Updated on December 18, 2016
The Chase Sapphire Reserve includes a free Priority Pass membership, which gives you access to 900+ airport lounges. Many people recently flocked to the new Chase Sapphire Reserve 100k bonus offer and are eligible to get this free membership. The lounges offer food, snacks, drinks, wifi, comfortable seating away from the crowds and more. And, this one feature sets this Chase Sapphire Reserve Priority Pass apart from similar memberships you get from other credit cards: you can bring as many guests with you as you like.
You Must Manually Activate Your Membership
Make sure you activate your membership! It just takes a minute.
I've noticed many people have either been forgetting to request their free Priority Pass membership or don't know how to sign up. Unfortunately, you need to manually sign up. The membership will not be sent to you automatically. Chase saves when people don't sign up and use the membership. I think many people will miss out on this.
How To Request Your Priority Pass Membership
- Go to the Chase Ultimate Rewards Page. Click on your Sapphire Reserve Card. Alternatively, when you are logged into your account on Chase.com just click Ultimate Rewards to get to the same place.
2. Click Use Points -> Card Benefits or use this shortcut link.
3. Click the ACTIVATE NOW button under Priority Pass.
4. Your membership card will be mailed to you. The site says “2-3 weeks”, however, I and many others have received their cards in about a week. That's it!
Accessing Lounges Without Your Priority Pass Card
When I spoke with Chase customer service, they said I could use the lounge even before my card arrives. They would reimburse the charges for up to two visits if I don't have my card on me. Very generous! To make sure I don't forget it, I keep my Priority Pass card together with my passport in a RFID blocking passport wallet made by Access Denied. I got the Cognac Python RFID wallet pictured below with my 3 Priority Pass Cards. (I got it in 2014 and still in great shape.)
Can I Really Bring Unlimited Guests?
The Priority Pass membership that comes with the Chase Sapphire Reserve is better than your typical one. This membership lets you bring unlimited guests with you into the lounge, according to Chase. Both the letter, which says “you and your accompanying guests” and Chase customer service, confirmed you can bring as many guests as you want.
Of course, there's a * which says the lounge has sole discretion just in case… someone tries to invite everyone in the airport to the lounge.
What Are the Priority Pass Membership Benefits?
- Access to over 950 airport lounges in over 400 cities (see list of lounges here)
- A place to sit, stretch, eat and drink. Free alcohol is available at most lounges.
- Free Wifi and power so you can stay connected and charged.
- Digital Membership Card – Unfortunately the Priority Pass App (for iPhone + Android) doesn't provide us a digital card (as stated at the bottom of the welcome letter), but the app is useful to find participating lounges
- 24/7 365 Days Per Year Support Phone Number: USA (800) 352-2834, UK +44 20 8680 1338, Hong Kong +852 2866 1964
- Email Support: (USA) ppass@prioritypassusa.com, (UK) info@prioritypass.com, (Hong Kong) pp@prioritypass.com.hk
I already have another Priority Pass Membership. Will they be combined?
Many credit cards offer a Priority Pass membership and they are all separate. In the picture above, I have cards issued by Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express Platinum, and Citi Prestige. Since they are all different and separate programs arranged by each bank, getting another one will not extend your membership in any one of them. Since the Sapphire Reserve membership lets you take as many guests as you want, you really only need to carry that one.
How do I keep track of each priority pass card? I put a piece of scotch tape on the back when I get a new one and make a note of which credit card it came with and how many guests I can take.
Questions?
Feel free to ask in the comments.
On my Ultimate Rewards page, the drop down menu does NOT include the “Card Benefits” link. It ends at “Explore Experiences”. The FAQ has no links whatsoever to any of the words used in this benefit.
Did you try the shortcut link I posted?
Also double check that you have selected the correct card in case you have more than 1 card.
Does anyone know how Priority Pass memberships work if there is an already active PP account? I have PP through my CitiPrestige card, so I was wondering, does PP know to extend my membership through the life of my CSR card or will they give me a second account? Thanks!
It is a completely separate account. You can have multiple memberships but with this one you won’t need any others.
Would Additional Users get their own Priority Pass? And are they allowed to to have unlimited guests too?
According to Chase, yes. Each additional user can request their own Priority Pass membership which should have all the same benefits.
Can one activate this before actually receiving the credit card?
Yes, as long as you can see your credit card in your Chase account.
I realize my PP Select card has a one year validity date. Will we get new cards every year as long as we keep our Chase Sapphire Reserve card?
That’s what I expect to happen, unless of course they drop the benefit but I doubt that would happen.
I got my PP through CSR after activation. With regards to renewal, is the Priority Pass auto renewed before its expiration date?
Not sure. I believe in the past I have had memberships that automatically enroll and those that don’t… my guess is that it will auto-renew if you keep your CSR.
Does the year membership to PP start when the card opens, or when PP is activated through the chase portal?
The membership ends when you cancel the credit card. So it really depends on the credit card that provided the card to you.
The one thing that seems impossible to find is clarification of the Priority Pass APP when using the Pass connected with CSR. One can USE the APP but it appears impossible to “log in” and establish an account in the APP.
Only certain memberships are eligible to use with the app. I believe the issuer needs to activate that feature for their members. If I remember correctly, the last time I asked they said the CSR didn’t qualify.
Correct. I can use the APP but not create an account. It would help that somewhere in the small print that Chase would make this clear. They leave it up to the internet community to search, blog, query, attempt and fail to figuring it all out.
Agreed. They also leave it up to the user to actually sign up for the card. It’s much cheaper that just giving it to everyone. Its annoying but maybe otherwise the card wouldn’t have the benefits it does.