Best credit cards for airport lounge access

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The airport is usually not an enjoyable place to spend time, especially when delays spring up. You can easily spend an entire day at a crowded airport gate, spending significant money on food and drinks while you wait.

Having airport lounge access can change your airport experience entirely. Many premium travel credit cards offer complimentary, unlimited access to thousands of airport lounges worldwide. When choosing a credit card for lounge access, consider the annual fee, rewards, other benefits and whether that card fits your travel needs. Here is our guide on airport lounge access and recommendations for the best credit cards.

Comparing the best credit cards for airport lounge access

Card Name Best for Airport Lounge Access Details Annual Fee Bankrate Score
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Luxury travel
  • Sapphire Lounge by the Club access
  • Priority Pass Select membership
  • Cardholders and authorized users have membership and can bring up to two guests
$550 5.0
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Sharing access
  • Priority Pass Select membership
  • Capital One Lounge access
  • Plaza Premium lounge access
  • Cardholders and authorized users have membership and can bring up to two guests
$395 5.0
The Platinum Card® from American Express Most extensive lounge selection
  • The Centurion Lounge network (primary cardholder only)
  • Delta Sky Club access (when flying with Delta on a non-Basic Economy ticket, limited to 10 visits per program year starting 2/1/2025)
  • Escape Lounge – The Centurion Studio Partner access (can bring up to two guests)
  • Lufthansa lounge access (when flying with Lufthansa, primary cardholder only)
  • Priority Pass Select (can bring up to two guests)
  • Plaza Premium lounge access (can bring up to two guests)
  • Other Global Lounge Collection partner lounge access
$695 4.8
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Delta Sky Club access
  • Delta Sky Club access (when flying with Delta on a non-Basic Economy ticket, limited to 15 visits per program year starting 2/1/2025)
  • Four free Delta Sky Club one-time guest passes annually
  • The Centurion Lounge network (primary cardholder only when traveling with Delta)
  • Escape Lounge – The Centurion Studio Partner access
$650 4.3
United Club℠ Infinite Card United Club access
  • United Club and participating Star Alliance lounge membership (can bring two adult guests or one adult guest plus any dependent children under age 21)
$525 4.4
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®* Admirals Club access
  • Admirals Club membership (cardholder can bring immediate family or two guests; authorized users have access privileges only)
$595 4.5

Top credit cards for airport lounge access

  • Green circle with a checkmark inside

    Pros

    • The travel credit works for a wide range of travel-related expenses, including airport parking.
    • You’ll get top-of-the-line travel protections if you use your card to pay for travel.
    Red circle with an X inside

    Cons

    • There are only four Sapphire lounges currently available.
    • It doesn’t offer access to as many lounges as its competitors.

  • Green circle with a checkmark inside

    Pros

    • You can gift Priority Pass membership to your authorized users, who can also bring guests with them.
    • This card has the lowest annual fee of the premium lounge cards.
    Red circle with an X inside

    Cons

    • It no longer offers restaurant credit with Priority Pass membership.
    • The travel benefits of this card have recently dropped in value, such as losing Hertz elite status at the end of 2024.

  • Green circle with a checkmark inside

    Pros

    • This card has access to possibly the largest number of lounges worldwide.
    • You’ll get extensive travel protections and credits with this card, which will more than offset the annual fee.
    Red circle with an X inside

    Cons

    • This card has the highest annual fee of all premium travel cards.
    • Centurion Lounge guest policies and Delta Sky Club access have been devalued recently.

  • Green circle with a checkmark inside

    Pros

    • This is Delta’s top offering for complimentary lounge access and flight upgrades.
    • The annual companion certificate and free checked baggage help to offset the annual fee.
    Red circle with an X inside

    Cons

    • The high annual fee might not be worth it, especially if you don’t earn elite status.
    • The card has mediocre reward rates outside of Delta purchases.

  • Green circle with a checkmark inside

    Pros

    • You’ll have access to Star Alliance lounges and United lounges, which is valuable for traveling abroad.
    • You’ll enjoy numerous additional benefits for travel-related needs outside of flying United.
    Red circle with an X inside

    Cons

    • This can be a pricey card if United isn’t your primary airline.
    • You can earn more United miles with other cards in categories outside of United purchases.

  • Green circle with a checkmark inside

    Pros

    • The card grants unlimited Admirals Club access to the primary cardholder and immediate family, which can be a significant value.
    • You’ll earn excellent rates on American Airlines purchases and get solid in-flight benefits like priority boarding when flying with American Airlines.
    Red circle with an X inside

    Cons

    • Justifying the annual fee is hard if you don’t fly with American Airlines frequently.
    • There isn’t much value in spending on the card outside American Airlines purchases.

How airport lounge access works

The quality of lounges can vary widely based on location and brand. While every lounge differs in terms of what they offer, they all give you a less crowded and more comfortable place to relax.

Airline-specific lounges

Many airlines have lounge membership programs where you can pay for membership or have access through elite status. You’ll also have access to the lounge when flying in a premium class, although it differs by airline and itinerary.

If you don’t want to pay for a membership, the right co-branded credit card might give it to you as a benefit. You may also get the membership at a lower cost or a certain amount of passes annually. For instance, the United Club Infinite card gets unlimited access to United Clubs (worth up to $650 annually).

If you’re researching airline credit cards for lounge access, remember that certain limitations will apply. For example, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card only lets you access Delta Sky Clubs and Centurion Lounges when you fly with Delta. Also, if you have a Basic Economy ticket, you won’t have access to Sky Clubs for that itinerary.

Credit card lounges

Access premium lounges with premium cards.

You’ll also find lounges exclusively for premium cardholders. These can be a step up in quality from most lounges and offer an ideal place to relax. One of the most popular with the most locations are Amex Centurion lounges.

Only cardholders of the Amex Platinum or Centurion cards have complimentary access. However, due to overcrowding, American Express recently changed its guest access policy. You can pay per guest or spend $75,000 annually on a qualifying American Express card for complimentary guest access.

Chase and Capital One are also entering this arena with their own credit card lounges. While there are more in development, each has only a few locations. You’ll need the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Capital One Venture X Rewards card to enter those lounges.

Access to these lounges comes at the expense of a high annual fee on the cards needed for entry. The Amex Platinum charges $695, the Sapphire Reserve charges $550 and the Capital One Venture X card charges $395. However, each card offers enough additional benefits to offset the fee if you regularly use lounge access. So, there is an added incentive to pick up one of these cards if you have one of these lounges in your home airport.

Priority Pass

Priority Pass is one of the most popular and common airport lounge memberships featured as a credit card benefit. You don’t have to fly with a specific airline to enter one of more than 1,400 locations in airports worldwide. You’ll need to purchase a Priority Pass membership or hold a credit card that offers access to Priority Pass lounges. However, these lounges are generally not as luxurious as other lounges and can often be overcrowded.

There are tiered membership levels, and certain cards offer better Priority Pass benefits than others. Some only offer a limited number of annual visits, while others provide unlimited visits for the cardholder and additional guests. Be sure to consider the difference between card offerings to find what best suits your needs.

How to choose a credit card for lounge access

If you’re debating between credit cards with lounge access, you can use these tips to help compare options:

  • Decide if you want unlimited access. If you want a credit card with unlimited lounge access, you’ll want to choose an option with a Priority Pass Select membership or unlimited access to a credit card or airline lounge. However, fees can be higher for cards with unlimited lounge access, so you might consider cards with a set number of lounge visits per year at a lower fee.
  • See what lounges are at your home airport. It makes sense to prioritize cards accessing lounges at your home airport. For example, the Amex Platinum might be ideal if you have a Centurion Lounge at your home airport.
  • Remember your travel companions. If you travel regularly with family or friends, consider guest access policies on various cards. For instance, Centurion lounges no longer grant complimentary guest access, while the Capital One Venture X lets you share access with multiple people who can bring their own guests.
  • Compare other perks. All credit cards with lounge access charge an annual fee, but the benefits you receive can offset it. Consider the welcome bonuses, rewards and perks offered to see if that can be the deciding factor.

Frequently asked questions

  • An airline-specific lounge is the only type of lounge you can visit for free without a membership. While each airline has different rules, you’ll typically need a premium class ticket on a qualifying flight for each person who wants to visit the lounge.

  • Every lounge has different rules, but a good rule of thumb is that you can access a lounge for a maximum of 3-4 hours. Some only allow entry within a certain timeframe of your flight, while others cap the amount of time you can stay. If you have a lengthy layover, you can plan your time to spend in multiple lounges, depending on your location.

  • Popular lounges can get very crowded at peak times. Most have capacity limits, so they will employ a waitlist if you can’t immediately access the lounge. They will usually quote an estimated wait time and text you when you can enter. Depending on your flight times, this may defeat the purpose of visiting, especially if the lounge is far from your gate.

What’s next?

Check out the resources below to find a card that matches your travel needs and to help budget for your next trip.

The bottom line

The best credit cards with airport lounge access offer a variety of benefits in exchange for a high annual fee. Pay attention to the different lounge access types and benefits each card offers.

When deciding between cards, you’ll want to choose a travel card that best suits your travel needs. Consider the type of rewards offered, the travel benefits provided and whether you’ll utilize those benefits enough to offset the annual fee.

*The information about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® and United Club℠ Infinite Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

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