I'm about to leave on a multiweek trip to Asia and am kicking things off with a quick visit to the United Club lounge at SFO International Terminal A. This is a quick lounge review article with details on how I accessed the lounge.
How I Accessed This Lounge
I recently completed a status match with Turkish Airlines using my American Airlines Platinum Pro (Oneworld Emerald) status. With my newfound Star Alliance Gold status, I was able to get access to this lounge for me and my girlfriend.
According to the Star Alliance website, access criteria for these lounges is as follows:
- You present your boarding pass of a Star Alliance member airline operated flight which departs at the same day as your visit or latest by 05:00 AM the next morning
- If your boarding pass does not carry the Star Alliance Gold indicator, you will need to also show your valid Star Alliance Gold card
- The lounge displays the Star Alliance Gold logo at the entrance
In my case, the United Club lounge had the Star Alliance gold symbol. However, I did not link my Turkish Airlines number to my Singapore Airlines ticket because I wanted to earn Alaska Airlines miles for this flight. Consequently, I ended up having to show the desk attendant my Turkish Airlines card. After a minute or two, the agent was able to verify my status and my boarding pass, and I was able to get in smoothly.
You can also access this lounge if you have the appropriate United Club membership. United Club℠ Infinite Card automatically get this membership, but you can also buy the membership from United's website for $550–650/year, depending on your MileagePlus status tier.
A Hilarious Attempt: Trying To Access The United Polaris Lounge
Ok, I'm not going to lie. I thought I had access to the Polaris lounge via Star Alliance Gold status. However, I was very wrong on this part, and the desk agent quickly told me to politely go away to the club lounge.
Upon a post-mortem investigation, the reasoning is as follows: with Star Alliance Gold, you can access partner lounges with a Star Alliance Gold symbol. The Polaris lounge is not considered a general Star Alliance Gold lounge; as the desk agent put it, they are "different products."
The Lounge: A Bit Old And Small, But Not Terrible
I've been to the Polaris lounge before, and this is definitely not the same vibes. This lounge is a bit small—it's basically just a big rectangle with some juts here and there for additional privacy and seating.
After going downstairs, you're greeted with the general lounge opening area, which has a lot of seating arranged in the middle and sides. If you keep walking, you'll then find the food area.
The bathrooms are a bit dingy and dark. While I didn't get any specific photos here, the water flow of the faucets wasn't particularly great and the soap dispensers confused me a little bit (they were positioned right next to the
The Food
Turkey brie sandwiches
Balsamic chicken & baked artichokes
Turkey brie sandwiches
The food spread at this lounge was ok. There was a good variety of carbs and proteins. Today's featured dishes were the braised balsamic chicken and baked artichokes. While the chicken was actually pretty good (very juicy and flavorful), I was not a fan of the baked artichokes at all.
The Turkey Brie sandwich was surprisingly good (a lot better than it looked) and they had a good array of salads. Wasabi peas were definitely the most unsuspecting thing of this lounge—and they were really delicious! Certainly woke me up to say the least.
Overall, I'd say the food at this lounge was passable. It's certainly not an AMEX Centurion Lounge nor the Polaris Lounge, but good free food is still free food.
Chicken + turkey brie sandwich
The surprisingly good Wasabi peas
My Overall Rating Of The Lounge: 4/10
I rate lounges based on a few general criteria:
- Food Quality & Variety: 4/10
- Cleanliness: 8/10
- Interior Design: 2/10
- Unique Amenities: 1/10
In terms of food, this lounge didn’t really have anything too special going for it. The food was definitely fine for what it was. It was a pretty clean lounge—staff frequently took out my dishes and cups as I was eating. However, the interior design wasn’t anything particularly impressive; it just had a rather old feel to it. Additionally, there wasn’t anything special about the lounge itself. While some lounges offer spas and facial treatments, this lounge just had a rather dingy looking quiet area.
Let's be clear: if this was the only lounge available, I'd still definitely go to it. However, it is by no means an amazing lounge.
Conclusion
The United Club at SFO International Terminal A is a decent lounge that can be accessed with either the United Club membership (via the credit card) or qualifying Star Alliance status. While it is not the most impressive lounge out there, it certainly beats out some of the other Priority Pass offerings available in SFO’s Terminal A and provides an ok overall experience for what it is.
