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Editorial Disclosure
If you’re planning to visit a Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club, you should pay attention to these upcoming access changes.
Chase is pulling its lounges out of the Priority Pass and LoungeKey programs, and it’s loosening the access window for those who already get in for free. This applies to all Chase lounges, including the recently opened outpost in Dallas/Fort Worth.
I’m a fan of both moves. Read on to see what’s changing.
Chase Sapphire Lounges are dropping Priority Pass
Beginning Aug. 15, Chase lounges will no longer participate in the Priority Pass and LoungeKey membership programs.
Until now, Priority Pass members could enter any Chase lounge once per calendar year at no extra cost. After using that visit, additional entries could be purchased for $75 each.
That applied to any Priority Pass member, regardless of how they earned the membership.
Yes, that means that those with the American Express Platinum Card® and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card could walk into a Chase lounge and pay a discounted rate — a head-scratcher.
My understanding is that Chase was required to accept Priority Pass members on a limited basis because its lounges are operated by The Club, which shares a parent company — Collinson Group — with Priority Pass.
I assume that provision either expired or Chase renegotiated the management contract as part of this move.
The good news is that there are no changes to the Priority Pass membership included with eligible Chase cards.
Note that anyone, regardless of lounge membership credentials, can still access the Chase lounge at the walk-up rate of $100 per person, subject to walk-in availability (which rarely happens).
Five hours of access on connections
Chase is also improving the access policy for cardmembers carrying its top cards.
Also effective Aug. 15, eligible cardmembers on a same-day connecting itinerary can use any Sapphire Lounge up to five hours before their connecting flight departs. The previous cutoff was three hours, whether you were originating or connecting.
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Anyone with a long layover should appreciate the extra time.
For comparison, here’s how Amex and Capital One handle lounge access during connections:
- American Express Centurion Lounge: five hours before a connecting flight (updated July 8)
- Capital One Lounge: three hours before a connecting flight
As you can see, Chase is bringing its policy in line with Amex, which doesn’t surprise me. If I were a betting man, I’d say Capital One will update its connecting policy soon too.
How to access Chase Sapphire Lounges
As a refresher, here’s which cards include access to Chase lounges.
Primary and authorized cardmembers of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® can enter the lounge at no additional cost and bring up to two guests.
Primary cardmembers with the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ can also use the lounge and bring up to two guests.
Additional guests beyond the two included cost $27 per person. (Children two and under are free.)
Those with the J.P. Morgan Reserve card or the Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card (no longer available to new applicants) can also use the lounge with the same rules, though the latter card includes unlimited guest access.
All information about the J.P. Morgan Reserve card and the Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card has been collected independently by From the Tray Table. The J.P. Morgan Reserve card and the Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card are no longer available through From the Tray Table.
Bottom line
Chase’s lounge access updates are a mixed bag depending on which cards are in your wallet. If you’ve been using a Priority Pass that didn’t come from a top Chase card, losing that annual visit stings.
But with limited square footage and a growing pool of eligible cardmembers, I get what Chase is doing. Reserving the space for people paying steep annual fees on its flagship cards is the right call.
Now, if only Chase would introduce a digital waitlist for its lounges. If it did that, it’d have the best access policy of any issuer.
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Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. Responses have not been reviewed , approved, or endorsed by any bank advertisers. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.