Picture not described

Dragon Pass review 2024

Find out how you can book access to airport lounges across the globe with Dragon Pass.

Avatar

By

Rachel Wait

Updated

Fact checked

There’s nothing better than starting a holiday with a little bit of luxury in an airport lounge. Fortunately, it’s easy to book one online by using a dedicated service such as Dragon Pass.

What is Dragon Pass?

Founded in 2005, Dragon Pass is a service that enables travellers to book access to airport lounges across the globe. The company offers access to more than 1,300 airport lounges in over 700 airports across more than 140 countries. Additional benefits include dining, limousine and meet-and-greet services.

Signing up for a Dragon Pass membership also gives you exclusive discounts of up to 25% at airport restaurants around the world, and you can receive personalised recommendations on which lounges and restaurants to visit based on your preferences and current location.

Facilities within each airport lounge vary but often include refreshments, TV, complimentary internet access, showers and flight status updates. Each lounge will also have its own policy on whether it allows children into the lounge.

How does Dragon Pass work?

You can either buy single lounge passes for certain airport lounges or sign up for an annual membership. There are 3 different membership options to choose from, depending on how often you travel. Each one offers a certain number of free airport lounge visits, plus selected discounts and preferential rates on airport transfers.

Once you’ve chosen which membership you want, simply click through to buy it. You’ll need to present your membership at the airport lounge to be granted access. If you’ve used up all your free visits, you can purchase a single lounge pass or add additional visits to your membership in the app or via the website to access the lounge.

If you’re buying single lounge passes rather than a membership, you’ll need to create an account with Dragon Pass, select your chosen airport and airport lounge, select how many passes you want, enter some personal details and then click through to pay. Your pass will be accessible by clicking the order in “My order history”, and it will be valid for 90 days. If you don’t use it, you can cancel your order and get a refund.

What membership options does Dragon Pass offer?

There are 3 membership options to choose from with Dragon Pass:

  • The Classic membership costs £68 a year and gives you 1 free visit.
  • The Preferential membership costs £168 a year and gives you 8 free visits.
  • The Prestige membership costs £379 a year and gives you unlimited free member visits. However, you’ll need to be confident of making a lot of lounge visits over the year before signing up for this option.

All memberships also offer:

  • Option to buy additional member visits for £20 (you won’t need this with Prestige)
  • Option to buy guest lounge visits for £20
  • Dining discounts with up to 25% off
  • Preferential rates on premium airport transfers
  • Access to global meet and greet services.

What credit cards offer free Dragon Pass membership?

The Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card gives you access to over 1,000 airport lounges at a discounted rate of £18.50 per person, with Dragon Pass Premier +. Note that the credit card has a £20 annual fee.

You can either just turn up and show your membership at the lounge or pre-book via the app to ensure you get a space – this costs £5 per person.

You can also get access to Dragon Pass Premier + if you have a NatWest Premier Reward Black current account. To be a NatWest Reward Black customer, you will need to already have a NatWest current account and meet one of the following criteria:

  • Have a minimum sole income of £100,000 or a joint income of £120,000 paid into your account
  • Have £500,000 minimum mortgage borrowing with NatWest
  • Have a minimum of £100,000 in savings or investments with NatWest.

There’s a £31 monthly fee for the account.

What lounges can I access with Dragon Pass?

With Dragon Pass, you can access more than 1,300 airport lounges in over 700 airports across more than 140 countries.

Pros and cons of Dragon Pass – is it worth it?

Make sure you weigh up the pros and cons below to help you decide whether Dragon Pass is worth it.

Pros

  • Option to buy an annual membership or buy single passes
  • Membership gives you access to other discounts
  • Access to more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide
  • You don’t need to fly with a particular airline to gain access

Cons

  • Membership options can be pricey, so you’ll need to choose carefully
  • Not all lounges accept babies and children
  • Lounges vary in terms of what facilities they offer

Who is eligible for Dragon Pass?

Anyone who is happy to pay a membership fee or for a single airport lounge pass can use Dragon Pass.

Dragon Pass alternatives

If you’re not sure whether Dragon Pass is right for you, you can also buy airport lounge passes through sites such as Holiday Extras, Loungebuddy or Lounge Pass, as well as operators like No.1 Lounges. These effectively let you pay as you go, so you only buy passes when you need them – there’s no need to sign up for an annual membership.

You could also look into other packaged bank accounts or reward credit cards that offer access to airport lounges as one of their perks. The Amex Preferred Rewards Gold card, for example, offers 4 complimentary Priority Pass airport lounge visits each year.

Priority Pass
Deal

Lounge access with Priority Pass

Access 1,500+ airport lounges and premium travel experiences globally, in 600 cities across 148 countries
Get deal

Dragon Pass customer reviews

Dragon Pass does not score well on review site Trustpilot. It currently has a score of 1.2 out of 5 from just over 200 reviews (updated July 2023), giving it a “bad” rating.

Many reviewers have said they always get turned away from lounges or their bookings have been cancelled, while others say the customer service is poor. However, others have said they’ve had no problems using the service.

Contact details for customers

If you need to contact Dragon Pass, you can phone the customer services team on 0161 929 8844 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Thursday and between 9am and 4.30pm on Fridays. You can also email enquiries@dragonpassuk.com.

Verdict

If you’re a frequent flyer, signing up for a Dragon Pass membership enables you to enjoy some peace and quiet in an airport lounge before you jet off. However, it’s crucial to consider whether you’ll make full use of your annual membership before forking out a lot of money or whether you’d be better off using a pay-as-you-go option instead. It’s also worth factoring in customer reviews and looking at some competitors before deciding.

Frequently asked questions

We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.

More guides on Finder

Go to site