Free or cheap airport lounge access

You don't need to fly business or first class to access airport lounges

Lounges at airports are often seen as reserved for those who can afford luxury travel. True, to get into an airline lounge run by the likes of British Airways or Virgin Atlantic, you often need a business or first-class ticket – or be a serious frequent flyer.

But there are also airport lounges, usually run by companies that own lounges in terminals, such as No1 Lounges and Swissport (which runs Aspire Lounges). These are open to all, regardless of ticket class, and as we explain below you can often buy one-off lounge passes – or even get in for free.

Whichever type of lounge you're in, food and drink is usually free. You may also be able to shower, watch TV, play games, read a paper, or charge your devices in peace and quiet. Sometimes you can get high-end stuff like a haircut or massage (though you'll usually have to pay extra).

Airport lounges – not as luxurious as those run by airlines

Not all offer five-star treatment, but they can still be a good escape from the airport hustle and bustle.

For example, at Gatwick Airport's Aspire Lounge you can pick up a newspaper or magazine while enjoying a drink (including beer and wine) and snacks including pasta, fruit and pastries, at no extra cost.

Is it worth paying for an airport lounge?

If you can get a discounted lounge pass, it could work out cheaper than a meal, drinks and snacks at the airport which could cost £20 (or more) anyway. At full price they range from around £30-£50+ per person (even when pre-booking), at which point it becomes more of a luxury than a MoneySaving hack.

To work out whether it's worth paying for a lounge at the airport you're flying from, check out reviews from TripAdvisor* and sites such as Lounge Review or SkyTrax. Plus you can share your experiences by posting on our airport lounge forum thread.

Here are some of your favourites so far:

On the other hand, there are some lounges that aren't worth the money. For example, according to Ex-MSE Sally, the Wingtips Lounge at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport is nothing to shout about (though if you've got a free lounge pass, it's not too bad).

Airline lounges – a little bit of luxury

Here, you're more likely to get the full VIP treatment with fancy spas, manicures, showers or bubbly – as well as free food and drink, and a place to relax. Yet airlines sometimes have tiers of lounges, usually something like:

• First or upper-class lounges: Access to these superior lounges is only usually allowed if you have the relevant ticket, or if you hold elite frequent flyer status.

• Business-class lounges: For people with a business-class ticket or with high or elite status on that airline's frequent flyer programme. Usually very pleasant, but without the full VIP experience offered in a first-class lounge.

While there can be differences between these two types of lounge, the facilities can vary even within one tier. For example, the British Airways business-class lounge at San Francisco Airport has showers, but the Dubai one doesn't.

As a general rule, airline lounges tend to be better at airlines' main hubs, as that is where they plough most of their investment into. This is likely to be at their home airport or somewhere they fly to a lot. For example, the Virgin and British Airways lounges at Heathrow Airport are particularly highly rated.

When outside of an airline's main hubs, you may be moved to a lounge run by another airline.

How to get into airport lounges for cheap (or free...)

If you've decided to treat yourself to the airport lounge experience, these are our top tips for getting access to the best ones, as cheaply as possible...

1. Where to get one-off airport lounge passes

   You can buy passes through general holiday sites such as Lounge Pass* or Holiday Extras* to get into airport lounges worldwide. Or you can book lounges directly with operators such as No1 Lounges* or Executive Lounges by Swissport.

   Always look out for special codes and airport lounge discounts too. For example, you can nab 10% off when you sign up to the No1 Lounges* newsletter, and up to 15% off when you register for the Stansted Airport newsletter, and you can find a list of current Aspire Lounges promotions on its website, including its senior discount.

   Prices on each site can vary by location, so it's best to try them all in case one is cheapest (Swissport's Aspire Lounges says if you find one of its lounges cheaper on another booking site – including any offers, vouchers or discounts – it'll match the price).

   If you can't find the airport lounge you're looking for via these links, it's best to check directly with the airport you're visiting.

   Typical prices of airport lounge passes

   One-off lounge passes booked in advance typically start from about £35, but it can vary depending on the lounge you book – the better the facilities, the more expensive it is. We've seen some that cost more than £50. Walking in on the day will almost always cost more.

   Children are allowed in many airport lounges, though check first. Under-twos are usually free; older children are typically charged a discounted rate.

   The lounges aren't usually up to the same standard as the airline ones, but some come close. For example, the No1 Lounge at Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 has the most alcoholic drinks included in the entry cost. There are 'pod' bedrooms too, but you need to pay extra for them, and check they're available ahead of time.

   Note: Recently, we've had feedback from people who've used airport lounges that some have become crowded, noisy and not worth the cost of entry. If you have an experience to share, let us know via Facebook.

   Below you'll find all the lounges in the UK's main airports, and the basic entry price if you pre-book (not including any offers or discounts from Priority Pass memberships etc.). All include charging points, Wi-Fi, seating, and varying degrees of complimentary food and drink.

   UK airport lounge prices

   AIRPORT AND TERMINAL	LOUNGE 1	AMENITIES INCLUDED IN PRICE	COST 2	CHARGEABLE EXTRAS
   Belfast International	The Causeway Lounge	Hot and cold buffet food, drinks including wine, beer and spirits, televisions, magazines and newspapers, Wi-Fi and power sockets.	£30 | Children (2+) £15 | Infants free	-
   Birmingham	Aspire Lounge	Hot and cold buffet food, limited table service, quiet zone, digital magazines and newspapers, Wi-Fi and charging facilities,	£37-£47 | Children (2-11) £22-£32 | Infants free	Champagne
   Birmingham	Aspire Lounge (South)	Hot and cold buffet food, quiet zone, Wi-Fi and charging facilities,	£37-£47 | Children (2-11) £22-£32 | Infants free	Champagne
   Birmingham	No1 Lounge	Hot and cold buffet food, drinks including wine, beer and spirits, workspace, Wi-Fi and charging facilities	£38-£46 | £22 per child (2+) | Infants free	Prosecco and champagne
   Birmingham	Clubrooms	Table service food from menu, drinks including beer, wine and cocktails, Wi-Fi and charging facilities, Delay cover	£46-£52 (12+ children only)
   Cardiff	51° Executive Lounge	Table service food and drink including beer, wine and spirits,	£37 | Children (2-11) £29	Champagne
   Gatwick North & South	My Lounge	Hot and cold food buffet, video games, table football, TV, digital magazines and newspapers, wine, beer, self-serve drinks, Wi-Fi and charging points.	£36-£44 | Children (2-11) £20 | Infants free	Fast-track security, prosecco and champagne, extra hours
   Gatwick South	Club Aspire	Hot and cold buffet food, workspaces, TV lounge, Wi-Fi and charging facilities	£34-£40 | Children (2-11) £22 | Infants free	Fast-track security, Champagne
   Gatwick North	Plaza Premium Lounge	Hot and cold buffet food, drink including wines, beers and spirits, Kids Zone, newspapers and magazines, Wi-Fi and charging points	£40 | £28 per child
   Gatwick North	Plaza Express	Hot and cold buffet food, drinks including beer and wine, Kids Zone, Wi-Fi and charging points	£28 | Children (8-11) £15 | Under 8s free	Fast-track security, fast-track passport control
   Gatwick North & South	No1 Lounge	Television, magazines and newspapers, hot and cold food, fully-tended bar serving drinks including wine, sparkling wine, beer and spirits, Wi- Fi, workspaces, and charging points.	£38-£46 | Children £22 | Infants free	Fast-track security, champagne, extra made-to-order dishes
   Gatwick North & South	Clubrooms	Table service food, food and drinks including beer, wine, spirits and cocktails, private seating areas, Wi-Fi, charging points, fast-track security	£44-£52 adults only (12+)	Champagne
   Glasgow	Upperdeck Lounge	Televisions, magazines and newspapers, snacks, drinks including beer, wine and spirits (max four alcoholic drinks per person), Wi-Fi.	£27-£37 | Children (4-17) £15-£24 | Infants free	Priority security lane pass, prosecco and champagne
   Heathrow T2	Plaza Premium	Showers, magazines and newspapers, tapas bar plus buffet food, tended bar serving drinks including beer, wine and spirits, Wi-Fi.	£40-£48 | Children £28-£38	On-airport car parking, fast-track security, spa treatments including massage, prosecco and champagne
   Heathrow T2	No1 Lounge	Hot and cold buffet food, drinks including beer and wine, TV lounge, library area, Wi-Fi and charging points, workspaces	£40-£48 | Children (2-11) £22-£25
   Heathrow T3	No1 Lounge	Hot and cold buffet food, tended bar serving drinks including beer, wine, sparkling wine and spirits, TV lounge, workspaces, Wi-Fi and charging points.	£38-£48 | Children (2-11) £22-£25	Spa and beauty treatments, single, twin and triple bedrooms, champagne
   Heathrow T3	Clubrooms	A la carte table service, drinks including beer, wine, spirits and cocktails, Wi-Fi and charging points	£48-£50- adults only (12+)	Champagne
   Heathrow T3	My Lounge	Hot and cold buffet food, tended bar, video games, arcade, TV screens, quiet zone, Wi-Fi and charging points	£36-£42 | Children £22	Champagne
   Heathrow T4	Plaza Premium	Hot and cold food buffet, drinks including beer and wine, Wi-Fi and charging points	£47.50 | Children (2-11) £33
   Heathrow T4	Blush Lounge	Hot and cold food buffet, drinks including beer and wine, Wi-Fi and charging points, printing and photocopying	£43 | Children (2-11) £33	Fast-track security
   Heathrow T5	Club Aspire	Television, magazines and newspapers, hot and cold food, drinks including beer, wine and spirits, workspaces, quiet zone, TV lounge, Wi-Fi and charging points.	£36-£45 | Children (2-11)£40-£45	Prosecco and champagne
   Jersey	No1 Lounge	Hot and cold buffet food, drinks including wine, beer, and spirits, quiet area, TV lounge, Wi-Fi and charging points	£28 (1.5 hours) £40 (3 hours) | Children (2-11) £18 (1.5 hours) - £22 (3 hours)	Champagne
   Luton	No1 Lounge	Hot and cold buffet food, drinks including wine, beer, and spirits, workspaces, TV lounge, Wi-Fi and charging points	£36-£42 | Children (2-11) £20
   Luton	My Lounge	Hot and cold buffet food, tended bar with beer, wine and spirits, games room, Wi-Fi and charging points	£36-£42 | Children (2-11) £20
   Manchester T1 & T2	Escape Lounge	Hot and cold buffet food, drinks including wine, sparkling wine, beer and spirits, Wi-Fi and charging points.	£36-£44 |, Children (3-15) £27-£32	Fast-track security, Champagne
   Manchester T2 (currently closed in T3)	1903 Lounge	Fast-track security pass, televisions, magazines and newspapers, hot and cold food menu, drinks including wine, champagne, beer and spirits, Wi-Fi and charging points.	£55-£65 (adults only)	-
   Stansted	Escape Lounge	Hot and cold buffet food, drinks including wine, sparkling wine, beer and spirits, magazines and newspapers, televisions, Wi-Fi and charging points.	£39-£48 | Children (3-15) £33-£37	Champagne

   (1) There are other lounges to choose from, but we've only picked one from each terminal or airport.

   (2) If you book in advance, you may be able to use frequent flyer points.

   How to book your spot in a lounge

   When you buy a pass you usually pick the time you want to use the lounge so you know you can definitely get in. You don't have to book far in advance, though they can fill up if you don't and you generally get cheaper prices if you pre-book.

   How long can I stay?

   Once in, you're usually allowed to stay for two or three hours. Most, however, offer 'Delay Cover,' where if your flight's been delayed they let you stay up to your flight time.

   When should I book for the best prices?

   The basic pre-booking prices for airport lounges can fluctuate by up to around 20% from our research. A good general rule would be to book a couple of months in advance. No1 Lounges also told us that "Prices tend to rise closer to the date of travel, especially during busy periods like school holidays, Friday afternoons, or early-morning departures on Mondays," so bear that in mind when booking.

   UK lounges: What do they cost and what facilities do they have?

   Close

2. Get free lounge passes with Amex Gold credit card

   Some credit cards – like Amex's Preferred Rewards Gold – come with free lounge access. You don't even need to spend on it to get the passes – which include four free airport lounge visits a year (you can bring guests for free too, though those will count against your allowance, so you could go with one guest twice a year, for example). The lounges you can access are airport lounges, not high-end airline ones, and again facilities can vary, so check reviews beforehand.

   The number of passes you can get with this credit card change from time to time, so go to our full Reward credit cards guide and read an overview of the Amex Gold and other credit cards.

3. Frequent airport lounge user? Consider annual membership

   Unlimited membership to airport lounges (so not the posher airline ones) via a scheme like Priority Pass, Dragon Pass, or Executive Lounges by Swissport, costs about £260 to £380 a year. You can also get memberships that get you, say, eight or 10 visits annually at a price that works out cheaper than booking individually (assuming you use up that allowance).

   When paying, you become a member of a scheme which tends to run dozens or hundreds of airport lounges. And when you're a member you can take a guest, though they'll often need to pay each time.

   We've rounded up some membership costs below, but do check the lounge reviews before signing up to ensure you're getting value for money and let us know your feedback.

   Airport lounge memberships

   MEMBERSHIP	LOCATIONS	COST	COST PER VISIT
   Priority Pass	1,500+ worldwide	Standard: £44/year via this link (usually £69) Standard Plus: £183/year via this link (usually £229) Prestige: £377/year via this link (usually £419)	Standard: £24 Standard Plus: 10 free visits, then £24 Prestige: Unlimited free visits £24 per guest for all memberships
   Dragon Pass	1,300+ worldwide	Classic: £68/year Preferential: £168/year Prestige: £379/year	Classic: One free visit, then £24 Preferential: Eight free visits, then £24 Prestige: Unlimited free visits £24 per guest for all memberships
   Executive Lounges by Swissport (not currently accepting new annual memberships)	45+ mainly across the UK, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, Dubai and Jamaica	£260/year for Aspire and Swissport lounges. £400/year for AspirePlus, Aspire and Swissport	Unlimited free visits with one guest included

   Individual lounges usually have their own policies regarding children – some allow children under a certain age to enter for free, some charge for children at the same rate as adult guests, and some don't permit children at all – so check before booking. 

4. Airport lounge access is included with Barclays and NatWest premium bank accounts

   Packaged bank accounts usually have a monthly fee, but they come with a host of perks which can make them very good value for money. Typically they include travel insurance, mobile insurance and breakdown cover, but some bank accounts throw in other benefits such as access to airport lounges too.
   

   The accounts below don't make it into our packaged bank account top picks, and they're not worth getting for the airport lounge access alone. But if you already have one of these accounts, or are planning to get one anyway, the airport lounge passes are a good extra perk.

   Packaged bank accounts with airport lounge access

   • The Barclays Travel Plus Pack costs £22.50 a month and gives you six free airport lounge passes a year from a choice of 1,000+ lounges, but you'll need to register to get them. You can do this via phone or online banking. You also get family travel insurance, and UK and European breakdown cover.
     

   • The NatWest Reward Black account costs a hefty £36 a month, and to be eligible you need an income of at least £100,000, or have £100,000 in NatWest savings or investments, or a £500,000+ NatWest mortgage. Dragon Pass airport lounge membership is included with this account, giving you access to over 1,100 airport lounges across the world.
     

     There's no limit on the number of times you can use the lounges in a year, but you'll need your membership card on you. Other benefits of this account include worldwide family travel insurance, mobile insurance, UK and European breakdown cover, and a concierge service.

5. Elite frequent flyer status can get you free airport lounge access

   Whenever you book flights, make sure you include your frequent flyer number, if you have one. This will help you get closer to 'elite flyer status' (and the perks that come with it).

   For each flight you get tier points, which added together can take you up the tiers. Reach certain tiers and you'll be given perks such as free access to airport lounges.

   Elite flyer status isn't easy to get, but some do manage it. To qualify, you have to take a significant number of flights each year – sometimes as many as 50. This means it's usually only frequent business travellers who earn elite status. If that's you, make sure the person responsible for booking your travel has your frequent flyer details.

   You can also often earn points or miles on partner airlines under the same scheme, which could add to your stash, so check before you fly.

6. Use your charm, wit and charisma and ask for access – the worst they can say is no...

   

   Anyone familiar with MoneySavingExpert.com knows we love a good haggle, whether it's on the high street or with your broadband provider. But it's not limited to those areas.
   

   If you're on your honeymoon or celebrating a special anniversary or birthday, dress well, be polite and ask nicely at check-in to see if they'll let you have a couple of airline lounge passes. It's more likely to work if there are only one or two of you rather than a big group.

   They may well say no, but why not try? And while you're at it, why not be cheeky and ask if they'll upgrade the flight for you too?

   Also have a think about whether you know anyone who works for the airline – you could try to get an upgrade that way.

   We'd love to hear if you managed to get into an airline lounge this way, so let us know in the MSE Forum.

7. Look out for the airport lounge sales

   Individual lounges at specific airports sometimes offer sales, so before you fly head over to the airport you're flying from and see if they have anything going. At the time of writing, Priority Pass was offering a 30% discount on its standard membership (now £48 for a year) and smaller discounts on its more expensive packages. If you spot a lounge deal at your local airport, share it over on the MSE forums.

Check out what you can expect from an airport lounge...

Ex-MSE Anthony S visited the No1 Lounge at Gatwick Airport and was impressed – he ate, drank and got to chill out watching Netflix using the free Wi-Fi. While he didn't have all the usual video equipment with him, he snuck a few candid shots of the lounge on his phone to give you an idea what it's like – see the short video below.