Nothing elevates a trip quite like airport lounge access – think plush seating, easy device charging, lightning-fast Wi-Fi, and unlimited snacks and drinks. Some lounges take it even further with luxurious perks like spa treatments, private nap pods, and stunning designs that make you forget you’re even in an airport.
Once reserved for first-class flyers and elite travelers, lounges are now within reach for anyone … if you’ve got the right credit card. Many top-tier travel cards unlock lounge access worldwide, making long layovers and crowded terminals a thing of the past.
Sure, these cards come with annual fees—but when you factor in skipping overpriced airport meals, complimentary amenities, and stress-free travel, the value speaks for itself. The key is finding the right card for you.
While plenty of premium travel cards offer access to their own lounges, three cards stand out among the rest. Which ones? Let’s dive in.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
When it comes to getting into airport lounges, one card stands above the rest.
For years, *amex platinum* has been regarded as the top dog of premium travel cards. And while the bank itself admits the card is turning into more of a “lifestyle card” with travel benefits, one thing hasn’t changed: No other card will get you into more airport lounges than the Amex Platinum … at least for now. The card’s $695 annual fee (see rates & fees) is no doubt steep, but if you value quantity, this is the card for you.
It all starts with Amex Centurion Lounges, the bank’s signature collection of airport lounges scattered across the U.S. (and increasingly abroad). There are over 20 locations worldwide and counting. If you frequently travel through an airport with one of them, the Platinum Card can be a slam dunk for that reason alone.
Every Centurion Lounge offers food curated by local chefs, plus free beer, wine, and cocktails. There’s comfortable seating, power outlets, space to work, and more. But these lounges have grown popular to a fault: Long lines out the door and packed seats inside have become the norm.
While *amex platinum* or *biz platinum* will get you unlimited visits, guests now cost $50 apiece (or $30 for minors) … unless you charge a whopping $75,000 on your card every calendar year. Guests two years and younger are complimentary.
The Platinum Card also gets you a Priority Pass Select membership, opening the door to a network of 1,300-plus Priority Pass Lounges across the globe. Just what you’ll get in each lounge can vary. Some lounges are outstanding, while many are fairly simple … but even the worst Priority Pass lounge is generally better than sitting at the gate.
With your Priority Pass membership from the Platinum Card, you can bring in up to two guests with each visit.
Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Priority Pass Lounges
If you fly Delta, *amex platinum* will also get you 10 visits per year (between Feb. 1 and Jan. 31 of the next calendar year) to any Delta Sky Club®. Unfortunately, Delta’s cheapest basic economy tickets are no longer eligible for Sky Club access, regardless of what card is in your wallet. You’ll need to book a main cabin ticket or higher to get into the Sky Club.
If 10 visits per year isn’t enough for you, you can unlock unlimited complimentary access by spending $75,000 per calendar year on your card. Doing this would also get you two free guests when visiting Centurion Lounges. You could also consider selecting Delta as your preferred airline and using the Platinum Card’s annual $200 airline fee credit to buy a few more visits.
Read more: 4 Ways to Get Into Delta Sky Club Lounges
The Platinum Card also opens the door to several other lounge networks:
- Escape Lounge – Centurion Studio Partner lounges, a collection of lounges in many smaller U.S. airports, as well as a handful in the U.K., Platinum cardholders still get two free guests at Escape Lounges
- Plaza Premium Lounges are some of the best that you’ll find in Europe and Asia, and two U.S. locations and counting at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Orlando (MCO). Platinum cardholders also get two free guests
Full Benefits of the Platinum Card® from American Express
- Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full But check to see if you can get 175,000 points via the CardMatch tool!
- 5x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent directly with airlines or at amextravel.com, on up to $500,000 spent each calendar year
- Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Up to a $209 annual CLEAR® Plus credit
- Up to $200 Annual Airline Credit
- Up to a $200 Annual Hotel Credit for Fine Hotels + Resorts® and Hotel Collection Bookings (with a minimum two-night stay for Hotel Collection bookings)
- Up to $20 in statement credits each month when you use your Platinum Card® for eligible purchases on Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal when you purchase directly from one or more of the providers. This can be an annual savings of up to $240.
- $200 in Annual Uber Cash to use on rides or Uber Eats in the U.S. – up to $15 each month (and up to $35 in December)
- Up to $100 each year to be used at Saks Fifth Avenue (enrollment required).
- Automatic Hilton & Marriott Gold Elite Status (enrollment required).
- Annual Fee: $695 (see rates & fees)
Learn more about *amex platinum*.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
After officially launching in the fall of 2021, The *venture x* is easily the most exciting credit card to hit the market in years, and part of that comes down to getting into Capital One Lounges.
After years of planning and months of building, Capital One finally opened its first branded airport lounge back in 2021 – an incredible new space in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW). They followed it up with two more at Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD), Denver (DEN), and most recently, Las Vegas (LAS). Capital One also introduced a hybrid lounge-restaurant concept, dubbed a Capital One Landing, at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport (DCA) late last year that you can access with the Venture X.
A fourth location is in the works at New York City (JFK), which should be open soon, as well as another Capital One Landing at New York City-LaGuardia (LGA).
A *venture x* gets you and two guests into Capital One Lounges for free. Better yet, you can add up to four Venture X authorized users, giving each of them their own lounge access (with two free guests as well).
But changes are on the horizon for the Venture X card’s lounge access. Starting Feb. 1, 2026, cardholders with either the *capone venture x* and *venture x business* can no longer bring free guests into Capital One Lounges. To bring guests into Capital One Lounges, Venture X cardholders will have to pay $45 apiece or a discounted rate of $25 for children 17 and under. Kids under 2 years old will remain free.
Cardholders can retain complimentary guest access by charging a whopping $75,000 to their card in a calendar year – a carbon copy of the policy American Express adopted at Centurion Lounges a few years ago.
But the bad news doesn’t stop there. For years, Venture X cardholders have easily shared lounge access with friends and family members by adding them as authorized users for free. But starting next February, authorized users will no longer receive complimentary lounge access as a benefit. Instead, they’ll have to pay an extra $125 a year for each additional cardholder to maintain lounge access.
Capital One said the cutbacks were critical to keeping their airport lounge experience top-notch. So while Venture X authorized users will remain free, you’ll soon need to pay extra if those authorized users want to access to lounges.
To top it all off, Venture X cardholders’ Priority Pass lounge access is also taking a hit, as cardholders will have to pay an additional $35 per guest. Venture X Business cardholders, however, can continue bringing two free guests into Priority Pass lounges.
Read More: Woof: Capital One Slashes Free Guests at Lounges
Full Benefits of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- Welcome Offer Bonus: bonus_miles_full
- $300 Annual Travel Credit: Each year, cardholders will get a $300 Capital One Travel credit to use through the bank’s travel booking portal.
- Capital One Lounge & Priority Pass Select Lounge Access
- Up to a $120 Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- 10,000 Mile Anniversary Bonus: Every year on your account anniversary, you’ll receive 10,000 bonus miles after paying your card’s annual fee. These miles are worth a minimum of $100 towards travel.
- Earn 2x Miles on every purchase & more: Cardholders will earn 2x miles on every dollar spent. Cardholders will also earn 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One travel portal and 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through the portal..
- Complimentary Hertz President’s Circle Status
- $395 Annual Fee: Add up to four authorized users at no additional cost
Learn more about the *venture x*.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve®
The *chase sapphire reserve* has been a mainstay in many travelers’ wallets since it launched nearly a decade ago. Among other premium benefits, the card offers access to the growing list of Chase Sapphire Lounges and if you ask us, these are the best bank-branded lounges, bar none.
There are currently seven lounges open in Boston (BOS), Hong Kong (HKG), New York City-LaGuardia (LGA), New York City (JFK), Phoenix (PHX), San Diego (SAN), and Philadelphia (PHL). At least three more Sapphire Lounges are on the way, and they’re all a huge step up from your typical Priority Pass space.
While it’s not a full-fledged Sapphire Lounge, Chase also operates the renovated Etihad Airways Lounge at Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD), and it features a similar design and amenities.
While both American Express and Capital One beat Chase to the punch, Chase has redefined what a bank-branded lounge can be, setting a new gold standard. Having unlimited complimentary access to Sapphire Lounges could be reason enough to carry the Sapphire Reserve.
Sapphire Reserve cardholders get unlimited complimentary access to the Sapphire Lounges … and, at least for now, they can bring up to two guests with them on each visit, free of charge. Authorized users on the Reserve (which costs an extra $75 a year per card) get their own access and guests, too.
One small hitch: It’s not the Reserve that gets you in, but the Priority Pass membership that comes with the card. Just be sure to activate that account before your visit.
Reserve cardholders also get complimentary access (with two guests) to Priority Pass lounges worldwide. Sadly, Chase recently axed the airport restaurant dining credits from that perk.
Earlier this week, Chase confirmed to Thrifty Traveler that the Sapphire Reserve will soon undergo a major refresh and that a new premium business card is also on the way. The details of those upcoming card changes are still under wraps, including exactly when they’ll take place, and what it means for lounge access provided by the Sapphire Reserve.
While Chase is remaining tight-lipped about exactly what’s in store for the Sapphire Reserve (and when), we’re betting it will come with new use-them-or-lose-them statement credits and a higher annual fee.
Full Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Welcome Offer: bonus_miles_full
- Points are worth 50% more when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.
- 3x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on travel & dining worldwide after using the full $300 travel credit
- 5x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent at Lyft through Sept. 30, 2027
- Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck or NEXUS
- $300 annual travel credit
- Annual Fee: $550
Learn more about the *chase sapphire reserve*
Other Cards with Lounge Access
These are the ones to beat, but there are plenty of other credit cards on the market that will get you into airport lounges at home and abroad, including some far cheaper alternatives that can get you into lounges a few times a year.
Here’s the full list:
Bottom Line
If you’re a frequent flyer, having the right credit card can turn your airport experience from stressful to seamless. Why battle for a seat at the gate—or drop $50 (or more) on a forgettable meal—when you could be kicking back in an airport lounge with free drinks, snacks, and Wi-Fi instead?
