Does Chase Sapphire Preferred Have Lounge Access?

Being a travel credit card owner can come with lots of great perks including discounts, collecting Airmiles towards future flights, and free checked baggage. But one of the most prized of all travel perks is airport lounge access!

An airport lounge will allow you to relax with a drink or a snack in a comfortable chair and wait for your flight safely tucked away from the hustle and bustle around you. So, it's only natural that if you have a trip coming up and have recently acquired a Chase Card, you will be asking "Does Sapphire Preferred Have Lounge Access?"

Many have assumed that Chase Card Airport Lounge access automatically comes as a card owner. But is it as easy to gain Chase Card Lounge Access as you may think? Read below to discover the ins and outs of how you can access airport lounges with a Chase credit card.

Does Chase Sapphire Preferred Have Lounge Access?

So, let's get down to it! Does Sapphire Preferred have lounge access? Well, unfortunately, no! You do not get automatic Chase Card Airport lounge access as a cardholder.

But you shouldn't let that put you off getting a Sapphire card if you are a frequent traveler.

For a $95 annual fee, there are still lots of other perks for you to enjoy while you travel. And there are some other straightforward ways for you to escape to complimentary airport lounges!

If access to airport lounges is of paramount importance, you may have to resign yourself to paying a higher annual fee on a more expensive card to buy your way into lounge locations when you travel.

What Are the Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?

So, the Sapphire Preferred doesn't have Lounge access. But what else is on offer? Well, if you use a Sapphire Preferred card, you can enjoy the following benefits:

• Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 within the first three months of opening your account.
• A 25% redemption bonus when you make your travel bookings through Chase.
• 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel.
• $50 Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit each year.
• 3x points on your dining purchases.
• 2x points on all other travel purchasers you make with the card.
• 1:1 transfer rate when you move your points to airlines and hotels which are Chase travel partners.
• Travel insurance of up to $10,000 per person on a trip.
• A waiver on rental car collision damage.

Other benefits for Chase Sapphire Preferred Card holders include an additional 25% value added onto points when they are redeemed against categories in the Chase Pay Yourself Back scheme.

How to Get Chase Card Airport Lounge Access

If Chase were to add lounge access to their Sapphire Preferred card, the annual fee would inevitably have to rise above its current accessible $95 annually. However, as you can see above there is plenty to make a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card an excellent choice for travelers looking to build up reward points for their next trip.

To get Chase Card lounge access you will need to choose a higher-priced Chase product - the Chase Sapphire Reserve card which has an annual fee of $550.
 

Sapphire Reserve Includes Chase Card Lounge Access

The more you are willing to pay for a card annual fee, the more benefits and perks will be opened up to you the next time you travel. As you will see below, if you are willing to pay the higher fee for a Sapphire Reserve Card, you will be able to enjoy Chase Card Lounge access.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Cars offers cardholders Priority Pass lounge access. You can use Priority Pass memberships to access more than 1,300 airport lounges across the globe.

Sapphire Reserve Chase Card Lounge Access:

• The primary and authorized users of the card have free access to priority pass lounges.
• Each named user can also invite two additional guests into the lounge with them at no extra charge.
• If you want to invite more than two guests into a Priority pass lounge with you, then you need to pay an additional $27 for each extra person.

Additional Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card:

As well as Chase card Lounge access, some other great travel benefits that make the annual fee worth it for frequent travelers:

• 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 using the card in the first three months of opening your account.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit
• Credit for a TSA Precheck or Global Entry Application Fee.
• A redemption bonus of 50% when you book your travel through Chase.
• Direct 1:1 transfer rate on your Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfers to partner hotels and airlines.
• 5x points per dollar on flights booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
• 10x points per dollar on your airline and hotel bookings purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
• 3x points per dollar when you use the card for other travel and dining purchases.
• 1x point for each dollar you spend on other purchases using the card.

Is the Sapphire Preferred Reserve Card Worth The Annual Fee?

If you were to join Priority Pass directly and select a plan with a similar level of lounge access then you would need to pay $469 annually for a Prestige Priority pass membership.

So, if you use both your $300 annual travel credit and your Priority Pass Membership on your Sapphire Reserve card - the value of the benefits outweighs the annual fee by $219!

And if you decide to use your 60,000 bonus points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards - that's a further $900 automatically generated towards future travel.

So, if you are a frequent flyer for a business that regularly makes bookings, wants airport lounge access, and uses Global Entry or TSA Precheck - then you could be making savings by paying the $469 annual fee.

Summary: Does Sapphire Preferred Have Lounge Access?

Unfortunately, Chase Card Airport Lounge access does not automatically come as a perk of the Sapphire Preferred Card. But this is not surprising given the low annual fee for the card. There are however still lots of great perks which could make the card a smart choice for frequent travelers.

As we have seen, there is a card you can apply for that would allow Chase Card lounge access through a priority pass membership. But it comes at a much higher price point. However, if you would be spending money on a Prestige Priority Pass Membership, the card's annual fee is more than covered by the associated benefits.

Your decision about whether you should access Chase Card Airport Lounge access with one of their cards should ultimately depend upon whether the Sapphire Reserve card will save you money. If you are a frequent traveler for business or leisure who needs lounge access and will make use of the $300 credit on your account anniversary and your 60,000 bonus points then it is an excellent choice.

Sit down and weigh up the value of the benefits against the cost and think about how much use you will make of them. Then you should have a clear idea of whether Chase Card Airport lounge access is the best travel option for you this year.