Chase Sapphire Lounges: What Are They?

Chase Sapphire Lounges, also known as Sapphire Lounge by The Club, are a bold initiative by Chase to provide certain cardmembers and guests with an elevated airport lounge experience. By the looks of it, these lounges, and their food from award-winning chefs, are going to be a real hit.

Let’s explore how Chase Sapphire Lounges work, including who can access them and their locations, to see if they fit into your upcoming travel plans.

How to access Chase Sapphire Lounges

To enter a Chase Sapphire Lounge (Sapphire Lounge by The Club), present your physical or digital Priority Pass membership card and a valid boarding pass that leaves within three hours.

General entry criteria

You might be surprised that anyone with a Priority Pass membership and valid boarding pass can enter Chase Sapphire Lounges. But before you start getting worried about overcrowding, let’s look at the rest of the requirements.

Yes, Priority Pass members can access the Sapphire Lounge by The Club. But they can only do so once per calendar year if they don’t also have one of these credit cards:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve^®
• J.P. Morgan Reserve^® Card
• Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card

Cardholders of these cards (as well as their authorized users) who have enrolled in Priority Pass have unlimited complimentary access to Chase Sapphire Lounges. So there’s still plenty of exclusivity.

Guest policy and conditions

If you have one of the above cards, you receive these guest access privileges to Chase Sapphire Lounges:

The Ritz-Carlton card is clearly the best credit card for Chase Sapphire Lounge guest access because there’s no limit on the number of guests you can bring in. In theory, you could bring every single person you see at your gate into the lounge if you wanted (please don’t).

Unfortunately, the Ritz-Carlton Credit Card is no longer open for applications, so it’s challenging to add to your wallet. But if you’re eligible for a product change from another credit card, the Ritz-Carlton Card has plenty of worthwhile perks and benefits.

Note that there’s no additional charge for children under two to enter Chase Sapphire Lounges.

Locations of Chase Sapphire Lounges

Airports with Chase Sapphire Lounges

*The location at AUS is a Chase Sapphire Terrace, not a complete Chase Sapphire Lounge. The location at IAD is The Etihad Lounge.

Chase, in partnership with The Club, has already opened Chase Sapphire Lounges in Boston (BOS), Hong Kong (HKG), and New York (LGA).

Courtesy of Chase

Sapphire Reserve and J.P. Morgan Reserve cardholders also receive complimentary access for themselves and up to two guests to the Sapphire Terrace at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). Here, you can enjoy grab-and-go bites, beverages, games, and seating.

Upcoming Chase Sapphire Lounge locations

Chase has announced or is looking into opening Chase lounge locations in:

• Harry Reid International Airport - Las Vegas (LAS)
• Philadelphia International Airport - Philadelphia (PHL) in the Terminal D to E connector
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport - Phoenix (PHX) in Terminal 4 South 1
• San Diego International Airport - San Diego (SAN) in Terminal 2 West
• Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport - Dallas (DFW) in Terminal D

Note that Chase doesn’t typically provide exact opening dates well ahead of time for new lounge announcements.

What are the benefits of Chase Sapphire Lounges?

Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations provide an elevated airport lounge experience for eligible travelers in select cities. In general, this means you get a comfortable place to sit and relax (or work) while enjoying complimentary food and beverages.

Food and beverages

We recommend visiting airport lounges as much as possible with complimentary access to help you avoid paying for expensive airport food.

But the Chase Sapphire Lounge takes the food and beverage experience up a notch by employing award-winning chefs and providing a curated selection of beverages. So it’s like you get somewhat of a fine-dining experience while you wait for your flight.

Here are some examples of what you might find at the Chase Sapphire Lounge at Boston Logan International:

• Gourmet coffee from a local company (Atomic Coffee Roasters)
• Seasonal dining options created by award-winning Boston chef Douglass Williams
• Artisanal cocktails
• A curated wine list
• A taproom with local beers

Resting space

Chase Sapphire Lounges emphasize comfort and style by offering different types of spaces throughout each lounge.

At the lounge in Boston Logan International, there are spaces for relaxing, such as a wellness area with massage chairs and spaces for working. It’s also common to have convenient spots for dining.

Wi-Fi and other digital services

Chase doesn’t talk much about the Wi-Fi in Chase Sapphire Lounges, but the customer reviews are good.

For example, a post by a Redditor this year noted that the Wi-Fi at the Chase Sapphire Lounge in Boston “is insane” and “crazy fast.” With a screenshot showing speeds of over 650 Mbps download and over 550 Mbps upload, we’re inclined to agree.

Although most airport lounges provide complimentary Wi-Fi access to their guests, these types of speeds are much higher than what we’ve experienced.

Other lounge services

Specific services and amenities can vary by lounge location. The Sapphire Lounge at Boston Logan International provides private bathrooms with showers, nursing rooms, and direct views of the airfield and Boston Harbor.

How do Chase Sapphire lounges compare to other credit card lounges

Many of the best travel credit cards provide some type of airport lounge access and earn travel rewards, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards.

That airport lounge access could include entry to Chase Sapphire, Capital One, Amex Centurion, or Priority Pass Lounges. Here’s how the different lounges compare.

Comparison of entry requirements

Keep in mind that every Priority Pass member receives one complimentary visit to a Chase Sapphire Lounge per calendar year. But only cardholders and authorized users of these cards receive unlimited complimentary visits:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve^®
• J.P. Morgan Reserve^® Card
• Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card

For Capital One Lounges, the only card that gives unlimited complimentary access is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Spark Miles for Business receive two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges.

Note that Priority Pass isn’t a credit card issuer lounge network, but many cards provide a Priority Pass benefit, which is why we included it in this comparison.

Comparison of amenities and services

You can expect food (not just snacks) and drinks from Centurion, Chase, and Capital One Lounges. With Priority Pass, it depends on the lounge. Other amenities, such as showers and luggage lockers, can vary by lounge.

Since the Chase and Capital One Lounges are new initiatives, they’re very nice and have received rave reviews. The Capital One Lounge grab-and-go food section is especially unique and useful for travelers who don’t have much time to spend in the lounge. The nursing rooms at the Sapphire Lounge by The Club in Boston are certainly welcomed by nursing mothers.

But it’s difficult to compare entire lounge networks against each other because individual lounges can be very different from one another.

For example, should you base the reputation of the Amex Centurion Network on its mega location in New York (JFK), which is over 15,000 square feet? Or should use the Amex Centurion Lounge in London (LHR), which is about 7,000 square feet and doesn’t have windows, for comparison?

It’s hard to say. But, in general, we recommend Amex, Chase, and Capital One Lounges over Priority Pass lounges because they tend to have better food options and more amenities. Also, Priority Pass lounges can get crowded.

And, you might not always be allowed into a Priority Pass lounge, even if you have a legitimate membership. That’s because many of the lounges in Priority Pass have their own rules, which they can enforce themselves.

That being said, overseas Priority Pass lounges often provide nicer experiences than Priority Pass lounges in the U.S.

FAQs

Bottom line

We like what we see from Chase and The Club about Chase Sapphire Lounges. They’re sleek, spacious, and exclusive enough that we shouldn’t see overcrowding issues of certain Priority Pass and Amex Centurion Lounges.

But is it worth applying for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card and its $550 annual fee if you primarily want to access Chase Sapphire Lounges? Likely not, unless you travel a lot through applicable airports.

If Chase Sapphire Lounges don’t align with your current lounge access or upcoming travel plans, compare credit cards and credit card offers to find a card that makes more sense for you.

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