If you regularly fly with American Airlines, Admirals Club lounges provide a welcome sanctuary away from the hustle & bustle of crowded airports. Entry to the Admirals Club doesn’t come cheap though, with American Airlines charging $500 per year for membership.
But if you’re a U.S. resident, did you know that you can gain unlimited access to Admirals Club airport lounges with a Qantas Club membership… while saving hundreds of dollars in the process?
Qantas Club members enjoy unlimited reciprocal access to all American Airlines Admirals Club lounges. You’ll just need to be travelling the same day on either an American Airlines or Qantas flight. Of course, you’ll also receive access to any Qantas Club lounge when flying Qantas, American Airlines or Qantas’ subsidiary Jetstar. Plus, you’ll receive an additional baggage allowance and access to priority check-in counters if you happen to take an international Qantas flight.
So, Qantas Club members have access to the same lounges as Admirals Club members. But joining the Qantas Club could save you over $400!
American Airlines charges an annual fee of $500 for Admirals Club membership, plus a one-off $50 joining fee. AAdvantage members with elite status are entitled to a small discount, but even top-tier Executive Platinum members pay $400 per year.
By comparison, Qantas offers special rates on Qantas Club membership for residents of the United States (or any country other than Australia or New Zealand). A single-year Qantas Club membership costs U.S. residents only AUD400 ($290), or AUD720 ($521) for 2 years. This is in addition to a one-off joining fee of AUD360 ($261). So, if you were joining as a new member for 2 years, you could save $268 off the equivalent cost of Admirals Club membership.
But wait… there are even more savings to be had!
By joining Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) as a Gold member, you can gain access to even lower prices through our Qantas Club corporate scheme! You can save an additional AUD80 ($58) off a 1-year membership or AUD155 ($113) on 2-year membership. Plus, you’ll save AUD136 ($99) on the one-off joining fee.
So, you could join the Qantas Club for 2 years through our corporate scheme and pay just AUD789 ($571). That’s a massive $479 off the equivalent cost of an Admirals Club membership!
Here’s a quick summary of the savings to be had:
AFF Gold membership costs only AUD75 ($54), so it well and truly pays for itself through discounted Admirals Club access!
How to take advantage of this deal:
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Join Qantas Frequent Flyer
If you haven’t already done so, you’ll need to join the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. Signing up online is easy, takes just a couple of minutes and is completely free if you’re a U.S. resident.
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Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) as a Gold member
To take advantage of our special corporate scheme rates on Qantas Club membership, simply create an AFF account for free, then upgrade your membership to Gold.
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Send us your Qantas Club membership form, and we’ll take care of the rest
Full instructions are available to AFF Gold members on our Gold Membership Privileges forum.
Please note: Unless specified, all prices in this article are quoted in US Dollars and are based on the exchange rate on 5 January, 2017. Prices are subject to change.
