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Getting airport lounge access used to be something only business travelers and wealthy globetrotters could acquire. Nowadays, however, with more people traveling domestically and internationally than ever before, airport lounges have opened their arms for travelers of all types to come in.
With selections of complimentary food and drink, free wifi, comfortable seating, and in some cases, a range of services, from spas to beds, airport lounges are the perfect way to relax before any flight.
While access to lounges comes complimentary to business class and first-class ticket holders, nowadays, airport lounges are far from an exclusive club. If you fly economy, there are still a number of ways you can gain access to these delightful little areas that take you away from the stresses and discomforts of crowded airports.
In this guide, we’re going to take a close look at eight smart ways you can gain airport lounge access for your next flight, and beyond.
8 Smart Ways to Get Airport Lounge Access
1 – Purchase Priority Pass
If you travel frequently, and across destinations worldwide, then Priority Pass is an excellent choice for you. Priority Pass was my personal choice for airport lounge access, as for several years, I was in-between countries all over the world.
Get Priority Pass HerePriority Pass is a third-party membership program that provides access to around 1,300 airport lounges globally. These lounges include a mixture of alliance, airline, and airport lounges. Depending on your frequency of travel, there are also tiers of membership to choose from:
From tiny airports in Moldova to world-famous airports like Singapore Changi, I was able to get access to a range of airport lounges. If you’re wondering whether one of the 1,300 lounges at an upcoming airport you plan to travel to will be included, then you need not ponder either.
The Priority Pass app, both on iOS and Android, is a great way to check the lounges at an airport, and see if they’re included in the program. This way, you can always plan ahead and know which lounges you’ll have access to. Priority pass lounge access is a real game changer and can change the way you travel, giving you access to lounges worldwide.
Most suitable for:
Frequent travelers who travel internationally across multiple countries and airports and cannot rely on one airline or alliance.
2 – Use a Credit Card with Airport Lounge Access
A common way many travelers acquire airport lounge access is through their credit cards. Many credit cards in the U.S. offer airport lounge access to specific airline lounges, or via a third-party program, such as Priority Pass, at a reduced fee.
With the number of perks credit card programs offer these days, it’s worth double-checking your credit card to see if you already have some form of airport lounge access you were unaware of. A close friend of mine recently found out she had access via Priority Pass through her credit card, which was a welcome surprise.
Fear not, however, if you don’t. There is a wide range of credit cards that offer airport lounge access in various forms. Credit cards on this list include:
- Platinum Card from American Express
- Citi Prestige®
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Hilton Surpass
- Citi AAdvantage Executive
- Delta Reserve Credit Card from American Express
Naturally, there are plenty more out there. If you have a credit card on this list, then you’re in luck.
While we can’t go into the specifics of each and every credit card program, there are two in particular to take a closer look at: Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Platinum Card from American Express.
Both these cards include additional rewards and perks such as hotel status, car rental upgrade privileges, and points you can use to book travel. As with all credit cards, check the details and the fine print when signing up.
Most suitable for:
Business travelers, and travelers that use their credit cards extensively for travel purposes, such as booking points with flights. Although the annual fees can be a little hefty, if you do travel frequently, the convenience of the lounge and other travel perks are worth the investment.
3 – Purchase a One-Day Lounge Pass
If you don’t want to lock yourself into a long-term commitment, but simply want to utilize an airport lounge before a long, tiring flight, a one-day pass could be a worthwhile option for you.
Depending on the airport you’re flying from, you’ll often have a choice of one to several lounges to choose from. Several airline lounges do offer one-day passes. These include Alaska Airlines and American Airlines, at around $50, and United Airlines at $59.
Research beforehand, however, is important. Look up the airport and what lounges are available to you. Often, you’ll be able to purchase your one-day pass online, through their website, which is a better option than trying to do it at the desk in person.
Airport lounges will always give priority to annual and program members, so if you show up at a lounge on a particularly crowded day when the lounge is at near full capacity, the chances are you’ll be refused entry. This once happened to me at London Gatwick, and was very frustrating, so be mindful of this.
Lounge Pass
Lounge Pass is also worth looking into if you’re keen to explore the one-day option. They sell hundreds of passes to airport lounges all over the world. With a one-day pass typically costing anywhere between $35-65, if you’re very clear on what airports you’ll be stopping at with long layovers, this could be a great choice.
One final thing to note: a one-day pass doesn’t always mean 24-hour access. Airport lounges, due to volume, offer various time increments. Some can be as little as four hours, as they don’t want people hanging around all day, or overnight. Be sure to check the fine print.
Most suitable for:
Infrequent travelers facing long layovers that don’t want the long-term commitment to a lounge program. The perks are nice for the once or twice they travel a year, but they don’t need it all year round.
4 – Purchase an Annual Airport Lounge Membership
If you always opt, when you can, to fly with a certain airline and don’t travel too far off the beaten track, then a lounge membership to a certain airline or alliance may be the best choice for you.
In North America, United, Delta, American, Alaska, Air Canada, and Hawaiian all have lounge programs and have at least one lounge at every major airport in the North American region they fly to. Here are some of the memberships for airlines operating in North America:
- Admirals Club
- Air Canada Maple Leaf Club Membership
- Hawaian Airlines Club Membership
- Delta SkyMiles Membership
- Qantas Club Membership
- Alaska Airlines Membership
If you do plenty of international travel, a membership to an alliance, rather than a specific airline, is arguably a better bet for you. Star Alliance, Sky Team, and Oneworld are three of the biggest alliances you’ve probably heard of, and each band together a selection of airlines to help cover far more bases than one airline possibly could. Memberships to such alliances will also allow you to collate points and other perks of frequent flying with their selected airlines.
A membership to Oneworld, for example, gives you access to airline lounges such as Japan, Qantas, Qatar, and Malaysia, as well as British Airways, which was massively beneficial while I was traveling through Southeast Asia.
Cost-wise, you will be looking to pay between $300-$700 for such memberships, and an additional annual fee of up to $100 on top. You will also have to be proactive at looking into the airports you’re traveling to make sure the airline(s) you’re associated with have lounges in the airports you plan to travel to. Otherwise, you’ll be out of luck.
Most suitable for:
Business or frequent travelers that opt to fly with one airline or alliance, and largely travel to major airports, domestically and internationally.
5 – Reach Elite Status with an Airline
While we’re on the topic of airport lounge memberships, airport lounge access can also be achieved through attaining elite status with a particular airline or alliance.
Oneworld, Sky Team, and Star Alliance, as mentioned previously, all offer access to all, or a selection of, their lounges internationally if certain elite statuses are met.
Attaining elite status is no mean feat, and realistically is only a viable option if you’re a business traveler, or travel extensively, with one airline. If you do fall into this bracket, however, be sure to check your membership for how to attain elite status, and what lounge access it entitles you to.
Most suitable for:
Business or frequent travelers who fly exclusively with one airline.
6 – Pay for Public Lounge Access
Long gone are the days when airport lounges were only available to an exclusive select group of business and wealthy travelers. As we pointed out when discussing the Priority Pass, many airports now have their own lounges, not affiliated with an airline or alliance.
The Club and Airspace are two you may have noticed when traveling in North America. These public lounges are open for all travelers at the airport, rather than exclusively alliance members and third-party program holders, such as Priority Pass.
Internationally, Plaza Premium is a common lounge brand you’ll see at many major airports.
Most of the time, these lounges are on par with their exclusive counterparts. You’ll often get the same perks, such as free food, wifi, and entertainment. Prices will vary. Some will charge for day access, others by the hour.
It’s worth looking up the lounges at the airports you’re scheduled to travel to and see what’s available. In a bid to compete with airlines, more airports are designing and launching their own lounges, and this number is only set to increase globally.
Most suitable for:
Travelers that don’t want the long-term commitments to third-party programs or specific airlines and alliances.
7 – As a Guest of Someone with Lounge Access
You’ll probably have already noticed lounge access and memberships allow you to bring a number of guests in with you, free of charge. If you travel with someone with lounge access, then you are very much in luck!
I’ve read accounts online of people who gain access by waiting near lounges and asking people that go by if they can enter with their membership. Personally, I’ve never seen this happen! But if you’re the optimistic type, you never know.
Most suitable for:
People who know members of a lounge program or alliance and actively travel with them.
8 – Access through Being an Active Military Member
Many airport lounges offer free access to active military members, and some even for their families. American Express Platinum Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve disregard their annual fees for military members so that they can take advantage of the benefits of these cards, such as free access to the largest selection of lounges in the world.
Most suitable for:
Active military members and their guests and family.
How to Get Airport Lounge Access Summary
So there you have it. No longer are airport lounges only a place for the high-end and business flyers. With a little forward planning, you too can enjoy all the perks of lounges across the world.
Be it waiting for a domestic or international flight, the free wi-fi, complimentary snacks and drinks, and overall comfort of airport lounges can change the way you feel about flying. After your first lounge visit, you’ll always want to gain airline lounge access whenever you travel!
So, before we wrap up, let’s take one final look at the eight smart methods to get airport lounge access covered in this article.
1 – Purchase Priority Pass
2 – Use a Credit Card with Airport Lounge Access
3 – Purchase a One-Day Lounge Pass
4 – Purchase an Annual Airport Lounge Membership
5 – Reach Elite Status with an Airline
6 – Pay for Public Lounge Access
7 – As a Guest of Someone with Lounge Access
8 – Access through an Active Military Member
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Travel Tools and Resources
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- Priority Pass is also a real game changer, as being able to relax and have food in any airport lounge before a flight makes flying a far more enjoyable experience.
- Booking Accommodations: We generally use Booking.com because of how many options they can find you and their generally flexible cancellation policies. We also use Hotels.com because you can build up reward points to use toward free stays. We also recommend Trusted Housesitters if you’re flexible with your dates, looking to budget, and traveling at a slower pace. In exchange for housekeeping and looking after someone’s pet, you can arrange house sits with homeowners on the platform. We were able to stay in London in a beautiful borough one summer this way, during peak tourist season when prices are at their highest.
- Travel Insurance: As we work remotely when traveling, we use SafetyWing when booking travel medical insurance. They offer policies suited to both short-term and long-term travel as well as policies for companies with remote workers.
- Tours: We love to look through options on Viator and GetYourGuide to see what fun activities we can book in the place we’re visiting. Not only does their list of tours and experiences give us inspiration, but it’s also very straightforward to book through their websites.
- VPN: We never connect to a public wife like a hotel, cafe, or airport wifi without a VPN. We’ve been using Express VPN since 2016.
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Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.