Mastercard Launches New “Taste by Priceless” Airport Lounges

Mastercard Launches New “Taste by Priceless” Airport Lounges

Mastercard is getting into the airport lounge game with the launch of new “Taste by Priceless” dining lounges, starting with locations in Hong Kong (HKG) and São Paulo (GRU). Another location is expected to open in Mexico City (MEX) in the future.

Unlike traditional airport lounges, Mastercard is positioning these spaces more as premium dining clubs focused on food and curated experiences. So they have less of the amenities that you might expect at traditional airport lounges.

Where Are The New Lounges?

Current and upcoming locations include:

• Hong Kong (HKG) – Terminal 1 near Gate 40/41 (review)
• São Paulo (GRU) – Terminal 3
• Mexico City (MEX) – Coming later

The Hong Kong location recently opened, while the São Paulo location replaced the former “The Club by Mastercard” lounge late last year.

Access Rules

Access depends on your Mastercard tier:

• World Legend Mastercard
  • Complimentary access
  • Up to 3 guests included at Hong Kong
  • Unlimited visits
• World Elite & World Mastercard
  • Paid access available
  • Introductory pricing of:
    • $70 through August 31, 2026
    • $85 afterwards
• Children under 2 are free with any adult that has access.

You can access these lounges within 3 hours of scheduled departure:

• Same-day boarding pass required
• Passport/ID required
• Capacity controls apply

For connecting passengers you can enter earlier than 3 hours, BUT you must show:

• inbound boarding pass
• onward same-day boarding pass

World Legend Mastercard Push

These lounges are also part of Mastercard’s push into the premium “World Legend” tier that launched recently.

Current World Legend cards are still relatively rare, which should help avoid overcrowding for now. And I doubt many people will be paying $70 or $85 for access.

Current World Legend Mastercards include:

Guru’s Wrap-up

Airport lounges continue to be one of the new battlegrounds between credit card issuers.

We’ve already seen Capital One Lounges and Chase Sapphire Lounges in addition to Amex Centurion Lounges which have been around longer.

Now Mastercard is trying something a little different with a more dining-focused concept. The interesting part is that Mastercard appears to be prioritizing exclusivity over mass access, at least for now. Since World Legend cards are still limited, overcrowding may not become a major issue right away.

They still haven’t locked down the branding yet, going interchangeably with Taste by Priceless and Taste of Priceless. Still, it’ll be interesting to see if or how quickly Mastercard expands this concept globally over the next few years.

Let me know what you think!

HT: DoC & OMAAT