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Consolidated "United Club Access Questions" Thread

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Old Jan 4, 2015, 2:25 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
United operates its own United Clubs worldwide; for a detailed list, see this FT thread: United Club and Other United Lounges.
Official lounge access policy on UA's website: Club access policy
Older archived FT thread: Consolidated "United Club Access Questions" Thread [ARCHIVE]
For UA partner and Star Alliance lounges, reference the *A website: *A Lounge Finder and *A Lounge Access Policies. Note that some airports have "contract" lounges with varying access rules. Also see Non-UA Lounge Access Rules for United Club members?
United also operates Polaris Lounges and Arrival Lounges and previously operated International Global First Lounges (respective FT threads linked).
GS2021 newsresent GS status extended to Jan2022, domestic UC access, additional PP

To have access to the UCs, you will need to fit into one of the following:
  • UC member with same-day UA, *A, or contracted partner BP* UC members can have 2 guests or guest their spouse and dependent children under 21 years (note at non-UA *A lounges, UC members are allowed only 1 guest)
    * Since 1 Nov 2019, a same-day BP on a UA, *A, or contracted partner flight is required for entry
    * Actual UC membership card is generally not required at UCs if presenting a UA BP with member's UA FF# as the UC membership is tied to the MP account
  • UA *G member with international *A BP, for any class of travel, showing status
    * Can guest 1 traveler with a departing *A BP.
    * UA *G cannot access domestic UCs unless traveling on a *A international itin (within 24 hours - some agents use same calendar day) - can be different PNR
  • non-UA *G member with same-day *A BP for a flight departing from the same airport, showing status
    * Can guest 1 traveler with a departing *A BP from same airport.
    * If non-UA *G but crediting to UA MP, you will need to present your non-UA *G card. There have been some reports of refused entry -- agents claiming you have to be crediting to the same program as you are requesting entry
  • passenger with same-day *A BP for international travel in business or first class, departing same airport
    * International First passengers can guest 1 traveler with a departing *A BP
    * No guests for International Business.
  • Premium transcontinental non-stop (EWR-SFO/LAX & BOS-SFO) business class traveler
    * Limited to origin and destination airports of the premium transcontinental flight -- does not include connecting cities
    * No guests
  • Have GS status with a same day BP (UA/partner carrier)
    • No guests
  • Have or purchase a UC one-time access pass with same day BP
    * No guests
  • Have Amtrak Select Plus or Select Executive status.
    * 1 guest and/or dependent childern under 21
    * Same day BP on ANY airline (arriving or departing)
  • Active U.S. military personnelActive duty military members with a valid military ID, boarding pass for travel within 24 hours on a United- or United Express-operated flight and one of the following:
    Dressed in uniform
    Leave orders
    Rest and recuperation papers
    Access is subject to United Club seating availability.
    Allowed Guest -- Family members with gate passes or traveling on the same flight as the military member
  • Air Canada Maple Leaf™ Club membership with a departing *A BP from that airportMaple Leaf Club North America members can access United Club locations in the U.S. only. no Guest.
    Maple Leaf Club Worldwide members can access all United Club locations. 1 guest.

When BP/ticket is required, it can be either a paid or award ticket.


United Club T&Cs

Common questions
Children -- Are they counted as a guest?
Anyone with an individual ticket is counted as a guest. Lap children (below 2 years of age) are not counted as a guest. UC members can guest their dependent family at UCs (but this will not work at other *A lounges).

Is Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Puerto Rico (San Juan), .... international for UC access?
Yes
Travel to or from Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Guam and Mexico are considered international itineraries for the purposes of United Club access.
What about Domestic First Class?
Domestic First Class is not provided with UC access. Unless you qualify based on some other reason, there is no access for paid or award domestic FC.
Why no United Lounge access with UA domestic first class tickets?

Can my guest stay if I leave the lounge?
Strictly speaking, no. Guests only have access when the sponsor is in the lounge. You have "responsibility" for the guest when they are in the lounge. Realistically, however, there is usually no problem with leaving a guest behind.

Can access to the UC be further restricted?
UA reserves the right to limit access including the number of guests at times of crowding.

Can I bring food into the UC?
Strictly speaking no. There may be local health & safety codes against this.

Can I guest 3 co-workers by using multiple access methods? Such as 2 via UC membership and 1 as *G international?
No -- you cannot stack access methods.

Can I access the UC on arrival and no forward *A travel or if departing on a non-*A carrier?
Maybe if UC member or UA *G on international itinerary or arriving on UC operated Polaris cabin itinerary (Also you will need to able to access to the UC location)
As of 1 Nov 2019 - all will be required to will need to provide a same-day boarding pass for travel on United, Star Alliance™ or a contracted partner for entry into all United Club location. Other airline BPs will not qualify
Club member/one-time pass access changes Nov 1, 2019 (same day BP on UA or partner)

Partner lounges
USA Lounges with UA *G / UC membership Access When Flying Domestic
Access / reviews for TK's IAD *A lounge
Consolidated "Access to Lufthansa Lounge at IAD" Thread [2014 forward]
Best IAD Lounge
Lufthansa Lounge Access in DTW/Detroit
Accessing the *A Lounge at LAX/TBIT as a UA flyer

Consolidated "Polaris Lounge Access Questions" Thread
Non-UA Lounge Access Rules for United Club members?
The United Club Meet-Up Thread
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Consolidated "United Club Access Questions" Thread

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Old May 24, 2023, 8:02 pm
  #151  
Moderator: United Airlines
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,856
Originally Posted by nygiants242
Can I access the United Club with a guest if I’m flying Economy from SFO to MEX and am Platinum? Thank you!
yes
WineCountryUA is offline  
Old May 29, 2023, 9:28 am
  #152  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 930
Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
Do the rules allow it, No. Not only is the age a problem but they are not your dependent children, other requirement.

Will you get away with, if you try? Perhaps

no
What if I check-in with my wife alone and then leave the Club to go get the nieces? Could I then check-in with my two "guests"?
milemonkey is offline  
Old May 29, 2023, 10:13 am
  #153  
Moderator: United Airlines
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,856
Originally Posted by milemonkey
What if I check-in with my wife alone and then leave the Club to go get the nieces? Could I then check-in with my two "guests"?
Again a rules violation and many agents have decent memory of faces. You are not the first to consider this and the agents have seen many such gambits to exceed member privileges.
Perhaps consider purchasing a single UC pass to keep the group together when you enter the UC.
lsquare and Repooc17 like this.
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Old May 29, 2023, 12:22 pm
  #154  
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Join Date: Sep 2003
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Posts: 15,024
Originally Posted by milemonkey
What if I check-in with my wife alone and then leave the Club to go get the nieces? Could I then check-in with my two "guests"?
UC knows if you’ve already guested someone. It’s not going to work.
SPN Lifer and lsquare like this.
IAH-OIL-TRASH is offline  
Old May 29, 2023, 7:37 pm
  #155  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 117
Lounge Access With Business Class Ticket?

Will be flying from Halifax, NS to Toronto, to Newark and landing in Fort Lauderdale. We booked business class. Does this include lounge access along the way? Thanks in advance.
stoddaj1 is offline  
Old May 29, 2023, 7:51 pm
  #156  
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
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It's an international itinerary, so you get lounge access.
mahasamatman is offline  
Old May 29, 2023, 8:03 pm
  #157  
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Chicago
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 562
you get access to United Club but not Polaris
leftysauce is online now  
Old May 29, 2023, 8:08 pm
  #158  
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,383
Is canada-usa operated by United or air Canada
paperwastage is offline  
Old May 29, 2023, 8:36 pm
  #159  
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Join Date: Apr 2013
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Originally Posted by paperwastage
Is canada-usa operated by United or air Canada
Yep. If YHZ-EWR is AC operated, no lounge access at EWR unless OP is *G.
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Old May 29, 2023, 8:45 pm
  #160  
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,383
Originally Posted by Kacee
Yep. If YHZ-EWR is AC operated, no lounge access at EWR unless OP is *G.
FLL too (access on arrival only if yhz-ewr is UC operated).

Halifax - should have access to MLL
Toronto- either has access to MLL

Last edited by paperwastage; May 29, 2023 at 8:56 pm
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Old May 29, 2023, 8:57 pm
  #161  
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Join Date: Apr 2013
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Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,461
Originally Posted by paperwastage
FLL too (access on arrival only if yhz-ewr is UC operated).

Halifax - should be either has access?
Toronto- either has access
I misread the OP's itinerary. The critical flight is YYZ-EWR. Access at YYZ regardless whether AC or UA operated. Access at YHZ depends on AC rules. Access at EWR (or FLL) only if YYZ-EWR is UA operated.
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Old May 29, 2023, 11:28 pm
  #162  
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Join Date: Mar 2010
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Originally Posted by milemonkey
What if I check-in with my wife alone and then leave the Club to go get the nieces? Could I then check-in with my two "guests"?
Don't do it. UC reps aren't dumb. You're only embarrassing yourself and your family.
SPN Lifer, JimInOhio, hhdl and 1 others like this.
lsquare is online now  
Old May 30, 2023, 11:44 pm
  #163  
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Programs: United 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 520
My SO just flew SFO-EWR-GVA. SFO-EWR was in J, EWR-GVA was in O. She had no problem using the United Club in SFO, however they would not let her into the United Club at EWR at gate C93. I was surprised by this as the access policy says "Customers on premium transcontinental flights may only access United Club locations at the origin and destination of their premium transcontinental flight."

I emailed 1kvoice about this and they said "In order to gain access to the United Club free of charge she would've had to be in Business class from Newark to Geneva. Her ticket was business class from San Francisco to Newark and Premium Economy to Geneva. Premium Economy does not allow access to the club."

Is this correct? Isn't EWR the destination of the premium transcontinental flight?
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Old May 31, 2023, 12:12 am
  #164  
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,413
Originally Posted by nexus7556
My SO just flew SFO-EWR-GVA. SFO-EWR was in J, EWR-GVA was in O. She had no problem using the United Club in SFO, however they would not let her into the United Club at EWR at gate C93. I was surprised by this as the access policy says "Customers on premium transcontinental flights may only access United Club locations at the origin and destination of their premium transcontinental flight."

I emailed 1kvoice about this and they said "In order to gain access to the United Club free of charge she would've had to be in Business class from Newark to Geneva. Her ticket was business class from San Francisco to Newark and Premium Economy to Geneva. Premium Economy does not allow access to the club."

Is this correct? Isn't EWR the destination of the premium transcontinental flight?
United Club access should have been available at EWR. Did she try scanning the SFO-EWR boarding pass? That’s the one that would have granted access. The onward EWR-GVA flight was, in this case, irrelevant, and presenting that boarding pass likely confused the issue.
jsloan is offline  
Old May 31, 2023, 5:10 am
  #165  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 4,126
Originally Posted by jsloan
United Club access should have been available at EWR. Did she try scanning the SFO-EWR boarding pass? That’s the one that would have granted access. The onward EWR-GVA flight was, in this case, irrelevant, and presenting that boarding pass likely confused the issue.
One of those very odd cases where access is available via the domestic segment but not the INTL segment. I don’t recall one like this presented in this forum before.
jsloan likes this.
JimInOhio is offline  


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