The One Change You Need to Make for Luxurious Travel Without Breaking the Bank

Have you ever been standing in a crowded airport terminal, waiting in a long line to buy overpriced snacks, or trying to find an empty seat to catch up on work or sit and relax? There's a better way.

Airport lounges can take your flying experience to the next level before you ever leave the ground. And while it's true that buying an airport lounge membership can be expensive, there's a much cheaper way to get access. With that in mind, here's why you should consider an airport lounge membership if you fly frequently, and how to get one for less money than you might think.

What amenities are available in airport lounges?

Different airport lounge networks have different amenities and levels of luxury and service. Some are extremely high end and feature-packed, such as American Express's excellent Centurion Lounges, while others offer quiet seating and a few snack and drink options. And even within the same lounge network, the features and amenities can vary considerably by location.

With that in mind, some of the common amenities and services you'll typically find in most airport lounges include:

• Free snacks: Most lounges offer some sort of free food, and at a minimum, there will be some snacks for you to enjoy.
• Complimentary drinks: Lounges typically offer a selection of beer, wine, and house mixed drinks for free. There are also usually water, juices, sodas, and coffee.
• Travel assistance: Most lounges have staff that can help you with travel questions, such as directions to your gate, boarding times, etc.
• Business center: Most lounges have some type of business center, including perks like printing capabilities.
• Quiet areas: Many lounges are split into several types of seating, with some (usually seats far away from food and beverage areas) designated as quiet spaces to rest or work.
• High-speed wifi: The wifi in airport terminals can be spotty. Lounges typically offer high-speed internet access to passengers.

Higher-end lounges might include these perks:

• Full meals: Some lounges offer a full buffet, while others offer made-to-order meals. As a cardmember of The Platinum Card® from American Express (see rates and fees), which includes access to several lounge networks (terms apply), I can tell you firsthand that the buffet in the Centurion Lounges typically rivals even the best food options in the terminal.
• Unlimited open bar: Some lounges offer mixologist-created cocktail menus and large selections of free alcoholic beverages. There are even some that allow you to serve yourself, with stocked refrigerators readily available.
• Shower suites: This can be an especially big perk if you have an early flight and rush to the airport, or if you're just getting off a long-haul flight and are waiting for a connection.
• Spa services: Some high-end lounges have spa services such as massages on site, and visitors might even be entitled to a free 15-minute massage in certain locations.
• Kids' areas: As a parent of two kids, 8 and 5 years old, I know that kids can get restless when traveling. Some lounges offer family rooms or game areas that are separate from the rest of the lounge.
• Enhanced work areas: Some lounges have semi-private work areas (like cubicles), while others provide conference rooms for visitors to use.

How to get lounge access cheaply

If you look at your favorite airline's website, you might get a bit of sticker shock at the lounge membership prices. For example, depending on your frequent flyer status level, an annual membership to the American Airlines Admirals Club can cost as much as $850 for an individual membership or $1,650 for a household membership. And with some of the higher-end lounge networks, such as the Centurion Lounges, you can't even buy access.

However, one of the best travel hacks (if you fly often) is to get airport lounge access through a credit card. There are some great credit cards that offer airport lounge access, and although they typically have annual fees in the $395-$695 range, you might be surprised at the value of the benefits you get.

The bottom line

If you want to travel in luxury, you might be surprised at how affordable airport lounge access can be with some high-end credit cards, especially after you consider the value of the card's other benefits. For example, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees) has a $395 annual fee that gets you access to its own Capital One Lounges as well as the hundreds of Priority Pass and Plaza Premium Lounges worldwide. The card also has a $300 annual statement credit for travel costs, which essentially knocks the cost down to just $95.

This is just one example. I can make a solid case that my Amex Platinum Card pays for its $695 annual fee twice over, before even factoring in the lounge access benefit. The point is that enjoying the luxury of airport lounges can be cheaper than you think.