Starting Aug. 15, 2026, it's about to get even harder to walk into a Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club without a Chase card in your wallet.

Chase just confirmed that its nine Sapphire Lounge locations will drop out of the Priority Pass and LoungeKey networks entirely. That means those carrying premium cards from American Express, Capital One, and Citi – will lose the one free annual visit they were previously entitled to. The $75 preferential rate for additional visits is going away too. After Aug. 15, you'll be on the hook for the same $100 day pass everyday travelers can purchase, regardless of whether they're carrying an expensive credit card or not.

On paper, that's a bad headline for anyone paying upward of $395 a year – and in some cases nearly $900 – for a premium travel card. Sapphire Lounges are consistently ranked among the best lounges in the country, and losing access to even one of them should sting.

In practice, though? Most travelers weren't getting in with non-Chase cards anyway.

Read on for full details on what's changing and what it really means for your next trip. 

 

Does This Change Really Matter?

Here's the thing about that one free Priority Pass visit: It was already a long shot.

Sapphire Lounges have gotten crowded – like virtually every airport lounge in America right now – and Chase cardholders have always had priority at the door. Travelers trying to use a Priority Pass entry from a competing bank's card were the first to get turned away, or if they were lucky, stuck on a waitlist that ate up half their layover.

So this change doesn't really take anything away from most travelers. It just makes official what was already happening at the podium.

Chase Sapphire Lounge (PHX) - Line to get in
A line of travelers waiting to get into the Chase Sapphire Lounge (PHX).

It's worth remembering that this arrangement was something of an outlier to begin with. Amex Centurion Lounges are walled off for high-spending Amex cardholders only. Capital One's lounges work the same way – neither has ever offered a courtesy Priority Pass visit to outside cardholders. Sapphire Lounges only opened that door because they're run by Airport Dimensions, the same operator behind its own “The Club” lounge brand – carving out a Priority Pass exception as part of that broader network.

Once Aug. 15 hits, Priority Pass members and LoungeKey cardholders will still have access to up to 49 other lounges at the nine affected airports, and more than 1,900 lounges and travel experiences worldwide. 

 

How to Get Into a Sapphire Lounge After Aug. 15

Chase Sapphire Lounges remain some of the most exclusive in the country. Here's what still gets you through the door:

  • The *chase sapphire reserve* or the *Sapphire Reserve for Business* is basically the price of admission. Cardholders get unlimited complimentary access and can bring up to two guests for free.
  • The Ritz-Carlton Card comes with the same access as the Reserve. The catch: Chase stopped accepting new applications for it years ago, so the only way in now is a product change from another Chase Marriott card.
  • Everyday travelers – and those with a Priority Pass membership issued by a different bank – can pay $100 for a day pass, space permitting.

No matter which route gets you through the door, the entry window is changing, too. Chase is expanding the access window from three hours to five hours before a connecting flight's scheduled departure. For originating flights, the three-hour window stays the same.

 

Where to Find Chase Sapphire Lounges

There's a reason Chase is making this change: Sapphire Lounges truly are some of the best in the business … at least here in the U.S. The design is chic and spacious, the complimentary food and drinks area is a big step above your typical airport club, and there are also upscale amenities like showers and wellness areas. 

chase sapphire lounge boston bar
Chase Sapphire Lounge (BOS)

As of publication, Chase has 10 lounge locations already open or in the works: 

While it's not officially dubbed a Sapphire Lounge, Chase shares a lounge with Etihad at Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) in Terminal A, and the same access requirements apply here.

 

Bottom Line

Losing Priority Pass access to Sapphire Lounges sounds like a downgrade, and technically, it is one. But if you've tried getting into a Sapphire Lounge on a non-Chase card lately, you already know how this story ends – the door was closing anyway. Chase just made it official.