If there’s one thing I know, it’s credit cards.
I’ve been writing about credit cards for years and made the decision to use my wisdom to plan a backpacking vacation around the world. I knew I needed a card with a competitive welcome bonus, moving partners, useful credits, and a smart rewards rate. But after reading a blog about problems and miles, I stumbled upon a benefit I had no idea about: access to airport lounges.
Photos of tastefully decorated spaces, sumptuous amenities, and, for me, as pleasant as possible: delicious food and drinks in bulk, sold me instantly. I had to enjoy those salons for myself.
So I paid $950 in annual fees to open two premium cards that offered lounge access through Priority Pass. I was delighted. But within a few months of my trip, the initial enthusiasm temporarily dissipated. Not only were most of the airport lounges I visited mediocre, but I was also so panicked about missing the flight that I rarely got to enjoy them.
I don’t regret opening those cards, as their welcome bonuses and other benefits have proven to be useful. But I wouldn’t open them again just to access the screen, either. If you’re planning a vacation and comparing the charge for Priority Pass lounge access, it could possibly save you a few hundred dollars.
As a budgeter, I was hesitant to pay $25-$50 for one-on-one airport lounge visits or $329-$469 for a standalone Priority Pass club with single lounge visits. Since I was already contemplating opening several credit cards for my trip, applying for a premium card with a slightly higher annual payment and a flexible Priority Pass club seemed like the most cost-effective solution.
So I opened Chase Sapphire Reserve® in the fall of 2022 to take advantage of a superior welcome bonus of 80,000 issues (the existing bonus is now 60,000 issues when you spend $4000 on purchases during the first 3 months after opening the account). I had originally planned to keep this card for a year, take advantage of all the credit of Priority Pass for my trip, and then downgrade the card after a year to avoid paying the maximum annual payment again.
But the plans changed. I was delayed for six months. When I was in a position to go, my Chase Sapphire Reserve was nearing its first birthday. I knew I was going to downgrade my card to the more affordable Chase Sapphire Preferred® card. But that only left me with 3 months of access to Priority Pass. So I signed up for the Capital One Venture X Rewards* credit card, which gave me another full year of Priority Pass access and a big 75,000-mile welcome bonus (after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months).
In total, I paid $945 in annual card fees ($550 for Sapphire Reserve and $395 for Venture X) for a total of about 18 months of Priority Pass.
$945 is a lot of cash for someone considering themselves a budgeter. But after I switched my credits, my effective charge for either card dropped to about $145 for the first year. Here’s how:
Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with $300 annual credits and up to $100 in TSA PreCheck/Global Entry/NEXUS credits (every 4 years). When you subtract that from the $550 annual payment on this card, my fee dropped to $150. .
Venture X earns $300 Capital One Travel credits and TSA Global Access/PreCheck credits up to $100 (every 4 years). After paying the $395 annual fee, that left me with $5, bringing my overall “cost” to $145. for the year, for cards.
At the beginning of my trip, I was confident that the airport lounge experience (and free food!) would be worth it. But as my adventure progressed, I found that I wasn’t getting as much value for my Priority Pass airport accommodations. Access to the room as expected. Here’s why.
Initially, my intention was to travel around Europe basically on short-haul flights, paid for with my extensive collection of credit card points. This would allow me to spend a lot of time at airports and, by extension, in airport lounges.
Then I came to Europe and discovered. . . trains.
Okay, that sounds a little silly. But growing up in a region of America where flying and driving are the most convenient means of interregional transportation, I didn’t know how smart Europe’s rail infrastructure was, or how much I’d prefer ground transportation to airplane.
I enjoyed showing up at the station just 15 minutes before departure, heading to the platform without any security checks and without worrying about baggage allowances or transportation from the airport to the city center. In places where there was no exercise available, he took ferries. (which I also found a fun activity) and buses (less fun but cheap). So I ended up not flying very often, restricting my opportunities to make a stopover in the airport’s VIP lounges.
When I found myself at an airport out of necessity, I realized that I didn’t have much time to enjoy airport lounges. At larger airports, where the best lounges are typically located, there was a significant distance between security, the lounge, and my gate. Sometimes they were even in other terminals. Once I got to the living room, it took me some time to settle in and eat well. Then I had to run back to my door before it closed. . Trying to get to the lounge less than an hour before boarding proved to be more stressful than relaxing.
I thought the lounges would make layovers more enjoyable, but navigating a new airport and looking for the lounge and my gate made my strain worse.
Unless I wanted to get to the airport even earlier, I learned that I wouldn’t have much free time to be in a lounge. But I usually flew early in the morning or in the afternoon, when flights were usually cheaper. In the first case, I liked to sleep an hour or two longer than the time I spent in the living room. As for the latter, I chose to plan an additional day or hour of visit to the city.
Well, I’ve been to some amazing salons that made me perceive what all this hype is like. For example, the IGA lounge at Istanbul Airport had delicious food, amazing amenities, and one of the largest living rooms you’ll ever see. seen.
But this was not the norm at most airports. Most of the other salons I visited were wonderful, but nothing special. They offered a quieter area with refreshments and more comfortable chairs. The food and loose drinks were a great option for the expensive airport meal. , but they were really no better than bringing a snack to the airport and having dinner at the gate. In addition, many classic (budget-friendly) airlines in Europe offer soft, loose foods or soft snacks.
Once the news wore off, I knew I didn’t like being in the salons. I liked to wait at the gate, where I was sure I wouldn’t miss my flight by accident.
For me, Priority Pass alone did not charge the annual payment fee on either card. But both travel cards had other benefits and rewards that made them cash out when they opened. The welcome bonus charge on either card far exceeded their annual payments. , and each card included useful travel benefits, such as travel insurance. And, once the financial cost of the other loans is taken into account, the actual annual payment on the cards was much less than the cost of the label.
But in the future, I probably won’t keep the two cards and I won’t get them back either. Instead, you’d get the intermediate edition of each card: the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card and Capital One Venture Rewards. * Credit card: Either has a much more manageable annual payment of $95.
It’s usually worth paying a $95 annual payment for an intermediate-tier card, as the benefits you get far outweigh those of a travel card with no annual payment. The difference between an intermediate-tier travel card and a premium travel card from the same issuer regularly comes up to access to Priority Pass, as well as some other luxury benefits or credits, perks that I don’t really need.
While I personally didn’t find Priority Pass as useful as I had hoped, you might like it, especially if you spend a lot of time at airports. If you can’t stand the hustle and bustle of the main terminal and prefer a semi-private space, access to the living room might delight your trip more than it did me. And if you’re enjoying a cocktail on the go (which I don’t), the financial price of loose alcoholic beverages featured in many living rooms is arguably worth it alone.
But as far as I’m concerned, you can now see me at exercise stations, ferry terminals, and airport gates, no more FOMO now that I know what (I’m not missing).
*All Capital One Venture Rewards credit card and Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card data were independently collected through CNET and reviewed through the issuer.
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