Significant changes to airport lounge access for Mastercard and Visa cardholders from June 1

There will be major changes to airport lounge access for Mastercard and Visa cardholders beginning June 1, 2025. The way UAE citizens and visitors access lounges around the world will change as a result of these changes.

The following modifications are being implemented by Mastercard:

Required app registration: In order to use lounges, all cardholders must register on the Mastercard Travel Pass app.

Visit restrictions: Depending on card tier, annual lounge visits are now limited.

- Platinum: 4 visits

- World: 8 visits

- World Elite: 14 visits

Spending requirement: In order to gain admission to the lounge, cardholders must spend at least $1 USD abroad in the three months before the lounge visit.

Transition period: May 1–December 31 will be the calendar year for lounge access caps in 2025.

Updates for Visa cardholders will include the following:

Digital membership: Rather of requiring the presentation of a physical card, access to lounges will now need registration on the Visa Airport Companion app.

To be eligible for lounge access, cardholders must spend a certain amount of money within 35 days before the lounge visit.

Visit restrictions: The annual number of free lounge visits will vary based on spending and card tier:

- Platinum: Up to 6 visits

- Signature: Up to 10 visits

- Infinite: Unlimited visits

In order to guarantee continuous lounge access:

Install the recently needed apps:

Mastercard users: Mastercard Travel Pass

Visa users: Visa Airport Companion

Register your card: Finish the registration procedure in the corresponding app.

Keep an eye on your expenditure: Make sure that you fulfill the required international expenditure requirements within the allotted time frames.

Verify the visit limits: Recognize the annual lounge visit cap on your card and make appropriate plans.