FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - King David Lounge access for Star Alliance Gold members
Old Jan 12, 2015, 3:14 am
  #17  
joshwex90
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: HaMerkaz/Exit 145
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Originally Posted by benberg2013
Do they swipe that amex card and american express see that you entered and its automatically registered as free entrance, or do they just nod you in upon sight of the card?
If there is no swiping involved, then maybe i'll get in as well, but if they swipe it, i wouldn't want to try, as i don't think its included in my card, so i may get charged on the card for a lounge access fee.

I remember once i went into the Dan lounge, and just showed the lady my Star Alliance Gold card, and she nodded me in (without swiping it). However, I once emailed the dan lounge to ask how the lounge works (with Star Alliance) - do they charge "Star Alliance" a certain fee per month, and allow access to any Star alliance gold member, (and presumably any airline in Star alliance would pay "Star Alliance" a certain amount for every member they make gold) - according to this way of understanding, it would make sense not to swipe Star alliance gold cards upon entry - because the dan don't get paid per entry. However, the Dan Lounge replied to me that they swipe the gold card (or silver on others like BA) and they charge the airline for each entrance, which would mean that if they did not swipe the card, the dan would technically be losing money.

(In my story, I had already previously been into the lounge and was just returning back a bit later, so there was no "chashash gezel" from the fact they didn't swipe (unless if you leave and come back in, the policy is to charge the airline again which I really wouldn't think is the case!)
I've had different experiences. Regarding the Amex, there is already agreements between a number of Israeli Amex cards and the Dan Lounge (on top of any other agreements they may have with PriorityPass or the like). In those cases, they swipe the card, and the entry is free.

Regarding *G, I've never once shown my card. As long as I'm *G or I'm flying F/C, I get a voucher to provide at check-in for the lounge.
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