The Priority Pass program is one of the largest international programs, which gives access to one of 600 VIP lounges in all corners of the world. WITH Priority card Pass allows you, regardless of the class of air ticket and membership in the club of a particular airline, not only to freely enter the first class lounge, but also to invite clients to a business meeting, colleagues or friends to the VIP lounge.

The Priority Pass card gives you the opportunity to turn every minute of waiting into your advantage. The VIP room is a comfortable place to relax, where you can sit comfortably, view emails, and use... At some airports you can additionally use the services of spa centers. In addition, the first class lounges have a meeting room where you can freely hold a business meeting. The availability of drinks and light snacks is another undoubted advantage of staying in the VIP lounge.

For those who fly a lot, a selection of cards with Priority Pass will be of interest, giving the right to access to airport business lounges. Premium cards, as a rule, also provide increased cashbacks and insurance for traveling abroad. The selection includes only cards with free access to business lounges.

• Alfa-Bank package Maximum+, package cost 3,000 rubles/month, or free with monthly purchases on package cards over 50,000 rubles and an average monthly account balance of over 1 million rubles, or with balances on all accounts over 3 million rubles, or transferring salary to a card in excess of RUB 250,000.
  • Free 4 passes per month for the cardholder with monthly card purchases over 50,000 rubles and an average monthly account balance over 1 million rubles, or with balances on all accounts above 3 million rubles.
  • Unlimited number of passes for monthly card purchases over 100,000 rubles and an average monthly account balance over 2 million rubles, or for balances on all accounts above 6 million rubles.
• Binbank Premium package, cost 1950 rubles/month, or free for purchases over 150,000 rubles, or card account balances over 600,000 rubles (for Moscow and St. Petersburg) and 400,000 rubles (for regions), or account balances over 2 million. rubles, or a salary transfer of at least 150,001 rubles. Unlimited passes for the card holder
• VTB Bank of Moscow package Height, package cost 2000 rubles/month, or free for purchases on all cards over 75,000 rubles, or balances on all accounts over 3 million rubles. Unlimited passes for cardholder and 1 guest
• VTB24 Privilege package, package cost 2,500 rubles/month, or free for purchases over 55,000 rubles/month, or average monthly account balance over 2 million rubles, or receipts to the account from 120,000 rubles/month. 8 free passes per month, subject to one of the conditions: card purchases of at least 55,000 rubles/month, or account balances over 2 million rubles.
• Opening package, cost free for purchases over 50,000 rubles/month and account balances over 600,000 rubles, or account balances over 1 million rubles, or purchases over 50,000 rubles/month and account receipts over 200,000 rubles. Unlimited passes for the cardholder and an unlimited number of guests
• Promsvyazbank Orange package, cost 2800 rubles/month, either free for purchases over 50,000 rubles and balances over 1 million rubles, or for account balances over 2 million rubles. Passes are free unlimited for the card holder and an unlimited number of guests upon fulfilling the conditions of the free package.
• Rosbank Premium package, cost 2,500 rubles/month, or free for purchases over 50,000 rubles and an average monthly balance over 750,000 rubles, or for balances on all accounts over 2 million rubles. 12 free passes per year for card holder
• Sberbank Premier package, cost 2,500 rubles/month, or free with account balances over 2.5 million rubles for Moscow or 1.5 million rubles for other cities of the Russian Federation. Unlimited passes for the card holder and an unlimited number of guests
• Citibank package Citi Ultima, cost 15,000 rubles/year. Unlimited passes for the card holder
• Unicredit package Prime, cost 3,000 rubles/month, or free with account balances over 3 million rubles.
  • 2 free passes per month with account balances from 1.5 to 3 million rubles;
  • 4 free passes with account balances from 3 to 6 million rubles;
  • 2 free passes per day with account balances over 6 million rubles.
• Avangard Bank with an account turnover of 240 tr. Priority Pass cards are given free of charge per year, the cost of one visit to the VIP lounge and first class lounge is 27 US dollars per person.
• Investment bank BCS provides the Priority Pass service as follows: with an average monthly balance of RUB 3,000,000, 2 passes per month are paid

Priority Pass card ownership levels

There are Priority Pass cards of the following tariff plans:

1. $99 per year, plus an additional $27 per visit;
2. payment $249 per year for 10 visits, each next visit costs $27;
3. $399 per year with unlimited visits.

How to apply for a Priority Pass card

The Priority Pass card can be ordered directly on the official website of the Priority Pass program. Payment is made for delivery and as a membership fee.

The second option for obtaining a Priority Pass card is through a bank. Many banks offer it as an additional bonus to other banking products, for example, when issuing a premium MasterCard Gold, Visa Platinum, Visa Gold card, regardless of whether they are credit or debit. To receive a card this way, you need to leave an application with the bank. The issuance period depends on the institution itself and ranges from five days to a month. Together with the ordered Priority Pass card, the client is given a card in which you can find all the necessary information about which airports have joined the international Priority Pass program and what services they provide. You can download the electronic version of the directory to your mobile or other electronic media.

How to use the Priority Pass card

In order to use the Priority Pass card, you need to present your air ticket and the card itself. The card can only be used by its owner. For visits of children under a certain age, fees are generally not charged. In some halls there are restrictions on visits by guests, including children. A regular bank card is not a replacement for a Priority Pass card.

The staff makes an imprint from the card and gives you a slip to sign with the date of the visit and the number of accompanying persons, with the name of the hall. Payment for each visit according to the tariff plan is debited from the payment card at the end of the month.

In addition to all the advantages described above, the Priority Pass card can provide the opportunity to take advantage of additional services. The Priority Pass company has many agreements with individual companies about discounts that are provided to Priority Pass cardholders - we're talking about about discounts on hotel services, companies that provide rentals and others.

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Changes from 05/01/2017 access to business lounges via Priority Pass VTB24

VTB 24 changes the terms of access to Priority business lounges Pass from May 1, 2017. New rules.

At the end of April, VTB24 Bank notified its clients of changes in the conditions for access to business lounges using VTB 24 Priority Pass cards issued as part of the Privilege premium service.

Members of the Priority Pass program can visit more than 1,000 business lounges at airports around the world, regardless of the airline used and regardless of the class of service.

You can get a Priority Pass card at VTB24 by issuing a Mastercard Black Edition or Elite card.

By the way, using a black Mastercard card, you can visit the business lounge of the same name at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport in terminal E, as well as in some other airports around the world where there are MasterCard lounges. , Priority Pass program members are not served.

VTB 24 terms and conditions Priority Pass until May 1, 2017

According to the conditions proposed by VTB24, until May 1, the owner of the Priority card could visit business lounges for free 2 times a month, other visits had to be paid according to Priority Pass tariffs - this is about 25 euros for each visit.

VTB 24 terms and conditions Priority Pass after May 1, 2017

According to the new access rules, from May 1, VTB24 abolished free visits in the basic version, but increased the number of free visits from 2 to 8 for those clients who meet at least one of the following conditions:

1. The balance on deposit accounts exceeds 1.5 million rubles
2. The balance on accounts (including savings) exceeds 750 thousand rubles
3. Transactions by bank card from 55 thousand rubles. Transactions mean card payments at retail outlets, both offline and online.

The changes are not unambiguous; for some they will certainly benefit, while others will lose.

The first two conditions under which 8 free passes per month are available overlap with the conditions under which a premium banking services in VTB 24 for free. Its cost is 6 thousand rubles per quarter. If these conditions are met, the bank returns the commission to the client’s account. The same thing happens if the account turnover is from 150 thousand rubles, and any turnover is taken into account, even if the client simply deposits money through an ATM.

Thus, the winners are those bank clients who fulfill the conditions - the balance on deposit accounts exceeds 1.5 million rubles or the balance on accounts (including savings) exceeds 750 thousand rubles. For them, the service of the premium package remains free and they have the opportunity to enter the Priority business lounges 8 times a month themselves and see off their fellow travelers.

The rest will have to pay for each visit to business lounges at program rates according to Priority Pass prices.

At the beginning of May, I used the Priority card under new conditions. Before flying to Zagreb, there were four of us. We are waiting for the financial result, I hope it will be zero, as VTB24 promises.))

VTB 24 terms and conditions Priority Pass with July 1, 2017, new rules

VTB24 frequently makes changes. Not much time has passed since the last changes, but from July 1, 2017, the bank again changed the conditions for the “Privilege” package. The changes affected the criteria for free service of the premium package, as well as the conditions for access to business lounges under the Priority Pass program. But first things first.

From July 1, 2017, VTB24 Bank switched to a monthly schedule for writing off commissions. Let me remind you that before this the bank charged commission quarterly. The transition to a monthly schedule will occur from the 1st day of the calendar month that follows the month of renewal of the Privilege package.

Change of free criteria from 07/01/2017

The criteria for free servicing of the Privilege package have also changed. The service will be free for the client if he meets one of the following conditions:

• crediting to the Privilege card from 120,000 rubles
• balances on accounts and deposits with VTB24 from 2,000,000 rubles

Otherwise, a monthly service fee of 2,500 rubles will be charged. For those who activated the premium package before 05/02/2017, the cost of service remains 2,000 rubles until renewal.

The changes also affected the conditions for access to business lounges using a Priority Pass card issued by VTB24.

Changes in the conditions of access to Priority Pass VTB24 business lounges from 07/01/2017

From July 1, 2017, for the holder of a Priority Pass card issued as part of the “Traveller” premium package, 8 free visits to business lounges are available, subject to one of the following conditions:

• payment with Privilege cards from 55,000 rubles
• balances on accounts and deposits with VTB24 from 2,000,000 rubles;

The criteria for free service must be met in the month of access to the business lounge. If the conditions are not met, a commission is debited in accordance with the amount presented to the bank for payment for these visits - about 30 US dollars for each pass to the VIP lounge.

As you can see, the two criteria for free service coincide with the criteria for free visits.

Morality

From my point of view, this time VTB24 seriously worsened the conditions by removing the alternative criterion of 750,000 rubles in savings accounts. And if before that I assessed receiving a Priority Pass card through VTB24 as the best option, but now I’m not sure about it anymore. Currently, Sberbank's offer seems more attractive. Under comparable conditions for the commission for servicing a service package and the free criteria, there are no limits on visits for the Sberbank Priority Pass card, both for its holder and for the guests who accompany him.

For now, due to lack of time, I continue to use the Priority card issued by VTB24, but I am following events and may soon change the bank, especially if events continue to develop in the same direction.

Priority Pass card renewal

In November, my card received from VTB expired. I never found a more profitable alternative and adapted to the new conditions, so I decided to renew the card at the same bank. The extension went quickly and did not take much time. I called my personal manager by phone and asked to renew the card. The application was accepted over the phone and promised to be completed within a few business days. Since there was no rush, a week later I called the bank and they told me that the card was already ready and was in the branch. The time to receive the card at the bank office was no more than 15 minutes. It turned out to be easy to renew or replace a card at the bank, without red tape and loss of time.

Changes from 04/01/2018 of access to business lounges via VTB Priority Pass

From April 1 (and this is not a joke), VTB is changing the conditions for Priority Pass cards, which the bank issues as part of the “Privilege” service package.

The new conditions are:

2 free passes per month – when maintaining balances on accounts and deposits from 2,000,000 rubles or paying for goods / services from 100,000 per month.

8 free passes per month – when maintaining balances on accounts and deposits from 5,000,000 rubles

The criteria for free servicing of the Privilege service package remain the same for now.

Unfortunately, the trend towards worsening conditions for clients continued and has almost reached its climax. It has become economically unfeasible to issue a Priority Pass card at VTB, since the bank offers low rates on deposits. It is more profitable to apply for a card directly or pay for entry to the lounge in cash.

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Many passengers have to wait for their flight at the airport. For a comfortable stay, employees offer a business lounge and a VIP lounge, which differ from the standard ones in a number of additional services. A logical question arises - how to get to the business lounge at the airport? There are several methods, including free and paid entry.

Description

In the terminals of each air terminal there are rooms where passengers wait for their flight. Standard sectors are not intended for long stays - uncomfortable chairs and a constant sitting position. This is not entirely convenient for pregnant women, passengers with spinal problems and people with small children.

In order to have a snack or drink a cup of coffee, you will have to leave the sector and go in search of a food outlet. It is not a fact that during this time the chair will not be occupied, and you will not have to look for a free one.

In standard rooms it is impossible to completely relax, unwind and concentrate on doing anything. Some airports do not provide free wireless Internet general passengers.

Airport business lounge

Many people prefer to wait for their flight in the lounge area, where there is everything for a comfortable time. Premium airport lounges are designed for everyone who values high service service.

Note! An airport building usually has one VIP lounge, while there may be several business lounges. They are served by the airport itself and carrier companies. For example, when flying with one carrier, a person cannot get into the luxury lounge of another company. He has access to the business lounge of the airport itself or the carrier whose flight he is waiting for.

The VIP lounge resembles a miniature airport. Passengers have access to security checks and customs control. A departing person enters the business lounge only after he has gone through all the registration procedures independently in the airport building. Baggage and hand luggage the passenger also moves it himself. Employees of the VIP lounges meet departing passengers at the parking lot, pick up their belongings and promptly deliver them to the waiting room, and then on board the aircraft.

The VIP lounge, unlike the business lounge, serves not only departing passengers, but also arriving guests. The mourners may come to the sector together with the passengers. The business lounge does not have such privileges, as it is located in a clean area of ​​the airport.

Important! One of the benefits of the business lounge is free food. Passengers in the VIP lounge can also dine in a comfortable restaurant located in the sector, but for an additional fee.

Premium passengers can take a shower in the business lounge. In the VIP room, this service is provided only with additional reservations.

VIP lounge Domodedovo

Advantages of the lounge area:

• soft and comfortable sofas in the airport building;
• free light snacks, drinks and alcohol;
• TV that works quietly;
• access for those accompanying the passenger;
• services of a cosmetologist, hairdresser;
• playrooms for children;
• personal escort to the runway of the airfield where the aircraft is based;
• separate area for pregnant women.

Important! For business people all conditions for work have also been created. The sector has a desktop computer, fax, copier and scanner. There is free wireless Internet throughout the airport.

In the lounge area it is possible to rent a conference room where you can hold a meeting with partners or employees. Entrance to the VIP lounge of each airport can be granted to any person accompanying the passenger.

In the leisure sector, every passenger must comply with the rules of conduct. If the departing citizen or his entourage behaves noisily, the administration has the right to ask them to leave the area. The same applies to passengers with small children. Since alcohol is available in the recreation area, if a passenger drinks a lot and begins to behave inappropriately, the administration also has the right to ask him to leave the premises.

There is a specific dress code to enter the lounge area. Men, for example, in beach shorts, flip-flops and women in only a swimsuit cannot enter the sector.

Attention! The passenger bears all financial responsibility for damage to property, even if admission was free.

How to get to the lounge area

Lounge area Sheremetyevo

If a passenger wants to get into the VIP lounge, they must book the service a few days before the intended trip. In order to do this, you need to call the airport administration or send an application by email. If payment has been made in 100% volume, services will be provided upon arrival. If a passenger arrives at the airport terminal and has already decided to use the lounge area, he needs to contact the administration. If the flight is more than 2 hours away, the service will be provided.

To find the administration or a map for access to the cozy business lounges of airports, you can use the information desk, where the passenger will be explained where to go.

Note! In order to get into the business lounge, passengers with an economy class ticket must be a Priority Pass holder or participate in the Lounge Pass loyalty program.

These are club cards that can be obtained in several ways:

• Banks of the Russian Federation offer such a card to all credit or debit card holders with statuses above the Gold level.
• A bank client can independently apply for participation in the program.
• Order a card through the official website. In this case, the annual service is 99 euros*. Removal Money occurs through partner banks.

Important! To enter the luxury lounge, you must present a card. In Moscow, all airports are served by them - Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Pulkovo.

Each bank sets its own conditions for using the program:

• fixed number of free visits;
• unlimited visits for 12 months;
• fixed cost for each visit - from 24 euros*.

Banking institutions that offer Priority Pass include Sberbank, Bank of Moscow, Raiffeisen, Tinkoff, Promsvyaz Bank, Unicredit Bank and many others.

Priority Pass card

The Sberbank Premier program from Sberbank involves:

• maintenance cost - 2500 rubles* monthly;
• if the turnover of funds on all cards and accounts of the client is more than 2.5 million rubles, no commission is charged;
• free access to business lounges for the cardholder and four accompanying persons.

Russian Standard Bank and Imperia Platinum card (MasterCard World Signia):

• annual fee - 15,000 rubles*;
• free access to business lounges throughout the year for program participants; a separate fee is charged for accompanying persons.

Privilege package from VTB 24:

• annual fee 30,000 rubles*;
• free access to luxury lounges for the entire duration of the program.

First Class package from RosEvroBank:

• monthly payment - 2500 rubles*;
• free service if the turnover of funds in bank accounts exceeds 200,000 rubles;
• free visit to the VIP lounge for the card holder and access for one accompanying person.

Aeroflot Gold Card

PRIME package from UniCredit Bank:

• monthly payment for participation in the program - 30,000 rubles*;
• there is no monthly payment if the amount of funds on all deposits opened with UniCredit Bank exceeds 2,000,000 rubles;
• free access to the lounge area for a program participant and one accompanying person.

Raiffeisenbank and Visa Platinum and MasterCard World Black Edition cards:

• Priority Pass is issued as part of the provision of services at the Premium tariff;
• monthly service 3,000 rubles*;
• free card servicing if the monthly turnover on cards exceeds 2,000,000 rubles;
• free unlimited access to the lounge area by the program participant and one accompanying person.

If the club card was ordered through the official website, the client selects one of the payment options:

• Basic tariff. Annual fee 99 euros*, each visit 24 euros* per person.
• Economy tariff. The annual fee is 250 euros*, during the year the passenger has 10 free visits to the business lounge, however, for each guest you are required to pay up to 24 euros*.
• Premium tariff. Annual fee 400 euros*. Throughout the year, visiting the lounge area by the cardholder is free, but there is a fixed amount for each guest. Guests can enter only after withdrawing a certain amount of money from the card.

Note! The cost of using the Lounge Pass card depends on the airport. For example, in Domodedovo, service under this program is about 1,800 rubles*; a discount system has been developed for children - 1,000 rubles*. As for the latter, this cost is only for children under 7 years old. You must present a passport or birth certificate to confirm your age.

If you buy a ticket for a business class flight, you do not need to pay anything to get into the VIP zone. The cost of a comfortable stay is already included in the ticket price.

Diners Club Lounges

Citibank has developed a loyalty system. Conditions: 3,000 rubles* per month, if the balance is up to 2.5 million rubles. If the amount is higher, servicing the Citigold Loyalty Card is free. With its help you can get into a room of increased comfort in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg and Rostov-on-Don.

The Diners Club Lounges program was developed by Russian Standard Bank. With its help you can get into the VIP lounge at 96 airports around the world. In the Russian Federation, several types of cards are issued for visiting the lounge area:

• 3 visits per year free of charge upon payment of an annual fee of 10,000 rubles*;
• 1 visit per 12 months is free when you pay an annual fee of 3,000 rubles*.

Important! If all the conditions for receiving a card are met, but the banking institution has not issued it, you must contact an employee.

Free access to VIP

Some airlines, as part of their loyalty program, offer their passengers free access to VIP lounges:

• Aeroflot - gold card, as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus. Valid not only in Moscow, but also at other airports where the company serves.
• "Transaero" - silver and gold cards.
• Air France-KLM - Gold and Platinum cards, as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus.
• British Airways - Silver and Gold cards, as well as Oneworld Sapphire and Oneworld Emerald.
• Lufthansa - Frequent Traveler cards (access only to Lufthansa Group's own lounges), Senator and HON Circle cards, as well as Star Alliance Gold.
• S7 Airlines (Siberia) - gold and platinum cards, as well as Oneworld Sapphire and Oneworld Emerald.

Important! To receive a card, you must complete a large number of flights from one of the above companies. The validity period of the card depends on the company, on average 1 year.

Wait for your flight at comfortable conditions or not is a personal matter for everyone. Many people prefer to pay for high-quality service. It is worth remembering that you can also get into the business lounge for free if you have been a passenger of a certain company for many years.

*Prices shown above are current as of July 2018

The Priority Pass program has long been known to many in the world. In Russia, it is rapidly gaining momentum and many people are wondering what kind of product this is, what benefits and privileges it provides, and whether it makes sense to receive a card.

In this article I will answer most frequently asked questions. Before I sort it out, I’ll try to convey the essence of the program in one paragraph and express my opinion regarding the Priority Pass program.

So, the Priority Pass card allows you to visit business lounges at many airports around the world; currently there are more than 1,000 lounges hosting program participants. The card holder can take guests with him. The ability to visit VIP lounges is the main and only advantage that Priority Pass provides. Joining the program makes sense if you travel alone or in a group at least 3-4 times a year.

Priority Pass marketers and employees of banks issuing cards as part of financial products have created and supported the myth of the privilege of participants, their special status, and so on. And when it sometimes happens that a visit is denied, the myth collapses and the person experiences cognitive dissonance

It must be borne in mind that no one carries the program participants in their arms; moreover, they can be denied a visit and this happens on completely legal grounds. The possibility of refusing access to the lounge is provided for in the rules of the Priority Pass program. As a rule, this is explained by the workload of the hall, but they can refuse for any reason without explaining anything.

History of Priority Pass

Priority Pass was founded in 1992. The history of its appearance is as follows, a quote from the official website of the company prioritypass.com: “25 years ago, the founder of the program watched as premium class passengers enjoyed exclusive access to quiet and comfortable VIP airport lounges, while he had to endure the noise and chaos in the general departure lounges ."

In other words, the guy could not afford business class flights, whose passengers had access to them, he thought carefully and, further quote, “It was then that he decided to create Priority Pass - an exclusive club available to everyone. It consists of people for whom it is important to spend time between flights in a civilized manner and feel like VIP clients away from the crowd.”

Later, the program gained followers, but currently Priority Pass occupies a leading position in its segment. Quote “Since 1992, many companies have tried to repeat our experience. But our commitment to being the best is backed by unrivaled investment in our VIP lounges, resources, processes, technology and partnerships.”

So what was the idea, the competent implementation of which, probably, currently allows the founder to fly business class and enter business lounges without a card invented by him??

They methodically began to acquire or organize business lounges at airports around the world and increased their number to 1000+? No! Perhaps now I will tell many a secret, but Priority Pass has never owned, managed and does not currently own a single business lounge!

So how do they then provide access to business lounges? In fact, Priority Pass acts as an aggregator that provides access to many business lounges around the world.

Popularization of Priority Pass in Russia

A big impetus to the dissemination and popularization of the program in Russia was given by the cooperation of Priority Pass, or more precisely, Collinson Group LTD, which owns a trademark with Russian banks, which began to actively use the program to promote their services. Along with opening accounts and obtaining premium services, a number of Russian banks offer a Priority Pass card to interest the client.

How does the Priority Pass program work?

The mechanism is this: the company enters into contracts with business lounges, which undertake to serve cardholders. In return, Priority Pass provides them with a flow of clients and pays for the services of the lounge at a rate agreed with the lounge. One can only guess about the size of the tariff, but it can be assumed. The cost of passage under the “Standard” tariff is 24 euros or 27 US dollars, respectively, the company pays a smaller amount, the difference is the company’s profit. In addition, the standard tariff implies a subscription fee of 90 euros.

Entrance prices to business lounges (those that provide access for money, but not all lounges do this) range from $30-70 for a single visit. What makes the lounges lower the cost for Priority Pass so much? The answer is simple, Priority Pass is actually a customer supplier and is a wholesale customer for the lounge. Thus, by purchasing significantly cheaper, Priority Pass sets a price lower than the market average. Business is like business—you buy low, sell high.)

The Prestige tariff allows unlimited access to business lounges and costs 399 euros. The rules used in the insurance business apply here. The insurance company's premium for sold insurance products must be higher than payments for insured events, then its business is profitable. The amount of insurance premiums is calculated by underwriters, who assess the risks and set the cost of the insurance product.

If we divide 399 by the cost of one pass 27, it turns out that at the standard rate a program participant can visit the business lounge 15 times. In the case of Priority Pass, $399 is a premium, every visit is a payout. The company definitely has statistics according to which the average participant visits the halls less than 15 times a year. Thus, the company remains in the black.

Let me remind you once again that only the card holder can travel for free at the Prestige tariff; all guest visits are paid at the standard tariff.

The Standard Plus tariff, costing 249 euros, offers 10 free passes per year, the rest are paid at the standard tariff.

The last quote contains cunning, which all users of the program should be aware of in order to avoid illusions.

A Priority Pass card issued by a bank is no different from a card received directly from Priority Pass and offers an identical list of business lounges. But banks can offer their own conditions to customers by offering free passes. This may be a certain set limit, such as at VTB, which currently offers 8 free passes per month, or without a limit on the number of passes, such conditions are offered by Sberbank. This is always associated with the fulfillment of certain bank conditions, usually related to the placement of funds in bank accounts in certain amounts, maintaining turnover on card accounts, and so on. If the client does not fulfill the conditions set by the bank, then he can use the Prioriry Pass card, paying for each pass.

Benefits of the Priority Pass program

So what are the benefits of the Priority Pass program? What does the card give to its owner? The only and undeniable advantage of the Priority Pass program is the opportunity to visit business lounges that cooperate with the program. There are quite a lot of such lounges; they are located in most airports in the world. For program participants, a visit is usually cheaper; the cost of entry with a Priority Pass card is fixed at $27. The standard cost of visiting a business lounge is $50-60, and not all lounges offer money for entry.

The program does not provide any other advantages or options. Priority Pass does not provide skip-the-line check-in at the airport or expedited immigration, customs or security clearance.

Often confused Priority program Pass with the Sky Priority program, which are completely unrelated to each other. Sky Priority is a program of the Sky Team aviation alliance, which allows business class passengers and frequent flyers (privileged) airline customers to go through airport formalities without queues, through separately designated counters, to visit business lounges, and to use a separate transfer to and from the aircraft.

Priority Pass does not insure its clients and does not provide taxi service to and from the airport. Sometimes these services are provided by Priority Pass partners, who, along with the card, provide Additional services to attract customers. This is mainly done by banks.

Disadvantages of Priority Pass

As noted above, Priority Pass does not own or operate any lounges. Any business lounge has the right to restrict visits at any time for any reason. This often becomes a cause for dissatisfaction, especially for those who have recently become participants in the program and in practice are faced with the destruction of the myth of the special privilege that the card sellers promised.

There is no uniform standard for business lounges that work with Priority Pass. In one business room you will sit on a luxurious leather sofa or at a bar made of natural stone or wood and drink excellent wine or whiskey.

And in another room, sit on a cheap chair and drink water for money.

In this case, the conditions and entrance fee will be completely identical.

How to get Priority Pass

There are two main ways to become a member of the Priority Pass program; purchase a card directly on the Priority Pass website. To do this, you need to choose one of the three proposed tariffs, fill out personal data, and make a payment from a bank card. After payment you receive a confirmation and an electronic card. It can be used immediately in those lounges that accept electronic cards. The plastic card will arrive in 2-3 weeks to the address specified during registration.

Priority Pass through banks

The second way is to get a card from one of the banks by registering premium service. The card is issued a few days after signing the contract. Banks have certain advantages, for example, even with an unlimited tariff purchased directly from Priority Pass, only the cardholder can pass for free, all guest visits will be charged in accordance with the program tariffs - $ 27 for each pass. Free visits using cards issued can be used by both the owner himself and guests. But a mandatory rule of the program always applies: guests can only enter with the holder of a Priority Pass card.

Can I get a Priority Pass card and use business lounges for free?

You can only get a Priority Pass card for free conditionally; in fact, you will have to pay for it one way or another. The cost will be charged through a fee for servicing a package of services at the bank, and if you meet the free criteria and no service fee is charged, then the fee for the service will be the placement of funds at a reduced bank interest rate. There is always the opportunity to place money at a higher interest rate on a deposit or other alternative investment methods.