A credit card with lounge access can get you into some of the most amazing airport lounges in the world. Read on to find out which credit cards offering lounge access will suit you best.
by James Massoud / March 4, 2019
We recently ran an article on how to gain airport lounge access anywhere in the world, and one of the examples given was credit cards. Discover how to get airport lounge access with a credit card to help upgrade your travels.
The American Express Platinum Card
The American Express Platinum Card is arguably the number one airport lounge credit card, giving you Centurion Lounge access. You can find these in Dallas (DFW), Houston (IAH), LaGuardia (LGA), Las Vegas (LAS), Miami (MIA), Philadelphia (PHL), Seattle (SEA), and San Francisco (SFO). There’s also an international location in Hong Kong (HKG).
Just remember to book your journey to the airport using Blacklane’s professional airport transfer service if you find yourself in one of these locations.
If you’re traveling with someone, they can also gain access to Centurion Lounges at a cost of 50 USD. An annual fee for this card is 550 USD and with that comes:
- Delta Sky Club membership
- Priority Pass membership
- Rewards points when booking directly with an airline or with Amex Travel
- Rewards points when booking hotels through Amex Travel
- 200 USD credit to use toward airline fees throughout the year
The chance to earn 5x Membership Rewards points on airfares booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel (along with 5x on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel), is just one of the reasons why so many people consider it to be the best credit card for airport lounge access.
There is also a business version – the American Express Platinum Business Card, which comes with Amex gold lounge access. That means access to 1000+ airport lounges across 120+ countries with the American Express Global Lounge Collection, making it one of our top credit cards for business travel. It costs 450 USD a year.
United MileagePlus Club Card
This airport lounge credit card gives you access to every Star Alliance business lounge and United Club lounge around the world, as well as Amtrak Acela lounges. At a cost of 450 USD per year, you’ll earn 1.5 United Miles for every dollar spent and double your miles on all United Airlines purchases.
Additional benefits include:
- Two free checked bags for two people per flight
- Waivers for certain fees
- Priority boarding
- 50,000 bonus miles if you spend 3,000 USD in the first three months
Of all credit cards with lounge access, the United MileagePlus Club Card grants entry into a wide range of lounges around the world making it a very popular choice.
Citi/AAdvantage World Elite Mastercard
Another one of the top credit cards with lounge access is the Citi/AAdvantage World Elite Mastercard. With this, you can get complimentary American Airlines Admirals Club membership and bring two guests in with you absolutely free. The annual cost for the card is 450 USD and additional benefits include:
- 50,000 bonus miles if you spend 5,000 USD within the first three months
- 10,000 miles if you spend 40,000 USD each year
- Two miles per dollar for qualifying American Airlines purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- Priority boarding
- One free checked bag on domestic flights with the airline
Priority boarding and the first checked bag for free on domestic American Airlines itineraries is available for yourself and up to 8 companions traveling with you on the same reservation.
Best of all, Citi has updated their airport lounge credit card perks to include membership for authorized users of this card. Up to 10 authorized users can be added for free and since they will get up to two guests for lounge access as well, that amounts to up to 33 people with just this one card.
Delta Reserve from American Express
To gain free access to all Delta Sky Lounges around the world, you’ll need the Delta Reserve from American Express. Unfortunately, any guests you have have to pay an entry fee of 29 USD.
For an annual fee of 450 USD,, your benefits include:
- Up to 30,000 miles when you spend 60,000 USD each year
- Priority boarding
- One free checked bag
- 20 percent off in-flight purchases
The 30,000 miles you earn are broken down into two parts. You’ll receive 15,000 miles after you spend 30,000 USD and the other 15,000 miles when you spend 60,000 USD.
There’s also a business version of this airport lounge credit card – the Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card. This provides the opportunity to get an annual reserve companion certificate for first/business (or economy) travel within the 48 contiguous United States.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
With the order of a Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes Priority Pass Select, a third-party company that provides clients with access to more than 1200 airport lounges around the world. It also allows two guests to join for 27 USD each.
The annual cost for this airport lounge credit card is 450 USD and has a string of other benefits:
- 300 USD annual travel credit
- Trip cancellation or interruption insurance
- Lost luggage reimbursem*nt
- Triple reward points on all travel and dining purchases
- One point per dollar for all other purchases
This card was named “Best Premium Travel Credit Card” for 2018 by MONEY Magazine.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card
Unlike the other airport lounge credit card outlined above, the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card has some restrictions when it comes to accessing airport lounges. You only get two complimentary lounge visits per year in more than 700 airport lounges around the world. However, the card does give you Lounge Club membership, which means you can access to a wide range of lounges often at a discounted day entry price.
If you spend 2000 USD in your first three months, you can earn 20,000 bonus Membership Rewards points. Points are earned for every dollar spent, which you can redeem with a large r
As well as Amex gold lounge access, travel benefits with this card include hotel room and car rental upgrades. The annual fee for this card is 180 USD, but the annual fee is waived in the first year.
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
This card provides a Priority Pass Select, which means you can relax in more than 1000 lounges across 130 countries. The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card provides 10 free passes per year. After these run out, you can access the airport lounge at a cost of 27 USD per visit.
For Amex lounge access using this card, it will cost you 95 USD a year.
Barclaycard Business Premium Plus Credit Card Mastercard
Similarly, the Barclaycard Business Premium Plus Credit Card Mastercard costs 100 USD annually and lets you access airport lounges for free twice in the year. Additional visits after that cost 15 USD.
Designed for businesses with frequent overseas travel and trade, this premium credit card offers a whole bunch of perks on top of lounge access, including reduced foreign exchange fees and cashback on all your spending.
Discounts apply to a number of the Barclays Business Rewards partners, which include Amazon Business, Experian, and booking.com.
United Explorer Business Card
Also costing 95 USD a year is the United Explorer Business Card. This acts differently to the Hilton Honors American Express Business card, though in that you get two single day passes issued per card anniversary year.
You’ll get 75,000 bonus miles after you spend 5000 USD in the first three months after your account is open. There’s also the opportunity to earn two miles for every dollar spent on United purchases and in selected restaurants, gas stations, and office supply stores.
Priority boarding and free first checked bag saved 120 USD per round trip.
Coutts and Co Silk Credit Card Visa
Want visa card lounge access? Then this card is worth considering. You’ll get a
There’s also a Coutts and Co Silk Charge Mastercard option. This gives M
HSBC Premier Credit Card Mastercard
The HSBC Premier Credit Card Mastercard acts exactly the same way as the Coutts and Co Silk Credit Card Visa and is another option worth considering if you don’t want to pay an annual sum.
The HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard costs 200 USD per annum and give you membership to LoungeKey. This opens up a wide range of complimentary access to more than 750 airport lounges globally.
Santander World Elite Mastercard
This airport lounge credit card is slightly different from all the others in that there is a monthly fee of 15 USD attached to it. The Santander World Elite Mastercard also provides LoungeKey membership and gives complimentary airport lounge access in over 1000 airports around the world.
This is a beneficial card for frequent flyers. As well as LoungeKey membership, it also provides
Allied Irish Bank (GB) Visa Gold Card
At a cost of 75 USD per annum, the Allied Irish Bank (GB) Visa Gold Card is your Priority Pass to more than 600 executive airport lounges.
The AIB card, offered on the Visa network, can be used globally in more than 20 million locations. It is a charge card though, so users are expected to clear their balance every month. This payment flexibility does have its benefits. You can buy something at the start of the month and pay for it at the end of the month, and enjoy a few attractive perks along the way.
N26
This is one of the newest credit cards with lounge access. The N26 credit card offers the benefits of a standard N26 account, with perks including LoungeKey membership. That means LoungeKey Airport Experiences membership, which gives you access to 1,000 destinations.
Extra benefits include:
- Free unlimited ATM withdrawals and travel insurance, which protects against unforeseen expenses.
- Metal account holders get exclusive access to dedicated customer support for quick troubleshooting.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Massoud
James Massoud is an experienced, London-based food and travel writer regularly contributing to luxury lifestyle magazines such as 7* Life and the Kensington & Chelsea Review.
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