How to Access Plaza Premium Lounges

Plaza Premium Group is an independent lounge provider with a presence at most major airports in Canada, and also across the world. 

Fortunately, many financial institutions offer credit cards that come with access to Plaza Premium Lounges, which can be handy for trips close to home and abroad.

In this guide, we’ll look at how you can access Plaza Premium Lounges with credit cards and lounge memberships.

What Are Plaza Premium Lounges?

Plaza Premium Lounges are the flagship offering of Hong Kong-based Plaza Premium Group, which offers a range of airport hospitality services, such as meet-and-greets, hotels, and lounges.

For the most part, Plaza Premium Lounges welcome all travellers, regardless of airline or cabin, as long as they pay a fee, book online, or enter with an eligible membership.

Plaza Premium Lounges may also be contracted by airlines to serve premium passengers. For example, British Airways and Cathay Pacific send premium cabin passengers to the Plaza Premium Lounge at Toronto Pearson Terminal 3.

While Plaza Premium Lounges aren’t necessarily the most flashy lounges out there, they offer a decent selection of food, drink, and alcoholic drinks that are included with your entry. In some cases, access to showers and premium alcohol come with a charge.

Where Can You Find Plaza Premium Lounges?

The Plaza Premium Group is present in over 250 locations across more than 80 airports worldwide. While many of its lounges are located in Asia, its presence in North America is quite considerable, thanks in part to its lounges in Canada.

Canada and the US

Plaza Premium has a solid lounge footprint in Canadian airports. As it stands, there are 14 locations across Canada:

• Edmonton International Airport (YEG)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (Domestic & International)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (Transborder)
• Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL)
  • Air France Lounge operated by Plaza Premium Group
• Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (Terminal 1, Domestic)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (Terminal 3, Domestic)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (Terminal 1, International)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (Terminal 3, International)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (Terminal 1, Transborder)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (Terminal 3, Transborder)
• Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (Domestic, Pier C)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (Domestic)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (International)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (Transborder)
• Winnipeg (YWG)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge

Meanwhile, in the US, there currently are just two locations:

• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (Domestic Departures, Terminal E)
• Orlando International Airport (MCO)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge Orlando (Terminal C)

Global

There are some excellent Plaza Premium Lounges in airports across the world, and the quality tends to be better outside of North America. 

As mentioned, most Plaza Premium Lounges are found in Asia. In Hong Kong (HKG) alone, there are four lounges, including a flagship Plaza Premium First Lounge.

In the Middle East, there are Plaza Premium Lounges in Amman (AMM), Jeddah (JED), Muscat (MCT), and Dubai (DXB), amongst others.

A full list of available lounges can be found on the Plaza Premium website.

Affiliated Lounges

Aside from its own branded lounges, Plaza Premium Lounge has many affiliated lounges globally. They’re mostly owned and operated by a third party, but they’re included in the Plaza Premium Lounge network. This means that, for the most part, Plaza Premium Lounge access rules apply to them.

Examples include the Avianca Lounges in Colombia, as well as the MERA Business Lounges in Cancún (CUN).

Affiliated lounges can be found on the Plaza Premium Lounge website as well.

How Can You Access Plaza Premium Lounges?

With Canadian credit cards, you can access Plaza Premium Lounges three ways:

• DragonPass, including Visa Airport Companion Program and Mastercard Travel Pass
• Priority Pass
• Directly with an American Express Platinum Card, Business Platinum Card from American Express, or a American Express Gold Rewards Card.

DragonPass

DragonPass is now the exclusive lounge access provider for Visa and Mastercard credit cards issued in Canada. Most cards that offer lounge access fall under the Visa umbrella—specifically Visa Infinite and Visa Infinite Privilege cards—and these are managed through the Visa Airport Companion Program app.

Only a handful of Mastercard products in Canada offer lounge access, such as the BMO Ascend World Elite® Mastercard® and BMO® Ascend World Elite® Business Mastercard®, which use the Mastercard Travel Pass app instead.

To register for your card’s lounge membership, enter your card details on the respective app or website. More information can be found through your card issuer and the welcome packet you were sent with your card.

Keep in mind that not all cards come with free passes to lounges; many cards charge a standard DragonPass visit fee of $32 (USD) per person. This fee applies whether you enter a Plaza Premium Lounge or another lounge within the DragonPass portfolio.

Whether or not your card comes with free passes is indicated on your app, which also tracks the number of remaining free visits with your card.

Priority Pass

Priority Pass is now only issued to American Express cards in Canada. For a time, Plaza Premium Lounges stopped accepting Priority Pass, which forced Canadian card issuers to shift to DragonPass in the first place.

However, Priority Pass is now accepted in most Plaza Premium Lounges and its affiliated lounges. Note that there are still some exceptions, such as the MERA Business Lounges in Cancún, which only takes DragonPass.

Directly with an American Express Platinum Card

You may also enter Plaza Premium Lounges by having your American Express Platinum Card or Business Platinum Card from American Express swiped directly.

As part of the cards’ lounge benefits, you may enter with one guest for free for an unlimited number of visits. Supplementary cardholders may also bring one guest separately for free.

Since both Platinum Cards also come with a Priority Pass membership, you may choose to enter either of two ways.

Other Ways to Access Plaza Premium Lounges

Aside from credit cards, there are several other ways to access Plaza Premium Lounges.

The most obvious of them is paying for access at the door. Again, Plaza Premium Lounges accept all passengers regardless of airline and cabin class, unless, of course, they’re filled to capacity.

You’ll get a discount on lounge entries by signing up for Plaza Premium Lounge’s loyalty program called Smart Traveller. The program also lets you earn points on your complimentary entries through your credit card, and redeem said points for lounge passes that your friends and family may use. (However, earning policies may vary by lounge, so your mileage may vary.)

Aside from walking in, you may also reserve and pay for a visit online. You can make a booking directly on the Plaza Premium Lounge website, or buy a lounge pass from many online travel agencies. Airlines like Air Transat may also offer lounge access as an add-on to a flight.

Conclusion

Plaza Premium is the most prolific independent lounge operator in Canada, with 14 lounges in five airports.

It therefore comes as no surprise that Canadian financial institutions have made sure that their credit cards with lounge privileges are accepted at Plaza Premium Lounges in the country and abroad.

With Canadian credit cards, you may enter Plaza Premium Lounges with a Visa Airport Companion Program membership, a Priority Pass membership, or by directly swiping your American Express Platinum Card or Business Platinum Card from American Express.

While Plaza Premium Lounges may not be the best lounges out there, they certainly beat waiting at the gate with everyone else.