Originally Posted by
ryuker16
What's the point of an elite lounge if you have to pay to to get entry? I assumed it was a backdoor way if you don't fly often enough.
It's not an elite lounge. It's a fee based membership lounge. United doesn't have a lounge that is intended for elites. They have the fee based United Lounge, as well as the Global First Lounge, which is for passengers in the most premier cabin on international flights.
There are two "backdoor ways" to gain entry if you are not a paying member. One of these is to gain elite status (Gold), but that only works for international flights.
The other way is to get a UA Club credit card. $395 annual fee for the card is less than the annual membership fee for most folks, and you get 1.5 miles for every dollar spent on the card, plus some other perks.
Depending on your home airport, you might want to consider getting an Amex Platinum card instead of the UA Club card. Amex Centurion lounges are much nicer that United Clubs, IMHO, but there aren't a whole lot of them around.