Update, 11/18: Chase has won the rights to build a lounge in San Diego, its 4th confirmed location. That lounge should open in 2023.
Update, 8/10: Chase has confirmed to me that the initial locations for these lounges will be New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS), and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). Those locations should open in 2022.
The preliminary plan is to allow for free access for Sapphire Reserve cardholders and Priority Pass members. Additional locations are planned as well.
Originally posted on 6/3:
Is the airport lounge the next credit card battlefield?
Once upon a time premium credit cards opened the doors to most airline lounges, but airlines realized they would do better operating their own co-branded lounge credit cards.
That led to AMEX opening a network of their own Centurion lounges, though they have been a victim of their own success with lounge overcrowding. To combat that, effective 2/1/23 AMEX Platinum cards will no longer come with free guest access unless you spend $75K annually on your Platinum card.
Capital One is opening their own network of airport lounges, starting with Dallas/DFW , Denver/DEN, and Washington/IAD. There’s no word on access requirements yet.
And now Chase announced they will operate Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club.
Chase says that they will offer a fresh approach to the lounge experience with a network of locations that will be announced in the future. Chase is working with Airport Dimensions, which operates “The Club,” to build their lounge network.
While The Club lounges are accessible with a Priority Pass membership, it’s not yet known what the Sapphire Lounge access rules will be. Based on the name I’d guess that having a Sapphire Reserve card or a Sapphire Preferred card will help. 😀
Chase acquired cxLoyalty’s travel and rewards business in December as they look to offer a full travel network that will compete with AMEX, and based on this announcement they will continue that travel expansion.
It’s great to see that Chase will build out their own lounge network, where do you hope they will open a lounge?
HT: TPG
Please, can we get a lounge in Chicago? Kind of amazing that O’Hare is one of the busiest airports in the world with terrible lounge options i.e. basically none.
SAN – nice surprise for our town. Wondering where it will be with the new terminal starting to build now for SWA replacement.
Perhaps worthy to step back into Reserve card after the inaugural year.
Will Sapphire Preferred cardholders get access to these lounges or only Reserve?
from what i understand priority pass will also have access so it wont be exclusively for chase sapphire
Woohoo Boston! Exciting news.
I hope LGA has kosher food and is available curbside.
Are lounges so important at Domestic airports where transfers are limited and flight times short?
Never been delayed? Or have a connection?
Newark airport
hope they open at JFK
Why can’t I sort the comments by newest/oldest anymore?
Wow, I’m surprised they are letting in Priority Pass members- that means that holders of the premium card to Chase’s biggest competitor- ie the AMEX Platinum- get free access to Chase’s lounges?? Seema bizarre. I’d have thought it would be unlimited free for Reserve cardholders, like the centurion for Platinum cardholders, plus maybe a few visits for Preferred cardholders, and that’s it. Definitely a curious move by Chase.
Hope this does two things for Sapphire card holders:
1. Gives us higher priority admittance – in some busy airports Priority Pass lounges get crowded and we aren’t even allowed in, unless we wait for 0.5 to 2 hours (or more!).
2. Gives us a better lounge experience – Priority Pass lounges in the US can be a very sub-par experience, especially compared to the lounges in some foreign airports.
How about CSP holders?
Any idea when the LGA location will start up?
+1
Approximate Dates?
Still no love for chicago 🙁
I live in Chicago. The airport is such garbage, why would anyone invest in it?
If I am a Priority Pass member through Amex can I get in?
It seems like you will. But we’ll have wait and see if there are exclusions.
Please put a lounge in EWR (C), LHR, ZRH, KEF
Dan, can you start a petition to Chase to request they include some Kosher food options, as they plan their new lounges. I’m sure you can supply them with some data on an estimate Kosher – Sapphire card holders.
+1
I hope they open lounges in JFK, EWR, LGA, and TLV and serve kosher food there.
Hoping holders of csp can enter.
I went to The Club in Vegas in concourse D near gate D33. I would give that lounge one star out of 5. There was barely any food, salad and soup plus a good 15 minutes wait on 5/31 at around 2:30PM.
After visiting that lounge I went to the Centurion lounge that is across D1 and it was the opposite, asparagus, meat, penne pasta and so on. Wait time was also around 15-20 minutes. So far I haven’t been disappointed by the Centurion lounges.
I have priority pass from my Amex business plat and the Chase Sapphire reserve.
Jfk
will sapphire or private client banking be eligible also?
EWR
What are the odds that the plain old Sapphire card will get access?
(I down graded my Preferred to the no-fee card;))
0%.
Why not convert it to Freedom or Freedom Unlimited and get another CSR/CSP?
Is that a simple switch?
Very. Call Chase to switch, wait 3 days, open a new Sapphire Preferred or Reserve.
Can I do this on a CSR I’ve had for several years? Downgrade/switch and then open a new CSR account? Would all of my existing Chase Rewards points be worth 1.5x again after getting the new account? Thanks.
Yes.
Yes.
Having been to The Club in Orlando (Terminal A) (MCO) , Atlanta (ATL) and Dallas (DFW ) as well Centurion Lounges In Charlotte (CLT) and Dallas (DFW) The quality of Centurion Lounges are far superior to The Club Lounges .
Some of them are really nice, like The Club PIT. I agree that MCO is not very good.
Those lounges didn’t have the backing of Chase. There will be brand new lounges built that will be at a much higher caliber.
Great ! Looking forward .
They need a lounge in terminal C in EWR.
Amen.
They need to level all of EWR and start over, beginning with JetBlue Terminal ‘A’
Yes I agree!!! Most departures for me out of EWR terminal C so priority pass lounge is useless unless I’m traveling internationally out of terminal B.
Most likely exsisting the Club will be converted to Chase Sapphire lounges
Please put a lounge in ORD!!!
free sodas, those cost $6 at the airport
Not meant to be a challenge, but in all seriousness, what is so special about these exclusive lounges?
Any thoughts on when Chase will convert their Ultimate Rewards travel booking engine from Expedia to cxLoyalty?
I just hope this doesn’t lead to Chase cheapening their priority club access like amex did.
Agreed! While Centurion lounges are great, they are limited, but I’ve been able to take great advantage of the Priority Pass food and drink credits. It doesn’t get you a private Oasis, but often the restaurant you are at is just as relaxing and the food and drinks are usually better than most lounges. Getting two credits for me and my wife on my card, and then two from her card means we can get almost anything to eat and drink and just pay tax and too out if pocket. That can really be a nice benefit when you have to eat in an airport.
Bitter sweet. If they get rid of priority pass membership then we lose out on using international lounges as well
AMEX still offers Priority Pass. I don’t think it means CSR will ditch PP. It’s just something they need to do to keep up with AMEX and Capital One.
Will thet structure the preferred similar to how United Mileageplus only allow a few passes per year for holders of the explorer card, or will they allow unlimited access?
Probably something like that for the Preferred, a few visits per year- but for the Reserve, you get unlimited access, like the Platinum at Centurion Lounges.
Stay tuned 🙂
In tlv
some say there’s going be a special section for all dansdeals readers
I hope so!