Skyward Lounge Alternative
 

Someone asked about the Marhaba lounge at US$45 as an alternative to the Silver Skyward Lounge. The Former Dubai Civil Aeronautics Lounge (now tied with the hotel) near the duty free complex is much nicer. You can get in with a Diner's Club card and the annual fee is under US$100 a year. Two lounge trips in a year and you break even. It also has good lounges in most places under than the US. It shouldn't be your main lounge card, but it is a nice backup.

Another tip for the folks with a little money to work with, but not a first class budget. Since I turned in my residency visa (and my equivalent of their Global Entry card), I had to go through customs with everyone else. As people know, that line backs up pretty bad. To get around that, I buy the basic Marhaba meet and great service. It runs around $US25 and they take you through a reserved customs line and you clear in about ten minutes. I then ditch the person and the luggage return. It literally gets me into the country an hour to an hour and a half faster.