The Club Airport Lounges Introducing New Restrictions for Priority Pass Members

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

 Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

INSIDER SECRET: If you’d like to get airport lounge access without paying a huge annual fee, consider the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. It comes with 10 Priority Pass lounge visits per year and only has a $95 annual fee (See rates & fees).

Airport lounge access is a game changer for those long layovers, delays or just getting away from the crowds to relax. Getting into a fancy lounge isn’t as hard you’d think — you don’t necessarily need to be flying first class or have top-tier elite status with an airline because you can simply open a credit card with airport lounge access.

The Priority Pass airport lounge network is one of the most extensive and popular memberships and it comes as a benefit with cards like these:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express
• The Business Platinum® Card from American Express
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card – 10 visits per year
• Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card
• U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card – 4 visits per year for the cardholder and a guest
• Citi Prestige^® Credit Card

The information for the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite, Hilton Aspire card, Hilton Surpass card and the Citi Prestige credit card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Airport Lounge Restrictions at The Club Locations

Because it’s so easy to get a Priority Pass membership, some lounges have suffered from overcrowding during peak travel times. To combat this, select locations have implemented restrictions limiting when your Priority Pass membership will get you access.

Over the weekend Doctor of Credit reported that starting on September 1, 2019, The Club lounge locations will be restricting Priority Pass members’ access to three hours before your scheduled flight departure, which means you also won’t be able to visit The Club lounges on arrival. This change will impact The Club locations at these airports:

• Atlanta
• Boston
• Baltimore
• Charleston
• Cincinnati
• Dallas
• Jacksonville
• Las Vegas
• Orlando
• Seattle
• San Jose, California

The only US The Club location which doesn’t have the new restrictions added to its terms on the Priority Pass website is the Pittsburgh lounge. Maybe the Pittsburgh location isn’t as busy or it’s possible that the new restrictions will apply, but the terms on the Priority Pass website just haven’t been updated.

Also, both international The Club lounges (London Heathrow and London Gatwick) already have a strict three-hour maximum stay, which is a bit more harsh although I’m not sure how it is enforced.

For the latest tips and tricks on traveling big without spending a fortune, please subscribe to the Million Mile Secrets daily email newsletter.

For rates and fees of the Hilton Surpass Card, please click here.

Featured image by Joni Hanebutt/Shutterstock.