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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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Priority Pass continues to single-handedly offset my credit card annual fee with this overlooked benefit
Joseph Hostetler is a credit cards writer who also covers helpful miles and points tricks. He previously authored and edited for Million Mile Secrets. He most enjoys a vagabonding approach to travel and loves to share any tips he finds along the way to save both points and money. He generally gravitates toward more nature-oriented activities, like climbing the Haiku Stairs in Hawaii, hiking the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, and swimming in Mexican cenotes. You can follow him on Instagram @johostetler.
Favorite city: Jerusalem
Where to next: Seattle
July 26, 2021 • 8 min read
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Quick summary
Priority Pass membership offers access to over 1,300 airport lounges and more than 50 participating airport restaurants, providing complimentary food and drinks.
At select airport restaurants, members receive a set discount per person, which can be applied for themselves and a guest, significantly reducing meal costs.
The restaurant benefit is not available through memberships obtained from certain card providers, so eligibility depends on how you acquired your Priority Pass.
Multiple participating restaurants at some airports allow members to maximize savings by visiting more than one location during a trip.
What to consider
Tips are not covered by the restaurant credit, so diners should expect to pay gratuity based on the pre-discounted bill.
Eligibility for the restaurant benefit depends on how the Priority Pass membership was obtained; some card-linked memberships do not include this feature.
Authorized users on select cards may also receive full Priority Pass membership, potentially doubling the value for travel companions.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed strategies for maximizing the Priority Pass restaurant benefit, including multi-restaurant visits and leveraging authorized user privileges.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
I cannot recall the last time I paid for a meal at the airport. If I'm flying, my travel buddies and I are almost certainly eating for (practically) free.
Free food is doubly important at the airport, where restaurant menu prices are insulting. With an appetizer and a mixed drink, you could be staring at a $70 check after tip. Priority Pass airport lounge membership solves the overpriced food crisis in two ways:
Priority Pass gives you access to over 1,300 airport lounges, most of which offer unlimited free alcohol and snacks. Though many offerings are hardly a proper meal, they're substantial enough to keep you from visiting an airport restaurant.
This second point is the one I want to remind you about. It's quite an unsung hero among travel credit card benefits. I'll share some tricks you may not have considered to potentially save over $100 at every participating restaurant!
There are loads of fun locations at which you can use your Priority Pass discount, like Westward Whiskey in Portland International Airport (PDX). (Photo courtesy of LoungeBuddy)
Easily save hundreds per year with the Priority Pass restaurant benefit
Would you keep a credit card that offered a benefit of free food at airport restaurants? I would.
Of course, I'm just rephrasing the fact that Priority Pass gives you up to $56 in food at over 50 airport restaurants worldwide (over half of them within the U.S.). Here's how it works: The Priority Pass cardholder gets $28 off their meal. They can also bring along a guest and receive $28 more deducted from the bill. You can read the list of participating restaurants here (though note that this list changes intermittently as some close temporarily/permanently in the wake of COVID-19).
Here are the airports that have qualifying restaurants. As you can see, numerous hubs for American, Delta and United are included. No matter which airline you fly, you're extremely likely to route through one of these cities. (Image courtesy of Great Circle Mapper)
A $56 discount restricted to participating restaurants — that's far from carte blanche access to any and all airport cuisine your heart desires. You'll need to be at an airport with a participating restaurant, and you'll need to be prepared to walk, as the restaurant may be on the other side of the airport.
If you're exhausted and just want a quick meal, you may not get as much value from this perk. But if you're like me and you get a thrill out of free stuff, you're probably willing to make the trek to a different terminal for a complimentary dinner. I've gone from Terminal 4 at New York-JFK to Terminal 8 just for a free salmon filet at Bobby Van's Steakhouse. And it was worth it.
I'll cross the airport to get to a participating restaurant even if I'm not hungry. I just like getting free stuff.
My wife and I were recently in San Francisco (SFO) and stopped to eat at the San Francisco Giants Clubhouse in Concourse F. For $58.95, we ordered exactly what we wanted. Our check came to $2.95.
(Photo by Joseph Hostetler/The Points Guy)
4 pro tips to maximize the Priority Pass restaurant discount
There are four things to know if you want to get the biggest bang from this benefit.
1. Amex cards don't qualify
Priority Pass accounts acquired via an American Express card, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, do not offer this restaurant benefit. You'll need to get your Priority Pass membership through a card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite® Card. (Enrollment is required to receive complimentary Priority Pass membership on cards.)
The information for the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
2. Tip on the original bill, not the final tally
This is the least "free" part of the Priority Pass restaurant credit. You can't use it to tip. So for the $56 you get in free food, you may pay around $10 anyway. Not too shabby considering you're eating a real meal at the airport...so tip your waiters and waitresses, folks!
3. You can visit multiple restaurants in the same airport
Many larger airports house multiple restaurants that participate in the Priority Pass program (again, look at our list here). You can hop from one to the other, gathering multiple free meals in a single trip. When this is the case, you can effectively split your meal in half and get all the expensive stuff. For example:
Restaurant 1: Mixed drink, appetizer, entree.
Restaurant 2: Mixed drink, dessert.
You and a guest could easily save $112 in food by visiting a couple of restaurants.
4. Travelers in two-player mode can get double the value
If you and your travel buddy both have a Priority Pass account, you could get double the value at each restaurant if you've got the audacity. I've never done this personally, but the Priority Pass system would have no way of catching you out.
Each of you has guest privileges. You could use your membership and guest privilege to get $56 off the meal. Then your travel buddy could start another bill and save another $56 when claiming you as their guest. This shouldn't entail more than a quick explanation to the server (they could likely just split tender on the bill), but you may have to pay for the first check before starting the next.
And get this -- authorized users on select cards get full Priority Pass membership for free! Here's what it costs to add authorized users on popular cards:
The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
If you've got a Priority Pass membership from a non-Amex card (such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve), you can get up to $28 per person in food for you and a guest at over 50 airport restaurants. And you can double that figure if your travel buddy has Priority Pass, too (which you can give them for free)!
Plus, if you're at an airport with multiple restaurants, you can hop from one to another, saving potentially hundreds of dollars during a single connection -- if you've got the time.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
