Mr. Thrifty is escaping the cold weather of North America with an extended tour of Asia. He’s happy to pass along some travel advice so that you, too, may indulge without undue damage to your wallet. Here’s how he managed to pull off a nice travel hack, thanks to his treasured Priority Pass.
Do You Really Need That Hotel Room?
We’ve written about the value of Priority Pass before. Well, did you ever think of taking it to the next level by leveraging your Priority Pass membership to save on hotels……….by bypassing a hotel stay altogether?
Follow along for Mr. Thrifty’s latest triumph!
Onto the Details…
Singapore is a very popular transit point for Asian flights, not to mention a delightful destination in its own right. Changi Airport is consistently ranked as the best in the world, with good reason. Heck, they’ve even upped their toilet game by installing Japanese-style bidets!
Here’s how Mr. Thrifty marked his glorious arrival in Singapore on his latest trip, using a Priority Pass travel hack:
Another Quality, Low-Cost Airline
Flying from Seoul, Korea, he found the best deal on Scoot Airlines, a low-cost, long-haul airline affiliated with Singapore Airlines. They fly new Boeing 787 Dreamliners which are very comfortable and spacious. The major differentiating point from a full-service airline is the pay-as-you-go service. In-flight food and beverage selection is very limited, enabling the airline to save on catering. Similarly, there are fees for seat selection and checked baggage. Mr. Thrifty is in favour of such unbundling, as travellers can opt for the services and fees that suit them.
As Mr. Thrifty has written elsewhere, he strongly advises to travel with only a carry-on bag. Airlines are also tightening up the weight restrictions on carry-on bags, and the official carry-on weight limit on Scoot is 10kg. Monitoring of this allowance tends to be on a random basis, and you minimize your chances of scrutiny if you do an e-checkin.
Anyway, the Scoot flight from Seoul to Singapore was the best deal by far, perhaps because of the inconvenient flight timings. It’s a red-eye leaving Seoul at 11pm and arriving in Singapore at 6:30am, with a brief stopover in Taipei.
Seizing the Opportunity
Rather than an inconvenience, Mr. Thrifty looked at this routing with tears of joy. It meant that he could feasibly use Priority Pass to bypass the cost of a hotel room, while also enjoying free meals, drinks, business facilities, and a shower.
Not only that, but he could use it in three different countries, pulling off an elusive international “triple-header”.
Thanks, Priority Pass!
The Journey Begins
Here’s how it went down:
- Checked out of the Airbnb apartment in Seoul by 11am and took public transit to the airport in Incheon (about 2 hours and about $4 for the subway fare).
Priority Pass Lounge #1: Departure
- Checked into the Matina Lounge at Incheon Airport (a Priority Pass member lounge) at around 2pm. The Matina Lounge does not impose a strict time limit on individual stays. Mr. Thrifty arrived right in time for a nice pan-Asian buffet lunch, with free-flow wine and beer. The lounge also has a segregated working area so Mr. Thrifty was productive during his stay (which is where he started writing this blog post).
- Stumbled onto the Scoot flight to Singapore via Taipei at 10:15pm boarding time.
Priority Pass Lounge #2: In Transit
- After a 2.5-hour flight, arrived in Taipei for a stopover and quick snack at the 24-hour Plaza Premium Lounge at Taipei airport (also a Priority Pass member lounge).
- Rushed back to catch the Scoot connecting flight to Singapore, which is a little over 3 hours.
Priority Pass Lounge #3: On Arrival
- Arrived at Singapore Changi Airport T1 at 6:30am, and took the Sky Train over to T3 to check into the Haven Lounge, which is accessible to Priority Pass members upon *Arrival*. Enjoyed a free hot breakfast, tea, coffee, instant Laksa noodles. And freshened up for the day by using their free shower facilities.
- Priority Pass stays at the Haven Lounge are limited to 3 hours, which was fine by Mr. Thrifty, as he needed to head into the city to pick up a temporary SIM card and start his day of meetings. [A quick aside about tourist SIMs in Singapore: check out our “Ask Mr. Thrifty” article about finding the best tourist SIM for Singapore]
A welcome sight on arrival at Changi Airport: The Haven Lounge
The End Result: A Perfect Priority Pass Travel Hack
So there you have it — with this travel hack, Priority Pass enabled Mr. Thrifty to bypass a hotel stay altogether while remaining fresh and clean, with a full belly.
The combined savings on this epic escapade alone would justify a Priority Pass membership (add up the savings on the flight itself + avoiding paying for in-flight or in-airport food & beverages + saving a night in a hotel or Airbnb either in Seoul or Singapore, which are definitely not the cheapest cities in Asia).
What do you think? Did Mr. Thrifty miss any angles here?
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Looking for more money-saving travel ideas? Check out some of our most popular articles:
Mr. Thrifty’s Proven Strategies to Save Money on Air Travel
How to Cut Your Phone Bill While Travelling
Well, from what I read, the essence of your ‘hack’ is to take a red-eye flight? Hardly pioneering…
@Sandy, that’s not quite the full story.
Yes, you could always check out and leave your bags at the hotel while you spend a full day at your origin. If you need to work, you could use a coworking space or work from a coffee shop. Neither option is free. And what if you’re staying at an Airbnb? No practical way to store your bags for the day.
Moreover, taking a red-eye would leave you the worse for wear if you face a day of meetings in your destination city. Free access to the Haven Lounge (or any arrivals lounge) preserves your professional appearance and gets you mentally ready to be productive from the moment you emerge from the airport.
And, finally, without the free food and refreshments granted by your Priority Pass, you’d either be at the mercy of the paid in-flight F&B or forced to pay extortionate airport prices.
Those are some of the reasons we call this a Priority Pass Travel Hack.