The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card and the Hilton Ascend are two of the few credit cards that offers a Priority Pass membership without forcing you to cough up a premium price for the annual fee. But this Priority Pass airport lounge access membership does have some limitations you need to know about.

Here’s what you need to know about the Priority Pass membership offered by the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (which is the same as the Hilton Ascend).

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Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card comes with some solid features which include:

• 125,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in your first 3 months
• 12X points per dollar for purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio
• 6X PointsPer dollar on select business purchases:
  • at U.S. gas stations
  • on wireless telephone services purchases directly from U.S. service providers
  • on U.S. purchases for shipping
• 6X PointsPer dollar on select travel purchases
  • at U.S. restaurants
  • on flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel
  • on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies
• Free weekend night after you spend $15,000 or more during a calendar year
• Additional free weekend night after you spend an additional $45,000 in purchases in that same calendar year, totaling $60,000 in cumulative spend in that year
• Hilton Honors Gold status (read more here)
• Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year
• No foreign transaction fees
• Priority Pass membership
• $95 annual fee

This card is the business version of the Hilton Ascend which comes with very similar benefits, including the ten lounge visits to airport lounges. You can find out more about that card here. 

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What is Priority Pass?

If you’re not sure what exactly Priority Pass is, it’s a membership program that provides you access to a network of over 1,100 airport lounges all around the world. Some of these lounges are associated with airlines (such as Alaska, KLM/Air France, Lufthansa, etc.), while other lounges are contract lounges open to an array of passengers with different memberships.

The quality of these lounges can differ greatly but generally you’ll find a comfortable place to relax and enjoy at least some snacks and drinks, along with free wifi and perhaps shower facilities. Some airport restaurants are also joining Priority Pass as well.

For our round the world trips, Priority Pass has really made our lives easier by providing access to certain lounges at the perfect time (like when arriving at an airport early in the morning before hotel check-in opens up).

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What Priority Pass access do I get with Amex Hilton Business Card and Ascend?

With your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card you will receive 10 complimentary lounge visits each Priority Pass Membership year.

Getting 10 visits makes a lot of sense for people who only take a handful of trips each year and don’t need to shell out a lot for unlimited Priority Pass visits. Considering these visits usually cost $27 per visit, this perk offers close to $300 worth of value alone which is in addition to the other features of the card like elite status. So this is a bargain for many people.

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How is the anniversary year determined?

Your membership is based on your anniversary year on the anniversary date of your enrollment in the Priority Pass Select program — not the anniversary date of your Amex card membership. 

Once your 10 complimentary lounge visits are used, all subsequent lounge visits during the remainder of the Priority Pass Membership year are subject to a fee equal to the amount of the guest visit fee of the Priority Pass Standard program per person per visit, which will be automatically charged to your Card.

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Do I automatically get access?

You do not get automatic access to these lounges after you are approved for your Hilton card. Instead, you have to enroll your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card in the Priority Pass Select program to access the benefits.

Once you are enrolled, the Priority Pass Membership year begins and you should receive your Priority Pass Select card directly from Priority Pass within 10-14 business days.

If you’re going to visit a lounge and you don’t have enough time to wait for your membership card to come in, you can call Priority Pass and request for them to give you your Priority Pass number. You can then download the app and then sync up your membership to the app and use that to gain entry.

In the past there have been lounges what didn’t honor the app but I think more and more lounges are getting on board with the technology.

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How do I check my visits total?

If you’re not sure how many visits you’ve used up, you can check on your remaining complimentary visit balance by contacting Priority Pass. Their phone number is: 1 (800) 352-2834.

Keep in mind that your lounge passes do not roll over to the next year — any unused complimentary lounge visits will be forfeited at the end of each Priority Pass Membership year.

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Do I have to re-enroll?

Once you have enrolled int eh program your Priority Pass Select membership automatically renews on the anniversary date of your enrollment in the Priority Pass Select program. So you don’t have to worry about doing anything on your end.

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What if I cancel my Amex card?

If you cancel your Amex card, your Priority Pass membership will  be cancelled and you will likely be billed for any lounge visits that you take after that cancellation.

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How do I access a Priority Pass lounge?

To access a lounge, you must show your valid Priority Pass Select card and an airline ticket for travel on the same day for you and each of your guests.

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Do authorized users get the benefit?

The Priority Pass lounge access benefit is limited to the basic cardmember so authorized users don’t get the 10 lounge visits. However, a complimentary visit may be applied to a guest visit. So if you’re okay with using some of your 10 annual lounge visits, they can get in for free.

In theory you could bring in 9 guests with you and use all of your guest passes but many airport lounge impose limits on the number of guests you can bring in. So you might be limited to bringing in only two guests, for example.

If you have no complimentary visits available, you and each guest will be charged the amount equal to the guest visit fee of the Priority Pass Standard program per person, per visit.

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Final word

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is a solid hotel credit card with a great welcome bonus, bonus earning, and elite status. The Priority Pass membership is also a bargain considering the annual fee is only $95 for this card. It’s the perfect membership for those people who only visit airports a hand full of times each year and don’t need unlimited access that they may never take advantage of.