| Note: Citi has removed the DragonPass lounge access offer from their website as of 2pm on Sat 11th August, around 24 hours after first adding the details. The previous Priority Pass offer has been reinstated. See our article here. |
If you’re still to take advantage of any complimentary visits using your Priority Pass issued through the PremierMiles Visa card, we have a recommendation for you – do it before the end of this month! That’s because Citi are switching allegiance to competing lounge network DragonPass from 1st September for customers using this card.
You will only be able to use your complimentary Priority Pass visits until 31st August, from 1st September onwards any lounge visits on that card will be charged. On the positive side, you are already eligible to complimentary visits under the DragonPass system since 1st August… sort of.
What’s DragonPass?
Basically a competitor to Priority Pass with a very similar selection of lounges at airports around the world, including dining discounts at certain airport restaurants. DragonPass claims access to over 1,000 lounges, but of course the absolute number is far less important than which lounges are offered at your home airport or those you travel through regularly.
As an example here’s how many lounges DragonPass offer compared with Priority Pass (PP) at a few airports likely to interest our readers:
- Singapore Changi: 12 lounges (PP – 11 lounges)
- Bangkok Suvarnabhumi: 7 lounges (PP – 11 lounges)
- Hong Kong: 2 lounges (PP – 3 lounges)
- Tokyo Narita: 4 lounges (PP – 5 lounges)
- Sydney: 2 lounges (PP – 1 lounge)
- London Heathrow: 3 lounges (PP – 8 lounges)
No problem you might think, perhaps a bit more limited but DragonPass has a similar scope to Priority Pass and there are even some additional options you might find useful.
Here’s the slightly misleading bit though, Citi are happy to promote their DragonPass arrangement as providing “complimentary access to over one thousand lounges worldwide” on their homepage for the PremierMiles Visa card, updated this afternoon.
However the terms and conditions certainly don’t allow this. There you will find that your two complimentary lounge visits are restricted to around 30 airports, with a total choice of 84 lounges (not 1,000+).
There isn’t even a single one, for example, in Bangkok. If your travels take you to Winnipeg or Dammam however, you’ll be pleased to know there are options there!
The article cover image, of the very comfortable No1 lounge at London Gatwick South Terminal, is on the DragonPass list but isn’t included by Citi either (in fact no lounges at that airport are).
It’s mostly a list of Plaza Premium Group lounges, as far as we can tell. Out of 12 DragonPass lounges at Singapore Changi, the two free visits using your DragonPass membership provided with your Citi PremierMiles card only gets you access to three of them:
- Plaza Premium Lounge (International Departures, Terminal 1)
- The Green Market (International Departures, Terminal 2)
- Blossom Lounge (International Departures, Terminal 4)
That’s right, not even a single option in Terminal 3! You can of course visit any lounge on the DragonPass network using your membership, however if it isn’t on Citi’s list of 84 you will be charged the rate applicable for that lounge directly to your Citi PremierMiles card.
This is a severe restriction over what was available to PremierMiles customers under the Priority Pass complimentary visits package.
What about other Citi cards?
If you’re holding the Citi PremierMiles Amex card or the Citi Prestige card this change might be concerning news, however for now both of those products will retain their affiliation with Priority Pass. That means two complimentary Priority Pass visits per year for the PremierMiles Amex card and unlimited Priority Pass visits including one guest for the Citi Prestige.
Summary
DragonPass is a decent lounge access program, the problem here is Citi have skimped big time on a pretty lowly version of it for their PremierMiles customers, who previously enjoyed the choice of over 1,200 Priority Pass lounges to redeem their two annual complimentary visits.
It’s made worse by the fact Citi appear to be completely hiding the fact that the number of lounges is severely limited by their terms and conditions document, which very few customers will read, instead implying on the card homepage that the full suite of lounges is available to choose from as part of your membership.
(Cover Photo: No1 Lounges Ltd)
Oh dear, I just received my Citi PM Visa card … Anyone reckon if I can still apply for the Priority Pass membership?
Citibank has reverted its lounge offering for the PremerMiles Visa card! (Perhaps my prayers have been heard hahaha!)
Citi is really a joke, switching from priority pass to a China company with limited coverage. I do not understand the rationale of saving couple of dollars to risk the satisfaction of a customer. Thank god Amex still has standards.
What’s interesting to us is that they seem to be keeping their Priority Pass agreement in place for Citi PM Amex and Citi Prestige cards.
It doesn’t make sense to have agreements with two separate lounge access providers. More changes may be afoot!
It is just a clear indication that Citi is slowly trying to migrate over, however it also depends on the issuer. I believe Amex will not change supplier, therefore banks issuing cards base on Amex would still be with Priority Pass. Based on your must reason update, I believe it is a clear indication that Citi have made an obvious mistake regardless of what promises was given them. As a cardholder, I am definitely not pleased.