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Points Frog guide

Lounge access: day passes vs. membership vs. card

Enter how often you use airport lounges and who comes with you to see whether day passes, a Priority Pass membership or a card with lounge access costs least. At $60 a day pass, a solo traveler's cheapest choice is day passes up to 3 visits a year, Priority Pass Standard from 4, Priority Pass Standard Plus from 7 and Priority Pass Prestige from 15.

Lounge access calculator

Count each airport, including connections.

Friends or family who come in with you.

Per person. US lounges charge about $45 to $79.

Venture X: $395.

Only what you'd spend anyway, a year.

Others pay $35 each. Venture X: 0.

Cheapest for 10 visits a year with no guests

Your card

$95 a year, about $10 a visit. That's $505 less than day passes ($600), and $234 less than the next cheapest, Priority Pass Standard Plus ($329).

OptionA yearBeats day passes from
Your cardCheapest$952 visits
Priority Pass Standard Plus$3296 visits
Priority Pass Standard$4494 visits
Priority Pass Prestige$4698 visits
Day passes$600—
Yearly cost by number of visits · no guestsDay passesStandardStandard PlusPrestigeYour card

Cheapest at each number of visits

  1. 0–1Day passes
  2. 2+Your card
Visit-by-visit table
VisitsDay passesPP StandardPP Standard PlusPP PrestigeYour card
0$0$99$329$469$95
1$60$134$329$469$95
2$120$169$329$469$95
3$180$204$329$469$95
4$240$239$329$469$95
5$300$274$329$469$95
6$360$309$329$469$95
7$420$344$329$469$95
8$480$379$329$469$95
9$540$414$329$469$95
10$600$449$329$469$95
11$660$484$364$469$95
12$720$519$399$469$95
13$780$554$434$469$95
14$840$589$469$469$95
15$900$624$504$469$95
16$960$659$539$469$95
17$1,020$694$574$469$95
18$1,080$729$609$469$95
19$1,140$764$644$469$95
20$1,200$799$679$469$95

Priority Pass US prices as listed on October 18, 2026. Guests on a card pay Priority Pass's $35 guest fee beyond the ones it lets in free. Leaves out a card's other rewards and lounges outside the Priority Pass network. An educational estimate, not financial advice.

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Priority Pass and day-pass prices now

Standard
$99 + $35/visit
Standard Plus
$329, 10 visits
Prestige
$469, unlimited
Day passes
$45–$79

US prices from prioritypass.com and the lounges' own sites, checked October 18, 2026. Guests pay $35 a visit on every Priority Pass plan. 838 lounges in Lounge Frog's directory accept Priority Pass.

Is Priority Pass worth it?

It is if you'll use lounges that take it about 4 or more times a year. Against a $60 day pass, Priority Pass Standard ($99 a year plus $35 a visit) is cheaper from 4 visits a year, Standard Plus ($329 with 10 free visits) from 6 and Prestige ($469 with unlimited visits) from 8. Bring one guest each time and those fall to 2, 4 and 6 visits. If you already have a card that includes Priority Pass, a membership of your own adds little.

Visits a year from which each Priority Pass plan costs less than day passes, traveling alone
Day-pass priceStandardStandard PlusPrestige
$4510811
$507710
$59568
$60 (calculator default)468
$65468
$79356
Yearly cost for one traveler with $60 day passes; cheapest in bold
Visits a yearDay passesStandardStandard PlusPrestige
2$120$169$329$469
4$240$239$329$469
6$360$309$329$469
8$480$379$329$469
10$600$449$329$469
12$720$519$399$469
15$900$624$504$469
20$1,200$799$679$469
30$1,800$1,149$1,029$469

How much is an airport lounge day pass?

Usually $45 to $79 per person at US airport lounges that sell one: Escape Lounges from $45 booked online ($60 at the door), a United Club one-time pass $59, an Alaska Lounge pass $65 and an American Admirals Club One-Day Pass $79. Delta stopped selling Sky Club day passes in 2018. Each guest needs a pass of their own, and lounges can stop selling them when they're full.

One person's day pass at US lounges that sell them, checked October 18, 2026
LoungeDay passRules
Escape Lounges (MSP)$45Booked online; $60 at the door
United Club$59Within 3 hours of departure; no guests
Alaska Lounge$65Valid only at the lounge where bought
American Admirals Club$79Or 7,900 miles; may be limited when busy
Priority Pass Standard visit$35Members only, after the $99 fee
Delta Sky Club—No day passes since November 2018

Find a lounge and how to get in at each airport in Lounge Frog's lounge directory.

Which Priority Pass plan is cheapest?

Traveling alone, Standard is cheapest up to 6 visits a year, Standard Plus from 7 to 14 and Prestige from 15. At 14 visits Standard Plus and Prestige both cost $469. Guests pay $35 a visit on every plan, so they don't change which plan is cheapest, only how soon a plan beats day passes.

Is a credit card with Priority Pass cheaper than a membership?

Often, if you'd use the card's credits anyway. Capital One Venture X has a $395 annual fee and a $300 Capital One Travel credit, so it nets out at $95 a year with free Priority Pass visits for the primary cardholder, less than Standard's $99 fee alone; since February 1, 2026, each of its guests pays $35 a visit. Chase Sapphire Reserve costs $795 with a $300 travel credit, $495 net, and lets in up to 2 guests free. With one guest on 10 visits a year, Prestige would cost $819.

Compare cards' lounge access, fees and guest rules on Lounge Frog's cards page, or see every card that includes Priority Pass.

How many airport lounges take Priority Pass?

Priority Pass says its network has 1,900+ airport lounges and experiences in over 600 cities and 143 countries; Chase and Capital One describe it as 1,300+ lounges. Lounge Frog's lounge directory lists 838 open lounges that accept Priority Pass.

How the calculator works

  • Day passes: the day-pass price for you and each guest, on every visit.
  • Priority Pass: the plan's annual fee, plus $35 for each of your visits beyond the free ones, plus $35 for each guest on every visit.
  • Your card: its annual fee minus the credits you'd really use, plus $35 a visit for each guest beyond the ones it lets in free.
  • The break-even is the fewest visits a year at which an option costs less than day passes. “Always” means it's cheaper even with no visits, which happens when a card's credits outweigh its fee.

Sources: Priority Pass plans, Priority Pass conditions of use, Capital One Venture X and its 2026 guest change, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and each lounge's day-pass page above, all checked October 18, 2026.

Lounge access questions

How much does Priority Pass cost?

In the US, Standard costs $99 a year plus $35 for each visit, Standard Plus $329 a year with 10 free member visits and then $35 a visit, and Prestige $469 a year with every member visit free. Guests cost $35 a visit on all three plans. Prices checked on prioritypass.com on October 18, 2026.

Can I bring guests into a Priority Pass lounge?

Yes, for $35 per guest per visit on every Priority Pass plan, charged to your payment card. Guests have to check in and enter with you. Cards that include Priority Pass set their own guest rules: Chase Sapphire Reserve lets in up to 2 guests free, while Capital One Venture X charges $35 for each.

Do Standard Plus's 10 free visits cover guests?

Priority Pass lists them as member visits and shows the $35 guest fee separately on every plan, so this calculator charges for guests from the first visit. Ask Priority Pass before counting on free guest visits.

Will a lounge always let me in with a pass or membership?

No. Priority Pass access is subject to space, Admirals Club One-Day Passes may be limited or unavailable when lounges are busy, United Club one-time passes work only within three hours of departure (except on a connection), and Alaska Lounge passes are valid only at the lounge where you buy them.

Is this lounge access calculator financial advice?

No. It's an educational estimate from published prices. It leaves out a card's other rewards and costs, Priority Pass restaurant and spa benefits, and lounges outside the Priority Pass network. Prices change, so check the current terms before you buy.