Perhaps I am overly sensitive to the word “free” – I think it’s a bit of a charged word, but it’s also one that comes with different meanings to different people. In the miles and points world, people often talk about “free travel”, but the truth is that travel (like anything) is never really completely “free”. Even if you manage to use cash points to offset all the taxes, fees and other costs that you can’t pay for with miles and points, there’s still the opportunity cost of your credit card spending.
How to get a free Priority Pass membership
So I was a bit annoyed when I read an article in Business Insider called “How to get a free Priority Pass membership — which includes access to over 1,200 airport lounges around the world“. I clicked on it to see if there really was a way to get a “free” Priority Pass membership. And to my unsurprise, no such free Priority Pass membership exists.
Instead, the author talked about how you could get a “free” Priority Pass membership by applying for one of two different credit cards
So…. let me get this straight – you can pay an annual fee of $550 or $695 for a credit card, and somehow that counts as “free” membership to Priority Pass? Uh…. I don’t think so.
It’s like when you say that a hotel has a “free” hotel breakfast. Perhaps I’m being pedantic, but I feel like it would be better to say that hotel breakfast is “included”, or “free hotel breakfast in exchange for the $150 you spent on the hotel”.
My Take – A Priority Pass Membership Is Not Free
So this isn’t to say that it’s not worth it to apply for those (or any other) credit cards. While I currently do not hold either of those particular cards, I do have the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (which I think is the best of the “luxury” credit cards) which comes with a Priority Pass Select membership. But I am willing to pay the hefty annual fee because I believe the benefits that come with the card are sufficient to offset the cost of that annual fee. But I am under no illusions that that makes it free.
What about you? Do you think it can be justified to call this a “free” Priority Pass membership?
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
I got a free tank of gas from the dealership. All I had to do was buy a car.
LOL – that is how it seems sometime with these marketing wizards…
I my car breaks down and I need a tow, it’s “free” for AAA members like me. And a better one is when politicians say “free medical care.” On the latter, a person has open heart surgery, and the hospital, surgeon(s), nurses, anesthetists are paid nothing, right? NOT!!!!!