How To Get British Airways Lounge Access?

If you’ve spent many hours in airports like me you’ve probably seen various different lounges with passengers in. Have you ever wondered what you need or who you need to be to have access? After all, sitting away from the hustle & bustle of the airport with complimentary snacks and drinks sounds good right? Let’s take a look at the requirements for British Airways lounge access and more importantly the alternatives if you’re not eligible.

Am I eligible for British Airways Lounge Access?

There are numerous different variables which decide if you are eligible for British Airways Lounge Access. Let’s take a brief look at the basics for BA’s lounges…

Concorde Room

Open to passengers flying in First Class or holders of the Concorde Room card.

Galleries First Lounges

Open to passengers flying in first class, and British Airways Executive Club Gold members (or oneworld Sapphire) flying with either BA or another oneworld airline.

Galleries Club Lounges

Open to passengers flying in either Club Europe or Club World, or alternatively British Airways Executive Club Silver members (or oneworld Emerald) flying with either BA or another oneworld airline.

Galleries Arrivals Lounge

Open to BA passengers arriving in either first-class or Club World or a Gold member of the BA Executive Club arriving on a BA long-haul flight.

BA also offers access to a variety of lounges across the world in conjunction with their Oneworld partners and other lounge operators. You can find out more detail here – https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/executive-club/tiers-and-benefits/lounge-access

Can I buy British Airways Lounge Access

Unfortunately, you cannot purchase a pass to use British Airways’ lounges. If you want lounge access however there are other providers from which you can purchase from. In the UK the 3 main ones are No 1 Lounges, Aspire and Plaza Premium. You can purchase access from their website in advance, prices generally range between £20 & £40 per person.

If you are a regular flyer who wants access to lounges without having to pay each time (and not eligible for airline lounges) you may wish to consider one of the many lounge access membership programmes. Three of the main ones are Priority Pass, Dragon Pass and TAV Passport. These aren’t cheap however with unlimited visits costing you £339 with Priority Pass, £268 with Dragon Pass and roughly £240 with TAV Passport.

Is there any way to get free lounge access?

Whilst you can’t get into Airline lounges for free unless you are flying first/business class or a status holder. You can access other lounges for ‘free’ using one of 3 credit cards.

This is my experience using the points system and is not a recommendation of any financial product. There are other credit cards which can earn you travel points including IHG credit card, Tesco Credit Cards (by exchanging Clubcard points for avios, hotel stays and more) & Virgin Atlantic credit card. If you use my link for a referral to an American Express card upon you being accepted I will receive points, this varies between 9,000 – 18,000 depending on the card I refer you from. If you would like a referral for bonus points, see here – https://pointsuncovered.com/amex-referral-link-uk/

1. The American Express Gold Card which is free for the first year & £140 annual fee thereafter. It comes with 2 free lounge passes (which will get you and a friend access to a lounge once.) If you cancel before the first year is up you won’t pay an annual fee.
2. The American Express Platinum Card which has a £575 annual fee. This comes with complimentary Priority Pass Select membership which allows you and one guest unlimited access to Priority Pass lounges. With the Platinum Card, you can also get one free supplementary Platinum Card which also comes with complimentary Priority Pass. If you give your partner/travelling companion the supplementary card you could get between you up to 4 people into a lounge for free.
3. The HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard which has a £195 annual fee. This comes with complimentary airport lounge access with LoungeKey. Access is only for the main cardholder if you want any guests you would need to get them a supplementary card for a £60 annual fee. It has pretty tough eligibility criteria. It’s only available to HSBC Premier account holders.

Conclusion

As you can see even if you aren’t eligible for British Airways Lounge Access you have plenty of options for access to other lounges. Do you have a favourite lounge? Let us know in the comments below!