Find out everything you need to know about the Priority Access Pass in our explainer below.
What is a Priority Access Pass?
A Priority Access Pass is a fully refundable £250 pass that guarantees your place at the front of the queue when ticket-inclusive packages go on sale for the Tour to South Africa in 2021.
When packages go on sale later this year, there will be a window of time – around three to four weeks – when only Priority Access Pass holders will be able to view and book.
Why was the Lions Priority Access Pass created?
It was created to give you security and peace of mind that you will have the best choice of packages, providing complete reassurance that your Tour or holiday is guaranteed and taken care of.
It gives you first dibs and means the general public can’t buy the packages during the Priority Access Pass window, which is a huge advantage to Priority Access Pass holders because of the potential scarcity of certain tickets and scarcity of hotels, particularly in South Africa.
You may want to go on a specific game drive in Kruger and that lodge can only accept 20-30 people – if you’re Priority Access Pass holder it means you will be first in the queue for it.
How do you get a Lions Priority Access Pass? How does it work?
You can get a pass by going online to LionsRugby.com/Tours and you will be directed straight through to the Priority Access Pass – it’s the first and only thing on the home page.
Once you’re on the page, you just select the amount of people you want – the number of Priority Access Passes you want – with 10 passes the most that can be purchased in one transaction.
It’s not an additional payment, it will come off your final package balance. For example, if you go on to buy a product that costs £1,000 it will actually cost £750 because this £250 is banked.
Once I have a Lions Priority Access Pass, what do I need to do next?
In the spring, the packages will go on sale to Priority Access Pass holders. If you have purchased a pass, you will have an exclusive window to book the package you want for the 2021 tour.
You will have around three to four weeks to do that and when you are a PAP holder you will receive communication to let you know when the window is open.
There is no danger of you missing out on the window but there is a finite amount of time before that window closes and then the packages will go on sale for the general public.
What are the benefits of the Priority Access Pass for Lions fans?
Lions Priority Access Pass puts you front of the queue. You get priority access before the general public, it’s easy, hassle-free and you get a genuine Lions experience.
You get looked after from end to end with regards to accommodation, plus you get all the other added benefits that come with being a Priority Access Pass holder.
You will be invited to an exclusive event in the UK for Priority Access Pass holders if you go on to purchase your package. In 2017, head coach Warren Gatland attended it, while there was lots of New Zealand-based entertainment and ex-Lions walking the room and chatting to fans.
What options are available for Priority Access Pass holders?
Our travel expertise is in providing flights and hotels, unique and exclusive events and tickets, which will give you complete peace of mind that everything is taken care of throughout your Lions experience.
The excellent thing about South Africa is that it’s a straight trip – there is no time difference and you can fly overnight, so in essence you can do a short break if you want to.
You will fly from the UK overnight, it’s an 11-and-a-half hour flight, you go to sleep when you take off, you wake up fully refreshed in the morning and there’s no time difference, no jet leg.
If you want to do a one Test tour and spend four or five nights in South Africa, take in a Lion’s den, watch the match and then come back then you can do just that.
That would mean you would only need to take a couple days off work to do a weekend break or you can do a full tour and with this one it’s eight matches, so you could go for the full 39 nights to watch all eight matches and anything in between.
The most popular option is a three-match tour, the three Tests. You would fly out mid week before the first Test and watch all three Tests before flying back after the final Test – which would be around a 19-night holiday.
That is historically our best-selling product but the location of South Africa versus New Zealand and Australia means you can easily do those shorter Tour trips.
Are there any key dates that Lions supporters need to know for the 2021 Tour?
The opportunity to purchase the Lions Priority Access Pass is actually coming to a close. In about a month’s time, the chance for you to purchase the pass will be gone.
It will likely be in February but it’s a case of ‘get your skates on’ if you want to guarantee your place on the 2021 Tour to South Africa.
What happens if I purchase the Lions Priority Access Pass and change my mind?
The Priority Access Pass is fully refundable so if you pay your £250 and then decide not to take up one of the packages when the window opens, then you will get a full refund.
Any time during 2020 if you choose not to go, you can ask for a refund and you will be refunded that cost.
I am travelling with a group of fans, do we all need Lions Priority Access?
Yes. A lead booker can buy up to 10 Priority Access Passes but if you want 20 passes then you have to do two transactions.
To get the benefit of the exclusive event in the UK, which featured Warren Gatland in 2017, you have to purchase one Priority Access Pass per traveller.
If you only buy one you will only get one invite to that event. If there are eight of you intending to go, you will need to buy eight Priority Access Passes to get the special invite to that event.
What sort of access do I get with the Lions Priority Access Pass?
Once you have bought your Lions Priority Access pass, you will receive email communication over the next few weeks to let you know what you can expect and get you excited about the Tour.
You will also receive an information brochure in the post with a reminder of your unique number that you need to use when purchasing your package when the window opens.
Only Priority Access Pass holders will get that exclusive content, no-one else will receive that brochure, which will include stories and news from the likes of Warren Gatland, Paul O’Connell and many more iconic Lions representatives.
You will then be contacted with the date when the purchasing window will open. Once the window opens, you will have three to four weeks to browse, find the package you want and book it, before they become available to everyone else.
How much interest has there been in the 2021 Tour?
This is exponentially the biggest Tour to date so don’t miss out on your chance to guarantee your place at the front of the queue, ensuring you get first dibs on what you want before it sells out.
The fact that the Lions are playing the Springboks, who are the world champions, really just adds to it.
The Lions still remain the ultimate from a player and a fan perspective, there’s still this magic and mystique about a Lions Tour. It’s still as powerful as it ever has been to follow them.
Even though a Rugby World Cup is brilliant, it doesn’t quite have the same feeling as Lions Tour – you are all in it together, it doesn’t matter if you’re English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish.
And a Lions Tour to South Africa is special in its own right, with the memories of 1974, 1997 and going to the home of the world champions again.
