How to access United Club airport lounges and improve your travel experience

Airport lounges let you relax and recharge away from the crowds. Amenities can range from comfortable seating to outlets for charging your electronics and complimentary food and beverages.

If you’re flying with United Airlines and want to access one of its lounges, you’ll need to know the rules for entry. You can use a variety of methods to get into a United lounge — the right travel credit card, a lounge membership and even elite status can get you through the doors. To make things more complicated, United operates three different types of lounges, each with its own entry restrictions that vary depending on how you qualify for access.

Below, we’ll help simplify things for you by breaking down the rules and explaining what you need to do to get access to the lounge of your choice.

United Airlines has a network of over 45 lounges across more than 30 airports around the world. The airline sorts these lounges into 3 types — United Club, United Club Fly and United Polaris lounge.

United Club lounges are standard airport lounges and make up the vast majority of the airline’s locations. They provide complimentary light snacks, beverages and Wi-Fi.

United Club Fly is United’s latest grab-and-go lounge iteration, featuring pre-packaged food, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages for travelers in need of a quick pit stop. Currently, there’s only one Club Fly location (at Denver International Airport) in operation, but United may add more in the future.

United’s Polaris lounges are the most exclusive of the bunch and are only accessible to premium-cabin travelers on certain routes. There are currently six United Polaris lounge locations:

• Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
• Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Washington D.C. Dulles International Airport (IAD)

Most United lounges are located within the lower 48 U.S. states, but five lounges operate outside of the continental U.S.:

• Tokyo-Narita International Airport (NRT)
• Mexico City International Airport (MEX)
• London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
• Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) – Temporarily closed
• A. B. Won Pat International Airport, Guam (GUM) – Temporarily closed

United applies different entry rules depending on the type of lounge you want to access. 

• United Club: The majority of United’s airport lounges are the standard Club lounges, which you can access with certain elite statuses, a United Club membership or with an international or premium transcontinental business class or first class ticket.
• United Club Fly: This lounge has access rules similar to the standard Club lounges, except you can’t bring any guests.
• United Polaris: You can use these lounges when you’re traveling on a long-haul international flight in United Polaris business class. Traveling in business or first class with a Star Alliance partner airline can also grant you access. For flights with Star Alliance partners, you can only access the Polaris lounge at the departure airport.

You can only bring a guest to a Polaris lounge if you’re traveling with a Star Alliance airline in first class on a long-haul international flight. The number of guests you can bring to a standard Club lounge depends on how you qualify for access (which we’ll cover below).

Cards with United lounge access

Two United Airlines credit cards grant you a United Club membership just for having the card. They both have annual fees, but the cost is less than paying for a Club membership by itself. 

These cards also come with other perks in addition to lounge access, such as free checked bags, expanded award availability and priority check-in, security screening, boarding and baggage handling.

There are also lower-priced United Airlines cards that are ideal for anyone who travels with United less frequently — the United℠ Explorer Card and the United℠ Business Card. These cards don’t come with a United Club membership, but you’ll get two complimentary single-use lounge passes each year.

A number of American Express cards will give you annual airline fee credits when you use the card for incidental charges at an airline of your choice. If you select United Airlines as your preferred airline for benefit, a United Club membership or single-use lounge pass purchased with your eligible Amex card will qualify for the airline fee credit. It’s not the same as the card automatically granting you lounge access, but the fee credits will help cover the cost of a membership or some single-use passes.

Elite status

United Premier Gold members or higher can access United Club locations during departure, arrival or when connecting while traveling internationally with United or another Star Alliance airline. All other Star Alliance Gold members have access to United Club lounges at departure when traveling on a flight operated by a Star Alliance airline, even domestic flights. In both cases, you may bring one guest, but that guest must be traveling on the same flight.

Virgin Australia isn’t part of the Star Alliance, but if you have elite status with Virgin Australia you can access United Club lounges under certain circumstances. You’ll need to be traveling on an international Virgin Australia or United Airlines flight and have Gold, Platinum or VIP status with Virgin Australia’s Velocity program in order to access United Club locations at departure. Eligible Velocity elite members may bring along one guest when traveling on a United-operated flight.

Premium cabin ticket

Traveling in a premium cabin with United (or with certain partner airlines and routes) may give you access to United Club lounges. If eligible, you’ll be able to access the lounges at departure, arrival or connecting locations unless otherwise noted.

To get into a Club location you’ll need a same-day boarding pass for one of the following types of flights:

• Long-haul international United Polaris business class
• International United business class or United First to and from Canada
• Premium transcontinental (arrival and departure access only)
• First class or business class on a Star Alliance airline

United Polaris business class passengers and those traveling in long-haul international business or first class on a Star Alliance member airline may also access United Polaris lounges.

You can’t bring a guest along with you unless you’re flying first class on a Star Alliance airline. In that case, you may bring a single guest into the lounge.

Paid memberships

A United Club membership comes with unlimited lounge visits when the member is traveling with United or an eligible partner airline. You may bring two adult guests or one adult guest and dependent children under the age of 21. No guests are allowed at United Club Fly locations and the membership doesn’t grant access to United’s exclusive Polaris lounges.

You can purchase single-use United lounge passes through the United app for $59. These passes grant one person entry to a United Club or United Club Fly location.

You may also enter Club locations at departure with an Air Canada Maple Leaf Club membership. You’ll need to be traveling with a Star Alliance airline, and there are restrictions on entry depending on the type of membership you have. A Maple Leaf Club North America membership grants access to U.S. locations and you cannot bring guests. Those with a Maple Leaf Club Worldwide membership can access any Club location and bring one guest.

Active U.S. military

Active duty members of the U.S. military may be able to access a United Club lounge for free (subject to space availability). In addition to having a valid military ID, you’ll need to be traveling on a United or United Express-operated flight within 24 hours and also meet one of the following requirements:

• Be in uniform
• Have leave orders
• Have rest and recuperation papers

The military member may bring family members with gate passes or who are traveling on the same flight along as guests.

To get into a United lounge, you’ll typically need a United Club membership, elite status, or to be flying in on an eligible business- or first-class flight. Paid United Club memberships cost up to $650, but several credit cards give you access as part of the card’s built-in perks. 

When you compare the cost of purchasing an expensive annual United Club membership or of flying in business class, the right travel credit card is often the most affordable way to get into a United lounge.

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