Here's How to Get Airport Lounge Access With Your Favorite Airline
KEY POINTS
- While you could buy an airport lounge membership with your favorite airline, you may be better off getting one of its airline credit cards.
- The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, United Club℠ Infinite Card, and Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® all include lounge memberships with their respective airlines.
I never used to be a huge fan of airports. Paying twice as much for food and drinks, sitting shoulder to shoulder with strangers in uncomfortable chairs -- it's not exactly a fun way to kick off a trip.
That all changed when I got a credit card with airport lounge access. Since then, I've been able to stop into lounges before most of my trips. I've relaxed, I've grabbed bites to eat, and I've consumed my fair share of pre-flight drinks. I've even had the occasional pre-flight shower in an airport lounge.
If you want to get into lounges with your favorite airline, you could buy a membership to its lounge program. But you're probably better off with an airline credit card. Here are the options for Delta, United, and American.
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1. Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Lounge access:
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club® access when traveling with Delta
- Four Delta Sky Club® One-Time Guest Passes each year
- Complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge when you book your Delta flight with your Reserve Card
- Terms apply
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card has high-end perks for a hefty price tag. It charges a $650 annual fee (see rates and fees). That's still less than the cost of a Delta Sky Club® membership -- an individual membership is $695.
If you're a frequent flyer, it's worth mentioning that the rules on this benefit will be changing. Starting Feb. 1, 2025, this card will include 15 free visits per year to the Delta Sky Club®. You can earn unlimited visits by spending at least $75,000 on your Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve during the prior calendar year. For example, to earn unlimited visits in 2025, you'll need to spend $75,000 or more in 2024. Terms apply.
On American Express' Secure Website.
Terms apply
= Best
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= Best
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On American Express' Secure Website.
Terms apply
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: n/a
Balance Transfers: n/a
Regular APR
20.99%-29.99% Variable
Rewards Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
1X-3X miles
Annual Fee
$650
Welcome Offer Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
60,000 Bonus Miles
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This card comes with huge perks if you are a loyal Delta customer. The annual fee pays for itself in a hurry if you are able to take advantage of all this card has to offer.
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- Welcome offer
- Airport lounge access
- Companion certificate
- Travel credits
- Free checked bag
- Annual fee
- Lackluster bonus amount
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- Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Reserve your piece of history with the new limited edition Boeing 747 Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card design.
- Enjoy complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club® and bring up to two guests or immediate family members at a rate of $50 per person per visit when flying Delta. Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter.
- Receive four Delta Sky Club® One-Time Guest Passes each year when you fly together on Delta. After that, you may bring up to two guests at a per-visit rate of $50 per person, per location.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge when you book a Delta flight with your Reserve Card.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and get closer to Status with MQD Headstart.
- Earn $1 Medallion® Qualification Dollar for each $10 of purchases made on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving elevated Medallion Status for next Medallion Year.
- Receive a Companion Certificate on First Class, Delta Comfort+®, or Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Ticket requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and no more than $250 for roundtrip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- $240 Resy Credit: With the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Resy Credit, earn up to $20 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases using your enrolled Card.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: You can earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers after you pay with your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. Enrollment Required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Card receive upgrade priority over other Medallion Members within the same Medallion level and fare class.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members with an eligible ticket will be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list, after Delta SkyMiles Medallion Members.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
2. United Club℠ Infinite Card
Lounge access:
- Complimentary United Club℠ membership
- May bring one adult guest and dependent children up to 21 years old, or up to two guests
The United Club℠ Infinite Card is the most feature-packed United credit card. There's a $525 annual fee, but it includes a United Club℠ membership, which normally costs $650. Note that this membership doesn't get you into United Polaris lounges, which have stricter entry requirements.
If you don't fly with United enough to make a $525 annual fee worth it, another option is the United℠ Explorer Card. You get two one-time United Club℠ passes when you're approved for this card, and you'll get two more every year after that on your account anniversary. This card has a $95 annual fee, and there's a $0 intro fee the first year.
3. Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
Lounge access:
- Complimentary Admirals® Club membership
- May bring immediate family (spouse or domestic partner and children under 18 years of age) or up to two guests
If you fly with American Airlines often, you can get lounge access with the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®. This card has a $595 annual fee. For that, you get a long list of air travel perks, including a membership to the airline's Admirals® Club (a value of up to $850).
Another perk of American Airlines credit cards is that they make it much easier to earn elite status. You earn 1 Loyalty Point per $1 spent on this card. It also offers a 10,000 Loyalty Point boost after reaching 50,000 Loyalty Points and 90,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year. You could earn elite status with American Airlines entirely from credit card spending, especially if you're a big spender.
Here are more options for airport lounge access
Airline credit cards like those are well worth it if you fly with the same airline regularly. So if you're a loyal customer to an airline, the best way to get lounge access with it is probably through its credit card.
If you're more of a free agent when you fly, you could be better off with a card that has a Priority Pass membership. Many premium travel rewards cards offer a complimentary membership to this program, which has over 1,400 lounges around the world. Here are a few cards that have this benefit:
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
And if you want access to as many lounges as possible, you may want to go with The Platinum Card® from American Express. It's expensive with a $695 annual fee (see rates and fees). But it has over $1,500 in annual spending credits and access to several airport lounge programs. Terms apply.
To sum it up, you have plenty of credit card options if you want to get into airport lounges. Most of them are expensive, but all these cards include lots of travel perks that could help you get your money's worth.
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For rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here
For rates and fees for the The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here
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