Best Credit Cards With Free Airport Lounge Access of 2022

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Do you know anyone who purposely gets to the airport earlier than they have to? Airports are noisy and hectic; the seats are uncomfortable and the food is expensive. Why be there any longer than absolutely necessary?

Actually, a lot of us arrive early at the airport — and sometimes even loiter for a while after we’ve landed. We’ve got the golden ticket to free alcohol and food, high-speed internet, comfortable loungers, and occasionally free massages. All it takes is holding the right credit card.

If you consider yourself a frequent flyer, a credit card with airport lounge access is worth every penny. Let’s look at the best credit cards for airport lounge access.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

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What are airport lounges?

When you go into any old airport bar or restaurant, you’ll likely pay prices reserved for captive audiences in major sports stadiums and theaters. $12 beers and $16 cocktails are far from a bargain. But you can get them for free in an airport lounge.

Most lounge networks provide a number of premium locations at airports around the world. There are really three main lounge types you should know about:

Airline lounges

Most airlines oversee their own proprietary lounge network. Depending on the size of the carrier, it may have just a few lounges or dozens at its most frequented airports.

For the most part, these lounges are reserved for international premium travelers, elite travelers with a ton of annual flights, those who pay a sizable fee, or cardholders of the airline’s premium travel credit card. Expect to pay $450+ per year for this type of credit card.

Priority Pass Select

Many lounges operate independently of the airlines. Priority Pass Select is a network that gives you access to 1,300+ lounges around the world.

Each lounge has its own rules on admission, guests, and complimentary beverages. Most give you and two guests admission at no charge. Once inside, you can drink and eat to your heart’s content without paying a dime.

American Express Centurion Lounges

American Express Centurion Lounges are next-level lounges that offer proper hot meals (gourmet, even), with free mixed drinks, shower suites, and sometimes recreational activities like pool and shuffleboard tables.

These lounges are mostly found in the US. Centurion Lounges have comparatively few locations when compared to Priority Pass — 24 worldwide at the moment, with another 12 Centurion “Studios” serving as a “lite” version of the premium lounge network.

Unless you frequent major airports, you may not encounter a Centurion Lounge as often as you might think.

Best credit cards that offer airport lounge access

The Platinum Card® from American Express

No travel credit card on the market offers more comprehensive airport lounge access than The Platinum Card® from American Express. (It’s on par with what you’d get through the invite-only Amex Black card.) You’ll receive entry to the following lounge networks:

• Amex Centurion Lounges (widely considered to be the best airport lounges in the US)
• Priority Pass** (access to more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide)
• Delta Sky Club lounges (only when you have a same-day Delta boarding pass)
• Escape Lounge – The Centurion Studio Partner
• Plaza Premium lounges
• Lufthansa lounges (when flying Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, or SWISS)

I had never tried an Amex Centurion Lounge until last year. I’ve since been to six of them throughout the US, and they are consistently higher quality than other lounges offered by Priority Pass.

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

The card also offers 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.

Insider estimates Amex points value to be 1.8 cents each, making this initial bonus worth $1,440 in travel, on average.  Read our post on the best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards to see how much more valuable these points can be.

Review: American Express Platinum Card review

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

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 business venture (even a part-time gig) to qualify for the Amex Business Platinum. Its key benefits are more closely aligned with business expenses:

• Up to $200 in airline fee credits** for checked baggage fees, lounge day passes, and more at one selected airline each calendar year
• Up to $400 in U.S. Dell credits** each calendar year
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Up to $120 in credits for U.S. wireless providers each calendar year
• Up to $360 in Indeed credits** each calendar year
• Up to $150 in Adobe credits** each calendar year
• Up to $189 back per year in for CLEAR® membership**
• 35% points rebate when you redeem points for first- or business-class tickets, or for any fare with your selected airline, through Amex Travel (up to 500,000 points back per calendar year)
• Cell phone protection

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.

Review: Amex Business Platinum Card review

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of Insider’s picks for all-around top travel credit cards. It’s got excellent benefits that upgrade your travel experience — and its top-tier travel insurance is reason enough to keep it in your wallet.  

This card offers membership in two lounge networks:

• Priority Pass Select — You can access all Priority Pass lounges as often as you want — with two free guests. You can even add authorized users for $75 each and they’ll receive their own full-blown Priority Pass Select membership.
• Chase Sapphire Lounges — Chase recently opened its first Sapphire Lounge in Hong Kong (HKG), with more to follow in 2023 at San Diego (SAN), New York-LaGuardia (LGA), Boston (BOS), Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX), and Washington Dulles (IAD). 

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

• Up to $300 in statement credits each cardmember year toward travel purchases
• Complimentary year of DoorDash DashPass membership (activation required by December 31, 2024)
• Access to Reserved by Sapphire restaurant reservations 
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee credit
• Primary car rental insurance
• Trip delay insurance
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is currently offering an elevated welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening until December 1, 2022, at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. We estimate Chase points to be worth 1.8 cents each, making this bonus worth $1,440 in travel, on average. Read our post on the best ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards to see how you can redeem them for significantly more. 

Review: Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card review

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is one of the most powerful travel credit cards on the market. It incurs the lowest annual fee of any premium credit card at $395 — making it one of the cheapest ways to hold onto airport lounge membership.

With this card, you’ll get:

• Priority Pass Select — Unlimited access to 1,300 Priority Pass lounges for you and two free guests. You can add up to four authorized users at no cost, and they’ll receive the same lounge privileges as the primary cardholder.
• Capital One airport lounges — Unlimited access for you and two free guests, though there is currently only one location in Dallas (DFW) with another coming soon to Denver (DEN).
• Plaza Premium airport lounges — Unlimited access worldwide for you and two free guests

Similar to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, this card’s Priority Pass membership can be used at participating airport restaurants for a $28 to $30 discount (or $56 to $60 if you bring a guest). I recently used this perk for a complimentary whiskey tasting at Westward Whiskey at the Portland airport.

This card also offers solid benefits such as:

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes with 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Capital One miles are worth at least 1 cent each toward travel, making this bonus worth $1,275. However, if you know how to use Capital One miles to their full potential, you may get double that value!

Review: Capital One Venture X Credit Card review

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

You won’t see many five-star credit card ratings on Insider, but the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is one of the few that deserves it. The card is so packed with valuable benefits for its $450 annual fee that it’s a no-brainer for those who travel with any regularity.

The card provides Priority Pass Select lounge access. That’s unlimited entries for you and up to two guests traveling with you. You’ll also get:

The Amex Hilton Aspire comes with 150,000 points after spending at least $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. Insider estimates Hilton points value to be 0.5 cents each, on average. That makes this bonus worth $750 in Hilton stays. But if you know the best ways to use Hilton points, you can get many times that value by choosing the right hotel to redeem your points.

Review: Amex Hilton Aspire review

American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

The American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is another easy-to-justify premium travel credit card. With an annual fee of $650, you’ll get benefits such as:

To boot, you’ll receive Priority Pass Select airport lounge access. You and two guests traveling with you can enter for free as often as you like. Even if there’s more than one lounge at your airport, you can hopscotch around to try them all.

The Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant comes with a substantial bonus: 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases on the card within the first three months from account opening.

Insider estimates Marriott points value to be 0.7 cents each, on average. That means the points portion of this bonus is worth $1,050 in Marriott stays. But read our guide to the best ways to use Marriott points to learn how to squeeze much more value from your rewards.

Review: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express review

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card  is unique among all airline co-branded cards in that it provides access to more than just the lounge network of the airline that graces its front. Here’s what you’ll get:

• Delta Sky Club access — Free entry when flying on a same-day Delta-operated/marketed flight. You’ll also get two single-use guest passes each year. 
• Amex Centurion Lounge access — Free entry when flying on a same-day Delta-operated/marketed flight. You won’t get any free guests, but can purchase a maximum of two guest passes per visit at a rate of $50 each.

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card comes with a $550 annual fee. That’s only slightly more than purchasing a Delta Sky Club membership outright (it normally costs $545 per year).

The card also offers:

• Free first checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights
• Annual Delta companion certificate
• 15,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $30,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year, up to four times*
• Complimentary Delta Sky Club airport lounge access when you fly Delta
• Access to complimentary upgrades and upgrade priority
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit after you apply through any authorized enrollment provider
• 20% off inflight purchases as a statement credit

If you’re a first-time cardholder, you’ll receive 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months. Insider estimates Delta points value to be 1.1 cents each, making this bonus worth $550 miles in Delta flights. But it’s possible to receive much more value from your miles — I once received a value of 26 cents per Delta mile when booking a business class flight.

Read our post on the best ways to use Delta miles.  

Review: Delta SkyMiles Reserve review

United Club℠ Infinite Card

The United Club℠ Infinite Card charges a $525 annual fee. A United Club airport lounge membership costs $650 (unless you have top-tier United elite status). Therefore, if United Club membership is important to you, opening the United Club Infinite is a no-brainer way to save $125.

You’ll receive a full United Club membership with this card, meaning you can also bring two guests (or one adult and as many children under 21 as you like). You’ll even gain access to several other Star Alliance airline lounges.

The United Club Infinite also comes with:

• Free first and second checked bags on United flights (you must pay with the card)
• Priority boarding on United flights
• Premier Access travel services
• NEXUS, Global Entry, or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Complimentary Premier upgrades
• Expanded access to United award flights

Plus, it offers a limited-time elevated welcome bonus of 100,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Insider estimates United points value to be 1.3 cents each, making this bonus worth $1,300 in United flights. Read about how to maximize United miles for secrets of how to redeem that same amount of miles for thousands more dollars.

Review: United Club Infinite card review

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® comes with a $450 annual fee. The main payoff — and the only reason you should consider paying that fee — is because the card offers American Airlines Admirals Club airport lounge access.

Unless you’ve got American Airlines elite status, you’ll pay $650 per year for Admirals Club membership. Opening this card is a much cheaper route. To enter American Airlines lounges, you must have a same-day boarding pass on American or one of its partners in order to access the lounge.

This card also comes with:

• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on your reservation
• Priority screening, check-in, and boarding with American Airlines

To boot, you’ll receive 80,000 bonus miles after spending $5,500 within the first 3 months of account opening. Insider estimates American Airlines miles are worth 1.4 cents each. That makes this bonus worth $1,120 in airfare. However, if you know the best ways to use American Airlines miles, you can receive many times that value.

Review: Citi AAdvantage Executive card review

One of the best credit cards for airport lounges is no longer available (but you can get it anyway)

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 Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card or Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, 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 (written) 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 (with unlimited guests).
• The Priority Pass membership issued from the Ritz-Carlton card qualifies for Priority Pass restaurant discounts ($28 to $30 off your meal, plus another $28 to $30 if you bring a guest).

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.

New to airport lounges? Give them a test drive for cheap (or even free)

It’s understandable if you’re apprehensive about paying $395+ for a credit card that comes with access to airport lounges — especially if you’re not even sure you’ll like them.

If you want to give them a try to see if they fit your travel style, open one of the following cards first.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card does not come with a full-fledged Priority Pass airport lounge membership. Instead, you’ll get 10 free visits per year. You can choose to use your 10 entries for yourself and for guests. For example, if you and a guest enter a lounge five times, you’ll have exhausted your 10 Priority Pass visits for the year. 

This is an excellent way to become familiar with the Priority Pass network. The Amex Hilton Surpass charges a $95 annual fee — far more digestible than other cards on this list.

You’ll also receive:

• Hilton Gold elite status
• Upgrade to Diamond status after you spend $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year
• Free weekend night certificate after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year

As a first-time cardmember, you’ll even earn 130,000 points after spending $2,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first 3 months of card membership.

Review: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass review

United℠ Explorer Card

The United℠ Explorer Card allows you to get a feel for airline lounges instead of Priority Pass. Each cardmember year, you’ll receive two single-use passes to United Club lounges. These day passes often cost $59 each.

The best part? The United℠ Explorer Card comes with an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95. In other words, you can try these lounges without having to pay a dime the first year. If you don’t like the card, you can cancel when your first annual fee comes due.

This card also offers:

• Free first checked bag on United flights (when you pay for your fare with the card)
• Priority boarding on United flights
• NEXUS, Global Entry, or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Complimentary Premier upgrades
• Expanded access to United award flights

Its welcome bonus offer is also increased for a limited time: 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Read more: United Explorer card review

Credit cards with airport lounge access frequently asked questions (FAQ)