Continental Presidential Plus + President's Club
 

So, I've had the Chase Continental Presidential Plus card for the past 2 years for President's club membership. I'm Gold Elite.

Card has been great and the president's club membership was a little cheaper by having the card.

Now, everything I read is that Gold Star Alliance Members have access to 600 clubs around the world....

Gold Star Alliance get club access? They don't need to pay for membership? Does this mean that the lounges are going to be so crowded! Any reason to pay for president's club access if you can just get in by Gold A*?

Let me know.

Thanks!

As a *G from CO/UA/US you only get domestic club access the day of an international departure. If you only fly internationally, then save the money by cancelling the PC membership.

You don't get access on domestic itineraries unless you have a PC membership.

For my own clarification
 

As a *gold on a Y IAH-GIG ticket Monday I can enter the Presidents Club without a membership?

Yes you can.

This makes sense, but I'm surprised and disappointed that the page that the announcement email took me to (http://www.continental.com/web/en-US...n=StarAlliance) only said I had access to lounges while saying NOTHING about international flights.

I too have the Pres Club via mastercard and was trying to decide whether to keep it.

Update: I see a reference in http://www.staralliance.com/en/benef...access-policy/ to United and US customers having that limitation.

This is why I'm still not clear about this (from the Star Alliance Elite Benefits page):
"All other Star Alliance Gold Elite members may visit any designated Star Alliance Gold lounge before departing on a domestic or international Star Alliance member airline flight. You are invited to bring one guest to any Star Alliance member club or lounge."

What aren't you clear about? If you look at the sticky re: lounges or Ask CO Insider, all your questions will be answered.

Yeah...4 days in and *A hasn't updated the site to include CO. They must really suck. :rolleyes:

Seriously, though, the discussion has been had in the forum here several times. CO isn't any different than UA/US in this case. If you are a *G from any of the 3 USA-based *A members then you don't get lounge access on domestic itineraries. Those are the carriers that make a lot of money selling lounge access (no offense to NZ, which also does) and they are not going to lose that cash cow. So domestic passengers don't get access to lounges operated by those three carriers. If you want access on those itineraries you need to have a lounge membership or *G from a different carrier.

AMEX Platinum...
 

i pay $350 yearly for the AMEX plat - worth it to me as I get into the CO lounges as well as anywhere else so long as i'm booked on the ticket. The new kicker that i was fed from AMEX is that since CO now reciprocates with UA/US Air is that if I'm holding a CO ticket - and present my AMEX Plat I can have lounge access at their lounges (domestic or international) plus have 1 person along.

I've done this before at the Delta Rooms - holding a CO ticket, and show my AMEX Plat - they swipe the card and voila... in like flint!

To me the CO Mastercard limits you - it limits you to only that room - but since the AMEX covers every major airline in their agreement - (my understanding) is as long as the ticket your holding operates in the same alliance or network then you're fine. Just an FYI. Hope that helps.

Thanks,
Z.

I am not so sure about the AMEX and US/UA yet....wait till you have tried it before you say this :D

You will not get into UA/US clubs with an AMEX Plat.

Also OT, buy how do you get it for $350? It's been $450 for some time now for the Consumer and Business versions.

I know I can telephone CO and ask, but is there any empirical evidence when one logs in to CO's website indicating one is recognized as a holder of the Presidential Plus Card and therefore entitled to elite access/waived bag fees/priority bag tags/etc? I looked all over, particularly in My Account Summary, figuring that would be the most likely place, but found no such indication.

Two weeks ago I saw a CO passenger with AMEX Plat card denied access to the PHL RCC.
If he hadn't been so rude when informed by the lounge dragon I would have brought him in as my guest.

Yes. When you review the flight mileage credited to your OnePass account, the line under the flight number should read "Presidential Plus 25% Elite Mileage Bonus". Additionally, assuming you use the Presidential Plus Card for travel purchases, under the Non-Airline Activity mileage area you will see mileage posted under the following headings: "Presidential Plus Double Ticket Miles", "Presidential Plus Double Hotel Miles", "Presidential Plus Double Car Rental Miles", and "Presidential Plus Purchases".