895 card is shifting. However, it's not all bad news. Amex has rolled out an updated Airfare Program covering select domestic Economy tickets, alongside the value found in newer perks like the Resy and lululemon credits.

If you leverage the heavy travel insurances, lounge access restrictions don't bother you, and you regularly use the remaining credits, the card can still easily pay for itself. But if you primarily held the card for early airport arrivals and Saks shopping sprees, it might be time to evaluate other premium options in your wallet.

Best Holiday Travel Credit Cards – $1,000+ In Savings – WalletHub Report

With some of the year’s busiest travel dates fast approaching, the personal-finance website WalletHub today announced its selections for Winter 2016’s Best Travel Credit Cards, plus key money-saving tips for domestic and international travelers. This gives the roughly 38% of Americans who have excellent credit plenty of time to compare, apply and give themselves the gift of $1,000+ in free travel.

Below you can find a sample of our picks, chosen from more than 1,000 total offers given their unique ability to produce travel-borne savings.

• Best Initial Bonus: Chase Sapphire Reserve – $1,500 in travel for spending $4,000 in the first three months; $300 annual travel credit; $450 annual fee.

• Best All-Around Travel Rewards: Barclaycard Arrival Plus – $525 travel statement credit for spending $3,000 in the first three months; 2.1% back on all purchases when you redeem for travel; no annual fee in the first year ($89 thereafter).

• Best Airline Rewards: Frontier Airlines Credit Card – 2 round-trip domestic tickets for spending $500 in the first 90 days; 2 miles per $1 spent on flyfrontier.com and 1 point per $1 spent on everything else; $69 annual fee.

• Best Hotel Rewards: Club Carlson Premier Rewards – 50,000 bonus points after first purchase and 30,000 points for spending $2,500 within 90 days of account opening, redeemable for up to 9 free nights; 40,000 bonus points on account anniversary, worth up to 4 free nights; $75 annual fee.

For the rest of the best offers as well as additional money-saving travel tips, please visit: https://wallethub.com/best-travel-credit-cards/

Finding The Right Credit Card For A Free Vacation

• 

FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013, file photo, a paddleboarder looks our over the Pacific Ocean... Read more

 (AP) — Many frequent fliers are buzzing about the latest travel rewards credit card — one that comes with a hefty $450 annual fee but offers a juicy 100,000 point bonus at sign-up.

Rewards cards lure us in with dreams of a free trip to some warm tropical beach. You're going to spend money — why not get a vacation out of it.

The truth is, these cards make sense only for those who spend lots of money, and quickly. The better value for most travelers — especially those flying domestic coach — is a cash back credit card.

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing a credit card. First, a major caveat: None of these cards — rewards or cash back — make sense unless you pay your bill in full each month. If you don't, any rewards earned will be washed away by interest payments.

CASH VS POINTS

The beauty of cash is that there are no restrictions. Forget desperately hoping that the airline opens up enough mileage seats on the flight you want. Or worse, locking yourself into one airline — just because you have miles — that requires a connection when there is a cheap, nonstop flight on another carrier.

The Citi Double Cash card and the Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature Card both offer 2 percent cash back on all spending.

Why is this better than frequent flier miles?

A typical domestic roundtrip ticket costs 25,000 miles on American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

Having a credit card with one of those airlines earns you one mile for every dollar spent — more for purchases with the airline. That means you would have to spend about $25,000 on a credit card to get a free ticket.

That same $25,000 spent on a cash-back card would earn you $500. The average domestic roundtrip ticket last year cost $363.98

If you charge less than $25,000 a year, cash back makes even more sense. You might only earn $150 or $200 in rewards a year. But you can stash that money away to pay for part of your next flight instead of hoping to eventually have enough miles for that trip.

ANNUAL FEES

There are cards with higher cash back rates in certain categories as well as many travel cards but they come with sometimes steep annual fees. For many families, that fee can wipe away any savings.

Let's compare a no-fee, 2-percent cash-back card with a card that has a $95 annual fee. It takes $4,750 in charges on that 2-percent cash-back credit card just to earn $95 in rebates. If you are earning miles or some other currency with that annual fee card, your first $5,000 in charges basically cover the fee. For somebody who charges $80,000 a year, that might not be an issue. But for somebody charging $10,000, they are paying a fee and won't even get enough miles for a free trip.

But don't necessarily dismiss a card just because it carries an annual fee.

Most of the major airline credit cards offer free checked bags for the primary cardholder and some of the people traveling with them — as long as everybody is on the same reservation. Since checking a bag typically costs $25 — each way — that $95 annual fee could pay for itself if three bags are checked roundtrip a year. You don't even have to make other charges on the card, sticking to your cash-back card for everyday spending.

Amtrak's credit card, with a $79 fee, comes with a free companion ticket, potentially making it worthwhile for frequent train riders. A roundtrip ticket from Boston to New York could easily top $200.

And the IHG Rewards Club comes with a free night at any InterContinental hotel in the world for its $49 annual fee. That's anything from the fanciest InterContinental down to a Holiday Inn Express next to the highway.

SIGNUP BONUSES

Finally, there are those eye-popping signup bonuses.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card made headlines recently for its 100,000 point signup bonus after spending $4,000. Those points can be worth up to $1,500 in travel rewards. It carries a $450 annual fee but $300 of that is refunded for spending on travel.

Other cards routinely offer anywhere between 30,000 to 50,000 miles in signup bonuses.

So, if you have good credit and can meet the minimum spend within the short time period, you can quickly pad your frequent flier balances.

In other words: get the card for the signup bonus and then cancel it before the next annual fee hits.

Just be warned, credit card companies are starting to cap the number of cards you can have and are putting lifetime limits on signup bonuses.

By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ

2016's Best Credit Cards For Summer Travel; International Travelers Can Save Additional 11%!

Up to $625 in travel rewards await the roughly 75% of Americans planning a summer getaway via one of 2016's Best Credit Cards for Summer Travel, while the 20% of people headed abroad can save an additional 11% by taking advantage of the favorable exchange rates offered by ano-foreign-fee credit card or debit card, according to a pair of studies released today by the personal-finance websites WalletHub and CardHub.

Highlights from both reports can be found below.

• Best Currency-Exchange Option: Using a no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card or a no-foreign-fee debit card is the least expensive way to convert currency, saving international travelers 10.84% relative to Travelex, 6.41% compared to banks and credit unions.
   
• Best All-Around: Barclaycard Arrival Plus: 40,000 bonus miles = $400 in travel rewards; 2.1% back on all purchases when you redeem for travel; $89 annual fee ($0 the first year).
   
• Best Initial Bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: 50,00 bonus miles = up to $625 in travel; $95 annual fee ($0 the first year).
   
• Best Airline Rewards: Frontier Airlines World MasterCard: 40,000 bonus miles = 2 free round-trip domestic flights; 2 miles per $1 spent on FlyFrontier.com; $69 annual fee.
   
• Best Hotel Rewards: Club Carlson Premier Rewards: 85,000 bonus points + 40,000-point anniversary bonus = up to 13 free nights; 10 points per $1 spent at Carlson properties; $75 annual fee.
   
• Best Road-Trip Rewards: PenFed Platinum Rewards Credit Card: 5 points per $1 on gas at any station; 3 points per $1 on groceries; potential $15 membership fee.

 
For the complete list of 2016’s Best Credit Cards For Summer Travel, please visit:
http://www.cardhub.com/best-travel-credit-cards/

To learn more about international currency-conversion costs, see:
https://wallethub.com/edu/currency-exchange-study/21567/  

These Are The Best Credit Cards for Travel Rewards

Nicholas J. Reid/ Getty Images

See this year's top picks for frequent fliers and road warriors.

MONEY and NerdWallet have picked the best credit cards in five different categories: cash back, borrowing, travel rewards, student, and small business cards. Most of our picks assume you are using cards strategically to maximize rewards, and paying off your bill each month to avoid fees and finance charges. MONEY also went one step further this year to add an “easy choice”—the best no-muss, no-fuss, no-annual-fee option.

Easy Choice: Barclaycard Arrival World

• APR: 16% to 24%
• Annual fee: $0
• Rewards:
  • Two miles for every $1 spent on travel and dining
  • One mile for every $1 spent on anything else
  • A 5% bonus when redeeming miles for travel spending
• Sign-up bonus: 20,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days
• Why it’s a winner: Cost-conscious cardholders who are modest spenders but want some travel rewards should look to this card. There’s no annual fee, no foreign-transaction fees, and even a yearlong 0% APR period on balance transfers made within 45 days of opening the card. You’ll earn solid rewards, including double miles for every dollar you spend on travel or at a restaurant; those miles will go even further when you redeem them for travel purchases.
• Caveat: Earning miles on this card is tougher than with some of the other travel winners. If you expect to spend more than $1,000 a month, this card’s cousin—the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite—will be worth the $89 annual fee.

Best for Frequent Fliers (Tie): Chase Sapphire Preferred

• APR: 16% variable
• Annual fee: $0 the first year, then $95
• Sign-up bonus: 40,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months
• Rewards:
  • Two points for every $1 spent on travel and dining
  • One point for every $1 spent on anything else
  • 5,000 points when you add an authorized user who makes a purchase within three months
  • 20% off travel when redeeming points for airfare, hotel stays, car rentals, and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Why it’s a winner: Valuable points and integration with partner programs make Chase Sapphire Preferred the best choice for those who want the most travel flexibility. You have a few options: You can redeem points against charges on your statement—getting 1¢ per mile—or get an extra 20% bonus if you use Chase’s platform to buy travel. Or you can transfer points directly to Sapphire’s travel partners: airlines (such as United and British Airways), hotels (Hyatt, Marriott), or trains (Amtrak). Those programs can be more generous or flexible, letting you use points to pay for upgrades or book business-class tickets.
• Caveat: Chase has upped the amount you must spend in the first three months to earn a sign-up bonus.

Best for Frequent Fliers (Tie): Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite

• APR: 16% to 20%
• Annual fee: $0 the first year, then $89
• Sign-up bonus: 40,000 miles after spending $3,000 in 90 days
• Rewards:
  • Two miles for every $1 spent
  • A 5% bonus when redeeming miles for travel spending
• Why it’s a winner: Like the Sapphire, this card offers top rewards without entangling you in an airline’s loyalty program, but it allows big spenders to rack up miles more quickly. The sign-up bonus itself nets you $420 worth of travel spending, but even after that first year you can recoup the annual fee with about $750 in monthly spending. Other benefits: There are no foreign-transaction fees, and you can get your credit score from TransUnion for free via the Barclaycard website.
• Caveat: This card doesn’t let you transfer miles to airline or hotel programs.

Best for Hotel Aficionados: Starwood Preferred Guest

• APR: 15% to 19%
• Annual fee: $0 the first year, then $95
• Sign-up bonus: 25,000 points after spending $3,000 in 90 days
• Rewards:
  • Up to five points for every $1 spent on Starwood hotels
  • One point per $1 for everything else
• Why it’s a winner: When it comes to hotel rewards, not all points are created equal. Other programs may offer more points per purchase (as does Citi Hilton HHonors card) or a greater sign-up bonus (IHG Rewards Club Select)—but the quants at NerdWallet say a Starwood Preferred Guest point is about five times as valuable as those offered by Hilton and more than three times as great as IHG’s. Why? Because these points go further. Starwood’s are worth about 2.2¢ to 2.4¢ each when they’re redeemed for hotel stays—far in excess of what you’ll get through rival programs. You can also transfer points to about 30 frequent-flier programs; you’ll even get a 5,000-point bonus when you transfer 20,000. And Starwood recently nixed its foreign-transaction fee, making overseas travel less costly.
• Caveat: To reap the card’s benefits, you’ll have to stay in one of Starwood’s 1,200 hotels. But the company’s portfolio includes brands such as Westin, W, and the St. Regis, so it’s hardly a sacrifice.

See all of MONEY’s picks:

• Best Credit Cards for Cash Back
• Best Credit Cards for Carrying a Balance
• Best Credit Cards for Small Business
• Best Credit Cards for Students
• Full coverage: Best Credit Cards 2015-16

Courtesy of Money

This article originally appeared on Money.