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Chase’s first U.S. airport lounge, announced nearly two years ago, is about to open in Boston. Opening day for the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club in Boston Logan’s Terminal B-C connector between gates B40 and B39 will be May 16.
Credit: Chase
This is a large space at 11,640 square feet – similar in size to many Centurion lounges, and larger than many The Club lounges, featuring:
- Boston chef Douglass Williams-curated made to order and pre-prepared foods along with a taproom featuring local craft beer (such as Downeast, Wormtown, and Castle Island), and coffee from local Atomic Coffee Roasters.
- Furniture arranged as “micro-living rooms” rather than institutional-style tables.
- Wellness rooms with nap pods; treatment rooms with massage chairs; family room; two shower rooms; ‘all-gender’ restroom with Apotheke products.
Credit: Chase
Credit: Chase
Credit: Chase
The lounge will be open 5 a.m. – 11 p.m. What’s especially unique is that they’ve now worked out lounge access rules and it’s a bit different than what we’ve expected.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve-issued Priority Pass cards get unlimited access with two guests, as usual.
- This is a Priority Pass lounge, it’s co-branded with The Club which is owned by the same company as Priority Pass’s parent, but doesn’t have standard Priority Pass access.
- Instead, those with a Priority Pass card other than via Sapphire Reserve can access a Sapphire Lounge by The Club location once per calendar year without a fee, and will be charged per-admittance after that. (And it’s once per year for all Sapphire Lounges once the rest open open, not once per lounge.) I have inquired whether other Priority Pass cards from Chase have access. Update: No surprise, I have confirmed that JP Morgan Reserve cardmembers receive access as well.
Credit: Chase
Credit: Chase
Chase has a space open in the Austin airport already but mostly an outdoor area with grab and go rather than a full lounge. And their first real airport lounge is in Hong Kong. But Boston is the first U.S. lounge.
As with Austin, where I received this tag, guests in the Boston lounge at opening will receive a custom luggage tag from Silvia López Chavez:
The artwork on the luggage tag is inspired by a map of Boston’s neighborhoods. The colorful patterns and textures depicted on the tag celebrate the diverse and rich backgrounds of the people living in Boston.
I can’t wait to check this out.
So in words, it’s not a Priority Pass (PP) lounge…it’s not a Priority Pass Select (PPS) lounge…it’s not a Chase Sapphire lounge…it’s not a Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) it’s a Chase Sapphire RESERVE (CSR) lounge. In other words, despite having a PPS membership, despite having a CSP, they only way to have regular and on-going access to the lounge in BOS is to have a CSR. And since Chase has decided people no longer have both a CSP and a CSR, the only way for me to access ANY Chase Sapphire lounge is to upgrade my CSP to a CSR,, increase my AF by $455 a year, and THEN spend an hour or so in an overcrowded lounge…where do I sign up???
I wonder if Ritz Card priority pass will have access?
Given these novel access rules and large square footage, it may not be an overcrowded lounge.
Would it be safe to assume that J.P. Morgan Reserve Card holders (Palladium) get access like CSR holders?
@Dan – I have confirmed that they do.
@Jeff – I asked about other cards and was told only JP Morgan Reserve but I am trying to double confirm
@Gary – It’d be hilarious if they excluded their highest net worth clients. Like if Amex forbade Centurion card holders from Centurion lounges.
As someone who does NOT have the Reserve card, I am not surprised in the least that entry requires the Reserve. Anything different would be like AX opening Centurion lounges to AX Gold. The PP access seems strange for a “Chase” lounge, although I get it — it’s really a PP lounge, kinda, sorta, not really.
To be a “Chase” lounge, they should just limit them to Reserve anytime, other Chase cards some limited number of times, and PP-only never.
@ Jason – more simply put, it’s a lounge requiring Sapphire Reserve to access. If you don’t have one, you can’t access regularly. Sorry.
@Jason – I’m not sure what your argument is here. You can’t get in because you have a CSP as access to the lounge requires CSR, which is one reason why the chase can justify the CSR’s premium annual fee. What’s hard to understand about that?
two guests, as usual.
I think this is why the forbidden fruit of a domestic lounge lost its appeal to me. It’s not for quiet business people. It’s for the screaming toddler and loud girlfriend.
I suppose there’s no exclusive area behind a velvet rope.
I agree with @Jason. I don’t see myself spending an extra $445 to gain access to one or two lounges, at places I’m not sure I will ever visit. These $$$ can be better spent (at a good restaurant, for example).
So if using the ‘once per year’ access criteria for other PPS cards, would that include the usual included guests? That part isn’t clear.
@BigTee – If crowded I wouldn’t be surprised if they follow the Centurion Lounge and not allow guests for CSR and JP Morgan Reserve card holders unless they spend a certain amount (Amex requires Platinum card holders to spend $75,000 a year to get guests in free now) or have the Centurion card (Chase doesn’t have a comparable $5000 a year card). I paid for authorized users on my Platinum card so my wife and daughters have their own. Chase could easily follow this approach.
@Jason – not to be rude but this lounge isn’t for you so don’t complain your $99 a year CSP can’t get you in. As others noted the lounge is a perk that may get people to upgrade to the CSR and I think that is smart of Chase. Also the limit on PP members is good (and I like it is one visit a year systemwide – not at each club). Hopefully the rules will be communicated well since I can see a lot of ticked off PP members. Oh well. I’d prefer it only CSR with maybe PP having access only if they pay $40-$50 but since “The Club” is involved I’m sure the one PP free access was to accommodate their stakeholders.
So, I have probably 4 credit cards that I have not activated PPS because I really only need one. Could I create 4 new accounts and go to this lounge more than once per year?
Gary, if you know the answers to any of these questions on the one-visit-per-year for non-CSR(/JPM) Priority Pass memberships, I’d be very curious:
1. Do they get two (or any) guests as well in their one free visit per year, or will they be charged per guest on the member’s first (and only) free visit?
2. On subsequent, pay-in visits, can they pay-in guests, or can only the member pay-in?
3. Any idea about the cost per visit? Will non-Chase PP members pay “full price”? (If subsequent visits for PP members were ~$50, I wouldn’t go. If they were ~$20, maybe I would on a long layover or delay…)
4. I imagine the one-visit-per-year is per PP membership, not per card, i.e., the primary cardholder can get a visit with his/her membership, and each authorized user can as well with theirs as well. Is that right?
(Thanks!)
The thing this announcement highlights to me is the continuing devaluation of Priority Pass.
There’s no Priority Pass lounge at Boston when flying domestic in the afternoon. And once a year on an annual membership isn’t a real change.
@SamChevre – IMHO the PP membership is a throw in on my CSR and Amex Platinum card (and Amex excludes restaurants). I frankly don’t value it at all when determining if card is worth it for me. I have definitely used PP (especially internationally) but would never pay for it.
Also I disagree this is a devaluation. There are currently no lounges and you can get in at least once a year free so better than it was before
I’m happy to read this news as someone that has had a Chase Sapphire Reserve card for years. Sapphire Reserve is my favorite credit card due to all the useful benefits. The $550/annual fee is really more like a $250/annual fee if you factor in the $300 annual travel credit.
If anyone in charge of establishing Chase Airport Lounges is reading this, please consider opening your next one at Los Angeles airport (LAX). According to USA Today, in 2019 LAX was the 2nd busiest airport in the USA. There is currently NOT a single Priority Pass lounge at LAX and hasn’t been for at least two years. This is completely inexcusable! I complained to Priority Pass two years ago and no progress has been made.
Am I the only one who sees the one non-Chase PP visit as a free trial in effort for them to sell their own card?
If you flew through Boston (or other airports they eventually open in) regularly and this lounge was way better than the alternatives, wouldn’t this possibly entice you to switch to CSR?
@Arno —> I agree that the AF of $XXX is really an AF of $YYY, as long as one can take full advantage of the credits, benefits, freebies, etc. This is true of ALL cards, not simply the CSR, and therefore I saw no reason and didn’t bother to mention it as it’s an “equal opportunity benefit,” so to speak.
@Eric —> Are you the only one>? Probably. Gary wrote above, “…those with a Priority Pass card other than via Sapphire Reserve can access a Sapphire Lounge by The Club location once per calendar year without a fee, and will be charged per-admittance after that. (And it’s once per year for all Sapphire Lounges once the rest open open, not once per lounge.).” The ONLY Priority Pass card that will grant you access more than one-time-a-year is the membership that comes with the CSR. (I do not believe one can apply for the JP Morgan Reserve anymore.) Any other PP membership and you can only go once a year, period. Not once per lounge per year, just once a year period. If there were 1,000 Chase Sapphire lounges, you could only go to one lounge one time. Personally, I cannot see anyone ponying up a $550 AF based on the visit to one lounge one time…but maybe that’s just me.
@Gary – Any guests for Priority Pass members?
@Jason +1. I think that they’re grossly misrepresenting their product with a name like that.
Echo the question on Chase Ritz Carlton…
@BigTee: I spend a premium on CSR precisely so I can enter with my wife and kids. It makes no sense for me to have a high premium on a card for which I cannot use the benefits.
Boston Logan has restaurant(s) that participate in PP. Not all sponsors allow this option, but for those that do, it can be a better option than the Lounges. I’ve had great success with this around the country, including BOS. And it is a great option for the kids–just like the lounges, they can order what they want at the restaurants.
I receive Priority Pass from two of my cards (CSR and Amex Platinum). I generally access via the App and I’m not even sure which PP is tied to that. I guess I could work that out and carry the PP. Are they ruling out using the actual CSR to gain access – since I always have it?
I have detailed access questions out that I’m waiting to hear back on. thanks, gary
Thanks in advance Gary…
1. Guests with PP?
2. Does the Chase Ritz PP get any special consideration?
3. If you have multiple PP (Amex Business Platinum x3, Chase Venture X), can you use each of them once per year (I haven’t even bother to sign up for the AX PT PPs, but now I might!)
@E —> Really? The only reason you spend a premium [AF] is for access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge(s)? Hmmmm…I would have thought the bonus categories and the extra value with the UR points would be a better incentive, since they only recently started opening lounges. ;^) As for the participating restaurants, while the credit rarely covers the cost of the meal, it certainly is better than nothing!
An all gender restroom? Is it commumal? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those in America. They’re fairly common in Sweeden. I found it odd and not enjoyable. No urinals, and you wait in a common area for a stall to open up while women occupy the sinks to put on their makeup. I don’t think America wants this.
@“Chopsticks” —> almost every college dorm has ck-Ed restrooms. Several restaurants I know have them. Not that big of a deal, but then my college dorm back in the 1970s had co-Ed restrooms (which included showers). Nobody cared.
Do you have to wait until ur within 3hr of ur flight to get in?
I was fortunate to be transiting through HK on my way back to the States back in March. The Centurion lounge didn’t open till noon, so I was quite pleased to find myself in the Chase Sapphire Lounge. They didn’t ask to see my Chase Sapphire Reserve card for entry – only my PP membership. The lounge was amazing in terms of space layout, food options, and service — way better than some of the Amex Centurion lounges Stateside. If the Boston lounge is anywhere near what their HK lounge is, then the AF for CSR is certainly worth it for travelers who frequently transit through BOS. And as Chase builds out their lounges, I wouldn’t be surprised if the AF for CSR slowly creeps up like the Amex Plat card. I certainly didn’t get my CSR due to airport lounge privileges because they had none when I signed up years ago. But now that Chase is building lounges, I may keep my card for a bit longer.
This is great news since AmEx centurion killed the guests allowance. I am wondering if my Chase Private Client status allows me any seat there? But that’s banking side. I will definatly flash my Normal PP card once, that I have for years via AmEx benefot. Im sure they will monitor and compare the PP usage data. Let the war began!
@Jason good, the point is to keep the lounge more exclusive by keeping out people who have a mid tier card
It absolutely should only be for CSR. Your mid tier CSP shouldn’t get you in.
Any idea of the roadmap for future openings? Thx.