What is
Priority Pass?
Priority Pass is an independent airport lounge network — over 1,700 lounges worldwide, unconnected to any specific airline or alliance. It's not something Swiss card issuers built themselves; they buy membership access in bulk and bundle it into premium cards as a perk. That's why the terms vary so much between cards even though it's technically the same programme underneath.
- Priority Pass lounges are third-party lounges open to anyone with a valid pass — at Zurich Airport, that's Marhaba, the two Aspire lounges, and Primeclass
- SWISS's own lounges (First Class Lounge, Business Lounge, Aspire by SWISS) are separate and require SWISS elite status, a business/first class ticket, or a specific SWISS-branded benefit — a Priority Pass on its own doesn't get you into these
Which Swiss cards
include it
Of the cards Meilenguru reviews, lounge access ranges from nothing at all to genuinely unlimited — and the annual fee doesn't track it in a straight line.
| Card | Lounge access | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| Amex Platinum Switzerland | Priority Pass Prestige — unlimited, cardholder + 1 guest | CHF 900 |
| Cornèrcard Miles & More Platinum + Diners | Priority Pass Prestige — unlimited | CHF 750 |
| Swisscard SWISS Miles & More Platinum Duo | Priority Pass — 2 free visits/year, then USD 35 each | CHF 700 (CHF 350 yr 1) |
| Cornèrcard Miles & More Gold + Diners | 5 free visits/year, once CHF 7,500 is spent on the card that year | CHF 220 (CHF 110 yr 1) |
| Amex Gold Switzerland | None | CHF 350 (CHF 175 yr 1) |
| Viseca Flying Blue World Mastercard | None | CHF 230 |
Cornèrcard Platinum gets you the same unlimited Priority Pass as Amex Platinum for CHF 150/year less — the CHF 900 on Amex is buying MR-point flexibility and a bigger welcome bonus, not better lounge access.
For the full picture on each card — earning rates, welcome bonuses, who it's actually for — see the individual reviews: Amex Platinum, Cornèrcard Platinum, SWISS Miles & More Platinum Duo, or the full card comparison.
- UBS Platinum (~CHF 500/year) bundles unlimited Priority Pass for cardholder + 1 guest, undercutting both Amex Platinum and Cornèrcard Platinum on pure lounge-access price. It isn't a Miles & More or Flying Blue earning card, so it sits outside the mile-earning comparisons on this site — worth knowing about specifically if miles aren't the point for you
Which lounges you get
at Zurich (ZRH)
A Priority Pass at ZRH gets you into four lounges, split across the two security zones — regardless of which card issued it:
- Marhaba Lounge — Airside Center, 2nd floor towards the B-Gates, 05:15-20:00 — read a review →
- Aspire Lounge — Airside Centre, 3rd floor towards the B-Gates, 05:15-21:00, not open to transit passengers — read reviews →
- Aspire Lounge — above Gate E52, 06:00-21:00 — read a review →
- Primeclass Lounge — by Gate E46, hours linked to flight schedule, does accept transit passengers — read a review →
None of these are SWISS's own lounges. If SWISS First/Business Class or elite status is what you're actually after, that's a separate benefit entirely from Priority Pass — worth confirming before choosing a card on lounge access alone.
Which lounges you get
at Geneva (GVA)
Geneva has four Priority Pass lounges too, also split by security zone — useful if you're flying out of French-speaking Switzerland rather than Zürich:
- Marhaba Lounge — mezzanine level after security, 09:00-18:00 — read reviews →
- Horizon Lounge — transit area, 06:00-20:30 — read a review →
- Crystal Lounge by Aspire — near Gate C54, 07:00-18:00 — read a review →
- Marhaba dnata Skyview Lounge — near Gate C54, opens 06:30 or 07:45 depending on the day, closes 20:30 — read reviews →
Reviews on both linked lounge-review sites are unfiltered and skew critical — useful for knowing what to expect, less useful as a simple thumbs-up/thumbs-down. Worth reading a couple before you pick a lounge on a tight connection.
Buying Priority Pass
standalone
If you don't want a new card at all, Priority Pass sells direct membership in three tiers:
| Tier | Annual price | Visits included |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | USD 99 | None — USD 35 per visit |
| Standard Plus | USD 329 | 10, then USD 35 each |
| Prestige | USD 469 | Unlimited |
Prestige at USD 469/year is close to what Cornèrcard Platinum charges in CHF for unlimited access bundled with a card that also earns Miles & More miles on every purchase — the standalone route mainly makes sense if you specifically don't want another card in your wallet.
Frequently asked
questions
Which Swiss credit card includes Priority Pass? +
Amex Platinum and Cornèrcard Platinum both include unlimited Priority Pass Prestige. The SWISS Miles & More Platinum Duo includes it capped at 2 free visits/year (then USD 35 each). Cornèrcard Gold gives 5 free visits/year once CHF 7,500 is spent on the card. Amex Gold and Viseca don't include any lounge access.
How much does Priority Pass cost standalone? +
USD 99/year (Standard, pay per visit), USD 329/year (Standard Plus, 10 visits included), or USD 469/year (Prestige, unlimited) bought directly.
Which lounges can I access at Zurich Airport with Priority Pass? +
Four, split by security zone: the Marhaba Lounge and one Aspire Lounge in Dock B for Schengen flights, plus a second Aspire Lounge and the Primeclass Lounge at Gates E for non-Schengen flights — not SWISS's own First Class or Business lounges, which need SWISS elite status or a business/first class ticket instead.
Which lounges can I access at Geneva Airport with Priority Pass? +
Also four: the Marhaba Lounge and Horizon Lounge in the main terminal's transit area, plus the Crystal Lounge by Aspire and the Marhaba dnata Skyview Lounge in the East Wing for non-Schengen flights from Gates C.
Is a card with Priority Pass worth it if I don't fly often? +
Usually not on lounge access alone. The capped options (Swisscard's 2 visits, Cornèrcard Gold's spend-gated 5) suit occasional flyers; the unlimited cards only pay for themselves through lounge use if you fly often enough to actually use several visits a year.
Let's work out what you'd actually use.
In 30 minutes we'll go through how often you fly, which lounges matter to you, and whether unlimited access is worth the fee difference over a card that earns miles without it.
Book a session — CHF 79 →