A Priority Pass membership bought directly costs up to EUR 459 per year. Several Swiss credit cards include it for free, bundled with travel insurance and rewards that can push total value well past the annual fee. If you're flying through Zurich or Geneva more than a couple of times a year, the right card pays for itself.
Which Credit Cards Give Lounge Access in Switzerland?
The Swiss market has three main lounge access programs tied to credit cards: Priority Pass, Mastercard Airport Experiences, and American Express lounges. Each works differently, and the card you pick determines which lounges you can enter and how much each visit actually costs.
Priority Pass is the biggest network with 1,500+ lounges in 600+ cities worldwide. Most Swiss Platinum cards and several Gold cards include some level of Priority Pass membership. This is the program that matters most for frequent travelers.
Mastercard Airport Experiences (formerly LoungeKey) gives access to 1,600+ lounges. Any Mastercard Gold or above can register for lounge access, though individual visits cost around USD 35 unless your specific card includes free visits.
American Express operates its own Centurion Lounges (mainly in the US) and provides Priority Pass Select through its Platinum Card. The Amex Gold Card in Switzerland includes 2 Priority Pass visits per year.
Priority Pass Credit Card Switzerland: Your Options
Here's what Swiss banks actually offer. The differences in lounge access between Gold and Platinum tiers are significant, and most people don't realize how much they vary.
- UBS Platinum: Unlimited Priority Pass + 1 guest free
- Cornèrcard Platinum: Prestige membership, guests included
- Viseca Platinum: Unlimited access for cardholder + additional cardholder
- Amex Platinum: Priority Pass Select + Centurion + Lufthansa lounges
- Annual fees: CHF 250 to CHF 900
- Amex Gold: 2 free Priority Pass visits per year (CHF 350/yr)
- UBS Gold: Priority Pass Standard (pay per visit: EUR 30)
- Viseca Gold: Priority Pass Standard membership included
- Mastercard Gold: Mastercard Airport Experiences access (USD 35/visit)
- Annual fees: CHF 100 to CHF 350
Here's the thing most people miss: Gold cards give you the membership, not the free visits. A Priority Pass Standard membership lets you into lounges, but you're paying EUR 30 per visit on top of your annual card fee. That adds up fast.
Platinum cards are where the real value sits. Unlimited visits, often with a guest included, means your per-visit cost drops to zero after the annual fee. If you fly 6+ times per year, Platinum is almost always cheaper than paying per visit with a Gold card.
Airport Lounge Credit Card: How Much Does It Really Cost?
Let's do the math that nobody else does. The annual fee is just the starting point. What matters is your cost per lounge visit.
Count your flights per year. Most travelers visit a lounge once per departure (sometimes twice for connections). If you fly 8 return trips, that's roughly 8 to 16 lounge visits per year.
Take the annual fee plus any per-visit charges. A UBS Gold (CHF 200/yr) with 8 visits at EUR 30 each costs CHF 200 + CHF 240 = CHF 440 total. A UBS Platinum (CHF 500/yr) with unlimited visits costs CHF 500 flat.
Priority Pass Prestige (unlimited) costs EUR 459/yr. Priority Pass Standard Plus (10 visits) costs EUR 289/yr. If your credit card bundles this with travel insurance worth CHF 150+, the card is almost certainly the better deal.
Here's a real comparison at different travel frequencies:
- 4 visits/year: Gold card (CHF 200 fee + 4 × CHF 30 = CHF 320) vs. Platinum (CHF 500). Gold wins.
- 8 visits/year: Gold card (CHF 200 + 8 × CHF 30 = CHF 440) vs. Platinum (CHF 500). Almost a tie, but Platinum includes insurance.
- 12+ visits/year: Gold card (CHF 200 + 12 × CHF 30 = CHF 560) vs. Platinum (CHF 500). Platinum wins clearly, and the gap grows with every additional visit.
The crossover point is around 8 to 10 visits per year. Below that, Gold with pay-per-visit works fine. Above that, Platinum saves real money.
What Lounges Can You Access at Swiss Airports?
This is where it gets practical. Switzerland has three main international airports, and lounge availability varies.
Zurich Airport (ZRH)
Zurich has the best lounge selection in Switzerland. Priority Pass members can access several lounges across terminals. The SWISS Business Lounge and SWISS First Lounge are reserved for Business/First class passengers and SWISS frequent flyers, not credit card holders.
For Priority Pass, the Aspire Lounge in the non-Schengen area and various partner lounges are available. During peak travel times, expect these to be busy. Arriving early helps.
Geneva Airport (GVA)
Geneva offers Priority Pass lounge access in both the Schengen and non-Schengen zones. The options are more limited than Zurich, but you'll find at least one open lounge for most departures.
Basel Airport (BSL)
Basel is the smallest of the three and has fewer lounge options. Priority Pass access exists but don't expect the variety you'd find at Zurich. If Basel is your home airport, make sure the lounge is available for your specific departure before counting on it.
Pro tip: Always check the Priority Pass app before you fly. Lounges change operating hours, close for renovation, or hit capacity limits. Nothing worse than showing up with your Premium card and being turned away because the lounge is full.
Mastercard Gold Lounge Access: What You Actually Get
There's a lot of confusion about Mastercard Gold lounge access, partly because Mastercard's own marketing is vague. Here's the reality for Swiss cardholders.
Mastercard Airport Experiences (the program that replaced LoungeKey) gives World and World Elite Mastercard holders access to 1,600+ lounges. But "access" doesn't mean "free." Most Mastercard Gold cards require you to pay per visit, typically USD 35.
In Switzerland, the Viseca Gold Mastercard and similar products include a Priority Pass Standard membership, which is separate from Mastercard Airport Experiences. You could technically use either program, but Priority Pass is generally more practical because it has broader lounge availability at Swiss airports.
The bottom line on Mastercard Gold: Yes, you get lounge access. No, it's not free. Budget USD 35 per visit unless your specific card explicitly includes complimentary visits. Check with your issuer before assuming.
Priority Pass vs. Mastercard Airport Experiences vs. Amex
Which lounge program actually delivers the best experience? Here's a comparison based on what matters to Swiss travelers.
Priority Pass
Priority Pass is the gold standard for lounge access worldwide. With 1,500+ lounges in 600+ cities, you'll almost always find something open at major airports. Most Swiss premium credit cards use Priority Pass, making it the most relevant program if you're shopping for a Swiss card. Lounges vary in quality from basic (coffee, Wi-Fi, snacks) to excellent (hot food, showers, bars). The Priority Pass app shows real-time availability and user reviews.
Mastercard Airport Experiences
Mastercard Airport Experiences has a slightly larger network on paper (1,600+ lounges). The advantage: any Mastercard Gold or above can register. The disadvantage: per-visit pricing is less transparent, and the overlap with Priority Pass is significant. If you already have Priority Pass through a card, this is a nice backup, not a replacement.
American Express
Amex plays a different game. The Platinum Card (CHF 900/yr) gives you Priority Pass Select plus access to Centurion Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges, and Plaza Premium. The Centurion Lounges are widely considered the best airport lounges in the world, but they're mostly in the US. For Swiss travelers, the Lufthansa Lounge access at European hubs is more relevant. The catch? Amex acceptance is limited in Switzerland (roughly 70% of merchants take it).
Priority Pass is the gold standard for lounge access worldwide. With 1,500+ lounges in 600+ cities, you'll almost always find something open at major airports. Most Swiss premium credit cards use Priority Pass, making it the most relevant program if you're shopping for a Swiss card. Lounges vary in quality from basic (coffee, Wi-Fi, snacks) to excellent (hot food, showers, bars). The Priority Pass app shows real-time availability and user reviews.
Mastercard Airport Experiences has a slightly larger network on paper (1,600+ lounges). The advantage: any Mastercard Gold or above can register. The disadvantage: per-visit pricing is less transparent, and the overlap with Priority Pass is significant. If you already have Priority Pass through a card, this is a nice backup, not a replacement.
Amex plays a different game. The Platinum Card (CHF 900/yr) gives you Priority Pass Select plus access to Centurion Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges, and Plaza Premium. The Centurion Lounges are widely considered the best airport lounges in the world, but they're mostly in the US. For Swiss travelers, the Lufthansa Lounge access at European hubs is more relevant. The catch? Amex acceptance is limited in Switzerland (roughly 70% of merchants take it).
For most Swiss travelers, Priority Pass through a Platinum card is the practical choice. It covers the airports you'll actually use, the cost is bundled into the annual fee, and it works reliably worldwide.
Common Lounge Access Mistakes
After years of optimizing travel expenses and testing these programs myself, here are the errors I see constantly.
This is the most expensive misunderstanding. Gold cards typically include a Priority Pass Standard membership, which means you still pay EUR 30 per visit. If you visit 6 lounges per year, that's EUR 180 on top of your CHF 200 annual fee. A Platinum card at CHF 500 with unlimited access would have been cheaper. Always check whether your card includes free visits or just membership.
Most Platinum cards include access for one guest. If you travel with a partner, that doubles your per-visit savings. A couple visiting 6 lounges together saves 12 x CHF 50 = CHF 600, which easily justifies a Platinum annual fee. Solo travelers get half the value.
Lounge quality varies enormously. Some are quiet retreats with hot food, showers, and cocktails. Others are cramped rooms with stale sandwiches and no power outlets. Check Priority Pass app reviews before banking on a specific lounge for a layover.
Priority Pass lounges can turn you away when they're full. This happens regularly at busy airports during peak hours. Having a membership doesn't guarantee a seat. Arrive early or have a backup plan.
Don't evaluate lounge access in isolation. A CHF 500 Platinum card that includes Priority Pass, CHF 500,000 travel medical insurance, and 1% rewards on CHF 30,000 spending delivers CHF 1,000+ in total value. The lounge access is one piece of a larger package. Compare total value, not just the lounge perk.
My Recommendation
After analyzing every Swiss credit card with lounge access, here's my honest take: if you fly 6+ times per year, a Platinum card with unlimited Priority Pass is a no-brainer. The lounge access alone covers most of the annual fee, and you're getting travel insurance and rewards on top. UBS Platinum or Cornèrcard Platinum offer the best balance of cost and benefits. If you fly less than 4 times per year, skip the premium cards entirely and buy individual lounge passes when you need them (CHF 40 to CHF 60 per visit). The math doesn't work for occasional travelers no matter how appealing it sounds. For the full picture on premium and luxury cards, check our best premium credit cards in Switzerland comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which credit cards give lounge access in Switzerland?
Most Swiss Platinum credit cards include Priority Pass lounge access. UBS Platinum, Cornèrcard Platinum, Viseca Platinum, and American Express Platinum all provide unlimited or near-unlimited Priority Pass membership. Gold cards from UBS, Viseca, and Amex include Priority Pass Standard membership, but you typically pay EUR 30 per visit. The Amex Gold Card includes 2 free visits per year.
Does Mastercard Gold include free lounge access?
Not exactly. Mastercard Gold cards qualify for Mastercard Airport Experiences, which gives access to 1,600+ lounges worldwide. However, each visit costs approximately USD 35 unless your specific card issuer includes complimentary visits. In Switzerland, Viseca Gold Mastercard includes a Priority Pass Standard membership (EUR 30 per visit). Free unlimited access requires a Platinum-tier card.
How much does Priority Pass cost without a credit card?
Buying Priority Pass directly costs EUR 89/year for Standard (plus EUR 30 per visit), EUR 289/year for Standard Plus (10 free visits, then EUR 30 each), or EUR 459/year for Prestige (unlimited visits). Most Swiss Platinum credit cards include Prestige-level access for CHF 250 to CHF 500 annually, plus travel insurance and rewards, making the credit card route significantly better value.
Can I bring guests into airport lounges with my credit card?
It depends on your card. UBS Platinum typically includes free access for one guest. Cornèrcard Platinum includes guests. Most Gold cards charge EUR 30 to USD 35 per guest visit. American Express Platinum includes 1 to 2 guest entries depending on the lounge network. Always check your specific card terms, as guest policies vary significantly between issuers.
Are there lounges at Zurich Airport for credit card holders?
Yes. Zurich Airport (ZRH) has several lounges accessible via Priority Pass and Mastercard Airport Experiences. These include the Aspire Lounge and various partner lounges across terminals. Note that the SWISS Business and First Class Lounges are reserved for airline status holders and Business/First class passengers, not credit card program members. Check the Priority Pass app for current availability before your flight.
