For many years, a membership to airport lounge networks like Priority Pass was one of the golden tickets of luxurious air travel.
Drawn to the appeal of plush seating, peaceful ambiance, and complimentary food and drink, frequent fliers arrived early at the airport, hoping to blitz through security and enjoy a quiet refuge in the airport lounge before their flights.
But as travelers get increasingly savvy about insider perks like Priority Pass, this global network of airport lounges—also offered as a benefit of signing up for some popular travel credit cards—has lost some of its shine recently.
“Priority Pass is dead,” fumed one angry traveler on Reddit after posting a photo of an airport lounge entrance sign that stated, “Due to space constraints, we are currently NOT ACCEPTING Priority Pass,” as well as two other lounge network memberships. A quick online search for “Is Priority Pass still worth it?” uncovers grumpy sentiments from other disgruntled members.
These disappointments have led many credit cardholders to speculate whether the heyday of Priority Pass has passed.
Is the Priority Pass perk really “dead”?
With more than 2 million users and over 1,700 locations worldwide, Priority Pass isn’t “dead” by any means. But U.S. travelers who have Priority Pass through their credit cards are getting fewer benefits from their complimentary memberships than in the past.
U.S. travelers overwhelmingly associate Priority Pass with credit card ownership, since more than half a dozen travel credit cards (including popular options like Amex Platinum, Capital One Venture X, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant) offer complimentary membership as a benefit. In contrast, few international credit cards provide access to the perk, so non-U.S. travelers independently purchase Priority Pass membership or day passes to enjoy lounge access.
Social media has further taught travelers how to maximize expensive travel credit card benefits, justifying high annual fees by touting amenities like lounge access and automatic elite status. Generous credit card welcome bonuses have further sweetened the appeal of fancy travel cards to the point where everyone and their mom seem to have a credit card with airport lounge access.
As more people than ever flaunt prestigious credit cards, overcrowding and capacity limitations have made airport lounges less enjoyable. That’s assuming you can even get in: Members have increasingly reported getting added to long wait lists or being outright turned away at the entrance due to capacity issues.
To combat these problems, credit card issuers continually adjust the terms of their partnerships with Priority Pass and other benefit providers in several ways, including limiting the number of guests allowed into the lounge per member and eliminating one of the most beloved Priority Pass benefits: the dining credit.
The USA has a relatively small network of Priority Pass lounges compared to Europe and Asia. When traditional lounge access wasn’t available at smaller airports, Priority Pass came up with a creative solution: offering a $28 food and beverage credit at participating airport restaurants (no longer available to guests with Priority Pass membership via credit cards).
For many years, the U.S. Priority Pass restaurant benefit was one of the most reliable ways to get value from a Priority Pass membership. (Shout-out to the shrimp scampi at Bobby Van’s in Terminal 8 of New York’s JFK Airport.)
This benefit was particularly appealing for families with young children or people who just wanted a quick bite to eat, since each guest in the party could claim the generous credit for anything on the menu.
But one by one, credit card issuers have been dropping this perk as increasing numbers of Priority Pass diners looking to cash in on their available credit swarmed airport restaurants beyond capacity, especially during travel delays and peak season.
In summer 2024, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders learned that their memberships would no longer include access to the Priority Pass dining credit at airport restaurants and cafés. Memberships through Capital One and Amex had already lost this benefit, Capital One in 2023 and Amex in 2019.
Alternative ways to score lounge benefits
Only 10 years ago, the idea of paying $450 a year for a credit card seemed preposterous for most Americans. Yet the Chase Sapphire Reserve now costs $795 yearly as of June 2025, its second price increase since launching in 2016 at an inaugural rate of $450. Its top rival, the popular Amex Platinum, is expected to increase its current annual fee of $695 during its impending refresh in the fall of 2025.
The world of credit card benefits is constantly evolving. If you’re concerned that you’re no longer getting enough value out of your premium travel credit card, here are three alternative ways to enjoy Priority Pass–like benefits without the steep annual expense.
A credit card with no annual fee that’s perfect for occasional travelers
If you rarely travel through airports with Priority Pass lounges, the no-annual-fee U.S. Bank Altitude Connect may be the perfect travel credit card for you.
In addition to offering travel-friendly benefits that include comped Global Entry or TSA PreCheck enrollment fees, the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect comes with a version of Priority Pass membership that includes four day passes yearly. If you don’t travel often, four visits a year—for free, to boot—may be enough to allow you to travel in comfort.
Use your credit card’s (growing) lounge network
If you’re fed up with Priority Pass, take heart: The Amex Platinum, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, or the Capital One Venture X credit cards all offer their own proprietary airport lounge networks.
Amex has the largest reach and most established footprint, with more than a dozen U.S. locations and nearly as many worldwide. Chase has nearly a dozen locations worldwide, mostly scattered throughout the United States, and Capital One is quickly catching up with half a dozen throughout the continental U.S. And more are on the way: Each issuer has at least one new location in the works.
As a general rule, credit card issuer lounges are significantly nicer than Priority Pass lounges, especially within the United States.
These sophisticated spaces are increasingly giving traditional airline lounges a run for their money. Issuer-operated lounges offer premium amenities such as child-friendly playrooms, custom cocktails, chef-designed menus with a plethora of food offerings, and even complimentary spa treatments.
Some locations, like the tiny Chase Sapphire Lounge in Phoenix International Airport (PHX), inevitably deal with overcrowding during peak travel times and holiday seasons. But many of these lounges are new and state of the art, with charging stations at most seats and semi-private seating throughout. You’ll still sit shoulder-to-shoulder with other travelers from time to time, but you won’t have to fight over a single outlet.
Get creative with day passes
If you’re an infrequent traveler, the base-tier Priority Pass Standard membership only costs $99 a year. Once you have Standard membership, you can purchase day passes for $35 per member or eligible guests. Better yet, you’ll typically earn bonus points if you pay with a credit card that earns extra rewards on travel expenses.
Other non–credit card memberships or subscriptions may also include Priority Pass benefits. For example, premium members of pet-sitting houseshare service TrustedHousesitters get two complimentary single-use Priority Pass passes each year, while users of the fintech Revolut banking app can purchase DragonPass day passes via the app (DragonPass is a Priority Pass competitor).
The bottom line
At the end of the day, credit card perks can vanish as quickly as they appear. Benefits like Priority Pass access continue to evolve, and your approach to travel perks should change with them. Don’t stay loyal to a card just for its flashy metal exterior or your shared history. Instead, focus on what makes the most sense for your finances and travel habits.
