Citi Prestige Lounge Access Policy (Priority Pass) [2020]

The Citi Prestige is an interesting credit card because it’s not marketed quite as well as other premium cards but it does offer tremendous value to certain niche customers. People who spend a lot on dining can take advantage of 5X on dining and there’s also the 4th night free benefit that can still be very valuable for the right person. 

But another group that can benefit a lot from the Citi Prestige are those who want lounge access for more than two people. In this article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Citi Prestige Priority Pass Select lounge access. 

What is the Citi Prestige Lounge policy?

The Citi Prestige lounge policy allows for entrance into Priority Pass lounges for yourself and up to two guests and/or immediate family members.

Here is exactly what the terms and conditions state: 

Primary and Authorized users are granted complimentary access to the Priority Pass lounges and allowed a maximum of up to two guests or and immediate family members (spouse, domestic partner and/or children under 18 years of age).

Because you can bring in immediate family members, the Citi Prestige has one of the most generous lounge access policies for families. Most other premium cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and American Express Platinum Card limit your membership to only two additional guests.

What about additional guests?

If you want to bring in additional guests you will have to pay $27 per guest. Keep in mind that some lounges do have capacity constraints so you would not always be able to pay for additional guests. If you are heading to a lounge during peak hours then you are more likely to encounter these type of restrictions.

Note that these restraints are different from the limitations put on Priority Pass members in general. For example, some lounges won’t allow any Priority Pass members during certain hours. The restraints I’m referring to here are essentially subjective determinations of overcrowding made by the lounges.

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Citi Prestige authorized users Priority Pass

Authorized users for the Citi Prestige are also allowed Priority Pass membership. This is a great deal because you can add authorized users for only $75 per user, on par with the $75 required to add authorized users to the Chase Sapphire Reserve. 

What about Admirals Club access? 

The Citi Prestige no longer allows complimentary American Airlines Admirals Club access as of July 2017. Many people saw this as a huge devaluation when it happened and as a result a lot of people canceled their Prestige cards. 

How do you sign up for Priority Pass?

You should be automatically signed up for the Citi Prestige Priority Pass once approved so you shouldn’t have to worry about enrolling yourself. This is in contrast to a lot of other credit cards that force you to enroll. For example, you may have to log into your account and click through a few buttons in order to trigger your membership.

But that is not the case with Citibank. After you’ve been approved, your Priority Pass card should arrive in about one week.

Note: It’s not possible to expedite your Priority Pass card although you can expedite your Citi Prestige card.     

Are Priority Pass lounges legit?

In case you were not aware, Priority Pass is a network of over 1,100 lounges located all across the globe. The quality of these lounges can vary dramatically depending on your location. For the most part, I have not been very impressed with many of the lounges located in the US. 

However, when traveling internationally I tend to get more from them. This is especially the case on some of our round the world trips where arrival lounges can be a lifesaver with early or odd-time arrivals. 

Even though some of the domestic lounges are a bit underwhelming they still are better than waiting out by the gate the vast majority of the time. (Sometimes the lounges are ridiculously crowded and I prefer to just wait outside by the gate.)

If you are truly interested in a more premium lounge experience than you might look into a card like the American Express Platinum Card. That card, in my opinion, has the best lounge access out of any credit card on the market. Not only do you get Priority Pass Select membership, but you also get entrance into a lot other lounges including Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta). 

Is the Citi Prestige worth it?

Beyond the lounge access, you might be wondering if the Citi Prestige is worth it. Well, after the new Citi Prestige relaunch, the card comes with some enhanced benefits. The 4th night free got limited to two uses per year and lost concierge booking but it does have some new valuable perks. 

The Citi Prestige offers 5x points on dining and air travel/travel agencies and 3x points on cruises and hotels. 5X on dining is very impressive when compared to the competitors. 

The $250 airline credit on the new Prestige is much broader and will be activated upon making any kind of travel purchase including: 

• Travel Purchases are defined as purchases made within the travel category, including purchases from airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, travel agencies/travel aggregators/tour operators, commuter transportation, ferries, commuter railways, subways, taxis/limousines/car services, passenger railways, cruise lines, bridge and road tolls, parking lots/garages, and bus lines.

You’ll also get a nice cell phone protection benefit and some great travel protections which come in the following forms:

Update: The Citi Prestige lost many of its benefits below:

• Trip cancellation and interruption
• Trip delay protection
• Baggage delay protection
• Lost baggage protection
• Roadside assistance
• Travel in emergency assistance
• World wide travel accident insurance
• Medical evacuation

Final word

The Citi Prestige has one of the best Priority Pass Select memberships for families since you can bring in two guests and your immediate family members. The additional benefits of the Prestige card aren’t too shabby, either. The Prestige isn’t for everybody but if you fall into one of the right niches, it’s a great card.