InfoMofo

I know this goes without saying that any saavy traveler with a rewards program that uses these benefits often should regularly monitor their statements, but I thought I'd give people a heads up to definitely check their amex statements after visiting priority pass with guests.

I went recently to the budapest lounge and the dublin lounge on priority pass, and brought a guest each time. For budapest I was correctly charged 27 for the additional guest, but in dublin I was charged 54. The amex representative couldn't explain why this happened, and said that they might have swiped the card twice? Which honestly made no sense, but whatever, they refunded me the difference.

Just be alert and check your statement carefully after using priority pass, folks.

mia

If swiped twice I would expect two $27 charges. A single $54 charge suggests that the lounge attendant filled out the form incorrectly -or- it was processed incorrectly at Priority Pass. Some versions of Priority Pass do charge $27 for each member visit. The attendant does not know the details of your membership but if s/he recorded it as "two guests" rather than "one cardholder plus one guest" the billing could be incorrect.

InfoMofo

Yeah, like I said their explanation made no sense. They were quick to refund it but it was just annoying that I even had to follow up on it.

Ritz

Thanks for the into OP. I've actually had issues abroad using the AmPlat and PP, when you get inexperienced lol.

stifle

I wouldn't pay $2.70 for the Dublin PP lounges, not to mind $27.

InfoMofo

Eh, they had wi-fi and beer. Also, I had been traveling between the us and eastern europe, so I didn't actually have the "G" adapters to plug in my laptop and phone- and they let me borrow two adapters while I was there which was nice. I guess I haven't been to that many PP lounges- but none of them have really blown me away in terms of amenities.

PhillyInvestor

I got burned by this a while ago at the DL Sky Club in JFK (back when they participated in PP). I was there by myself, but the attendant indicated "1 guest," probably not understanding that the column was meant to record additional guests beyond the cardholder.

When I got the $27 charge, I asked Priority Pass to look into it. They provided a copy of the form and said it clearly showed I had a guest and refused to make any adjustment.

I understand the rationale for not issuing the refund, but they acted as if I was trying to perpetrate a scam, which I did not appreciate.

JackDaniels

Yup, this happened to me as well in Semarang, Indonesia. I ran in for 2 seconds to grab a coffee before the flight and was docked for having a guest. When I notified them of the error they sent a scanned piece of paper saying exactly the same thing. Basically my only recourse was to tell them they were wrong and that they are basically stealing my money but the CSR did not seem to care.

In the beginning I was excited to get the Priority Pass with my SG Platinum card but as a previous poster mentioned the lounges are not that great and it's more hassle than it is worth. I think I'll stick to the pub and buying $27 in drinks instead.

ahrz

Priority Pass is only a lounge program, it does not own the lounges. Airline elite lounges are usually better than PP affiliated lounges, but they are sometimes more crowdy. At small airports, the PP lounge is the only one available.

It's your responsibility to check if the number of guests is correct before signing, it's the same when you sign a credit card charge form.

stifle

I think the original concern was that the lounges are writing "1 guest" down when just the cardholder is in attendance, but "1 guest" actually means "cardholder + 1 guest". Since the lounge dragon thinks this is the correct way of doing things, it would seem likely that you won't be admitted unless you sign for this.

I've taken to using loungepass.com (which is, ironically, a subsdiary of Priority Pass) for extra lounge admissions, as it often works out cheaper.

mia

Your other recourse is to dispute the credit card charge.


There are two types of Priority Pass admission forms. If the lounge is using the old paper based system it should be straightforward to hand correct the form before signing. However, I have not yet used a lounge where the newer "swipe" machines are used, and I do not know how the number of visitors is recorded.

In any event, If the attendants at a specific lounge are systematically filling out the forms incorrectly this should generate a large number of complaints, and Priority Pass management will be able to recognize the problem.

ahrz

Well, unless the lounge overcharges customers on a regular basis, it will be difficult to dispute a charge where the form "with 1 guest" has been signed and there is no mean to proove at a later time that the customer was indeed alone.

When my PP card was swiped last time, I got a receipt (which I must admit I didn't check since I was alone).