Priority Pass now offers $36 of food, drink at Sydney Airport
By David Flynn, May 8 2017
Priority Pass card-holders can now tuck into $36 worth of free food and drink at seven restaurants, bars and bistros in Sydney Airport.
The Priority Pass program is geared to providing access to airport lounges around the world but has a minimal footprint in Australia with just three airports (Brisbane, Cairns and Darwin) covered – making the card pretty useless until you travel beyond Aussie shores.
That's just changed, and how – with a wave of your Priority Pass card slashing $36 off the bill at selected eateries at Sydney Airport's domestic and international terminals.
And if your bill happens to come in under $36, then your food and drink is on the house.
At Sydney Airport's international Terminal 1 the Priority Pass discount is available at Benny Burger (below), Mach2 and Peroni Bar.
Mach2 – an extension of Sydney's Machiavelli Restaurant – is the only one of these located landside, before you pass through border control and security, making it well-suited to spending some time with friends or family before you hop onto your flight overseas.
At the domestic Terminal 2 – used by Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Tiger and Rex, among others – take your Priority Pass card to Movida and Bistro 2020 & Bar.
MoVida (shown below) is the winner here: $36 will land you a hearty breakfast, lunch or dinner which would be the envy of passengers in the nearby Virgin Australia lounge.
We'd go so far as to suggest that many Velocity Gold and Platinum members and Virgin business class travellers should make a beeline for MoVida, enjoy a superb meal courtesy of Priority Pass and then zip back into the Virgin Australia lounge to plug in their laptop and get some work done before the flight.
Priority Pass partners at the domestic Terminal 3 – exclusive to Qantas and its regional arm QantasLink – are Bar Roma (below) and Wok on Air.
Although both are airside, you don't need a boarding pass to enter the secure part of the Qantas terminal: making these good options not only for Qantas flyers who lack lounge access but also for preflight catch-ups with colleagues who aren't travelling with you.
As the Priority Pass program has just been rolled out, except a few wrinkles in the system as each outlet comes to grips with using the card to provide your $36 discount.
It's also worth noting that the Priority Pass rules are fairly straightforward: "Cardholders and accompanying guests will receive AUD$36 off the final bill per person per visit, valid on any type of meal and/or drinks upon presentation of a valid card."
How to get a Priority Pass card
If all this sounds appealing, you'll be wondering how to get a Priority Pass card.
The good news: you may already have one!
Both the American Express Platinum Charge and Citi Prestige cards include full Priority Pass membership.
Westpac Altitude Black, St George Amplify Signature and Citi Signature cards are good for two Priority Pass lounge visits per year, and a spokesperson for Priority Pass has confirmed to Australian Business Traveller that "when visiting the seven participating food and beverage outlets in Sydney, these ($36) discounts would be treated as a lounge visit."
"Each AUD$36 credit will represent a single lounge visit within their existing lounge visit allocation."
It's worth noting that the American Express Platinum Charge card also gives you unlimited access to Sydney Airport's American Express Lounge, so there's nothing to stop you from mix-and-match with a meal and drink at Benny Burger, Peroni Bar or Mach2 and then clocking up some more private work-friendly lounge time at the AMEX lounge.
Looking to buy into Priority Pass as a new member? Packages start at US$99 per year plus US$27 each time you want to use a lounge; US$249 per year with 10 free lounge visits (and US$27 a pop after that); or the Prestige plan at US$399 per year, with every lounge visit free.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Nov 2011
Total posts 359
Nice deal....$36 seems an odd amount though.
13 Sep 2016
Total posts 24
AUD$36 is equivalent to USD$27, which is the same payment required for per-visit and per-guest lounge access under Priority Pass.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
20 Jan 2016
Total posts 59
Not really its an almost direct US$ to AU$ conversion of US$27, which is the cost of a lounge visit.
13 Sep 2016
Total posts 24
Very timely, I have just used this at Movida@T2 thanks to my AMEX Platinum Charge card's inclusion of Priority Pass. Flying Virgin today instead of Qantas, in economy and no status, but my lunch was better than anything I would have gotten at the Virgin lounge or even the Qantas T3 business lounge!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
29 Nov 2013
Total posts 475
Am I reading this right David F?
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2561
Yep, in fact I know some travellers who've done just that over the weekend. Same scenario as we outlined for T2 and the Movida/Virgin Australia lounge combo.
18 Aug 2015
Total posts 55
So, with Amex Platinum it basically free lunch at Domestic? I work near there so it seems worth getting the card just for this?
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Nov 2012
Total posts 6
So is this a discount or do you have to pay for it as you would a lounge visit at US$27?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
14 Feb 2017
Total posts 25
Damn, just cancelled my PP membership as there was no access for SYD - but may have to reconsider now. This sounds appealing. Potentially you could hop from one place to another getting 3x $36 free meals if you visit all 3 places in the International Terminal! ;-)
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 May 2012
Total posts 580
I'm curious as to whether Priority Pass will request these restaurants to start asking to see a boarding pass before processing the $36 credit. It would be easy enough for some Sydney locals to abuse this benefit, if they were motivated enough.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
13 Jul 2012
Total posts 118
Oh, that is unlikely to be a worry.
24 Apr 2014
Total posts 269
PP card for me is about lounge access not free food.
Turkish Airlines - Miles & Smiles
08 Jun 2014
Total posts 262
$1200 for an Amex Charge Card, $36... how many times in a day can we use this $36?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
29 Nov 2013
Total posts 475
Good question Matt, I would have thought it's limited to 1 use of $36 per day.
20 Jun 2014
Total posts 59
So you don't have to show a boarding pass? What's to stop someone who works in or near Sydney Airport from signing up for a Priority Pass Prestige and going to Movida for lunch every day?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Sep 2012
Total posts 236
On an unlimited visit Priority Pass, this is unbelievable value as you can enjoy a very decent meal for 36 bucks at either end of your trip. Wonder if it will be abused.
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
10 Aug 2015
Total posts 79
This is great news! I'm over the soup and toast in domestic lounges. Definitely keen on trying some of these places out. Departing Syd tomorrow but might give it a miss as I quite like NZ's lounge food.
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
10 Aug 2015
Total posts 79
So this Mach2 place is just down the end of row H for NZ check-in. I had a look at the menu and immediately thought "there's no way I'm going to get any lounge food as good as this" and entered, consumed, and left full and happy. Eggs Benedict was better than the QF F lounge version. So yeah I'm sold on it :)
14 Nov 2015
Total posts 44
If I worked at the airport, I'd be signing up. If you were single, dedicated and didn't mind the monotony, you could probably pay for most of your year's food costs for the price of a PP membership or Amex Platinum Charge annual fee.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Oct 2013
Total posts 699
So it's in the Priority pass T's and C's that they can and are supposed to check both your card, boarding pass and ID when visiting a lounge outside the USA.
23 May 2014
Total posts 118
Fantastic - actually prefer this to a lounge! This has tipped the scales in terms of PP being worth it, will be signing up shortly. Hopefully this doesn't get abused and withdrawn.
13 Feb 2017
Total posts 21
Tried Movida in T2 today, but hadn't got my plastic card with me and they couldn't read the electronic one in my Apple Wallet.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
12 Apr 2013
Total posts 3
I have the base PP with $27us entry fee, does this mean I could eat in these places up to $36 and no money changes hands?
12 May 2017
Total posts 5
Sitting in Sydney T2 - bistro bar 2020. No problems in accepting my digital priority pass card. Scanned the digital wallet and checked my ID (drivers licence), then took my order for eggs, toast and coffee.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
01 Jan 2015
Total posts 1
Do you think the same deal will happen with the other airports round Australia?
13 May 2017
Total posts 2
I have been asking PP for years get them to fix the situation in Australia. I'm so glad see this new initiative.
25 Nov 2016
Total posts 2
I have the $99- deal where I pay $27- USD each time I use a lounge.So how will it work? Will I get charged $27- USD when I use a Sydney partner? If so I see no advantage ,as I can just eat for that price or lower at numerous places.
QF
13 Feb 2015
Total posts 4
I’m confused - I used my PP card at Movida last week and was surprised (based on the information above) to receive a charge on my credit card for $27 USD... hardly a free credit of $36 when you get charged for it?! What am I missing??
24 Apr 2012
Total posts 2431
Each credit counts as one 'lounge visit' under your Priority Pass plan. If your plan isn't unlimited, or you process more 'guests' on the same transaction than your plan includes, you'll be billed at the same rate as a lounge visit. If you have an unlimited (Prestige) PP membership, contact PP to request an adjustment.
16 Jul 2019
Total posts 1
Would I be able to my two priority passes at Movida in Syd on the same day.
ie. get a meal for myself, and another for my partner and pay for them separately, using my Priority Pass for both?
or will it be limited to one per airport per day?
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