5 Things to Know About Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge Access

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a premium, travel rewards card stands out for its useful travel perks, such as a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus enrollment fee credit, auto rental coverage, as well as trip interruption and cancellation insurance. But the card really changed the game of what's expected in a premium travel credit card by way of its lounge access.

Since launch, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has offered its cardholders a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which allows you and up to two guests to access any of the lounges in the Priority Pass network, which are independently run lounges that Priority Pass members can enter. But as the Priority Pass network has somewhat deteriorated in quality, Chase has taken matters into its own hands by spinning up its own lounges.

These Sapphire-branded airport lounges are called the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club. And in recent months, Chase has been on a tear opening more of its own Sapphire Reserve Lounges. These lounges compete with AmEx Centurion lounges and Capital One lounges in quality. And being newer with spiffier designs, in many ways they're even better than Centurion Lounges, which had long been seen as the gold standard in the airport lounge experience.

Here’s what you need to know about the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club network:

» Learn more: Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve card worth its annual fee?

1. Lounges have top-tier design and unique amenities

Chase Sapphire Lounges deliver premium amenities to travelers. Depending on the location, offerings may include:

• Locally-inspired cuisine crafted by renowned chefs.

• High-end, luxe decor, with designs often from local artists.

• Premium beverages, including craft cocktails and barista-made coffee.

• Wellness-focused perks, such as facials.

• Ample seating with power outlets for productivity or relaxation.

Every lounge has its own set of amenities, and some are better than others. You can get a facial at the Chase Sapphire Lounge San Diego, but the Chase Sapphire Lounge Phoenix is far too small to offer such a luxury. The two-story Chase Sapphire Lounge LaGuardia is arguably the best in the network; it has a photo booth, arcade, children's room, nursing room, meditation pods and spa treatment rooms. And yes, all those things are complimentary once you're inside the lounge.

All the lounges stand out for their excellent design. Most have consistent touches, like a rich blue and gold color scheme. Also, look out for the water vapor fireplace, which uses steam and lights to create the appearance of flames. These types of fireplaces are a signature feature across all the Chase Sapphire lounges. From there, lounges feature unique touches inspired by the location. For example, the lounge in Phoenix has a massive art piece over the fireplace in the main lounging area by Navajo Nation artist Matthew Kirk.

2. Arrive hungry, because the food is excellent

Just as the lounges have some consistent features plus local touches, the food is the same way.

Over in San Diego, the buffet features menu items from San Diego restaurant Oscar’s Mexican Seafood, such as chicken tostadas and Sonoran-style potato soup with grilled shrimp. Meanwhile, the food at the lounge in PHX comes from James Beard Award finalist Stephen Jones, who famously runs a Phoenix restaurant called The Larder & The Delta.

Drinks also offer a mix of local and Chase signature options. For example, the Phoenix lounge serves up a drink called Cardinal Cooler. At the LaGuardia lounge, you have to try The Blackburn’s Sour, a berry-forward rum drink named for one of the first passengers to disembark at LaGuardia when it opened in 1939.

No matter what lounge you head to, you can also count on some signature drinks like the Sapphire cocktail, which is a fruity alcoholic drink (there's also a nonalcoholic option) with unique ingredients including bee pollen and pearl dust.

3. The Chase Sapphire lounge network is rapidly growing in major cities

The first Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club opened in Hong Kong. Chase followed that up with a quasi-lounge called the Sapphire Terrace, which opened on March 20, 2023, at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Chase doesn't refer to that one as a lounge but rather an "experience" with complementary alcohol and some light snacks.

The first, full-fledged U.S.-based Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club opened at Boston Logan International Airport in the spring of 2023. near Gate 40. It is open daily from 5 a.m.-11 p.m. near gate B40 and includes a wellness area with bookable amenities, bathrooms with showers, a nursing room, and fresh, seasonal dining and drink options.

From there, the Chase Sapphire lounge network has rapidly grown. As of now, its U.S. lounges are open in:

• Boston (BOS).

• New York City (LGA).

• New York City (JFK).

• Phoenix (PHX).

• San Diego (SAN).

Other lounges set to open in the future include Las Vegas (LAS) and Philadelphia (PHL).

4. Chase is building hype with pop-up lounges (including one open now in Las Vegas)

Chase has also been opening pop-up lounges. Typically, these are only open to certain Chase cardholders and their guests. One lounge at 2024 Paris Olympics was situated on a boat floating on the Seine River. There, travelers got to watch the Olympics on a huge screen, were treated to gifts including Olympics pins and could indulge in complimentary drinks and light bites.

More recently — to generate excitement for the upcoming lounge at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas — Chase unveiled a limited-time pop-up lounge inside the Aria Resort & Casino, adjacent to the Din Tai Fung restaurant. This temporary lounge includes free food from Momofuku (a popular restaurant with a location in Vegas), signature cocktails and mocktails by the mixologists at Apotheke (including some themed specifically to Vegas) and even a hip DJ. With sleek speakeasy vibes, it’s a creative way to build anticipation while giving cardholders a sneak peek of the luxury they’ll experience once the airport lounge opens in Concourse C at Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in 2025.

The LAS Chase pop-up lounge is open daily from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for a limited time.

5. How Chase Sapphire Reserve® lounge access works

If you hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card, J.P. Morgan Reserve card or The Ritz-Carlton Credit Card, then — as long as you've activated your complimentary Priority Pass membership — you and two guests may enter the lounge for free.

Cardholders with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card and J.P. Morgan Reserve card may bring up to two guests per visit for free. They can bring additional guests for $27 per person (though there's no additional charge for children under two). Ritz-Carlton cardmembers may bring unlimited guests at no charge. To get Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge access, you’ll simply show your card and a boarding pass at the check-in desk, and you should be able to use all the amenities that a lounge offers while waiting for your flight.

Enter a Chase Sapphire Lounge through Priority Pass (even if you don't have a Chase card)

Those cards aren't the only way to get in. Other credit cards with Priority Pass Select membership, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (enrollment required) or the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, get one complimentary visit per calendar year to the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club. Terms apply. Additional visits are discounted to $75 per person. (A day pass is typically $100).

That means you can enter one of these Chase lounges, even if you don't necessarily hold a Chase card. It's especially interesting considering that at the moment, no other credit card-affiliated lounges, such as The Centurion Lounge or the Capital One Lounge, grant Priority Pass Select members access. One key note: currently, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card customers do not have complimentary lounge access.

These are some of the cards that include a Priority Pass membership:

Terms apply.

Other cards with airport lounge access

Not desperate to get into a Chase lounge specifically, but rather are open-minded to all sorts of other airport lounges? Two other credit card issuers have built airport lounges specifically for their own cardholders: American Express and Capital One.

American Express

American Express runs The Centurion Lounge network of lounges for people with the following cards:

Terms apply.

For most cards, only cardholders are able to enter the lounges for free; guests cost $50 per adult and $30 per child.

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card holder can enter all U.S. lounges as well as the lounges in Hong Kong and London. Access is limited to the primary cardholder flying on a same-day Delta ticket. Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card holders have four one-time guest passes each year; once used up, cardholders may bring up to two guests for $50 per person per visit.

You can find the Centurion Lounges at the following U.S. airports:

International locations with American Express lounges include:

Capital One

If you hold the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, you and up to two guests get access to the Capital One Lounge. Additional guests are charged $45. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Spark Miles cardmembers can purchase a day pass at a discounted rate of $45. Non-cardholders can purchase a day pass for $90.

Like the Chase lounges, the Capital One lounge network is small but growing. Among the Capital One Lounges that are currently open include outposts at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Dulles International Airport and at Denver International Airport.