What's the best credit card for lounge access?

Let’s face it: the golden age of air travel is well and truly gone. Although traveling can be fun, going to the airport and getting lost in a crowd of loud, sweaty, and anxious fliers is anything but. That’s where airport lounges come to the rescue.

From San Diego and San Francisco to Dallas-Fort Worth, most international airports have purpose-built oases designed to give fliers a place to relax in between flights.

As you might expect, access to airport lounges doesn’t always come cheap — but if you have the right travel rewards credit card, you just might be able to score free unlimited access.

This guide explains how airport lounges work and looks at four of the best credit cards for lounge access depending on who you like to fly with, where you’re traveling to, and what kinds of fees or rewards schemes you’re looking for in a credit card.

How do airport lounge visits work?

Before we speed right into the best credit card for airport lounges, let’s pump the brakes and talk about why you might want to score airport lounge access in the first place.

Airport lounges are exclusive areas for passengers to relax, eat, drink, and even shop. They offer plenty of space to stretch out and enjoy airport lounge benefits, like free Wifi, complimentary food, or high-end dining that you won’t find in the general terminal.

Some airports might only have one designated lounge, while larger international airports might have multiple.

You can gain airport lounge access via:

• Premium flight tickets (airline statuses like business class or first class)
• Club membership or airline elite status
• Credit card membership
• One-off day passes (paying entrance fees) or travel passes

When you arrive at an airport, all you have to do is head to the lounge after you’ve checked in and gone through security. You’ll then need to show your ticket, card details, or club membership to gain entry.

Additional guests usually require a trip companion certificate.

A few credit cards offer lounge access as a reward for usage, but not all rewards cards are created equal.

To help you get started on your hunt for the best credit card for airport lounges, we’ll walk you through some of the most attractive options available today.

Want to explore every option? Try out our free card explorer tool.

Best credit card for overall lounge access: The Platinum Card from American Express

The Platinum Card from American Express is an unsecured rewards card that gives you access to over 1,200 airport lounge locations all over the globe.

That lengthy list of airport lounges includes:

• American Express Centurion Lounges (or Amex Centurion Lounges)
• International American Express Lounges
• Delta Sky Club
• Priority Pass Lounges
• Escape Lounge locations
• Plaza Premium lounge locations
• Air Space lounge network

You won’t get access to such a wide range of clubs and airport lounges with any other credit card, and you’ll generate particularly high rewards points when you make travel purchases.

Pros

• The Platinum Card from American Express offers a pretty generous rewards scheme. You can earn 5x points per dollar on airfare and hotels and get 1x points per dollar with all other eligible purchases.
• This American Express Platinum Card offers access to a more extensive network of lounges than most other cards on the market.
• Additional travel perks and card benefits of the American Express Platinum Card include an annual airline fee credit of $200 and up to $200 per year in Uber credits.
• You’ll get reimbursement for travel purchases like Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees (every five years) and Clear membership.

Cons

• At $695 per year, the Platinum Card from American Express has a pretty high annual fee cost. Because this fee is so high, your rewards points will only be cost-effective if you travel often (or spend a lot when you do).
• The Platinum Card from American Express doesn’t give you a complete list of additional travel perks, like free checked bags, priority check-in, priority boarding, or other carrier-specific benefits. With other travel credit cards, you’ll often get card benefits like these (as well as access for an additional user) as standard additional perks.

Best lounge access credit card for Delta fliers: Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

Next, you’ve got the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. This one is perfect if you’re a loyal Delta flier — and, like the Platinum Card from American Express, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve credit card gives you all the added perks and benefits you’d expect with an American Express card.

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is an unsecured travel rewards card that gives you access to every Delta Sky Club. And because the card is co-branded with American Express, you also get access to Amex Centurion Lounges whenever you travel with Delta.

Pros

• The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve card from American Express offers high rewards (as long as you spend with Delta). You’ll earn 3x miles per dollar on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and then 1x miles per dollar on any other eligible purchases you make using the card.
• The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card also offers extra perks, like a free checked bag, access to concierge services, and reimbursement for any application fee you must pay for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
• You’ll also get a companion certificate each year upon renewal of your American Express, which means you can bring a certain number of additional guests per visit to chill out with you in the lounge.

Cons

• With this card, you will be dealing with a high annual fee. The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card will set you back $550 per year — the same price as an annual lounge membership.
• With the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve credit card from American Express, you’ll only generate high rewards as a frequent flier of Delta. That means if you need to fly somewhere that isn’t serviced by Delta, you won’t see much of a benefit.

Best lounge access credit card for United Airlines fliers: United Club Infinite Card

Next, you’ve got the United Club Infinite Card — essentially the United Airlines equivalent to the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express.

The United Club Infinite Card is an unsecured travel rewards card that gives unlimited complimentary access to United Airlines’ airport lounges. Unlike the other cards we’ve covered from American Express, the United Airlines card is a Visa issued by Chase.

This list of lounges includes more than 45 United Club locations.

In addition to unlimited access to United Clubs, you get unlimited lounge access to Copa Club locations and Star Alliance-affiliated airport clubs. Unlike some airline rewards cards, United’s credit card offers additional benefits when you spend in other categories like dining.

Pros

• The United Club Infinite Card offers a generous set of rewards. You’ll earn 4x miles per dollar spent with United, and 2x per dollar spent on other travel and at restaurants. You’ll then get another 1x mile per dollar spent on other eligible purchases.
• You’ll get extra card benefits with this card, like complimentary lounge access for additional guests and two free checked bags. You’ll also get reimbursed for Global Entry or TSA Precheck.

Cons

• Like the cards we’ve already covered, the United Club Infinite Card has a high fee. It’s $525 per year, compared to the $650-per-year cost of the United Club lounge annual membership.
• Like its Delta equivalent, with the United Club Infinite Card, you’ll only generate high rewards if you're a frequent flier with United. That means you won’t generate many points if you're flying with anybody other than United.

Best lounge access credit card for occasional fliers: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card

Suppose you only travel occasionally (or don’t need a taste of the good life in a fancy airport lounge every time you fly). In that case, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card might be a smarter option for you.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card is an unsecured travel rewards card with a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership that entitles you to 10 free lounge credits per calendar year.

You'll have to pay for each additional visit.

The tradeoff here is that you’re paying way less in fees. That makes this card a pretty good deal if you don’t require regular complimentary access to an airport lounge (or don't mind paying for additional visits).

Pros

• The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card has a much lower annual fee cost than other credit cards, offering lounge access at just $95 per year.
• You’ll earn high rewards when you spend with the Hilton Surpass. The Hilton Surpass will give you 12x points for every $1 you spend with Hilton or 6x points per $1 on all eligible purchases at restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations in the US. You can get 3x points per $1 on other select purchases.

Cons

• The only real con with the Hilton Surpass is that your lounge access is limited. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card only offers 10 complimentary passes per year. That means after your 10 free airport lounge visits, you’ll need to pay an additional charge or entrance fee for continued access to airport lounges.

Conclusion

Traveling can be loud, busy, exhausting, and hectic. With an airport lounge, it doesn’t have to be. Unfortunately, access to some of the best airport lounges is exclusive. That’s where a travel rewards credit card can come in handy.

There are loads of credit cards that offer complimentary airport lounge access — but the best cards with lounge access will depend on what you’re looking for in a card.

We've listed a few of the best, but others include Capital One travel cards (which get you access to Capital One Lounges), the Marriott Bonvoy credit card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card, and the Citi AAdvantage Executive card.

If you need help exploring travel rewards cards, Kudos can help. Find the perfect credit card for your lifestyle using our free card explorer tool.