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The feelings often associated with flying tend to be dreary — especially when it comes to overcrowded airports. Between time spent waiting in line to check in and get through security, dodging other passengers in narrow corridors and waiting in a gate area that never seems to have enough seats, there’s plenty that makes the flying experience less than ideal.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
There are places in the airport you can go to escape the manic nature of the terminal. They’re called airport lounges. Airport lounges are some of the most idyllic places to spend time before your flight. They often offer free food and drinks, ample seating, free Wi-Fi and additional amenities like showers and nap pods, and some even offer spas, barbershops and workout equipment.
Accessing airport lounges can be easy too, as they’re often not reserved for the most frequent flyers. Even if you only travel a couple of times per year, you can gain access to lounges all across the globe without paying a fortune.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common ways you can access airport lounges around the world.
Credit cards with VIP perks
By far the easiest way to ensure you can access an airport lounge is with a credit card. There are a number of credit cards that offer lounge access as a perk of simply having the card. The best example of this is The Platinum Card® from American Express, which is often considered one of the best overall credit cards for frequent travelers.
With the Amex Platinum Card, card members are allowed to access any of American Express’s own network of Centurion Lounges. Centurion Lounges are some of the nicest airport lounges in the US, given their comfy environments, business-related services and curated menus that offer free food and drinks for travelers.
Currently, there are 24 Centurion Lounges around the world at these domestic and international airports:
- Domestic: Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/JFK, New York/LGA, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle.
- International: Buenos Aires, Delhi, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Mexico City, Monterrey, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Sydney.
Additionally, American Express has announced plans to open new locations in Atlanta (ATL), Newark (EWR) and Washington-Dulles (IAD).
As of Feb. 1, 2023, American Express has changed the guest access policy for Centurion Lounges. Now, the Amex Platinum Card and Business Platinum Card® from American Express card holders will be charged a $50 fee for each guest, though if you spend enough on your card each year, you may be exempt from the new fee.
With the Amex Platinum card, members also have access to Delta Air Lines’s network of Sky Club lounges, so long as you’re flying on a Delta-operated flight on the same day (this benefit is changing Feb 1, 2025, where you’ll only receive 10 visits per year, unless you spend $75,000 or more on your card in a calendar year).
It’s not just Amex that has its own set of lounges. In November 2021, Capital One opened its first-ever airport lounge at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). The first lounge in the Capital One network has quickly become one of the best domestic lounges thanks to its premium food offerings, multiple relaxation areas, two Peloton bikes and bar with custom cocktails.
Plus, the bank has two smaller lounges in Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Denver International Airport (DEN), with more to come in the future.
Access to Capital One Lounges is reserved for card holders of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. Additionally, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Spark Miles for Business card holders get two free visits per year (until Dec. 31, 2024) and then a fee of $45 per visit each time thereafter.
In June 2022, Capital One revamped the lounge access benefits on its Venture X card. Venture X card holders can access to more than 100 Plaza Premium Lounges around the world.
Chase entered the issuer-branded airport lounge trend in 2022. With its lounge network, called Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club, it has lounges in Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), New York LaGuardia (LGA) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Plus, it plans to open locations in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and San Diego International Airport (SAN).
Chase Sapphire Reserve® card holders can access Chase lounges as many times as they’d like, so long as they have their included Priority Pass card. If you have Priority Pass from another credit card, you can access Chase lounges in the US once per calendar year with your Priority Pass card.
What is Priority Pass?
Priority Pass is a global network of more than 1,500 lounges where members can enjoy a relaxing space, food and drinks before their flight. Some Priority Pass benefits extend beyond lounges to restaurants within the airport terminal, letting members save money on meals.
Also, some cards allow card holders to take guests into Priority Pass lounges for free, while other memberships charge for guest access.
A number of cards — including the Amex Platinum, Sapphire Reserve and Capital One Venture X — offer a Priority Pass membership as a benefit of having the card (enrollment required).
Access airline lounges with select credit cards
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have their own respective lounge networks as well, dubbed Admirals Clubs, Sky Clubs and United Clubs, respectively.
Each airline typically allows select elite members, international premium-cabin flyers and people with the airline’s top-tier credit cards to access their lounges.
For example, with the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, card members receive an Admirals Club membership, including access for up to two guests, while the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card provides access to Delta Sky Clubs when you’re traveling Delta on a same-day ticket (this benefit is changing Feb 1, 2025, where you’ll only receive 15 visits per year, unless you spend $75,000 or more on your card in a calendar year).
Membership service
If you don’t think you’ll get enough use out of a credit card to justify its annual fee, you can consider purchasing a lounge membership all on its own. Priority Pass, which offers a network of lounges across the globe, allows travelers to purchase a membership outright.
Priority Pass offers three levels of membership, which vary in price depending how much you plan to use the service:
- Standard — $99 per year, which allows you to access lounges for $32 per visit. You can also pay $35 for each guest traveling with you to enter the lounge.
- Standard Plus — $329 per year, which grants you 10 free visits each year and then costs $35 for each visit thereafter. Additionally, each guest costs $35, even for the first 10 visits.
- Prestige — $469 per year, which grants you unlimited free visits each year. Each guest will cost $35.
Keep in mind that if you think you may use the service several times a year and plan to bring guests with you when you travel, you may get better value with one of the credit cards we mentioned above, since the annual fee on one of those cards may be less than what you’d pay for a membership plus guest passes.
If you live near a city that’s home to an airline — think Atlanta with Delta, Chicago with United or Dallas with American — you could consider purchasing a lounge membership to that airline’s lounge network. For example, you can pay $650 per year for a membership to gain access to American Airlines’ Admirals Club lounges, as well as those with Alaska Airlines and Qantas.
However, paying directly for a lounge membership typically doesn’t give you the best value — getting lounge access with a credit card can be both cheaper and come with additional perks when flying that airline.
Flying internationally in a premium cabin
Historically, the easiest way to guarantee access to an airport lounge comes via your boarding pass. Airlines around the world have spent large sums of money to create bespoke airport lounges for their premium flyers to enjoy before a flight.
Most legacy airlines — including Delta, American and United — have dedicated lounge spaces where business- and first-class flyers can relax. If you want access to these spaces, book yourself an eligible international business-class ticket that grants you lounge access.
Now, it’s important to note that if you’re flying domestically, you typically won’t get access to an airline’s lounge just for having a business-class ticket. There are some exceptions, mainly centered around transcontinental flights, but to get lounge access with your boarding pass, you usually need to be traveling to an international destination.
Some airlines — especially in Europe, Asia and the Middle East — also have separate, dedicated spaces for their most premium first-class flyers. These spaces, which are the most exclusive in any airport, are often reserved entirely for customers flying in first class with an airline.
For example, Air France has a dedicated lounge for its first-class passengers, dubbed La Première. Tickets in La Première often cost in the thousands of dollars. So unless you’re willing to shell over the cash, don’t expect to get access to this exclusive space.
Airline elite status
Airlines reward their most loyal customers with elite status, and the benefits you get with elite status vary by airline and what level of status you attain. For example, if you fly enough with a single airline to earn its lowest level of elite status, you may be entitled to perks such as complimentary checked baggage, priority check-in and boarding and the ability to earn more frequent flyer miles for each flight you take.
But if you fly enough with a single airline to earn its highest level of elite status, you might be entitled to more lucrative benefits — including some lounge access.
For example, with United Airlines’ MileagePlus loyalty program, Gold, Platinum and 1K members — the top three levels of United elite status — are entitled to access United lounges with a same-day international United boarding pass, even if they’re flying on an economy ticket. Unfortunately, you do not get lounge access if you’re only flying domestically, even with elite status.
But because United is a member of the Star Alliance, which includes 25 other global airlines, Gold, Platinum and 1K members can also access Star Alliance partner lounges outside of the US, so long as they have a same-day Star Alliance boarding pass, even in economy.
Purchasing one-time lounge access
Perhaps the easiest way to guarantee you have lounge access on any given day is to purchase it outright with a day pass or one-time-use pass. By buying your way into a lounge, you’re guaranteed access without having to worry about any extras. If you only travel once or twice a year but want lounge access, this could be the best way to go.
LoungeBuddy is a great service that allows you to preview which lounges in any given airport around the world offer travelers the ability to purchase one-time access. If you find a lounge that looks appealing, you can purchase your one-time access directly through LoungeBuddy’s app.
The service charges varying fees for access, depending on the lounge. But if you have the American Express® Green Card, you’ll get up to $100 in LoungeBuddy credits each year to spend on single-use lounge passes.
All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored.
Alternatively, LoungeBuddy can be useful for determining if you have complimentary lounge access via airline elite status, credit cards or your fare class. It’s otherwise free to use as long as you’re not buying access to a lounge.
American Airlines also offers flyers the option to purchase one-time access to its Flagship Lounges, which are typically reserved for Flagship First and Flagship Business passengers only. Travelers flying on an American- or Oneworld-operated flight can purchase a single-visit pass for $150 (or 15,000 AAdvantage miles).
Free access as a member of the military
A few lounge providers allow active duty members of the military to access their lounges for free. In particular, United Airlines provides lounge access to active duty military members with a valid military ID and their families, so long as they have a boarding pass for same-day travel on a United- or United Express-operated flight.
American Airlines also allows US military personnel and their immediate family traveling in uniform to access its Admirals Clubs if they’re traveling on a same-day flight operated by American.
Keep in mind, too, that active duty members of the military are also eligible to have their annual fees waived on the Amex Platinum card and Chase Sapphire Reserve. This could be a great option for military members, as not only will they be able to access the cards’ slew of benefits, but they’ll also get complimentary lounge access via the cards’ lounge access perks.
Click here for rates and fees of the American Express Platinum card.
Looking for a new travel credit card? Check out CNN Underscored Money’s list of the best credit cards currently available.