More Plaza Premium Lounges are rejoining Priority Pass

In July 2021, Plaza Premium sent shockwaves through the industry when it withdrew from the Priority Pass and LoungeKey networks. This removed almost 180 lounges from two of the world’s biggest lounge membership programmes, leaving them scrambling for alternatives in airports where Plaza Premium was the only option. 

Plaza Premium boss Song Hoi See, in an interview with Head For Points, did not mince words as to why the split happened:

“Another reason I dropped Priority Pass is that they always squeezed the lounge provider. If you are a single operator, you are price taker. $10, take it or leave it. You have no choice – you do not have the marketing side of the business.

For us, we are different, because we have a large network and our own brand. So we ended the agreement. I think the industry was shocked when we dropped Priority Pass. I think they were shocked too!”

It’s a colourful interview, to say the least, full of gems like “Like a father, I feed you. I can make you grow bigger. When you grow bigger, you turn on me”. I’d heartily recommend reading the rest. 

Well, I’m not going so far as to say the two sides have kissed and made up, but there is some good news for Priority Pass members with today’s announcement that more than 60 Plaza Premium Lounges are rejoining the network in June. 

Over 60 Plaza Premium Lounges rejoining Priority Pass

In June 2023, more than 60 Plaza Premium Lounges will rejoin the Priority Pass network, including the lounge in Singapore Changi Terminal 1 and the three lounges across Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi. 

From 6 June 2023

From 20 June 2023

While this does not represent the full Plaza Premium network, it’s a massive improvement over the status quo. Presumably there must have been some intense horse trading behind the scenes to make this happen, given how publicly Mr Soo voiced his displeasure about the working relationship with Collinson (who owns both Priority Pass and LoungeKey).

The upshot is that travellers departing from Changi Airport can once again enjoy the Plaza Premium Lounge at T1, which offers a much better F&B experience than any of the contract lounges.

I say this solely on the basis of their chicken rice, which could hold its own to anything you find outside an airport. 

As mentioned earlier, Priority Pass and LoungeKey share a common owner. As these lounges rejoin the Priority Pass network, they’ll also be made available through LoungeKey.

Which credit cards use Priority Pass?

While DragonPass is making inroads in the market, the majority of Singapore-issued credit cards still rely on Priority Pass for lounge access.

Here’s a summary of which cards offer lounge access, and via which network.

Card	Lounge Network	Free Visits (Per Year)
		Principal	Supp.
Income Requirement S$30-50K (annual fees waivable)
UnionPay Cards	Plaza Premium Lounges	Spend S$140 to unlock 1-time visit (promo till 14 Oct 23)
Maybank Horizon Visa Signature	Selected lounges in SIN, KUL, HKG	Spend S$1K in single trxn. within 3 months prior to travel
Diners Club Cards	Diners Network	1*	N/A
Citi PremierMiles	Priority Pass	2*	N/A
DBS Altitude Visa	Priority Pass	2	N/A
AMEX HighFlyer Card	Priority Pass	2	N/A
SCB Journey Card	Priority Pass	2	N/A
HSBC TravelOne Card	DragonPass	4	N/A
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend	Plaza Premium	4	N/A
Income Requirement ≥S$120K (annual fees generally not waivable)
CIMB Visa Infinite	DragonPass	3	N/A
BOC Visa Infinite	Plaza Premium	4#	N/A
SCB Visa Infinite	Priority Pass	6	N/A
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card	LoungeKey	6*	6*
DBS Vantage	Priority Pass	10	N/A
OCBC VOYAGE	Plaza Premium	∞	∞
HSBC Visa Infinite	LoungeKey	∞	∞
Maybank Visa Infinite	Priority Pass	∞	N/A
UOB VI Metal Card	DragonPass	∞ + 1 guest	N/A
Citi Prestige	Priority Pass	∞ + 1 guest	N/A
AMEX Platinum Charge	Priority Pass, Plaza Premium, AMEX & Centurion Lounges, and others	∞ + 1-2 guests	∞ + 1-2 guests
Priority Banking Customers
OCBC Premier Visa Infinite	Plaza Premium	2	2
SCB Priority Banking VI	Priority Pass	24^	N/A
*Allowance follows calendar year instead of membership year #BOC Visa Infinite allowance runs from 1 November to 31 October the following year ^With min. AUM S$200K. If AUM falls under S$200K, then four visits

Conclusion

By the end of June 2023, more than 60 Plaza Premium Lounges will have rejoined the Priority Pass programme. This is great news for members who were left high and dry by the network’s abrupt departure two years ago. More importantly, it means that Priority Pass once again has lounges in airports like Langkawi and Penang, where they had nothing before. 

Are there any other Plaza Premium lounges you’re hoping will be added back?

(HT: Miku)