February 4th, 2013
6 Ways To Access The Dan Lounge In Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport
Being named “Dan” alone won’t cut it…
…But wallet candy like this will.
There are Dan Lounges in the B and C corridors in TLV. Here’s how you can access them.
Option 1: Lounge Club.
You can get a free Lounge Club membership with a card like the Chase Ink Bold, Ink Plus, or Ink Cash cards.
You can apply here for the free membership with code: CHASEINK
You get 2 free visits per year with this membership and you will be billed $27 for additional visits or guests.
The good news is that additional user cards are free on Ink cards and they also qualify for their own Lounge Club membership cards!
Option 2: Priority Pass
You can get a free Priority Pass membership with a card like the The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN.
You can apply here for the free membership
While with the Platinum card lounge program on American, Delta, and USAirways you can bring in 2 guests or your entire family for free, that is not the case with lounges that require Priority Pass access. Additionally while the Platinum card access continues to work even if you cancel your Platinum account, the Priority Pass membership does not.
With Priority Pass you get unlimited free visits per year but you will be billed $27 for guests.
Additional user cards do qualify for their own free Priority Pass membership. On the consumer Platinum card you can add 3 additional users onto your account for a $175 annual fee ($58.33/card).
Option 3: Chase United Club
You can get a free United Club membership with the Chase United Club card. You can access that card from the Club tab on the Chase United Explorer card.
The United Club membership provides free access for you and 2 guests or your entire family to United and USAirways lounges even if you are not flying that day. However when you access other partner lounges you generally need to be flying on a Star Alliance airline (like Aegean, Air Canada, Austrian, Brussels, LOT, Lufthansa, SAS, Swiss, Turkish, United, or USAirways) to access the lounge and you are typically limited to one or two guests, depending on the lounge and the mood of the agent.
Option 4: United Club Membership
You can also access the lounge with a United Club membership the same way as a Chase United Club cardholder would. Though a club membership typically costs more than the credit card does.
Option 5: Star Alliance Gold
If you have Star Alliance Gold elite status you can access the lounge with 1 guest when flying on a Star Alliance airline.
It’s ridiculously easy to get Star Alliance Gold status via Aegean and that status may be even be good for life! Fringe benefits of Aegean Star Gold status when flying an airline like United? Free confirmed flight changes at online checkin, 3 free 70 pound bags for you and all your companions, and Star Alliance lounge access worldwide. That even includes free lounge access in the US where United blocks its own top-tier elites from accessing their own lounges as they want them to buy a membership or get the United Club card!
Option 6: Fly Business or First!
When you fly in premium classes most airlines will give you a lounge pass to access the Dan Lounge. Even if you aren’t gives a pass at checkin you can also try to access the lounge with your boarding pass. You can even give your business/first class lounge pass to a friend flying coach and access the lounge via any of the other methods as well!
1
February 4th, 2013 at 3:45 am
Be aware , if you cancel your card ( AMEX platinum, united club. ) you lose your lounge access.
Thank you Dan and DDF.
2
February 4th, 2013 at 4:23 am
What’s the din if you have more than one ink card, does one get 2 entries per card?
3
February 4th, 2013 at 5:31 am
Now I understand why this lounge is usually so packed!
4
February 4th, 2013 at 6:48 am
skyteam elite+ wont get me in when flying klm?
5
February 4th, 2013 at 7:03 am
I will can confirm that you do indeed get Lounge Club for each card holder on a single account!! Just got cards in the mail.
6
February 4th, 2013 at 7:36 am
I have question about ways to get star alliance gold status. I don’t have any airline status yet but have united and AA miles and recently used up over 120k united award miles on my asia round trip with my wife.
What Do I have to do now to get gold status with star alliance? Please show me easy and simple steps.
Thanks
7
February 4th, 2013 at 8:05 am
great post! thanks dan!
flying thru cdg on AA/el al is there a lounge there i can access with my amex platt, or club card
8
February 4th, 2013 at 9:46 am
do the united passes you get when you sign up for the explorer card work as well?
9
February 4th, 2013 at 10:03 am
can u plz explain me how to get a free club card (option # 3)? i dont understand the difference between option 3 & 4 ??
10
February 4th, 2013 at 10:27 am
Just an FYI….I was there 2 weeks ago. And the lady would not let me in . I had all the above cards. She insisted that I needed an israeli issued card. I remembered that I had an expired Priority pass card and she allowed that one.
11
February 4th, 2013 at 10:32 am
Option 7 u could find someone at the airport who has a pass and ask to be his guest
12
February 4th, 2013 at 10:50 am
@Anonymous:
Yes – just did it and got into AA Admirals lounge in CDG with my Amex Plat.
13
February 4th, 2013 at 10:52 am
If I have 2 Ink cards (with AU on each one), can I apply for 2 free passes on each card? Do I need to change address or something or just email?
14
February 4th, 2013 at 11:30 am
Achieving gold status on aegean is not as easy as you make it sound since most economy tickets do NOT qualify for full mileage credit, while on United for example, those same fare classes would.
15
February 4th, 2013 at 11:41 am
Is there any way to get lounge access without the Chase Ink card? On the link you provided, once you put in the code CHASEINK it doesn’t seem to ask for anything more of the Chase card.
16
February 4th, 2013 at 12:13 pm
@love this blog:
People that have cancelled their United Club card have been able to use their membership until it expires some 15 months later.
And I wrote about canceling the Platinum card in the post.
@Meir:
The Ink card itself doesn’t get you in, the lounge club card you get for having an Ink card does.
With an Ink card you can add additional users and then your whole family can have lounge club cards.
@yossi:
@netzih:
Not that I know of.
@JohnnieD:
Well done!
@Dan’s Fan:
Fly on paid tickets.
@avi:
No, those only work at United lounges.
@chaim:
3 is a credit card.
4 is a paid club membership with no credit card.
@was just there:
What airline were you flying and exactly which clubs or lounge memberships did you have?
Did she swipe your Priority Pass or just write down the info from it?
Priority Pass may send you a bill in the mail, but if the card is closed there’s technically nothing they can do to make you pay the bill.
@s w:
Camp outside the lounge and ask to be guested in…oh wait a second
@2 Ink Cards:
Yes.
@sam ness:
But on USAirways all classes get full mileage.
And on United you can get double or triple miles for flying in premium classes.
It’s often worth paying a few bucks to upgrade a deep-discounted United ticket to a non deep-discounted fare class to get full miles on Aegean.
@Shmilfke:
It asks for it during the signup process.
Why not get the Ink card? 50K miles and 5 miles per dollar spent is hard to beat!
17
February 4th, 2013 at 12:38 pm
I was flying El Al to Amsterdam. I have the United club, amex Platinum, Both INKS. She wrote down the number for the priority pass. I doubt I will get a bill since the priority pass account was cancelled a couple days earlier since I cancelled my platinum. Yes I verified the Priority pass was cancelled prior to going to the lounge.
18
February 4th, 2013 at 12:41 pm
A quote from the *A website “Paid Lounge Membership Customers are not entitled to use any contract lounges.” ?
19
February 4th, 2013 at 12:41 pm
thanx, but with a credit card u only get 2 day passes free,no? 0r Im I missing something
20
February 4th, 2013 at 12:45 pm
@was just there:
As I wrote,
-You need to be flying Star Alliance to use United Club membership.
-The Ink card itself doesn’t give you access, it allows you to get a Lounge Club membership.
-Priority pass has your info and may bill you if the card has been closed. I’m not saying they will, but they may.
@chilzech:
It’s wrong. I’ve used it at this lounge.
@chaim:
With the cards in this post you get acces, just read the post.
21
February 4th, 2013 at 12:50 pm
Thanx, BTW I know someone who used a club (one time) pass at the dan lounge a few weeks ago.
22
February 4th, 2013 at 12:50 pm
@chilzech:
Nice!
That kind of stuff will always depend on the agent on duty.
23
February 4th, 2013 at 12:57 pm
diners club cards should also work. if the rep says it needs to be an israeli issued card, show them a printout from the diners club website which does list tel aviv as a participating lounge.
24
February 4th, 2013 at 1:07 pm
Are there any other CC’s (Discover, Bank of America, Citibank) that offer access to airport lounges?
25
February 4th, 2013 at 1:43 pm
If I have 4 people in my group, can we all get in with 2 lounge club cards under same name (2×2) ?
26
February 4th, 2013 at 1:54 pm
if I’m flying next Wed is there time to get the card?
27
February 4th, 2013 at 2:08 pm
i have a priority pass card from my Amex platinum card, will that be good for my wife too?
28
February 4th, 2013 at 2:10 pm
What benefits are available in the lounge? Glatt Kosher food?
29
February 4th, 2013 at 2:41 pm
just an aside, i am starting a catering business , what is the best card to use to rack up points?
30
February 4th, 2013 at 2:46 pm
Thanks for the info, and Cool pic!
31
February 4th, 2013 at 2:48 pm
hey dan thanks so much,
great job!
i know a bit OT but ill be in cdg, is there a lounge there that i can use my platt (im flying AA) or my club card?
32
February 4th, 2013 at 2:57 pm
@yechezkel:
I don’t think people can get that card currently though?
@kivabb:
YMMV.
@avi:
Which card?
@mendelthemouse:
No. But you can make her an AU or get her her own Plat card.
@Mark:
You have to ask to see the hechsheirim.
@freddy:
http://forums.dansdeals.com/
@rots:
There’s only 1 T in Platinum=Amex Plat.
Anyway see comment 12.
33
February 4th, 2013 at 3:02 pm
From what I hear, it is a crappy lounge anyways!
34
February 4th, 2013 at 3:11 pm
@Dan what about my question?
35
February 4th, 2013 at 3:22 pm
@Jason:
There’s free wifi, newspapers, soda, beer, snacks, and seating that’s not in the terminal.
There may not be 3 floors of club with showers where they press your clothes while you shower like in the Houston United Club, but it’s better than nothing.
@Jeremy:
There are other cards that give Priority Pass and Lounge Club, try asking on DDF.
36
February 4th, 2013 at 3:28 pm
An Israeli Mastercard gold or platinum will do as well
37
February 4th, 2013 at 3:35 pm
Any reason why not to put children under 18 on Ink Bold as AU being that they ask for SS# so everyone in family can get 2 passes?
38
February 4th, 2013 at 3:36 pm
@Dan: Thanx dan
39
February 4th, 2013 at 3:41 pm
Was today in the tlv airport Dan lounge with Amex platinum card n they told me they are a private lounge n if I didn’t open the card in Israel they can’t let me in there
40
February 4th, 2013 at 3:50 pm
@2 Ink Cards:
I just did and it went through
41
February 4th, 2013 at 3:59 pm
Just know that the agents are extremely fickle at Ben Gurion and they don’t know all the rules or all the cards. Saying NO is often the simplest way out.
42
February 4th, 2013 at 4:02 pm
Lol. Thanks dan. If you’d only know how i spell my first name…:-)
43
February 4th, 2013 at 4:08 pm
An Israeli “Visa Business” card works as well.
44
February 4th, 2013 at 4:14 pm
The PenFed Premium Travel Rewards American Express® Card offers FREE Lounge Club membership when you spend $15,000 on the card in a year. FYI You get 5x on airfare with no foreign transaction fees.
45
February 4th, 2013 at 4:31 pm
@Was there:
If you would read the post you may figure out what you did wrong.
46
February 4th, 2013 at 4:34 pm
Are there any free lounges for the Chase Freedom card?
47
February 4th, 2013 at 5:07 pm
Is this the only lounge in tlv?
48
February 4th, 2013 at 5:09 pm
@ari:
No.
@mmmizme:
There’s also a King David lounge, but that’s just for El Al premium class passengers/elites.
49
February 4th, 2013 at 5:26 pm
Thanx dan, ur the man.
50
February 4th, 2013 at 9:19 pm
Hi Dan I’m a big fan, appreciate all your stuff I was hooked since the ctown days:)
Anyway. If you can just clarify What exactly is cc churning ? Is it just canceling and re applying? if so after how long to be eligible for bonus? Also if so wouldn’t they flag u if they see 50 canceled cc on acct? What’s their reaction?
51
February 5th, 2013 at 12:57 am
Thanks Dan Enrolled, We all love free stuff.
52
February 5th, 2013 at 6:33 am
Dan,
You missed two ways that I know of.
1) Delta Sky Club Membership (Check Delta’s website)
2) SkyTeam Elite Plus members travelling on a SkyTeam Flight (Check Delta’s or KLM/Air France’s websites)
I’ll be flying out of TLV on DL next week so I’m going to try getting access with my Flying Blue gold status to test this out before moving on to one of my Priority Pass cards.
53
February 5th, 2013 at 11:27 am
@dan I have 60k Amex points 30k Starwood, and 12 delta. I need to turn that into 25k united miles but figure out how
can you tell me if it’s possible and the best way to do it? P.s. I dont like bothering you but I tried for a while and cant do it… Thanks for your time!
54
February 5th, 2013 at 12:51 pm
Dan with option 1 you mentioned “2 free visits per year” but when you go to the link you provided it just says 2 visits and does not mention per year. Are you sure it is 2 visits PER YEAR???
also regarding option 1 and the other options what about children under 18 are they considered additional guests that would incur the $27 fee
55
February 5th, 2013 at 1:09 pm
i flew through tlv this past sunday night flying with skyteam platinum medallion
The agent gave me a pass to the dan lounge for me plus one guest who was flying with me
(with my priority pass i would have needed to pay 27 for him to come)
56
February 6th, 2013 at 12:08 am
Delta platinum
57
February 6th, 2013 at 11:11 am
If you are Israeli – the “Anashim uMachshevim” Gold Business American Express card has no annual fee and gives unlimited free entry to the Dan Lounge at Ben Gurion Airport.
58
February 7th, 2013 at 1:52 am
The gold Aegean statues is that good for international flights also, do I get three suitcases on international flights or only in the USA?
Thanks for all the great posts on every subject under the sun
59
February 10th, 2013 at 3:18 am
@dan, I think your last name has to be dan to be allowed in with special access without any cards.
60
February 11th, 2013 at 3:07 pm
if i have 3 ink cards plus the fairmont card does that mean i can get 8 passes ?
bc when i spoke to someone at chase they said 2 per person per year not per card ?
61
February 14th, 2013 at 1:40 pm
can i just sign up for the lounge card via the link and access lounge, even though i dont have a Ink card?
62
February 26th, 2013 at 11:55 am
Hi @Dan,
You say you can access the lounge with Chase Ink Cash (the free card), but when I go to Chase’s card benefits it only says that offer for the Chase Ink Bold and Plus?
63
February 26th, 2013 at 12:00 pm
@Miri:
Did you try signing up?
64
February 26th, 2013 at 1:31 pm
@Dan No, but when I read the rules that’s what is says?
65
February 26th, 2013 at 1:51 pm
@Dan See here https://www.chase.com/online/business-credit-cards/compare-cards.htm
66
May 6th, 2013 at 8:29 pm
I just tried to get in to the Dan Lounge using my United Club card and was turned away. I was flying Lufthansa.
67
May 30th, 2013 at 12:16 pm
Here’s a tip for those of us who have our center of life in Israel and earn in Shekels: the CAL Platinum Diners Club “High Miles” card. It offers unlimited free entry to just the Dan lounge and free expanded health insurance among other random benefits. For those of us that prefer American-style credit cards where you choose what to pay each month, they also offer that as an option called “CalChoice.”
And on top of everything: the card has the best El Al point-spending ratio in Israel (yes better than Amex Platinum Israel) at 300 NIS per point.
Certainly underwhelming by USA card standards, but earning in Shekels makes it tough to keep Dollars in the US bank for paying off US cards. I’ll take what I can get
68
May 30th, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Oh I forgot to mention about the High Miles card: it costs 12.90 per month and there is also an “international” level, which is identical to platinum except you earn a point per 500 NIS instead of 300 NIS. No big deal if you don’t care about El Al points and just want free lounge entry.