Off on holiday and fancy treating yourself to an airport lounge? There are plenty of ways you can save money on the cost of airport lounge access, just read on to find out how!
What is an Airport Lounge and What’s Included?
Contrary to popular belief you don’t need to fly business class or with a certain airline to get into an airport lounge. You can actually pay to get into them!
Generally, at an airport lounge, you’ll have access to:
- Hot food and beverages
- TVs, Wifi, charging ports and desks
- A complimentary bar
- Comfortable seating areas
Which UK Airports have paid lounges?
- Aberdeen
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Cardiff
- Heathrow
- East Midlands
- Edinburgh
- Gatwick
- Leeds Bradford
- Liverpool
- Luton
- Manchester
- Newcastle
- Southend
- Stansted
- Teesside International
Are airport lounges worth the cost?
Depending on the airport, a lounge could cost you anywhere between £25 and £50. An airport lounge could prove to be quite good value if you’re travelling during peak season and already plan to drink and eat quite a bit at the airport anyway.
This is because the free drinks and food available at lounges could save you from the hiked-up prices at the airport restaurants.
However, it’s true value is all based on how much you would normally spend in the airport before your flight!
Other perks like plug sockets and Wifi are generally available throughout most airports, however, the comfy lounge seats and dedicated spaces are great for naps during long layovers.
How much do lounges cost?
Airport lounge prices range from £25 to £50 depending on the airport.
Some major airports, like Gatwick, will have a few lounges in different terminals with some being more premium than others. You’ll usually be able to find extra perks like gaming stations and à la carte dining.
How to save £££ off your next airport lounge
There are a bunch of ways you can save money on booking an airport lounge for your next trip.
Google discount codes
Search for ‘[your departure airport] + discount code’ and see what you can find. Just double check any offers you find to make sure they’re legit.
Check travel sites
Sites that offer travel and travel-related services – like holidayextras or parking sites like purpleparking – will regularly have money-off codes for airport lounges.
Look at voucher sites
Get an AMEX Gold Credit Card
Holders of an AMEX Gold Credit Card can get free airport lounge access 4 times in a year. You don’t need to spend regularly on the card to get it.
There are also credit cards that give you unlimited lounge access, such as the AMEX Platinum Credit Card, though this has an eye-watering annual fee of £650, so it may not be worth it for you!
Check your bank account perks
Some premium bank accounts come with perks like free or discounted airport lounge access.
Natwest
The Natwest Premier Reward Black account comes with free lounge access, although you need to meet some criteria to apply.
Barclays
Barclays’ Travel Plus Pack costs £23 a month and includes 6 free airport lounge visits per year as well as travel insurance, breakdown cover and a concierge service. You’ll need a Barclays account if you want to sign up.
Revolut
So Revolut isn’t strictly a bank but it’s super popular with globetrotters thanks to its travel debit card and fee-free foreign currency transactions and ATM withdrawals.
Their Ultra tier comes in at £45/ month with a load of things included like medical and travel insurance, a monthly e-sim data allowance, classpass credits and airport lounge access for free. Their Premium and Metal tariffs get you a discounted rate on airport lounges too.
Monzo
Monzo Max account holders can get access to a load of benefits including insurance, breakdown cover, a weekly Greggs treat and access to airport lounges across the world for £24 per person, via LoungeKey.
Check with your employer
Some airport lounges have discount codes for people in certain jobs, like NHS professionals or teachers – so if that’s you don’t forget to see what’s on offer.
Get a lounge club pass
This one is more for the frequent fliers, but you can get passes like Priority Pass that give you discounted or unlimited airport lounge access based on what pass you buy.
Priority Pass
Standard: £69 annual fee; £24 per visit
Standard Plus: £229 annual fee; 10 free visits then £24 per visit
Prestige: £419 annual fee; unlimited free visits
There’s also DragonPass, which is slightly cheaper than Priority unless they happen to be running an offer. Although the lower price reflects the fact that DragonPass has fewer lounges in their network.
DragonPass
Classic: £68 annual fee, 1 free visit then 24 per visit
Preferential: £168 annual fee, 8 free visits then £24 per year
Prestige: £379 annual fee, unlimited free visits
Travel in Comfort and Save Money With an Airport Lounge Discount Code
If you’re looking to pay for discounted access to airport lounges to make your journeys more comfortable, then you have a few options. Remember to look at voucher sites, discount codes, lounge pass providers and even premium bank accounts to see what could work for you.
