Complete Guide to Lounge Pass Membership

Lounge Pass¹ offers access to over 600 airport lounges worldwide, in 100+ countries at more than 350 airports. You can book into a lounge with Lounge Pass, to get your journey off to a trouble free start. Get free food and drinks, freshen up, and relax while you wait for your plane.

This Lounge Pass guide covers how you can use Lounge Pass to get into lounges in Australia and on your travels. Plus, we’ll introduce Wise for international card and account services with mid-market exchange rates and low fees from 0.33%². More on that later.

What is Lounge Pass Lounge Membership?

Lounge Pass is a network of hundreds of airport lounges which allows you to book lounge visits when you travel. Heading to an airport lounge before you travel, or during a layover, can be a more relaxing alternative than staying in the main terminal area. You’ll be able to find a seat to rest or work, grab a snack or a meal, have a few drinks, and in many cases get a shower to freshen up. While lots of airport lounges are only open to travelers flying Business Class or above, and will only allow passengers with specific airlines to enter, Lounge Pass opens the option to all.

The exact services you get in your Lounge Pass lounge can vary a lot depending on where you are in the world. However, you can usually find the following features:

• Access to hundreds of airport lounges globally
• Complimentary food and drinks in the lounge
• Newspapers, magazines and other entertainment
• Charging points and places to work
• Some locations have showers and spa services
• Some locations allow you to book a champagne package

Lounges may allow you to book for 3 hours or choose an extended stay package of 6 hours if you’ve got a long layover. During the booked time you can use the lounge freely, including getting access to drinks, snacks and entertainment.

How Lounge Pass Lounge Membership Works

With Lounge Pass you can simply book the lounge you want to get into, up to 24 hours before you’re heading to the airport. There’s no ongoing fee or membership charge to pay - you’ll just pay the service charge to get entry, which is based on the lounge you pick and how long you want to stay. In most cases once you’re in the lounge everything is complimentary - but there are some lounges which offer extra options like spa services and champagne, which do have additional fees attached.

Lounge Pass has many lounge options around the world, so in some airports you’ll be able to choose from several different lounge locations depending on your plans. Bear in mind that you’ll only be able to enter the lounge you’ve booked, which may be after security. This means you’ll need to check carefully to make sure that you’ve booked a lounge which will be accessible based on your flight.

Membership Options and Fees

Lounge Pass is a pay as you go service, which means there's no membership fee to pay. You just pay for the lounges you use. Fees vary depending on which lounge you want to enter and how long you want to stay. To give an example, you can visit the Plaza Premium Lounge in Sydney Airport Departures for up to 3 hours from 40 USD per person (about 58 AUD), or extend your visit to 6 hours from 46 USD per person. In Sydney there are Lounge Pass lounges in both departures and arrivals, so you can pick the option that works best based on your plans.

Lounge Pass isn’t the only option for airport lounge access. You might also consider signing up to a membership program like Priority Pass³ or Dragon Pass⁴. These both have ongoing fees, so you’ll pay an annual charge and then may also need to pay when you enter a lounge. However, the per entry fee is usually cheaper compared to Lounge Pass - around 35 USD per person, and some plans offer a fixed number of free lounge visits annually as part of the package. Annual fees for these services start from 99 USD and can run to over 400 USD for the premium tier plans.

Lounge Pass Lounge Network

Lounge Pass offers bookable access to over 600 airport lounges in 350 airports, including 45 in the UK and 5 in Australia. In Australia your Lounge Pass options include lounges in:

• Adelaide
• Brisbane
• Melbourne
• Perth
• Sydney

The exact options available do vary from place to place but you may find that a single airport has several different Lounge Pass lounge options so you can pick the one which has the best deal for your needs. Different lounges might have different service packages and prices, including some which have dress codes or which may not allow children to enter. Compare the options carefully and read through the specific lounge information before you book.

How to Book Lounge Access with Lounge Pass

You can easily book lounge access through Lounge Pass online - here’s what to do⁵:

1. Visit the Lounge Pass website and select Lounges
2. Select the city, airport and terminal you want, from the drop down list
3. Pick the lounge you want to book into
4. Follow the prompts to enter your personal and contact details
5. Agree to the terms and conditions and pay by card
6. Show your PDF booking confirmation to the lounge staff on arrival in either digital or physical copy

Lounge access can be booked up to the day before you want to use it, and you can also make changes to your booking up to 24 hours before. Get in touch with Lounge Pass online if you need to make alterations to an existing booking.

Introducing Wise for International Spending

While you’re sorting out the details of your trip, check out Wise to see if you can save on your international spending.

Open a Wise account online or in the Wise app, to hold and exchange 40+ currencies, and order your Wise card for low cost cash withdrawals and international spending. Top up your account in AUD from your bank or with a card, and spend and withdraw wherever you travel, with great exchange rates and low fees.

Sign up for Wise today

Wise doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee, and all currency conversion uses the mid-market exchange rate with no markup or hidden charges. Instead you’ll just pay low transparent conversion fees, from 0.33%. Plus, you’ll get 2 ATM withdrawals up to 350 AUD in value every month for free, for those times when only cash will do.

Conclusion

Popping into the airport lounge at the start of a trip or during a layover can be a far more relaxing experience than waiting at the gate. And with Lounge Pass you can get into airport lounges all over the world with no ongoing costs and just a low service fee to pay per visit.

This guide covers all you need to know to decide if Lounge Pass is the right pick for your next trip. Plus, you could also find your money goes further when you’re abroad with Wise. Open your Wise account and order your card today, for low cost spending and cash withdrawals no matter where you’re heading off to.