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Non-UA / partner Lounge Access Rules for United Club members

Old Jun 20, 2018, 11:02 am
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Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Lounge Access Policy - Star Alliance - Star Alliance
Paid Lounge Membership Customers
As holder of an eligible Paid Lounge Membership, you have access to any Star Alliance member airlines Business Class Lounge* at the airport where your flight departs. Eligible paid memberships are United Club and Air Canada Maple Leaf Club Worldwide.

You will need to show your boarding pass for a Star Alliance member airline operated flight together with your valid paid lounge membership card, displaying the Star Alliance Lounge Logo.

You are entitled to bring one guest travelling on any Star Alliance flight departing from the same airport on the same day.

*Not applicable at SQ SilverKris Lounge (Business Class) in Singapore, AC Signature Suite and UA Polaris Lounges
UC Members do not get access to the Star Alliance lounges located in Buenos Aires (EZE), Los Angeles (LAX), Nagoya (NGO), Paris (CDG), Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Rome (FCO), Amsterdam (AMS) and Sao Paulo (GRU). (Appears access is now permitting -- since 2020??)

Family access is not valid for partner lounges

Physical members card is required for entry (appears UA is saying virtual, app card is sufficient for *A lounges)

Lounge Information - Star Alliance - Star Alliance
Search using
United Club for Paid Membership under the dropdown list, for airport specific lounges that gives you access.

What if I am also a *G?
You can enter a partner lounge as *G (Star Alliance Gold) or as a UC Member but not as both. You will be limited to +1 guest even if *G and also UC/ML membership, Benefits do not stack.
In the case of those partners with a *G lounge and a Business lounge (Such as LH), your *G status will get you into the better *G lounge while the UC membership provides access to just the Business Lounge.


List of partner related lounges accessible via the club card

USA Lounges with UA *G Access When Flying Domestic
Does United Club Membership Give Access to * Gold Lounges in the USA?

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Non-UA / partner Lounge Access Rules for United Club members

Old Sep 13, 2018, 7:51 am
  #91  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: BWI,IAD,DCA
Programs: UA gold, Hyatt Plat Marriott silver,Hilton Gold, PC Plat., SPG Gold.,Hertz Gold, Global Entry
Posts: 650
I have used my digital card at the Austrian lounge in Vienna many times. I have used it at the LH lounge in EWR. I did have my physical card with me but did not show it at either location. I had a Business Class ticket in Frankfurt so I didn't use it there. I have also used the digital card in Zurich.
powerlifter is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2018, 9:23 am
  #92  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SNA
Programs: UA Platinum
Posts: 1,536
I tried using my digital card in FRA but was denied, with the agent requiring the physical card. Luckily I had my enormous wallet of superfluous cards with me.
Dublin_rfk likes this.
UnitedF1RST is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2018, 9:51 am
  #93  
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: UA
Posts: 114
Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
Note the digital card states
"This digital card is only valid at United Club locations."
What is the "digital card" and where do you see that note about united club locations ?

When i go to the "Print MileagePlus Card", i do not see any such note.

When i display my MileagePlus Card in the United Airlines app on android there is no such note either.

Both of these "digital" cards are just exactly the same as the front of my physical card.

I have used both successfully on lounges even though agents sometimes complained.

LH lounge agent told me this monday that i do not need to show my UA card if the ticket has my UA account number on it. You can checkt hat your ticket has the UA card# on it when the boarding pass shows UA*G (or probably UA*S? if you do not have gold status).

The only problems seem to be when flying on 3U (German/EuroWings) because the UA# is not correctly transferred electronically, so LH lounge agents need to see your card. But in my case the cards magstripe wasn't correctly interpreted either, so they manually typd in my UA# and then leet me into the lounge.
Dublin_rfk and milesforhire like this.
te36 is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2018, 10:01 am
  #94  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Bahamas
Programs: AA Plat
Posts: 958
Originally Posted by te36
What is the "digital card" and where do you see that note about united club locations ?

When i go to the "Print MileagePlus Card", i do not see any such note.

When i display my MileagePlus Card in the United Airlines app on android there is no such note either.

Both of these "digital" cards are just exactly the same as the front of my physical card.

I have used both successfully on lounges even though agents sometimes complained.

LH lounge agent told me this monday that i do not need to show my UA card if the ticket has my UA account number on it. You can checkt hat your ticket has the UA card# on it when the boarding pass shows UA*G (or probably UA*S? if you do not have gold status).

The only problems seem to be when flying on 3U (German/EuroWings) because the UA# is not correctly transferred electronically, so LH lounge agents need to see your card. But in my case the cards magstripe wasn't correctly interpreted either, so they manually typd in my UA# and then leet me into the lounge.
I think the digital card is a day pass.
bruceba is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2018, 10:07 am
  #95  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: MBS/FNT/LAN
Programs: UA 1K, HH Gold, Mariott Gold
Posts: 9,621
The digital card is on the United mobile app.
Often1 likes this.
jhayes_1780 is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2018, 10:13 am
  #96  
Moderator: United Airlines
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,579
Originally Posted by te36
What is the "digital card" and where do you see that note about united club locations ?

When i go to the "Print MileagePlus Card", i do not see any such note. .
If you use the UA smartphone app, go to the "United Cubs" tab to see a digital / virtual version of your UC membership card (if you have one).

Tap once on the card to see the message,
WineCountryUA is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2018, 10:17 am
  #97  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
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
Posts: 52,110
Welcome to FT, ttniu!

Originally Posted by te36
When i go to the "Print MileagePlus Card", i do not see any such note.
This discussion is about the United Club membership card, not the Mileage Plus membership card.
mahasamatman is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2018, 10:30 am
  #98  
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: UA
Posts: 114
Originally Posted by mahasamatman
Welcome to FT, ttniu!


This discussion is about the United Club membership card, not the Mileage Plus membership card.
argghhhh. Thanks!
te36 is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2018, 3:31 pm
  #99  
formerly FrequentFlyKid
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Programs: United Global Services, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador, National Executive Elite
Posts: 981
I haven't tried to use my digital UC card, but I've had no issue using my digital 1K/*G membership card when accessing the Senator Lounge at FRA and MUC; as recently as earlier this week.
In The 216 is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2018, 5:02 pm
  #100  
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Programs: United MileagePlus Silver, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 7
Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
While I have never tried this, I would be highly skeptical this will work. It may occasionally work.

If you have waited 8 weeks, that is plenty of time to have waited. I would push for expedited shipment of a new UC membership card.

Note the digital card states
"This digital card is only valid at United Club locations."

So that seems to place a hole in the representative's "theory"
Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I too am skeptical about what the UC rep told me. I already reached out multiple times to UC and pushed for expedited shipment of a new UC membership card, but every time I call, I get a different answer from them. No one seems to know what is going on or what to do. I also reached out to Chase who was not much more useful than UC reps. Just generally a very frustrating process.

It looks like at least some people had success with using UC digital/virtual membership card to access *A member lounges. Guess I will have to just give it a shot unless my physical card arrives miraculously in the next 2 days. My trip is this weekend...

I will report back
ttniu is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2018, 6:53 pm
  #101  
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: PHL, EWR
Programs: UA Gold; AA; Amtrak Select Plus;HH Diamond;Hyatt Disc;Hertz PC; Total Wine Grand Reserve!
Posts: 2,398
The only time I've needed my physical United Club card was when I visit the Amtrak Club Acela lounges. This year I never received my new membership card (membership renewed on August 31st), so I called the membership line and had another card sent out and it arrived in about two weeks.
rittenhousesq is offline  
Old Sep 14, 2018, 10:45 am
  #102  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: SAN
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Lt Plt
Posts: 241
Originally Posted by powerlifter
I have used my digital card at the Austrian lounge in Vienna many times. I have used it at the LH lounge in EWR. I did have my physical card with me but did not show it at either location. I had a Business Class ticket in Frankfurt so I didn't use it there. I have also used the digital card in Zurich.
I've only been denied once with my digital card at VIE. All other times I've used it without any issues
MrCUBS is offline  
Old Sep 24, 2018, 4:23 pm
  #103  
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Programs: United MileagePlus Silver, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 7
Hi all,

Time to report my own experience. On my most recent trip, I travelled through LAX, TPE and BKK.

LAX- no issue with digital UC membership card

BKK- required physical UC membership card

TPE- 50% required physical UC membership card; 50% ok with digital UC membership card.

All the lounges that demanded the physical membership cards only wanted to see the star alliance logo on the physical card.
ttniu is offline  
Old Oct 15, 2018, 12:42 pm
  #104  
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 111
Which lounges in TPE wanted the physical card? Im heading there next week and like you only have the digital card.
Comp4k is offline  
Old Oct 15, 2018, 1:44 pm
  #105  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 4,066
My most recent experience is at the MLL at YYZ. The lounge agent said the UC card is not needed as my membership is encoded in my UA BP. She scanned my BP (for an economy seat) and said I was all set. Maybe *A has gone to some uniform system to verify club memberships?
JimInOhio is offline  

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