How to choose a credit card for airport lounge access

3 weeks ago 19

When people find out my job is to write about travel credit cards, they usually ask for expert advice. They want to know which of our favorite credit cards I recommend, which cards will complement their existing portfolio and whether their current everyday card is a good one.

They also often want to know which credit card they should get if they want airport lounge access.

Until recently, this question was fairly easy to answer since many cards offered similar lounge benefits. But lately, it's gotten more complicated. The issuer lounge space has more options than ever, and while some cards have lost perks like guest privileges and restaurant access, others have stepped up their lounge game with offerings like facials and custom cocktails while you wait for your flight.

If you're torn between several options, we've got you. Here's a breakdown of what to consider when choosing a credit card for airport lounge access.

Access with top cards

Credit cardAnnual feeLounge accessGuest allowance

The Platinum Card® from American Express The Business Platinum Card® from American Express	$695 each (see Amex Platinum rates and fees and Amex Business Platinum rates and fees	Global Lounge Collection (including the Centurion Network, Priority Pass Select and Delta Sky Clubs) Access is limited to eligible cardmembers. Eligible Platinum Card Members will receive 10 Visits per Eligible Platinum Card per year to the Delta Sky Club or to Grab and Go when traveling on a same-day Delta-operated flight. Unlimited access can be unlocked by spending $75,000 or more on your card in a calendar year. Enrollment is required; terms apply.	Centurion Lounge: $50 per guest or $30 for children between ages 2 and 17 (or two complimentary guests when you spend $75,000 on your card in a calendar year) Priority Pass Select: Two complimentary guests Delta Sky Club: Two guests or immediate family members, $50 per person; children under 2 are free
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card	$650 each (see SkyMiles Reserve rates and fees and Reserve Business rates and fees)	Delta Sky Club (except for those flying basic economy; Reserve cardmembers will receive 15 visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of visits each year, the total eligible purchases on the card must equal $75,000 in a calendar year Centurion Lounge (when you book your Delta flight with your card) Terms apply.	Delta Sky Club: Up to two guests at $50 per person, per visit; children under 2 are free Centurion Lounge: $50 per guest or $30 for children between ages 2 and 17 (or two complimentary guests when you spend $75,000 on your card in a calendar year)
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card	$650 (see rates and fees)	Priority Pass Select (enrollment required; terms apply)	Two complimentary guests
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®(see rates and fees)	$595	American Airlines Admirals Club	Complimentary access for immediate family (spouse, domestic partner and/or children under 18) or two guests with a same-day boarding pass for an eligible flight
Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees)	$795 each	Chase Sapphire Lounges Priority Pass Select Access to over 20 Air Canada Maple Leaf lounges when traveling on a Star Alliance airline	Two complimentary guests
United Club℠ Card (see rates and fees) United Club℠ Business Card	$695 each	United Club	One complimentary guest and children under 18 (or two complimentary guests when you reach Premier Gold status or spend $50,000 on your card in a calendar year; you will also receive access to eligible Star Alliance lounges)
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Capital One Venture X Business**	$395 each	Capital One Lounges Priority Pass Select	Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300-plus lounges, including Capital One Lounges and participating Priority Pass until Feb 1, 2026. Starting Feb 1, 2026, guest access for Capital One lounges costs $45 per guest and $25 for children under 17 and children under 2 are free. You can unlock complimentary guest access at Capital One lounges by spending $75,000 or more on your card annually. Priority Pass lounges cost $35 per guest. (Venture X Business cardholders receive two free guests at Priority Pass lounges.)**

The information for the United Club Business has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you have a lounge in your home airport

Presumably, your home airport is where you spend the most time. If you live near an airline hub or have a perfectly placed lounge that you want access to, let that drive your decision.

For instance, if Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is your home airport, you probably pass an airline lounge regardless of your preferred airline since it is a hub for American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

Similarly, if you have an issuer lounge in your home airport, you may want to choose the premium card from that issuer that includes lounge access. Someone whose home base is Dulles International Airport (IAD), for example, will likely want access to the Capital One Lounge that's conveniently located just past the airport's security lines.

On the flip side, not all of us have a wide range of lounge options at home. Until recently, I was based in Nashville, and as much as I love Nashville International Airport (BNA), it has limited lounge options.

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As such, I based my lounge access decision on the airports I frequently traveled through rather than my home base.

If you're loyal to a specific airline

If you're loyal to American, Delta or United, you'll likely benefit from airline-specific lounge access since you'll most frequently fly through hubs with a lounge.

American Airlines

Frequent American flyers will want to go with the Citi® / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard since it's the only credit card with an Admirals Club membership.

Delta Air Lines

If you're a regular Delta passenger, note that the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card includes 15 complimentary Sky Club visits per year. You can receive unlimited visits by spending $75,000 on the card each calendar year.

United Airlines

United fans will benefit most from the United Club Card or the United Club Business Card, which are the only cards with a United Club membership as one of its perks.

Of course, if you're loyal to an airline that doesn't have its own airport lounges, you can cross these off the list. As a Southwest Airlines loyalist, I knew I didn't want to limit my lounge access to a specific airline, so I was able to turn my attention elsewhere.

If you want issuer-specific lounge access

For quite a while, American Express had the issuer lounge market cornered. But as Capital One and Chase continue to grow their own lounge networks, you may decide you want to choose your credit card based on the issuer's lounge access it gets you.

American Express

American Express currently operates 26 Centurion Lounges worldwide, making them the most prominent issuer lounge. If you want access, you'll most likely want either the Amex Platinum or the Amex Business Platinum.

SkyMiles Reserve and SkyMiles Reserve Business cardmembers can also access Centurion Lounges when flying Delta, as long as the flight was booked on their card (excluding basic economy tickets).

Capital One

While not as well established as Centurion Lounges, Capital One Lounges have grown rapidly.

Currently, they are located in four airports:

Another concept called Capital One Landing is also open at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

A lounge at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) opened up in early June and a Landing at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) has been announced but is not yet open.

To access these lounges, you'll want either the Venture X or the Venture X Business.

Chase

Like Capital One, Chase has been asserting its presence in the lounge space with Chase Sapphire Lounges. With their impressive designs and amenities like complimentary facials, they may be gunning for the No. 1 spot.

Currently, you can find eight Sapphire Lounges throughout the U.S.:

To get unlimited access to these lounge concepts, you'll need the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business or the Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card. You can also get one complimentary visit to a Sapphire Lounge per calendar year if you have a Priority Pass Select membership from another credit card.

The information for the Ritz-Carlton card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you want more diverse lounge options

If you want a wider range of airport lounge access options, opt for a card with a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. Priority Pass is a network of more than 1,700 lounges located in 600-plus airports in more than 150 countries.

The best way to get Priority Pass access is with one of the following cards:

**Enrollment required; terms apply.

Additionally, you can get Priority Pass access with some other cards:

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex: Unlimited complimentary access for the primary cardmember and up to two guests (enrollment is required; terms apply)
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: Four complimentary visits annually

The information for the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you want access to Priority Pass restaurants

If you frequently pass through airports with a Priority Pass-affiliated restaurant, getting a card with access can save you big bucks. This perk will comp a certain amount of the restaurant bill for you and up to one registered guest.

The amount varies by restaurant and is typically $28 per person; you can look up the exact values for each restaurant on the Priority Pass website.

Many cards with Priority Pass Select access have eliminated restaurant access in recent years, but you can still get it as a part of the Priority Pass Select membership on select cards. For example, this perk is offered on the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card, JetBlue Premier World Elite Mastercard and UBS Visa Infinite Credit Card,

The information for the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite, JetBlue Premier World Elite Mastercard and UBS Visa Infinite cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you want to bring guests for no additional cost

If you frequently travel with a partner or family, you'll want to choose a card that includes guest access.

While some cards like the Amex Platinum and the SkyMiles Reserve allow you to bring guests into Centurion Lounges for an additional fee (though the Amex Platinum does offer a Priority Pass membership that allows you to bring up to two guests into these lounges free of cost), the following cards include complimentary access for the primary cardholder and up to two guests:

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (can be either immediate family — spouse, domestic partner and children up to 18 years old — or up to two guests)
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business
Capital One Venture X (Starting Feb 1, 2026, guest access for Capital One lounges will cost $45 per adult guest, $25 for children 17 and under and free for children under two and $35 per guest for Priority Pass lounges. However, you can unlock unlimited guest access for Capital One Lounges by spending $75,000 or more on your card. Regardless of spending, guest access at Priority Pass lounges will not be complimentary.)
Capital One Venture X Business (Same changes starting Feb 1, 2026, as the Venture X, with the exception of Priority Pass lounges, as cardholders receive two free guests.)

If you're unsure

If you're new to the airport lounge world, committing to a credit card with a hefty annual fee can feel daunting. If you aren't ready to make the jump, consider one of these options to dip your toes in first.

Go as someone's guest

As outlined above, several credit cards come with lounge access, allowing cardholders to bring guests into a lounge. If you have a friend with this access, try to find a time to visit a lounge as their guest to see how you like it.

Become a Venture X authorized user

One of the most valuable perks of the Capital One Venture X is the ability to add up to four authorized users, each with their own airport lounge access benefit, for no additional cost. If you have a friend who has the Venture X, ask them to add you as an authorized user. However, starting Feb 1, 2026, it will cost $125 to add lounge access per authorized user.

Get a card with a set number of visits

You can get a limited number of lounge visits without paying a premium annual fee. Consider one of these options if you're aiming to keep your annual fee costs down:

U.S. Bank Altitude Connect: With this card, you'll get four complimentary visits to Priority Pass Select lounges annually for no annual fee, making it a great way to try out some lounges without committing to a high annual fee.
United℠ Explorer Card (see rates and fees): With this card, you'll get two one-time United Club passes per year (redeemable for the cardholder or authorized user). There is a $150 annual fee ($0 intro fee for the first year) with the United Explorer.

Pay for a one-time pass

You don't necessarily have to have a membership or access through a credit card to get into a lounge. Most lounges give you the option to pay out of pocket per visit. If there's a lounge you pass often and are considering getting a credit card to access, paying for a visit to see if it's worth it to you can be a great option.

Bottom line

You have some great options when choosing a credit card for airport lounge access. The different types of access can feel overwhelming, but deciding which type of access matters most to you is key to landing on a card that's the perfect fit.

No matter which you choose, you'll be well on your way to lounging in style on your next layover.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business, click here.
For rates and fees of the Bonvoy Brilliant, click here.