You may need to pay extra to guarantee access to your next Priority Pass lounge

There are plenty of different ways to score airport lounge access before your next flight. The correct class of service (usually in a premium cabin), elite status, the right credit card or lounge membership through a program like Priority Pass can open those coveted doors.

Priority Pass membership lets travelers access over 1,700 lounges in 145 countries. Usually, you can access Priority Pass lounges by handing your boarding pass and Priority Pass card to a staff member at the lounge entrance — but a growing trend means you could be required to pay an additional fee to secure your “free” entry.

Should you pay up? And is it worth it?

Related: The do’s and don’ts of visiting an airport lounge

Why are lounges charging fees to guarantee entry?

It’s understandable that travelers who already pay for Priority Pass membership or get it as a perk of holding a premium credit card would expect to be able to enter without any further cost.

However, the reality of these lounges — especially high-quality ones like, say, the flashy Club SFO — is that they’re often inundated with travelers attempting to access them. This means these lounges can hit full capacity pretty quickly, especially during peak travel periods. So even if you have a Priority Pass membership, entry is far from guaranteed.

As a solution to the overcrowding, some lounges have started offering the option of paying an additional fee upfront to guarantee entry, instead of taking your chances on the day and risking an extended wait (or worse, being denied entry entirely) due to capacity constraints.

While reservation fees like this are a relatively new trend in the United States, they are already commonplace in the United Kingdom. If you arrive at a Priority Pass lounge in the U.K. and have not paid to prebook your entry, you will likely be denied entry or told to come back later — not ideal if you have a plane to catch.

Now, the practice is coming stateside too.

Related: The best lounges at London Heathrow — and how to get inside

Reservation fees at airport lounges with Priority Pass

Thanks to these new policies, prebooking lounge access through the Priority Pass website is the obvious solution to guarantee entry and make your airport journey smoother all around. By prebooking, you won’t have to wait outside for a text message or for your name to be called, and you can maximize your time at the airport.

Of course, you’ll unfortunately have to pay for the privilege. The terms and pricing will differ by airport and Priority Pass lounge; for example, The Club SFO charges $9 a head to prebook.

Access rules differ by lounge as well: Many require you to book at least 24 hours in advance, and some only guarantee access if you arrive within 30 minutes of the booked time. If the lounge typically only allows Priority Pass members to enter up to three hours before their flight, you shouldn’t expect to enter more than three hours before your flight’s scheduled departure — unless you paid for extra time while making a reservation.

When making a reservation, the standard Priority Pass entry requirements and policies still apply. You’ll still need to present a valid boarding pass and Priority Pass card at the lounge desk. The lounge will run your Priority Pass card as usual in addition to the reservation fee you paid ahead of time.

You can find a list of all Priority Pass lounges with a prebooking option on the website; there are now over 100. At the time of publication, notable U.S. locations include:

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
• Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)
• Charleston International Airport (CHS)
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
• Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
• Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)
• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
• Miami International Airport (MIA)
• Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
• Orlando International Airport (MCO)
• Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR)

Should you pay a reservation fee for an airport lounge?

This comes down to personal preference and risk tolerance.

If you plan to spend minimal time at the airport and are only planning to pop into the lounge for a quick coffee and snack, it might not be worth the bother of arranging a guaranteed entry time — you can probably buy a coffee at an airport shop for less than the reservation fee.

However, if it’s a special occasion, like your annual summer family vacation, and you know you will be at the airport with plenty of time to spare and want to make the occasion more comfortable, convenient and memorable, paying the fee might make more sense. The reality is that if you’re visiting a lounge within the Priority Pass multiverse, you’re competing with many other travelers for entry — if you want to beat the surge, it’s better to cough up.

Which credit cards offer Priority Pass lounge access?

Although you can purchase Priority Pass memberships, many credit cards offer Priority Pass airport lounge access as a perk. The following cards are among the best for Priority Pass lounge access, since they offer unlimited Priority Pass lounge access for the primary cardholder with at least two complimentary guests per visit:

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• The Platinum Card® from American Express *
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express *
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card *

*Enrollment is required.

Bottom line

The ability to prebook your next Priority Pass lounge visit gives you a way to guarantee access if you’re willing to pay a modest per-person fee. However, accessing lounges that allow booking without paying for a reservation is becoming harder.

Whether you like or dislike the ability to book, know this is an option for more than 100 lounges worldwide — and is sure to be the way of the future for more lounges to come. For special occasions or whenever you want to guarantee a meal and a place to relax, it could be a wise investment.

Related reading:

• Key travel tips you need to know — whether you’re a beginner or expert traveler
• The best travel credit cards
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• 8 of the best credit cards for general travel purchases
• 13 must-have items the TPG team can’t travel without