There is nothing better than spending some time in a lounge when your traveling and between flights, whether you’re looking to relax, score some food, grab a shower or even book a massage.
While you can pay to access some, others are member only. But you can get access to those when you have the right credit card – and it’s free. But that raises the question what cards are the best for lounge access? To make it easier, we’ve come up with my hit list of credit cards that give you the kind of access you might be looking for, or even dreaming of. The fee for all of these cards is $450, but the lounge access and other perks might just make it worth your money, especially if you travel a lot. And some of their other perks offset that cost as well.
Lets start with some of the American Express credit cards because they offer a lot of lounge bang for your credit card buck. First up is the Delta Reserve Card providing cardholders with free access to the SkyClub lounges. You can bring two guests for a discounted rate of a valuable amount per person.
Whats also great about these cards is that after your make your first purchase you receive valuable bonuses. Earn 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Wait there is more if you spend $60,000 you get another bundle of 15,000 MQMs and 15,000 bonus miles. You also get priority boarding on Delta flights, a free checked bag and a good discount on those in-flight purchases that can be pricey.
I’m not done with the American Express cards yet though. Along with the usual perks that go hand in hand with the Platinum Card from American Express you can also get into the Centurion Lounges for free, which is a great perk. Currently there are six up and running located in Las Vegas (LAS), Miami (MIA), Laguardia (LGA), Dallas (DFW), San Francisco (SFO) and Seattle (SEA), with another planned to open at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. But what if you’re not flying to those cities? Well, you can also get free access to the Delta Sky Clubs and Airspace Lounges with your credit card.
But there is more. Cardholders can also sign up for Priority Pass Select, which gives them access to more than 600 international and domestic lounges in 100 countries – and it doesn’t matter which carrier you book your ticket on. Besides lounge access, people get up to $200 a year in statement credits to cover travel extras including checked bags and in-flight snacks. They also give you a credit to cover the Global Entry $100 fee or TSA Pre check $85 fee once every five years.
If you have the Citi Executive /AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard you get free Admirals Club Membership and two guests can join you. There are just about 50 clubs located around the world. You also get other perks including priority check-in and airport screening, along with early boarding when you’ve booked a seat on an American Airlines domestic flight. You can also check one bag for free, get reimbursed for the cost of your $100 Global Entry fee, and when when making in-flight purchases get 25% off.
If you like the United Clubs or the Star Alliance affiliated lounges are on your radar, then the United MileagePlus Club Card, might be a great pic for you. They come with complementary access to the United Clubs. Plus you also get two checked bags for free and earn 2 points for every dollar you spend when flying with United. You can also look forward to priority boarding, and they are forgoing close in ticketing fees if you have the card. People also get Platinum status in the Hyatt Gold Passport program.
With the Citi Prestige MasterCard you and two guests, whether they are family or friends, get complementary access to the American Airlines Admirals Club lounges when flying with American Airlines, as well as American Eagle Airlines or one of their connecting partners. New cardholders also get a 50,000 bonus points after $3,000 in spend in three months, while everyone gets a $250 travel credit and reimbursed for $100 for the Global Entry fee annually.