What do I need to know about the lounge access benefit?

Complimentary visits are allocated per calendar year and do not carry over. They are available only to the primary or secondary cardholder. Guests and children receive a discounted rate charged to the cardholder’s account. There is no monthly usage limit, and visits can be used for both local and international lounges. Non-qualifying visits are billed at the Absa preferential rate.

What are the qualifying criteria for lounge access?

You must have an eligible Absa Visa card in good standing, matching the name on your boarding pass. You may need to meet a spending requirement and be registered on the Absa Rewards program. The offer is available only to primary and/or secondary cardholders.

How does lounge access work?

Present your physical Absa Visa card and boarding pass to gain access. Secondary cardholders must use their own card. If bringing guests, you must specify which card is used for entry. Lounge staff cannot advise on benefits—call the number on your card for details. Complimentary visits are recorded and assessed at month-end to determine any additional charges.

What are the rates and fees for lounge access?

From 1 May 2024 to 30 April 2025, public walk-in rates are R300 (Domestic) and R620 (International). Absa cardholders pay a preferential rate of R255 (Domestic) and R527 (International) for visits exceeding their annual benefit. Early check-in fees are R38 per 15 minutes (Domestic) and R40 per 15 minutes (International).

Which airports have Bidvest lounges?

Bidvest Domestic Lounges: OR Tambo, Lanseria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town, King Phalo, King Shaka, Chief Dawid Stuurman, George, Kruger Mpumalanga. Bidvest International Lounges: OR Tambo International, Cape Town International 1 & 2, Kruger Mpumalanga International.

Access Bidvest Airport Lounges at preferential rates

Benefits & Conditions

Student Credit Card

3 complimentary visits per credit card account per year

Preferential Rate thereafter

Gold Credit Card

Unlimited access for primary cardholder at preferential rates

British Airways

8 complimentary visits annually
available to British Airways Credit Card holders
(shared allocation across the primary and secondary cards)

4 Domestic Lounge visits
4 International Departure Lounge visits

Preferential Rate thereafter

Premium Credit Card

12 complimentary visits* (shared across primary and secondary cards)

Preferential rate thereafter

*Qualifying spend criteria

Spend R7 000 in the month in which the Bidvest airport lounge is used or spend a total of R21 000 over 3 consecutive months before and during the month of the lounge visit.

You still get access to lounges even if you spend less than the qualifying amount or have used all your complimentary visits, but at the Absa preferential rate

Absa Rewards member

To qualify for your lounge benefits you must be registered on the Absa Rewards programme

Ultimate and Ultimate Islamic

Two visits* if you have an Ultimate transactional account only

Plus

Two visits* if you have a Gold Credit Card linked to your Ultimate Account

All lounge visits across primary and secondary cards count towards your total allowance.

*Qualifying spend criteria

Spend at least R4 000 in the month of visiting the lounge

Or

a total of R12 000 over 3 consecutive months before and during the month of the lounge visit.

If you spend less than the qualifying requirements or if you use up all your complimentary visits, you qualify for access at the Absa preferential rate.

(Combined transactional account and credit card POS/CNP spend)

Ultimate and Ultimate Islamic transactional plus account

Ultimate Plus, Ultimate Islamic Plus and Ultimate Prosperity

Seven visits* for Ultimate Plus, Ultimate Islamic Plus or Ultimate Prosperity transactional accounts only

Plus

Seven visits* if you have a Premium Credit Card linked to your Ultimate Plus Account

All lounge visits across primary and secondary cards count towards your total allowance.

*Qualifying spend criteria

Spent at least R7 000 in the month of visiting the lounge

Or

a total of R21 000 over 3 consecutive months before and during the month of the lounge visit.

If you spend less than the qualifying requirements or if you use up all your complimentary visits, you qualify for access at the Absa preferential rate.

(Combined transactional account and credit card POS/CNP spend)

* You need to meet the spend criteria:

in the month of visiting the lounge;
over a 3-month average (including the month of visiting the lounge);or
the average monthly spend criteria must be met over the calendar year, up to and including the month of visiting the lounge.

Only Point-of-Sale (POS) and Card Not Present (CNP) transactions count towards the spend criteria. Other payment types like EFT payments and revolving credit balances are not considered.

Guest access:

Please note that where there is no guest benefit on the card you will be charged the prevailing retail rate for any guests or children visiting the lounge, on entry. For cards with a complimentary guest benefit allocation, you will be charged the Absa preferential rate to your card account for visits that exceed the annual allowance.

What you need to know

Benefits
Complimentary visits are allocated per calendar year (January to December) and any unused visits will not be carried forward.

Complimentary visits are only available to the Card holder or secondary card holder/s (as specified) and cannot be transferred to guests or children.

Guests and children will benefit from a discounted rate which will immediately be charged to the relevant card account when entering the lounge.

There will be no monthly usage limit (complimentary visits are allocated per annum).

There will be no split or limit between local and international lounge visits, which means that you could use all qualifying visits for either local or international lounges as you need.

Any visits that do not meet the complimentary visit criteria will be billed to the cardholder’s account at the Absa preferential rate.

Please be sure to keep track of your visits and qualifying spend. This information can be obtained by contacting the number on the back of your card.

You are entitled to a stay of 2 hours for domestic flights and 4 hours for international flights (prior to your scheduled flight departure time). Extended time will be charged at Bidvest rates.

The airport lounges will be open 7 days a week. This may change without prior notice. Please visit the Bidvest Lounge website for updates on lounge operating hours and availability.

Bidvest Premier Airport Lounges will ensure that there is an adequate supply of refreshments, newspapers, periodicals, food and beverages.
Qualifying criteria
You need the relevant Absa personalized (customer name on card) Visa Card as per the specified benefit.

The name of the cardholder must be the same as the name on the boarding pass.

Your Visa Card must be in good standing.

You must have met the stipulated spend requirement (where applicable).

You must be registered on the Absa Rewards programme (where applicable).

This offer is only available to primary and/or secondary cardholders as specified.
How it works
The cardholder must present his/her qualifying Absa Visa card (the actual physical card, not the virtual card) and boarding pass to gain access to the lounge.

Secondary cardholders must present their own personalised card.

The name of the cardholder must be the same as the name on the boarding pass.

Where guest are taken into the lounge, cardholders must clearly specify which guests are provided entry on which card (where primary and secondary cards are used at the same time)

Bidvest lounge staff may not advise on complimentary benefits and usage rules. Customers must phone the number on the back of their card for any benefit enquiries.

When the Cardholder enters the lounge, there will be no immediate fee charged for the cardholder’s visit. The qualifying card will be swiped for record-keeping (other than for guests and children).

An assessment will be done at the end of the calendar month to determine whether the cardholder exceeded the benefit offer.

The cardholder will be billed for any visits that fall outside of the benefit offer.

What it costs

Rates & Fees

Valid from 1 May 2024 to 30 April 2025.

Public walk-in rate: Domestic Lounge – R300
Public walk-in rate: International Lounge – R620

Absa preferential rates

The following are preferential rates at which customers will be billed for all access that falls outside of their annual benefit allocation.

	Absa Card rate (customer to pay)
	Domestic lounge	International lounge
Cardholder and guests	R255	R527

Customers need to note their specific card benefits and any spend criteria rules. Only Point-of-Sale (POS) and Card Not Present (CNP) spend contributes to spend criteria. EFT payments and revolving balances are not considered.

Domestic: valid for 2 hours prior to your scheduled flight departure time
International: valid for 4 hours prior to your scheduled flight departure time
Early check-in rates: Domestic – R38 per 15 minutes. International – R40 per 15 minutes

Terms and conditions apply

List of airports where Bidvest airport lounges are located
Bidvest Domestic Lounges

OR Tambo Domestic

OR Tambo Domestic - Sky Lounge

Lanseria

Bloemfontein

Cape Town

King Phalo (East London)

King Shaka (Durban)

Chief Dawid Stuurman International (Port Elizabeth)

George

Kruger Mpumalanga International

Bidvest International Departure Lounges

OR Tambo International

Bidvest Premier Lounge Cape Town International 1

Bidvest Premier Lounge Cape Town International 2

Kruger Mpumalanga International