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One of the worst things about travelling is the airport experience before a flight or during a layover. Think about the uncomfortable seating (when available), crowded bathrooms, overprice food and noisy/busy areas.
To escape this chaotic environment, you can head into airport lounges which are private, offer food, and comfortable seating. Each lounge is different and offers different amenities, but there’s no denying how comfortable they are. The problem is, normally you need to pay a yearly membership fee of $99 USD and then $32 USD for each visit which is not exactly cheap.
However, if you have credit cards with lounge access, then you could end up paying nothing at all which is the ideal scenario. Before you get to my full list of free airport lounge access credit cards, it’s important to know the different lounge programs that you’ll typically encounter.
Card | Lounge visits | Annual Fee |
---|---|---|
American Express Platinum Card | Unlimited | $699 |
American Express Business Platinum | Unlimited | $499 |
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite | 6 | $139 |
BMO World Elite Mastercard | 4 | $150 - FYF |
CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card | 4 | $120 |
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card | 1 | $120 - FYF |
Airport lounge programs
Priority Pass – Priority Pass is a club that gives its members access to airport lounges all over the world. Members pay an annual fee for membership and depending on membership level, they get a number of free entrances or pay a reduced fee for each entrance. Priority Pass gives access to over 1,200 lounges and even restaurants. Read my Priority Pass review now for the full details
Mastercard Airport Experience by LoungeKey – Very similar to Priority Pass, the Master Card Airport Experience grants access to about 1,000 airport lounges, most of it are the same as Priority Pass. There honestly isn’t much difference compared to Priority Pass, the only real difference is that your credit cards with lounge access must be a World Elite Mastercard to get access to Airport Experience by LoungeKey
Maple Leaf lounges and airlines specific lounges – Most major international airlines have their own lounges in their hubs and most frequented destinations. Air Canada owns the Maple Leaf lounges that you can visit in 11 Canadian cities as well as New York, Paris, London, Frankfurt and Los Angeles.
American Express Centurion Lounges – Exclusive to American Express Platinum cardholders and Centurion members, the Centurion Lounges are among the best in the world with upscale cuisine and family rooms.
The best credit cards with lounge access
While there are more than 20 airport lounge access credit cards, I’ve selected the best and most popular ones in the list below. Keep in mind that each card has its own individual benefits, so I’ve also provided a link to my reviews if you’re looking for more details. Also, note that you can always apply for multiple credit cards with lounge access which essentially gives you more free passes and can be ideal for those travelling as a family. Best of all, the credit cards I’ve featured below also make my list of the best travel credit cards in Canada so you know you’ll have a winner with any of these cards.
American Express Personal Platinum
- $699 annual fee
- 60,000 Sign up bonus (when using a referral link)
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent on dining
- Earn 2 points per $1 spent on travel
- Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- $200 Annual travel credit
- Unlimited airport lounge access
- Special benefits at Toronto’s Pearson international airport
- Hotel status upgrades
- Fine Hotels & Resorts benefits
- Exclusive dining experiences with the Global Dining Collection
- Emergency medical, flight delay/cancellation, lost/delayed luggage insurance
If you’re a frequent traveller then the American Express Personal Platinum card is the best credit card with lounge access for you since it gives unlimited free visits for you and one guest. Yes, the fee is steep at $699 per year, but keep in mind that you also get an annual travel credit of $200 so it brings down the fee to $499 which is pretty reasonable when you factor in the unlimited airport lounge visits, travel insurance, and the upgraded loyalty tier you get at many hotels. Oh, the 60,000 Membership Rewards points you get when you use my referral link isn’t too bad either. Read my American Express Personal Platinum card review now for the full details. Note that this card also ranks as one of the best American Express credit cards in Canada.
American Express Business Platinum
- $499 Annual fee
- 75,000 Signup points (with my referral link) after charging $7,000 in purchases
- Earn 1.25 points for every $1 spent
- Earn 15,000 points per referral
- Priority Pass Membership with unlimited free entries
- Premium Hotel Program Membership
- Comprehensive travel insurance package included
As the name implies, the American Express Business Platinum is the business card version of the Platinum card. The differences are minor, but it can make a huge difference. With the business card, the annual fee is just $499 but you don’t get the annual $200 travel credit as the personal Platinum card has. You also won’t get hotel status upgrades with the business card, but you do get an earn rate of 1.25 points per $1 spent on all purchases. What will likely interest people is the crazy sign up bonus of 75,000 points when you charge $7,000 to your card in the first three months of cardmembership. That’s the largest sign up bonus in Canada! Using those points will be easy since you have multiple ways to redeem your points including transferring them to Marriott Bonvoy or booking a flight via the American Express Fixed Travel Program.
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite
- $139 Annual fee
- 25,000 signup points ($250 value) after charging $1,000 in purchases
- No foreign exchange fees
- Earn 2 Scotia Rewards points per $1 spent on grocery, dining, entertainment, and transit purchases
- Earn 1 Scotia Rewards point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Priority Pass Membership with 6 free annual passes
- Comprehensive travel insurance package included
Despite the fact that there are 10+ free lounge access credit cards, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card is the only credit card that also comes with no foreign exchange fees which can help you save if you make a lot of purchases in a foreign currency. Right now, new applicants who apply for this card get 25,000 Scotia Rewards points as a signup bonus which has a value of $250. You also get 6 free annual airport lounge passes which is the most from any credit card with an annual fee of $150 or less. To find out the full details of the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card, you can read my full review here.
BMO World Elite Mastercard
- $150 Annual fee (first year free)
- 35,000 Signup points ($250 value) after charging $3,000 in purchases
- Earn 3 BMO Rewards points per $1 spent on dining, entertainment, and travel purchases
- Earn 2 BMO Rewards points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Mastercard Airport Experiences membership provided by LoungeKey, plus four annual complimentary passes
- Comprehensive travel insurance package included
The BMO World Elite Mastercard comes with 4 free airport lounge passes, but you’ll earn 3 BMO Rewards points per $1 spent on dining, entertainment, and travel purchases. That works out to a 2.1% return in those categories which is the highest you’ll get of the cards on this list. One little known fact about this card is that the car rental insurance includes a personal effects benefit which means if you’re personal property is stolen from your rental car, you’re insured up to $1,000 per person with a maximum of $2,000 per vehicle. Check out my full thoughts of the BMO World Elite Mastercard now.
CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card
- $120 Annual fee
- 20,000 Aventura Points welcome bonus with your first purchase (until March 1, 2020)
- 15,000 Additional Aventura points when you spend $10,000 in the first year of card membership
- Priority Pass membership plus 4 annual free passes
- Mobile device insurance
- NEXUS rebate
- Earn 2 Aventura points per $1 spent on travel purchased through the CIBC Rewards Centre
- Earn 1.5 Aventura points per $1 spent on other travel purchases
- Earn 1 Aventura point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Comprehensive travel insurance package included
Of the best credit cards with lounge access, the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite is the only card to give you mobile device insurance and a rebate on your NEXUS membership. Those are some incredibly unique benefits that will appeal to travellers. Your card gives you 4 annual airport lounge passes, but it also comes with a generous sign up bonus and comprehensive travel insurance. You can read my CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite review to find out how CIBC travel rewards work.
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
- $120 Annual fee – first year free
- 15,000 Aeroplan miles sign up bonus after your first purchase
- 5,000 additional miles when you add an authorized user
- Earn 2X the Aeroplan miles (up to 20,000 Miles) for the first three months
- Earn 1.5 Aeroplan miles per $1 spent on grocery, gas, drugstore and aircanada.com purchases
- Earn 1 Aeroplan mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
- One annual pass to an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge when travelling on an Aeroplan reward flight
Rounding out my list of credit cards with lounge access is the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card which is the official co-branded Aeroplan credit card. When it comes to lounge access, this card is a bit disappointing since you only get one annual pass to an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge and it must be on an Aeroplan reward flight. That means that if you paid for an Air Canada flight with cash, you wouldn’t be able to use your lounge pass. On a positive note, Air Canada recently bought Aeroplan so hopefully, the benefits with this card will increase in the new year.
[…] Priority Pass Membership with unlimited free entries […]
Awesome info…. very useful. Thank you for taking the time to do this. I just made up my mind!
Thanks for the info. Does the MBNA world Elite also offer this?
Navi,
No, the MBNA world Elite cards do not give you free lounge access.
BMO World Elite is down to 2 passes a year as of March 1, 2019. They keep whittling down the benefits.
Zanne,
You might be mixing up the two BMO World Elite cards. The BMO World Elite card comes with 4 annual lounge passes whereas the BMO Air Miles World Elite card has just 2 annual passes.
There is also the third BMO world elite cashback mastercard. I think it’s only 2 passes as well
The card you’re referring to only offers complimentary Loungekey membership, but no complimentary lounge passes.
Will,
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card gives you a PriorityPass membership and 6 free annual passes.
https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/credit-cards/visa/passport-infinite-card.html
Which one would you recommend? I currently have the BMO World Elite Mastercard and am happy with it till I heard of the Scotiabank Passport VISA. We are a party of three that travels twice a year. 6 passes versus 4 seems a no brainer but am anxious about value of the rewards. BMO is 3 points = $1 versus Scotiabank 1 point = $1 as we don’t usually use our credit cards abroad. If possible, we usually pay with cash except for things that needs extra protection like local tours, airline tickets etc.
Victor,
The BMO World elite Mastercard is decent but keep in mind that 3 ponts per $1 spent is only 2.4% return since it takes 140 BMO points to claim $1 in travel. I personally prefer the Scotiabank card because it comes with more passes and has no forex fees.
Using the Scotiabank card abroad as opposed to cash would save you money on the exchange rate. The BMO card charges a 2.5% fee for anything charged in a foreign currency.
Thanks Barry!
Hey Barry,
When you mention things like “Priority Pass + 4 annual passes”.. What do you mean by 4 annual passes?
Does that mean you are just allowed to enter a lounge worldwide 4 times a year? Lets say If I travel from Canada-London-Dubai & I gain access to the Lounge in Canada, and London. Does that mean I can only do that 1 more time during the entire year?
Please clear this up, Thanks!
Manny,
That’s correct, each lounge visit would use up one of your passes.
You’re wrong about the Scotiabank Passport Infinite Visa being the only credit card that comes with no foreign exchange fees. The Home Trust Preferred Visa offers this, and it comes with no annual fee.
Will,
The Scotiabank Passport Infinite Visa card is the only credit card with no forex fees AND lounge access.
Hey Barry I seriously appreciate all the info about each card. this is sooo great and soo useful to know and refer to. quick question. My Credit Card is with Vancity right now and I am almost done paying it. i was thinking of closing the account as soon as its paid off. what credit card would you recommend i go with? we’re a family of 3 and me and my wife also have a joint Credit card with RBC. we usually travel 1-2 times a year but next year were traveling 3 times. Thanks again.
Hi Mako,
Picking the right credit card has so many variables. You need to ask yourself the following first.
Do you want a cash back or travel rewards credit card?
How much do you charge to your credit card on average each month?
Where do you do the majority of your spending? e.g. which grocery store?
Once you’ve answered the above, I can try to help you narrow down your choices.
With credit cards, you should never be holding a balance as the interest charges you pay will not be worth the rewards you get.
When you travel, do you use one specific airline or hotel chain?
with the BMO World Elite, do you have to book your flight on the card to be able to use the lounge access? I have an AMEX Marriot Bonvoy that does not come with lounge access, leaving next month for my honeymoon and would really love to be able to access a lounge prior to departure.
ANdrew,
No, you don’t need to pay for your flights with the BMOWEMC to get access to the lounges.
what is the difference between mastercard loungekey access / to the passes? I am looking for a new card- i already have the TD visa travel- and therefore looking for a mastercard now.
Amisha,
Mastercard loungekey access is your membership whereas the passes are when get you in for free. Mastercard loungekey access is similar to having a PriorityPass memberhsip as most of the lounges are the same.
If you want a Mastercard with lounge access, take a look at the BMO World Elite Mastercard.
the priority pass membership is a fee- and also comes with passes- or do we get a discounted rate to buy the passes as we have the membership?
AMisha,
The cards listed on this post give you a free PriorityPass Membership as well as as a few lounge passes (The Amex Platinum gives you unlimited access). Once you run out of lounge passes, you pay the “discounted” price of $32USD per visit.
Does TD Visa Infinite card give free access to any airport lounges, especially the airport lounges at European and Asian international airports?
Dicky,
That card doesn’t have any lounge access.
Hi, thanks for all your research. I will be traveling with my husband and two children overseas with long layovers and want to know if we can each use one of the 6 priority passes from the Scotia Bank Passport Infinite Visa or if the passes are just for the cardholder?
Thanks.
Angela,
You can use one pass per person but the primary cardholder with the PriotiyPass membership must be present.