"Red Carpet Club" Like Programs
 

Hey Guys...

This is my first post, but I've been lurking around a couple of weeks reading...well...a lot. :)

A quick question, do any other Star Alliance programs (other than UA) offer something like the Red Carpet Club - where you can essentially buy your way into the lounges, either via points or $$$?

Thanks in advance!

Cheers
Uproared

Welcome to FT!

You can purchase an Air New Zealand Koru Club membership using miles or money.

You can also purchase US Airways Club and Air Canada Maple Leaf Club membership with money, but not miles (AFAICT).

You can use miles for club memberships at US including ones for spouses. With the upcoming changes in the US clubs, you would be better off sticking with Red Carpet.

why dont you buy a priority club membership instead?

What does Holiday Inn have to do with this?

I think they meant Priority Pass.

Maybe it is their new commercial.....go into RCC - agent asks "Do you have a RCC membership?"

"No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."

Locations aren't always convenient in airports (eg. you fly United but the PP club is actually a CO facility). If you're flying mostly on one alliance i'd think a "Club" associated with one of the specific airlines is the way to go.

oops. I mixed passes and clubs :D

Hm I don't think that would be a problem. FWIW, it seems that most lounges outside of main hubs are generic (in Europe, at least).

Welcome to FT uproared :)

Not forgetting *G status gets lounge access (and if *G other than UA and US this includes lounge access when flying USA domestic flights).

What exactly is Priority Pass? is there a website?

A lounge access scheme that you can subscribe to for a given amount per year.
www.prioritypass.com

Basically put, it gets you into various airport lounges of different carriers (partners) at different places. Some of these are arrival lounges as well as departure lounges and concourse lounges.

Http://www.prioritypass.com

Your level of travel will determine which level you buy access to.
99 a year for basic membership and 24 dollars every visit to a lounge.
249 a year for ten passes a year and 24 dollars every visit after that.
399 a year for unlimited visits.

One interesting feature is that you can get a guest in with you.. for another 24 dollars.

It's a decent deal that I've been considering for a while. Granted, not all access to all lounges will occur, and some lounges may not be conveniently located. The 249 deal level is probably the best for most folks.

Consider that if you fly roundtrip from the US to europe you may have as many as 4 opportunities to use the Pass (departure/arrival in both directions).

With the 99 dollar membership you've actually paid 195 dollars. 3 more visits at any point the rest of your travelling year and you've now exceeded what it would cost to get a full year and ten free passes.

If you bought the 249 level you would still have 3 visits left at no cost (And effectively would have paid for itself by not having any visit fees).

But consider this carefully. If you're going to be in lounges for an hour or two at a time is it worth the cost?

BTW, there is another way to get Priority Pass for free. American Express offers it for some of their cards and other cards do as well, usually Platinum level cards. It may be worth checking with your Visa/MasterCard to see if an upgrade to a platinum card will get you the Priority Pass and whether the yearly card fee is worth the difference in price. .

Regards,
-Bouncer-

As a MP 1P flying internationally I can use any *A lounge I want for free. It doesn't seem like that good of a deal for me. The only time I even get to the airport early is for international flights.

Sounds like a good idea for someone else.

Thanks for the info.

Thanks everyone! :)

I agree that a *G would be the best way to go, however I dont have the time (probably not the funds either) to travel enough.

I'm a 19 year old student, and I'll be leaving in a couple of weeks to travel around the world for 2 1/2 months... I'll have about 8 star alliance flights, so I thought that it might be worth buying a pass to access the lounges.

I'm looking forward to doing some milage runs, etc. once I finish studying, as I've always had a passion for flying since I was young; especially class upgrades and the lounges :D

Cheers
Lucas

What other credit cards offer the priority pass for free? The only card I have ever been aware of was AMEX at the platinum level or above (and then only with the "charge" cards, not their partner benefits cards like Delta Plat, SPG Plat, etc.). For $395, the AMEX Plat obviously pays for the priority pass. Do other platinum-level cards (MC/VISA) offer the same pass with a "credit" level annual fee?

IIRC Platinum Amex access to airport clubs is not related to Priority Pass. It is a separately negotiated benefit, only good for the Delta, Northwest, or Continental lounge and only when flying their respective airline, and there are few options outside the US.

For the US AmEx Platinum, this is true. However, if your AmEx Platinum card is based out of another country, it will likely come with Priority Pass instead of the NW, CO & DL perk.

So are there (non-AMEX) cards that *do* offer Priority Pass membership as a perk? Seems like that would be a pretty nice benefit, if the annual fee is not excessive..

I am a college student and I dont know where your school base is, but you can do MR's cheap if you are near a major airport. I will be a senior and have had either Premier or Premier Executive with United since my sophomore year. Try doing it before you graduate because we have the flexability. Having status takes the passion and makes it an amazing experience!!

I'm in Australia... Thus, the problem :)

The flights start at like $1200 to leave the country (unless I wanted to go to NZ every week :) )...

If I was in the US I'd have a United Students VISA card, etc. and be doing milage runs every weekend :) ...But the ONLY way to get Star Alliance milage from CC's in Australia is to get an AMEX... I suppose I could look at getting Qantas milage (One World Alliance) :)

That sounds like a plan worth looking into - build up enough miles to get yourself status with OneWorld then go on whatever MRs you can as sale fares become available... I'm almost 19 and have been doing MRs as well as generic biz travel since i started my business a couple years back and I've had a passion for flying since I was a kid... and let me tell you, when you get a cheap 8-segment MR with all segments upgraded, there's nothing better (aside from the F class award of course) ;)

Also, I'm a PriorityPass member on the 399 plan and it's definitely worth the price - it gets you into a LOT of nice lounges I'd otherwise be unable to access (such as the ultra-nice Korean Air Business Lounge in Seoul and a few airport-operated lounges). It's also good for when I fly to non AA or DL airports.


Happy travels.

-kyle

The Diners Club card comes with free access to many Airport Lounges worldwide.
You can checkout the lounge locations on their website.
The cost of basic membership is $95.

Interesting.... I'll have to check it out. I've never had a DC card, although their signup mile bonuses are nice.

Thanks for the heads-up!

The list of Diners Club worldwide lounges is listed on the main site,
www.dinersclub.com.
They are located in 32 countries and the rules/hours of entry are listed there as well. It's at least worth checking out.

That's 'as well as' not 'instead of'.