Standard Chartered Priority Private and Priority Banking customers enjoy complimentary Priority Pass airport lounge access, with entitlements ranging from 2-24 visits depending on tier and AUM.
| โ๏ธ Standard Chartered Complimentary Lounge Visits |
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| Tier | AUM | Lounge Visits |
| Priority Banking | <S$200K | 2 |
| Priority Banking | โฅS$200K | 12 |
| Priority Private | โฅS$1.5M | 24 |
However, Standard Chartered has been tightening the terms of this benefit of late. After removing unlimited visits for Priority Private customers in early June, itโs now announced a new โwealth holdingsโ requirement to continue enjoying lounge access.
The good news is that itโs not nearly as bad as it sounds at first, and you wonโt have to buy overpriced investment or insurance products.
StanChart adds new โwealth holdingsโ requirement for lounge access
Standard Chartered has sent out emails to its Priority Private and Priority Banking clients, informing them of upcoming changes to their privileges with effect from 15 August 2025.
| ๐ฆ Priority Private Clients |
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Thank you for banking with us. As a Standard Chartered Priority Private Client, you currently enjoy access to a range of lifestyle privileges. Please note the following updates, which will be effective 15 August 2025. Priority Private Membership Privileges
Priority Pass benefit: 24 airport lounge visits
^Wealth Product Holdings are defined as customers who hold either an Eligible Investment Product(s) or Eligible Insurance Product purchased through the bank. |
| ๐ฆ Priority Banking Clients |
|
Thank you for banking with us. As a Standard Chartered Priority Banking Client, you currently enjoy access to a range of lifestyle privileges. Please note the following updates, that will be effective 15 August 2025. Priority Pass benefit: 12 airport lounge visits
^Wealth Product Holdings are defined as customers who hold either an Eligible Investment Product(s) or Eligible Insurance Product purchased through the bank. |
In short, to continue enjoying airport lounge access (or Priority Private privileges), you must now fulfill a further criteria: maintain wealth holdings with the bank.
Now, my first reaction when reading this was โokay Iโm out, theyโll want me to buy minibonds and gryphon insurance and what notโ (though to be fair, Iโve not been attacked by a gryphon ever since buying gryphon insuranceโฆ).
But thankfully, thatโs not the case. Hereโs how the bank is defining wealth holdings.
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โClients with active Wealth holdings are defined as clients who hold either an Eligible Investment Product(s) or Eligible Insurance Product purchased through the bank. Eligible Investment Product(s) as defined by the Bank refers to Structured Products, Fixed Income Products, Unit Trusts and Equity Holdings. Foreign Currency Deposits are not considered as Investment Products.โ |
Notice how equity holdings are included, and crucially, there is also no minimum amount required (for now, anyway). In theory, holding even one share in some random company would be enough.
Iโve been a long-time StanChart equities customer (their lack of a minimum commission was a godsend back in the days before moomoo and friends), and Iโm not particularly inclined to port my holdings elsewhere. Therefore, these changes have no impact on me, and hopefully most of you too.
As a reminder, you will need to hold a StanChart Priority Banking Visa Infinite (no annual fee if youโre a fully funded client) to enjoy the complimentary lounge visits. Donโt get confused by the name; this card is for Priority Banking and Priority Private customers; there is no such thing as a StanChart Priority Private Visa Infinite!
For the avoidance of doubt, these changes do not affect the StanChart Visa Infinite Card (S$599.50 annual fee, non-waivable), which continues to offer six Priority Pass lounge visits per membership year.
This could be good news for the StanChart Beyond Card
When reviewing the StanChart Beyond Card, I sounded a warning about this ominous-sounding clause.
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7. In order for a Beyond principal cardholder to continue to be eligible for the programmes, or part thereof, that are specially offered to Beyond principal cardholders who have a Priority Banking, Priority Private or Private Banking relationship with the Bank, i.e. the programmes listed under Clauses 1.1, 1.4, 1.7, the Beyond principal cardholder must carry out at least one (1) Eligible Investment or Eligible Deposit with the Bank within 12 months after the first renewal of the Beyond Card and yearly thereafter. Further details of this requirement will be provided in due course. This requirement will not apply for the first 12 months after the Beyond Card is issued to you. |
In short, after the first year of card membership, Standard Chartered will require Priority Banking and Priority Private customers to carry out an โeligible investmentโ or โeligible depositโ with the bank in order to retain their additional benefits, namely upsized earn rates, airport limo rides, and (for Priority Private only) the Accor Plus Explorer Plus membership.
| Regular | Priority Banking | Priority Private | |
| Welcome Offer | 100,000 miles |
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| Local Earn | 1.5 mpd | 2 mpd | 2 mpd |
| FCY Earn | 3 mpd | 3.5 mpd | 4 mpd |
| FCY Dining | 8 mpd | ||
| Birthday Meal | 1x | ||
| Business Class Upgrades | 2x | ||
| Airport Lounge | Unlimited + 6 guests (Principal & Supp.) |
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| Airport Limo | โ | 2x | 10x^ |
| Accor Plus | โ | โ | Yes (Explorer Plus) |
| Mastercard Tier | World Elite Mastercard |
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| ^Includes the 8x complimentary limo rides that Priority Private customers already enjoy without the Beyond Card | |||
It wasnโt clear at the time what exactly would count as an eligible investment or deposit, but assuming Standard Chartered keeps things internally consistent, then equity holdings would satisfy this requirement too.
Conclusion
From 15 August 2025, Standard Chartered will require Priority Banking and Priority Private customers to maintain wealth holdings with the bank in order to continue receiving complimentary airport lounge access.
Fortunately, the bank is including equity holdings in the definition, and not stipulating a minimum amount. So if your Priority Banking / Priority Private status is by virtue of your stocks and shares (as mine is), then thereโs no change to your privileges.
Like you, iโve been using their equity trading platform since the early days due to $0 minimum comm and the extension of Priority Banking to the entire family so long as one member maintains $200K (believe its no longer available now). While SCBโs equity trading platform isnt the most user friendly, it gets the basics done and rates are very compettive (no โplatform feesโ like some of the new animal brokers).
Overall, if someone is a priority/prioirty private client, its an easy target to hit to maintain generous lounge access on a $0 annual fee card
I also used SCB equity trading platform. But I do not receive the Notice of AGM from SCB or the SGX-listed companies of my equity holding bought through SCB.
Can enquire, for the equities holding, do we need to like transact within a period, (i.e. 12mths preceding) or as long as have equity holding would count toward the wealth holding requirement