Airport Lounge Access for $20 a Year, But Not the Centurion Lounges
Before I got my American Express Platinum card, my first thought on gaining “free” access to the new Centurion Lounge in DFW was Sky Guide Executive Privilege!
View from the Wing has a great post detailing how the Sky Guide Executive program works, but here’s a quick recap:
You sign up for an annual membership which covers one airport lounge membership a month for 12 months. You purchase a day pass, up to $50, and then submit your pass and receipt for reimbursement.
The links for $20 membership are no longer working, but via this Milepoint thread, it looks like you can still call customer service directly at 1-800-365-4357Â and request the $19.99 promo rate (h/t: Corridor). It’s $199 if bought directly through the website.
So this was the first thing I thought of! Would my Sky Guide membership reimburse the $50 entry fee? I went to the website, and the first thing I saw was the sentence clarifying reimbursement for airline-run lounges.
But maybe they just hadn’t updated the site so I dug deeper.
The next thing I noticed was the program has become more restrictive. Whereas before it was any airport lounge, now they have a list of eligible lounges and disclaimer language.
“Please note that the list of Airport Lounges is not exhaustive. Eligible lounges and offer subject to change. Check airport/lounge website for most up-to-date location details.”Â
And sadly, but understandably, the Centurion Lounge is not one of them.
Even with the increased restrictions (it also used to be 12 visits at any point in the year, not one per month) and the detailed process of requesting reimbursement, its still a good deal for the casual traveler who would like occasional lounge access without buying an airline-specific membership or paying a hefty annual fee for an eligible credit card.
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Sometimes when you comment, it goes to a blank page and looks like it doesn’t post. It actually does, I promise!
I signed up my wife and I for this on 11/3. Her membership was activated but mine didn’t go through. It took six phone calls to finally get my membership to take. If you have this same issue, insist on speaking to a supervisor and asking them to put the membership through while you are on the phone. Had I not done this, I would have kept on going through the merry go round of calling every three days after the per-authorization charge dropped off.
I must also give credit where it’s due.
HT:MDtR-Chicago of FT
When I called Skyguide memberhsip several times, I was told that it doesn’t have to be listed on their site. My membership ended with the $19.99 in late October 2013. Just applied again with the 2 months free then $29.99 yesterday. They do not have record of this. However, I am seeing a pending charge of $1 for credit card.
You can ask for the $19.95 per year. Called 3 times. First time, gave Credit card, do not see pending charge. 2nd call, gave different credit card, see pending charge of zero dollars. No record of my order each time I call. went online wednesday for the 2 free months than $29.99, see pending charge of $1. Not sure if even safe to use this service this saturday for my $50 airport lounge access.