5 Things to Know About Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge Access
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Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a premium rewards card for avid travelers. It comes with useful travel perks, such as a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus enrollment fee credit, an auto rental collision damage waiver, as well as trip interruption and cancellation insurance.
But what about Chase Sapphire Reserve® lounge access? There’s good news on that front. The card already gives cardholders unlimited access to Priority Pass lounges. Chase is also planning to open the Sapphire Reserve Lounges, more formally known as Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club. These lounges are expected to compete with AmEx Centurion lounges and Capital One lounges.
Here’s everything we know about these upcoming Chase lounges.
» Learn more: Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve card worth its annual fee?
1. Does the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card offer lounge access?
Yes, since launch, Chase Sapphire Reserve® has offered its cardholders complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which provides access to more than 1,300 airport lounges and restaurants worldwide. You and up to two guests are able to access any of the lounges in the Priority Pass network.
To increase its offerings, Chase is partnering with Airport Dimensions, a global airport lounge operator, to build and operate its own lounges for cardmembers. The Sapphire-branded airport lounges are called the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club.
2. Where are the airports with Chase Sapphire Lounges by The Club?
Several Sapphire lounges are slated to open in 2022 and 2023. We don’t know the exact opening dates, but we do know their locations. You’ll be able to find the first set of Sapphire lounges at the following airports:
Boston (BOS).
Hong Kong (HKG).
Las Vegas (LAS).
New York-La Guardia (LGA).
Phoenix (PHX).
San Diego (SAN).
3. How to use Chase Sapphire Reserve lounge access
If you hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card or another credit card with Priority Pass Select membership, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (enrollment required) or the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, you’ll get complimentary access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club. Terms apply.
At the moment, no other credit card lounges, such as The Centurion Lounge or the Capital One Lounge, grant Priority Pass Select members access. This could increase crowding at the Chase lounge — the very thing many airport lounges try to curb.
At the moment, it’s unclear whether Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card customers would get any access, full or discounted, to the lounges.
To get Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge access, you’ll simply show your card and a boarding pass at the check-in desk, and you should be able to use all the amenities that a lounge offers while waiting for your flight.
4. What is the most affordable way to get access to Sapphire Lounges from Chase?
Because Priority Pass Select members will be able to access the new Chase Sapphire Lounges, you don’t have to pay the $550 fee on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card to get the perk.
The following cards offer their members Priority Pass membership, and for a lower annual fee:
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: $395 annual fee.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: $450 annual fee. Enrollment required.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: $95 annual fee. 10 complimentary visits per year. Enrollment required.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card: $450 annual fee. Enrollment required.
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: $95 annual fee. 10 complimentary visits per year. Enrollment required.
U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card: $400 annual fee.
Terms apply.
Although both the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and the The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card boast the lowest annual fees of just $95, they both come with limited access to Priority Pass lounges. You’ll get up to 10 complimentary lounge visits per year, after which you have to pay for every visit. Terms apply.
All other cards on the list provide unlimited access to the Priority Pass network of lounges. So if you want to be able to visit Chase Sapphire lounges as often as you want, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers the least expensive path to membership.
5. What other cards offer airport lounge access?
Two other credit card issuers have built airport lounges specifically for their own cardholders: American Express and Capital One.
American Express
American Express runs The Centurion Lounge network of lounges for people with the following cards:
The Platinum Card® from American Express.
The Centurion Card.
Terms apply.
The primary cardholder and up to two guests or immediate family members have access to the lounges. Effective Feb. 1, 2023, only cardholders will be able to enter the lounges for free, and guests will be charged $50 per adult and $30 per child.
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card holder can enter all U.S. lounges as well as the lounges in Hong Kong and London. Access is limited to the primary cardholder flying on a same-day Delta Air Lines ticket. Up to two additional guests flying Delta can pay for entrance at a rate of $50 per person.
You can find the Centurion Lounges at the following U.S. airports:
International locations with American Express lounges include:
Capital One
If you hold the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, you and up to two guests get access to the Capital One Lounge. Additional guests are charged $45. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Spark Miles cardmembers receive two complimentary visits per calendar year.
Non-cardholders can pay $65 per visit to enter the Capital One Lounge, which is not offered at The Centurion Lounge locations.
The only Capital One Lounge that is currently open is at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Two more locations are set to open at Denver International Airport and at Dulles International Airport in 2022.
Final thoughts on upcoming Sapphire Reserve lounges
Although the first Sapphire Reserve Lounge has yet to open, the new haven in the purgatory that is the airport terminal is welcome. We have yet to see what the lounge will offer and how busy it’ll be so as to assess whether it’s a worthy competitor of the Centurion and the Capital One lounges.
All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2022, including those best for:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
