I have carried the Priority Pass benefit on my Tata Neu HDFC credit card for quite some time—years, actually—but, to be honest, I had begun to wonder whether it was one of those credit-card perks that looks impressive on paper and quietly becomes useless when you actually need it.

Four international lounge visits a year sounds wonderful. One every quarter. Great.

But how often does one actually manage to use this card?

I had tried, or at least attempted to try, Priority Pass at airports in India and had never quite developed the confidence that this little plastic card would actually open a lounge door abroad. So, when I found myself at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, flying Etihad back to Kolkata, I decided this was the moment of truth.

I had the physical Priority Pass card with me. I had also downloaded the Priority Pass app because, by now, I was taking no chances.

Then came another small disappointment.

I had read that the Chase Sapphire lounges were no longer available to ordinary Priority Pass members from August 15. That was particularly relevant at JFK Terminal 4, where the Chase Sapphire Lounge is located. The change is real: Chase Sapphire lounges have left the Priority Pass network for members whose Priority Pass comes from other cards. 

So my hopes of finding a nice lounge in Terminal 4 were beginning to evaporate. Then I found the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. And this time, Priority Pass worked.

Voila!

It was a surprisingly satisfying little moment.

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is in Terminal 4, after security and passport control, above gates A4 and A5. Priority Pass currently lists it as an international lounge, with access generally allowed up to three hours before departure. 

It is not the sort of airport lounge where you walk in and immediately forget that you are at an airport. But it is comfortable, reasonably stylish and, more importantly, offered exactly what I wanted before a long journey: somewhere to sit, eat something, charge up and breathe.

And yes, there was food.

I was told that not everything available inside was complimentary, so I decided not to turn this into a culinary expedition. I chose what looked like the sensible Priority Pass traveller’s combination: juice, pita bread with hummus and pasta.

Nothing extravagant.

But sitting there in New York, happily eating my pasta without shelling out a single dollar, I couldn’t help but feel pleased. The card had finally delivered on its promise.

There was also a small lesson in technology.

A fellow passenger travelling with me also had Priority Pass, but he didn’t have his physical card with him. At reception, he was asked for the QR/digital membership credential. So while the physical card worked perfectly for me, the episode was a reminder that having the membership and being able to prove that membership are two different things.

Carry the card. Keep the app ready. And don’t assume the lounge staff will take your word for it.

For me, this was less about getting a free meal than finally testing a benefit that I had been carrying around for ages.

Airport lounges can sometimes feel like one of those mysterious credit-card promises: “Enjoy premium lounge access worldwide.” Sounds fantastic. But when you actually arrive at an airport, there are terminals, airline restrictions, lounge restrictions, capacity limits, operating hours and different programmes to navigate.

Priority Pass itself lists multiple experiences at JFK, spread across different terminals, so the airport you are flying from is only the beginning of the calculation. 

And that is probably the biggest takeaway from my first successful Priority Pass experience.

Don’t assume your card will work. Check before you travel

Open the Priority Pass app, search your airport and, most importantly, check the terminal and the conditions of the particular lounge. A lounge may accept Priority Pass but operate only during certain hours, require a same-day boarding pass, limit the time you can stay or restrict access when it is full. The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at JFK, for example, currently requires a physical or digital Priority Pass membership and a same-day JFK departure boarding pass. 

And don’t forget that your Tata Neu card has its own terms. HDFC Bank’s current Priority Pass terms for Tata Neu Infinity state that the complimentary entitlement is one visit per quarter; visits beyond the complimentary entitlement can attract a charge. 

So, after all my scepticism, my verdict is simple:

Yes, Priority Pass can actually work 

At least it worked for me — in New York, at JFK, before an Etihad flight to Kolkata.

And there is something oddly satisfying about finally getting through that lounge door after wondering for so long whether the whole thing was just another credit-card promise.

Priority Pass: my quick traveller’s fact sheet

Before leaving home

• Open the Priority Pass app and search your departure airport.
• Check the terminal, not just the airport.
• Check the lounge’s operating hours and access conditions.
• Make sure your membership is active.
• Keep your physical Priority Pass card with you if you have one.
• Also keep the digital membership/QR code ready in the app.

At the airport

• Check whether you need to change terminals.
• Look at the lounge’s latest conditions before walking across the airport.
• Carry your same-day boarding pass.
• Ask at reception what is complimentary and what may cost extra.
• If travelling with someone, don’t assume their access works automatically just because they have a Priority Pass membership.

And one important lesson:

Priority Pass is a network, not a guarantee that every lounge in every airport will accept every membership. Always check the specific lounge in the app before relying on it.

For me, the first successful test happened at JFK.

Four quarterly visits may sound like a small credit-card footnote.

After finally using one in New York, I am beginning to think it may actually be a perk worth remembering.