How Many Guests Can You Bring Into A Lounge With Priority Pass Select? It’s Complicated. (Updated July 2023)

by joeheg

Priority Pass is a program that provides access to airport lounges and business suites and gives credits you can use at airport restaurants. While you can purchase a membership in the program, most people from the United States have a Priority Pass Select card from a credit card that provides membership as a perk. That’s where things get interesting. While lounges may limit access to the club due to capacity issues, the cardholder will get in by showing their Priority Pass card (or a digital card if available). If you want to bring in a guest, each card has rules that are worded slightly differently and those small differences may cost you an additional $32 for each extra guest.

I want to bring to your attention a potential issue when bringing guests into a Priority Pass lounge. The desk agent who checks you in may not inform you if your guests require additional payment. This means that you may be charged without being aware of it, as the fee for the guest is automatically charged to the credit card linked to the membership. To avoid any unexpected charges, I highly recommend doing some research ahead of time. Please take this into account before inviting guests to the lounge.

Here’s a list of the cards that provide Priority Pass Select membership and the guest policies they each have:

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The No. 1 Lounge at Gatwick Airport is part of the Priority Pass network

American Express Platinum and Business Platinum

American Express (AMEX) cards on this list no longer provide a $28 credit when visiting airport restaurant locations like Bobby Van’s at JFK. They still do include other airport experiences like the Minute Suites at Charlotte Airport.

American Express allows the cardholder and two guests to enter a lounge with the Priority Pass card at no charge. For additional guests, you will have to pay $32 each.

A workaround to this fee is adding additional cardholders to your Platinum card. While it’s not cheap, $175 entitles you to have three extra cardholders and each of them gets their own Priority Pass card. This is a good workaround if you frequently have to pay to get additional people into the lounges.

Capital One Venture X

Capital One Venture X’s Priority Pass membership provides access to the cardholder and two free guests. You can also use Priority Pass at affiliated restaurants and receive a $28 credit for the cardholder and one guest. One major difference is that the Venture X card allows you to have up to four complimentary authorized users who each can apply for their own Priority Pass card. This comes in handy if you’re a large family or traveling with a group.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Chase Sapphire Reserve used to have a very liberal guesting policy that allowed you to bring in as many guests as you wanted. Apparently, some people took that as a challenge and invited everyone they saw in the airport (and you wonder why we can’t have nice things?). The new policy is similar to the Amex Platinum, where the cardholder and two guests can get in for free. Additional guests are $27.

Citi Prestige

The Citi Prestige card offers a Priority Pass membership and allows the cardholder, two additional guests AND their immediate family (spouse, domestic partner and children under 18). This is a great benefit if you’re a traveling family with more than one child. Many Priority Pass lounges have kids’ rooms, like The Club at MCO where they had a video game set up to play Harry Potter LEGO. Additional guests are $27.

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CNB Crystal Visa Infinite

The City National Bank Crystal Visa Infinite card previously offered the most generous Priority Pass membership available. When CNB slashed the card’s benefits in 2020, the unlimited guest Priority Pass benefit was one of the casualties. The current policy is that each card provides two Priority Pass memberships. However, each membership provides entry only to the cardholder. Guests are charged $32 per person. You could also add an additional cardholder who will get their own card but that will cost an additional $95 per year.

Hilton Surpass AMEX

This card has the lowest annual fee on the list, only costing $95 a year. While the other cards provide unlimited visits for the cardholder, the Priority Pass membership with the Surpass is good for ten lounge visits annually. This does provide some flexibility as you can have ten solo visits, two visits with yourself and four guests or just one visit with yourself and nine of your best friends. Additional visits will cost $32 per person.

Hilton Aspire AMEX

The Aspire is the luxury Hilton card offered by American Express. The Priority Pass membership is identical to the one you get with the AMEX Platinum – access for the cardholder and two guests for lounges but no credits for restaurants. Additional guests cost $32.

Ritz-Carlton Card

This card, no longer available to new applicants, has a very generous guest policy for Priority Pass lounges. You’re allowed to bring in as many people are in your travel party, at the discretion of the lounge and as per capacity restraints.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant AMEX

This American Express-issued card has the same rules as the other AMEX luxury cards. Access is included for the cardholder plus two guests; additional guests are $32.

U.S Bank Altitude Reserve

The Altitude Reserve is the premium travel card issued by U.S. Bank. However, the Priority Pass membership is restrictive for a premium card since it limits the cardholder to four free visits on which they’re allowed to bring one additional guest. After those visits, or if you want to bring additional guests, you’ll be charged $27 per person.

Mastercard Black Card

The card best known for being the heaviest credit card on the market does provide access to Priority Pass lounges. For your $495 annual fee, as per the card’s website, the primary card member and authorized user(s) get unlimited visits for themselves as well as guests.

Final Thoughts

The two cards offering the best guest policies are the no longer available Ritz-Carlton card and the hard-to-justify annual fee Black Card. After them, the Citi Prestige’s flexibility makes it the next best on the list, but that only matters if you’re traveling with a family. The AMEX cards are the worst because they no longer provide credit for airport restaurants.

A few final things to remember. With almost all of these credit cards, signing up for Priority Pass is an extra step required after getting your card, usually by requesting a card from the bank’s website. An exception is Black Card which automatically enrolls cardholders into Priority Pass.

When at the airport, you’ll need to show the Priority Pass card at the club lounge or restaurant, not your credit card. Finally, if you need to pay for extra guests, the charge will automatically go to the card associated with the Priority Pass membership.

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10 comments

100K February 5, 2019 - 2:41 pm

The Amex Plat is very useful in SE Asia if you have short flights and don’t have access w/your ticket. We had long layovers in SIN so enjoyed the Blossom Lounge at Changi T4. Also, PEN, KUL, DMK, CNX. And in HKG you have the Centurion Lounge.

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joeheg February 5, 2019 - 3:08 pm

I think the Amex Platinum card is the overall leader when it comes to total lounge access. I even wrote about all the lounges it gives you access to which is very impressive. https://yourmileagemayvary.com/2018/05/17/what-airport-lounges-can-you-get-into-with-the-american-express-amex-platinum-card/
However, when it comes to just the Priority Pass benefit, it’s middle of the pack compared to some other cards.

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Hemachandran Krishnan April 4, 2019 - 8:29 pm

For Hilton Honors AMEX Ascend Card, how many visits my wife and I can make to the Lounge with out a fee? 5 visits of 2 people each? The card allows 10 total visits.

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joeheg April 4, 2019 - 9:53 pm

Exactly. Five visits for two people.

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Sam September 26, 2019 - 12:20 am

Hilton Honors Ascend is now Surpass I believe. It also has 10 visits per year. If I get an authorized user added on Surpass, can the authorized user also get their own priority pass membership card for use when traveling alone?

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[…] Pass Guest Policies by Card: This is a great resource by Your Mileage May Vary for how many guests you can take with you into Priority Pass lounges. Just because they don’t […]

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[…] –Get to the Hockey faster! Canada’s new kiosks make it easier.–Delta gets you on & drinking faster with SkyMiles Select.–Don’t you know who I am?! Understanding your cards version of Priority Pass select membership. […]

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PING October 26, 2019 - 7:40 pm

Hi, I would like to know for Authorize user on Ritz Carlton Card, can the authorize user bring unlimited guests to priority pass lounges too? Or only primary card holder can.
Thanks!

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SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT October 26, 2019 - 9:43 pm

From my experience, if there is a full-service City National Bank branch in your area (not to be confused with City National in south Florida), you should consider doing business with them – they are a great bank. Even with their sale and purchase to Royal Canadian Bank (RCB), as a business and consumer customer, nothing has changed. If you can be approved for CNB’s Infinite Visa – it’s a great card. For banking – they are the real deal – no calling around to find people to assist you. I just call my banker and she handles it – great service in the year 2019! I hope it continues.

SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT

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Lola G December 26, 2019 - 11:46 pm

I’ll be travelling soon with my husband, sister-in-law, and her husband but can only bring two of them into the lounge with me. Would it be totally creepy if I chatted up somebody and asked if they could get in a guest with their card? I wouldn’t want to disturb somebody’s preflight rest but perhaps a chatty person at the bar wouldn’t mind. Worst comes to worst we could pay the $27.

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