Loyalty membership Access to United lounges is primarily available to United Club members, United Polaris business class customers, Star Alliance Gold members and other eligible travelers. United Club membership is available for purchase and prices are based on your current MileagePlus status level (subject to change).

To enter a United Club lounge based on frequent flyer status, you typically need United Premier Gold, Platinum, or 1K status (which corresponds to Star Alliance Gold). However, a key caveat is that United elites can generally only access domestic United Clubs when they are traveling on an international itinerary operated by a Star Alliance carrier. If you are flying strictly within the U.S., even 1K members do not get "automatic" lounge access unless they have a separate United Club membership or a high-end credit card like the United Club Infinite. For the more exclusive United Polaris Lounges, status does not matter; you must be flying in a long-haul international Polaris business class seat to gain entry. Other ways to get in include having a one-time pass (often provided by the United Explorer card) or being a Star Alliance Gold member from a different airline's program (like Lufthansa or Air Canada), which allows for access even on domestic U.S. flights.