Chase has opened a new airport lounge experience in Austin—here's how you get in

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When card issuers compete, you benefit. And recently, banks have been adding value to their premium credit cards by building exclusive lounges. American Express, Capital One and Chase now all have branded airport lounges.

Chase is a new player in the airport lounge race, opening its first location in Hong Kong in late 2022. But it hasn't stopped there, and today Chase is unveiling a brand new lounge-like experience — the "Sapphire Terrace" — at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Below, CNBC Select shares the details of the new airport lounge and how to access it.

The new Sapphire Terrace has opened at the Austin-Bergstrom airport and is located on the mezzanine level of the Barbara Jordan Terminal near Gate 1 (right next to the Delta SkyClub). It features an indoor-outdoor space with free drinks and grab-and-go food, including beverages from local breweries like Austin Eastciders and (512) Brewing Company.

The Sapphire Terrace isn't part of the Chase Sapphire Lounge network. It's a space created specifically for Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders and up to two guests. Authorized users on Sapphire Reserve cards also have access and can bring up to two guests. It costs $75 per year to add an authorized user to your Sapphire Reserve account, but it could be worth it because you'll share other benefits like travel protections and Priority Pass lounge access.

To access the space, you'll need your government ID, boarding pass and Sapphire Reserve card. Note that this experience is only open to cardmembers with outbound flights and your departure must be scheduled to leave within 3 hours before you can enter. So if Austin is your final destination, you won't be able to hang out at the lounge after your flight.

The Sapphire Terrace opens at 10:30 a.m. CT on Monday, March 20 and the regular hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

As of this writing, the Hong Kong location is the only one that's open, though additional lounges are expected to follow suit sometime in 2023 and beyond:

• Boston Logan International Airport: Terminal B to C connector
• New York – LaGuardia Airport: Terminal B
• Washington Dulles International Airport: Terminal A
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: Terminal 4 South 1
• Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport: Terminal 1 near C Gates
• San Diego International Airport: Terminal 2 West
• Philadelphia International Airport: Terminal D to E connector

The Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with a free Priority Pass membership, which grants you access to 1,300+ member lounges. But a Priority Pass membership won't get you free access to certain lounges, like Amex Centurion Lounges or Capital One Lounges.

If you want complimentary access to American Express Centurion Lounges or Delta SkyClubs, you'll need to carry a certain Amex card, such as:

For the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, members will receive four Delta Sky Club® One-Time Guest Passes each year. After that, you may bring up to two guests at a per-visit rate of $50 per person, per location. Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club®; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter.

For Capital One Lounge access, the best card is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees), which comes with unlimited complimentary access to Capital One Lounges and lounges in the Priority Pass network.

You get two complimentary Capital One Lounge visits per year with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees) and the *Capital One Spark Miles for Business. You may use one of your free visits for a guest and if you don't have a Capital One card, anyone can pay $65 per visit to enter a

Capital One Lounge.

Chase has opened the Sapphire Terrace, a new airport experience in Austin. The Sapphire Terrace is available exclusively to Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers and up to two guests.

Even if you're not traveling to Austin any time soon, the Sapphire Reserve card — and many others — comes with a complimentary Priority Pass lounge membership. With the Sapphire Reserve's Priority Pass membership, you'll have unlimited access to 1,300+ lounges in the Priority Pass network.

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For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, click here.

*Information about the Capital One Spark Miles for Business has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.