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The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are two of the best travel cards available, thanks to the valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points they earn, the travel protections they offer, and their valuable travel credits, which reset annually. Those earnings and benefits are often considered best in class for high-fee and low-fee travel credit cards, respectively.
However, the Platinum Card® from American Express beats Chase—by far—as the best credit card for airport lounge access, thanks mainly to Amex’s collection of highly coveted Centurion Lounges. To up its lounge game—and in the spirit of competition—Chase announced in June 2021 plans for its own collection of branded airport lounges, accessible to Reserve cardholders. One year later, details began to emerge on the arrival of those Chase airport lounges—dubbed Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club. In October 2022, the first Chase Sapphire Lounge opened in Hong Kong, followed less than six months later by a smaller-scale Chase Sapphire Terrace at Austin airport. Here, details on these new Chase-branded lounges, plans for future ones (including where they’ll open), plus cardholder accessibility.
Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club
In late October 2022, the first Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club opened in Hong Kong airport in the West Hall of Terminal 1 (near gate 40). The nearly 12,000-square-foot lounge is a redesign and rebrand of the Club Lounge that existed in the space pre-COVID. The new version of the lounge has snazzy dining pods, plenty of sleek-yet-comfy couches, Asian-forward dining menus, a curated wine list, fast Wi-Fi, and more.
Future Chase-branded lounges are planned for several U.S. airports. While design details are scarce and exact dates unknown, consensus in the points blogosphere is that Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club will debut in the United States by mid- to late 2023. Most likely that first location will be either at Boston Logan (BOS) or Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX).
We do know with certainty that Chase plans to open at least eight more airport lounges. It has revealed the locations of six so far. They are:
- Boston (BOS), located in Terminal B to C Connector
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), located in Terminal D
- Las Vegas (LAS), located in Terminal 1, C Gates
- New York (LGA), located in Terminal B
- Phoenix (PHX), located in Terminal 4 South 1
- San Diego (SAN), located in Terminal 2 West
The Sapphire Terrace at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport features art by local artist and muralist Rex Hamilton.
Courtesy of Chase Sapphire
Chase Sapphire Terrace
Besides full-scale lounges, Chase has also launched a new concept, Chase Sapphire Terrace, a smaller lounge alternative. The first terrace opened on March 20, 2023, in Austin, Texas, at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) near Gate 1, where Delta Air Lines regularly departs. The terrace is a transitional indoor-outdoor space of nearly 5,000 square feet with southbound runway views and shuffleboard outside and eye-catching art by local muralist Rex Hamilton inside. Visitors can enjoy complimentary grab-and-go snack selections plus beverages, including local favorites like cider from Austin Eastciders and beer from (512) Brewing Company.
The Sapphire Terrace at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport offers fresh air and southbound runway views.
Courtesy of Chase Sapphire
What to expect at future Chase Sapphire airport lounges
Chase’s foray into the airport lounge arena is a collaboration with Airport Dimensions, which currently operates the existing airport lounge group, “The Club.” (Hence, the name Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club.) “The Club” lounges are currently in 16 U.S. airports and two U.K. airports and are accessible to Priority Pass members. Having visited several existing locations of “The Club” and finding them just meh (or standard Priority Pass fare, shall we say), we initially approached the Chase-Club partnership with trepidation. However, Chase has stated that its lounges “offer a fresh approach to the lounge experience,” indicating its newcomers shall be more elevated than current locations of “The Club.” Indeed, the Hong Kong debut is a testament to this, and it’s anticipated that the upcoming Chase lounges will include facilities of a higher-end lounge, such as showers and wellness areas in addition to appealing food and beverage offerings.
In terms of lounge size, current plans range from the boutique-size 3,500-square-foot lounge in Phoenix to a more generously spaced 12,000-square-foot lounge in Boston.
How to access these new Chase Sapphire airport lounges
The Chase Sapphire Terrace is exclusive to holders of the Chase Sapphire Reserve and J.P. Morgan Reserve Card. You’ll need your card to enter and can bring two guests, free of charge.
However, the entire new network of Chase Sapphire Lounges by the Club will be part of the Priority Pass network. Chase Sapphire Reserve® provides cardholders with Priority Pass Select membership, meaning with certainty that Reserve cardholders have access. That said, a Reserve Card alone is not enough for entry; a Priority Pass needs to be shown.
Besides the one current and eight upcoming Chase lounges, Priority Pass membership grants entry to more than 1,300 airport lounges around the world in its network. Members can enter lounges on their flight date, regardless of airline or class flown. Recall that Priority Pass membership is not a Chase exclusive. It’s a benefit of numerous high-fee cards, including Capital One Venture X Rewards Card ($395 annual fee), Chase Sapphire Reserve® ($550 annual fee), Hilton Honors Aspire Card ($450 annual fee), Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card ($450 annual fee, see rates and fees), and the Platinum Card from American Express ($695 annual fee, see rates and fees), as well as the low-fee Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card ($95 annual fee, see rates and fees). So, expect the Chase lounges to be filled with plenty of non-Chase customers (but not the Chase Sapphire Terrace).
We’re not sure if this will be the case for U.S. lounges, but at the one in Hong Kong, Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders do not have access to the lounge.
This article was originally published in 2022; it was updated on April 11, 2023, with current information. While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time, and may have changed or may no longer be available.
