Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Which Credit Card Offers Airport Lounge Access

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Getting Airport Lounge Access With Your Credit Card

Which Credit Cards Offer Airport Lounge Access?

If you want to get airport lounge access but don’t know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 3 easy steps:

1. Tell us which airport you’re flying out of or into.

2. Select whether you have any of the special travel rewards or airline credit cards, or are flying in a premium fare class.

3. Enter which airline you’re flying with.

How To Choose The Right Credit Card For Airport Lounge Access

If youre struggling to decide among credit cards with lounge access, youll need to compare each card option based on several different factors. These tips can help:

  • . If you want a credit card with unlimited lounge access, picking an option with a Priority Pass Select membership is a smart move. But since the fees are higher for cards with unlimited plans, you can also consider cards with a set number of lounge visits per year. For example, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card only gives you 10 visits per membership year but the annual fee is just $95 .
  • Figure out the type of rewards you want to earn. Look at the best credit cards for lounge access in terms of the points or miles they offer. Some cards will give you flexible rewards you can spend in more than one way, while others let you rack up airline miles or hotel points instead.
  • Compare other perks you receive. All credit cards with lounge access charge an annual fee, but the benefits you receive can more than make up for it. Look at the welcome bonuses and ongoing rewards that each of the top cards offers, and compare other perks like travel credits or credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership.

Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

Earn 12 Hilton Honors points per dollar for purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio 6x per dollar at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, on U.S. shipping purchases, at U.S. restaurants, on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel and on car rentals booked directly from rental agencies then 3x on other eligible purchases. Thats a lot of earning potential!

Cardholders get automatic Hilton Honors Gold status and a free weekend night reward after hitting $15,000 in spending on purchases in a calendar year.

Official application link: Hilton Honors American Express Business Card with 180,000 Hilton Honors bonus points 130,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 on purchases on the card in the first three months of card membership, plus an additional 50,000 bonus points after you spend a total of $10,000 on purchases on the card in the first six months.

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Us Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card

This card earns 3 points per dollar on travel and mobile wallet purchases and 1 point per dollar on everything else.

Cardholders can redeem points for 1.5 cents apiece on airfare, hotels and car rentals . They can also count on 12 complimentary Gogo inflight Wi-Fi passes each year, which can save them a chunk of change, plus reimbursement for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application once every four years .

Finally, this card comes with up to $325 in statement credits per cardmember year for purchases made directly from airlines, hotels, car rental companies, taxis, limousines, passenger trains and cruise lines, as well as the new categories of takeout, food delivery and dining.

Estimated Savings Vs Annual Fee

3 Best Credit Cards for Free Access to Airport Lounges

A high annual fee is off-putting. But if youre a constant globetrotter who seems to spend more time in the airport terminal than your living room, you might save money by paying a high annual fee for a card with unlimited lounge visits, like the Amex Platinum. Take the number of lounge visits you estimate that youll need annually, multiply it by $32 , and add $100 . If the annual fee of the card youre considering is equal to or less than that number, youll save money with it.

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What Are The Types Of Airport Lounge Networks

There are several distinct types of lounge networks, including

  • Airline specific lounges
  • Independent lounge networks

Airline specific lounges

include the American Express Centurion Lounges and newly introduced Sapphire Lounges by the Club. These lounges are accessible with ownership of certain credit cards like the Platinum card from American Express for access to the Centurion Lounges, or, in the case of the Sapphire Lounges by the Club, sometimes with Priority Pass membership.

Independent network lounges include Priority Pass lounges, Loungebuddy and the Global Lounge Network. These networks are made up of lots of different types of lounges with varying amenities. Travelers can access these lounges through credit card benefits like Priority Pass Select membership or Loungebuddy reimbursement through American Express® Green Card ownership, memberships purchased directly through the networks, or, for Loungebuddy, with purchase of individual entry to a specific lounge. Independent lounges are often the ones credit cards will provide you access to, the exception being that some airline branded credit cards provide access to the airline’s specific lounges.

Key Features Of The American Express Green Card

All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The American Express® Green Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.

Card type: Travel, dining.

Annual fee: $150.

Welcome offer: Earn 45,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $2,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. Terms Apply.

Rewards:

  • 3 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on eligible travel purchases.

  • 3 points per dollar spent on restaurants worldwide.

  • 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases.

  • Terms apply.

Membership Rewards points are super-flexible and can range in value from about 0.5 cents to 1 cent each depending on how you redeem them, with travel and gift card redemptions generally being the most valuable. Points are also transferable and can be worth even more if redeemed strategically after being transferred to other loyalty programs.

Airlines:

For details on transfer ratios, see AmEx’s website.

Foreign transaction fees: None.

Other benefits:

  • Up to $100 per year in statement credit when you use the card to pay for your Clear membership fee.

  • Up to $100 per year in statement credit when you purchase LoungeBuddy passes with your card.

  • Get a complimentary one-year pass to Uber’s restaurant takeout and grocery delivery membership. This subscription normally costs $119 a year, and it offers a $0 delivery fee, 5% off restaurant orders over $15, and a $0 grocery delivery fee over $30 .

  • Terms apply.

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American Express Green Card

One thing I can appreciate with the Amex Green card is that its different than the rest of the cards, offering a fresh take on the lounge access benefit.

While other cards primarily focus on Priority Pass, the Green card doesnt. With your American Express Green card, youll receive a $100 LoungeBuddy credit each calendar year.

Not too bad for a card that carries a $150 annual fee!

This credit allows you to purchase a one-time pass for participating lounges around the world. You can purchase your pass the day you travel or in advance.

Lounge access using LoungeBuddy starts at $25.

This ideally will be useful for the infrequent traveler, or someone looking to use LoungeBuddy to complement their Priority Pass Lounge access offered through another card.

Amex Platinum Airport Lounge Guest Rules

Best Cards with Airport Lounge Access 2022 (pt. 1) | Are Airport Lounges Worth It? | CSR, Venture X
  • Centurion Lounges: Bring two guests for free. After February 1, 2023, $50 per guest age 18+ and $30 per guest age 17 and below. You can still receive two free guests by spending $75,000 on your card in a calendar year.
  • Priority Pass: Bring two guests for free .
  • Delta Sky Club: No free guests.
  • Escape Lounges: Bring two guests for free.
  • Plaza Premium: Bring two guests for free.
  • Lufthansa Lounges: No free guests. Some locations won’t even allow guests for a fee.

The Amex Platinum charges a $695 annual fee but it comes excellent ongoing benefits, such as:

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express offers the exact same airport lounge access and guest policies as the personal Amex Platinum. However, this card is marketed to an entirely different audience.

This is a small business card, meaning you must have a for-profit venture to qualify for the Amex Business Platinum. Its key benefits are more closely aligned with business expenses:

This card comes with 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases with your card within the first 3 months of card membership. Again, Insider values Amex points at 1.8 cents each, making this bonus worth $2,160 in travel, on average.

This card offers membership in two lounge networks:

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with a $550 annual fee. But for that price, you’ll also receive:

  • Baggage delay insurance
  • Lost luggage reimbursement

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How Do I Know If My Credit Card Has Airport Lounge Access

Internet searches usually tell you whether a credit card offers airport lounge access. Try queries such as Does the XXX card offer free lounge access? or Which credit cards provide complimentary lounge access?

Of course, you must confirm the query results by reading a credit cards disclosures .

The fine print reveals whether your access is unlimited or valid only for a few visits per year. Youll also find details regarding guests how many you can bring, how often you can bring them, and how much youll have to pay once you exhaust your free passes for the year.

Also, check out the lounge facilities at your local airport. For example, if the airport has only a Delta Sky Club lounge, you must own an Amex or co-branded Delta credit card offering free access. Several credit cards grant you access to multiple lounge networks, a valuable perk if you frequently travel to various destinations.

You can also refer to articles specifically about credit card lounge access or, better yet, all the perks available from travel cards. You deserve the full range of benefits when plunking down a hefty annual fee.

Standard Chartered Visa Infinite Credit Card

The Standard Chartered Visa Infinite Credit Card is one of the most exclusive air miles credit cards in Singapore. Similar to the DBS Altitude Cards and the Citi PremierMiles Visa Card, you get a complimentary Priority Pass membership. But because this is a Visa Infinite Card, members get 6 free visits to airport lounges a year. Lounge visit fees of US$32 per person, per visit, will be chargeable for every subsequent visit after the the 6 Priority Pass Free Visits.

Unless you are a Priority/Private Banking customer with Standard Chartered, you have to earn a minimum annual income of S$150,000 to apply for this card.

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One Of The Best Credit Cards For Airport Lounges Is No Longer Available

The Ritz-Carlton Credit Card is perhaps the best travel credit card that isn’t on the market. It’s’ not available to new applicants but there’s a way you can still get it.

If you ask them, Chase can convert your existing Marriott credit card, such as the or , into the Ritz-Carlton Card. The only catch is that you must have held your current Marriott card for at least one year, and your credit limit must be $10,000 or more. If your credit limit is lower, you can request that credit from your other Chase cards be reallocated to the Ritz-Carlton Card.

The Chase Ritz-Carlton Card comes with Priority Pass lounge access. Here are a few reasons why it’s better than the majority of travel credit cards for airport lounges:

  • There’s no cap on the number of free guests you can bring with you. If you travel with a large family, this could save you $100+ every time you visit a lounge.
  • You can add authorized users for free, and they get their own Priority Pass membership .
  • The Priority Pass membership issued from the Ritz-Carlton card qualifies for Priority Pass restaurant discounts .

You won’t get a sign-up bonus since there’s no way to apply for the card. But it also comes with valuable benefits such as:

  • Up to $300 in annual credits to offset airline incidentals
  • Annual free night certificate with Marriott for hotels costing up to 50,000 points per night
  • Top-tier travel coverage

This card comes with a $450 annual fee.

How To Get Free Access To Airport Lounges In India

How a Premium Credit Card Can Help You

If you are at any airport lounge within India then just show your credit card at the reception. They would swipe and check if they have an agreement with your bank for complimentary access.

You may see Rs. 1 transaction charge on your credit card statement if they accept your credit card.

After that.. just relax and have your food in the lounge. Some lounges also provide liquor free of cost.

For International Lounges Access you need Priority Pass. Some credit card banks ask you to fill up an additional application form to issue you priority pass free of cost.

Make sure you keep the record of your complimentary access numbers through priority pass. You would be charged $27+tax if you exceed the allowed number of free access.

Here is the latest list of airport lounges access with each credit card.

Save this article for your reference.

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The Easy Way To Get Mastercard Airport Lounge Access

Airport lounge access used to be reserved for exclusive flyers or frequent flyers with everyday customers having to pay premium prices to access these private lounges for a chance to relax before their flight.

However, airport lounge access is slowly becoming more accessible to all flyers through lounge memberships, one-day passes, and free airport lounge access with your credit card. Mastercard airport lounge access is one of the most common benefits of World & Platinum cardholders to make the most of their airport experience.

While the Mastercard airport lounge access program benefits eligible Mastercard holders, many may not know how to take advantage of the variety of benefits that helps transform your airport experience.

As an eligible Mastercard customer, registering for access to the Mastercard airport lounges and determining which of the over 400 airports worldwide you can use your benefit is a time-consuming process, especially if you are in a rush or have an unexpected flight delay.

DoNotPay is a faster and more convenient way to find world elite Mastercard lounge access. Its an automated, less frustrating way to get airport lounge access without paying the premium price.

Which Credit Cards Provide Airport Lounge Access And How To Use Them

Credit cards that provide airport lounge access are a great way to have a break from the airport. But not all , so its important to check with your cards issuer to see if you qualify.

Some common credit cards that do offer airport lounge access include American Express Platinum Card, Citi Executive AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard, and Visa Signature Black Card.

But before you start using your credit card for airport lounge access, you should call the number on the back of your card and verify that it does in fact provide this benefit. You also need to make sure that the airport where youre going offers a lounge-access program!

The specific details about how to use your particular credit card will vary depending on whether or not it provides airport lounge access. But in general, when you arrive at a participating airport, visit a designated counter and inform them that you want to use your for lounge access.

Theyll then swipe your card through an automated kiosk and print out a voucher for one day of complimentary entrance into the airports VIP terminal.

Once inside, simply present your voucher at any available entrance and enjoy!

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Hilton Honors Aspire Card From American Express*

The Hilton Honors Aspire Card has a more lucrative lounge benefit with unlimited access to over 1,200 lounges worldwide in the Priority Pass network. Cardholders are also allotted up to two guests per visit at no additional cost.

The annual fee for the Aspire Card is higher than that of the Surpass at $450 a year. Frequent fliers can justify that cost by receiving a $250 annual credit that supplements incidental fees like checked baggage for one qualifying airline of your choice that you must select each year. Cardholders also receive complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status and a welcome bonus: 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of opening an account.

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Union Bank Airport Lounge Access Debit & Credit Cards.

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What Is An Airport Lounge

The function of an airport lounge is to provide a calm oasis amid the hubbub of airport activity. Once identifiable by discreet wall plaques, airport lounges nowadays are big and bold, beckoning weary travelers to shell out a few hundred dollars for an annual card membership.

You can save that money by getting a credit card with complimentary airport lounge access. Yes, this kind of card usually has a high annual fee, but the best offer value that exceeds the cost.

Even the most basic airport lounge offers comfortable seating and room to stretch out or work. Large-screen TVs, good cellphone reception, reading material , and personalized travel assistance are also standard.

The more opulent lounges shower you with, well, showers, plus sleep facilities, complimentary food and drink, and even a clothes-pressing service. Some offer craft cocktails , beers, wines, and premium liquors. A few can sell you a hot meal.

Watch on

A lounge network may span the globe or have only a few select locations. The number and distribution of lounges accessible through a credit card benefit varies considerably.

Owning a card with complimentary lounge access isnt enough to get you in the door. You may have to join the offered lounge network. In addition, you must present a same-day boarding pass and some form of ID. Some lounges admit travelers no sooner than three hours before departure.

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