Nothing beats getting airport lounge access on a long travel day—the free food, the comfy chairs, the fast wifi, and even the occasional shower are some of the perks you’ll find inside these airport havens.
But how do you get in??
There are a few main options that will grant you this coveted access, and some of them even come at the very low price of nearly free 😎
1. Credit cards
Probably our favorite way around here to get inside a lounge is by utilizing a credit card that offers this perk.
In a sense, you pay the annual fee to hold the card, but with that fee comes a tremendous amount of perks! This is especially true if we’re looking at premium cards.
You might get bonus anniversary points, travel credits, and even that sweet lounge access that more than offsets the annual fee.
For this reason, we like to think of lounge access via a credit card perk as being nearly free 🤗
General travel cards
One of our favorite premium cards that offers airport lounge access is The Platinum Card® from American Express. With this card (or the business version), you’ll gain access to:
The Centurion Lounge
Priority Pass Select Lounges (enrollment required)
Plaza Premium Lounges
Delta Sky Club (if flying Delta; 10 visits per year starting Feb. 1, 2025)
We also love the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (and its business version) for many reasons, with one of them being the lounge access it offers its members:
Capital One Lounge
Plaza Premium Lounge
Priority Pass Select
Our third choice is the Chase Sapphire Reserve® which will grant you lounge access to:
The Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club (with expanding locations!)
Priority Pass Select
Co-branded airline cards
If you’re a loyalist to a particular airline (or are hoping to become one), then getting the airline’s own credit card that offers lounge access might be the right fit for you.
For example, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card will offer cardholders 15 Sky Club Passes per year starting Feb. 1, 2025 (a change from unlimited access).
Delta’s Sky Clubs are known for maintaining a high caliber of status, so any access at all holds significant value!
You can also enter The Centurion Lounges by American Express, but there are some restrictions… You’ll need to still be flying with Delta, and you must have paid for your flight using the card.
What about United Airlines? The United Club℠ Infinite Card will get you and TWO guests access to United Clubs.
For all you American Airlines fans, consider the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® to get complimentary access to Admirals Clubs and other partner lounges when flying with American or another Oneworld partner airline.
However, to get the biggest bang for your buck (and the most travel value), we’d recommend applying for one of the general travel cards over the airline-specific ones.
💡 Pro tip: If you happen to have the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, did you know you also get access to Priority Pass Select lounges??
2. Fly in business or first-class
A guaranteed way to get access to an airport lounge is by flying in a premium cabin.
Flying in business class might seem untouchable due to its sky-high prices… But that’s not the case if you book it using miles and points!
This is another reason why we recommend one of those general travel cards from above. The miles and points earned on those cards can be transferred to dozens of airline partners to score a premium seat at little to no cost 🎉
3. Earn elite status with an airline
If you’re a frequent flyer, there’s a good chance you could climb your way up the elite status ladder with a particular airline.
Your efforts will be rewarded with elite status, and depending how high you get, you could be stepping foot in many airline lounges (and partner lounges!) thanks to this 😏
This route takes far more time, effort, and money though.
And because every loyalty program has different requirements, elite tiers, and rewards, the best way to find out how you could gain airport lounge access this way is to check the particular airline’s loyalty program website for details.
Bottom line
These are the three main ways to gain airport lounge access, and our vote for the easiest and most cost-effective way is to hold a credit card that offers this as a perk.
And believe us… Once you enter a lounge and experience all it has to offer, there’s truly no going back!
