Which credit cards offer free airport lounge access? We do the math

I first discovered airport lounges when I watched Unaccompanied Minors. There is a scene in the film where a wealthy teenager sneaks into a luxury airport lounge with a pass she supposedly received from her parents.

The scene stuck with me and left me with the impression that airport lounges were an exclusive club reserved for the wealthy elite—a glamorous place that someone like me, whose middle-class family rarely traveled, would never visit.

Funny how wrong I was.

Last year, I left my job as a full-time personal finance editor to travel the world. Armed with my knowledge of credit card scores, savings tips, and sound financial advice, I realized… how to visit more than 36 countries on a budget. Along the way I learned one thing: Airport lounges are hardly exclusive. You can usually get a day pass for around $35-$75, and there are many ways to get free access.

Priority Pass membership, which gives members access to a network of more than 1,600 airport lounges and entertainment around the world, is one of the most popular options. Here’s how you can gain access to the airport’s Priority Pass lounge inexpensive, and in some cases free.

Read more: These 10 Credit Cards Offer Free Cell Phone Insurance, But This Is My Favorite

How much does a Priority Pass membership cost?

Priority Pass annual membership prices Ranges from $99 for the Standard plan (with $35 per lounge visit) to $469 for the Prestige plan (with unlimited free visits).

If you only plan to visit the lounge once or twice a year, it’s best to pay for a day pass or the standard plan. But if you travel more frequently, you’ll want a plan that gives you unlimited access.

Luckily, there’s a cheaper way to get it than purchasing the Prestige plan directly through Priority Pass: credit cards.

Popular Credit Cards Offering Priority Pass

Some premium credit cards offer cardholders (and sometimes authorized users) a free Priority Pass Select membership, which comes with unlimited lounge visits, just like the Prestige plan.

Since the Prestige plan costs $469 per year, any credit card with an annual fee below that amount is already a better deal, even before you consider the card’s other benefits.

Some of The most popular travel cards people turn to for Priority Pass include:

A few business cards and a hotel or airline co-branded cards also offer Priority Pass, but these cards are intended for a narrower audience and are not much cheaper than the options described above.

Cheapest way to get Priority Pass lounge access

Looking at the four cards above, there’s a clear advantage: Capital One Venture X has the lowest annual fee at $395. Capital One also allows you to add up to four authorized users, each of whom gets their own Priority Pass membership at no additional cost.

Clearly Venture X is a winner, right?

Well, it depends. If you don’t intend to use the card for any other travel benefits, then maybe. But if you travel often enough to want to become a Priority Pass member, there are other factors to consider.

In addition to Priority Pass, the four cards above have a range of benefits, including credits that offer measurable cash value. If you use these credits to offset purchases you intended to make through regular spending, they can help significantly reduce your annual card fee. Let’s look at the value you can get from each card’s credits and effective annual fees if you use them all.

For ease of comparison, I only consider loans that have a certain cash value and do not have complex restrictions. Some credits are not available every year, so the calculations below reflect the first year cost of each card.

Priority Pass credit card cost

Card name	Annual fee	Total monetary value of loans and benefits	Effective annual fee
*Capital One Venture X	US$395	US$420	-USD 25
Chase Sapphire Reserve	US$550	US$755	-$205
American Express Platinum Card.	US$695	US$1294	-$599
Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit Card	US$550	US$550	$0

Noticed a trend?

If you can max out all your credits without overspending, these cards are essentially free and you might even come out on top.

Of the four cards above, the Amex Platinum technically has the lowest effective annual fee at $599. However, Platinum Credits are split into many different parts, some of which may be more difficult to maximize than others. Among the listed options, this is also the card with the highest valid has an annual fee, meaning it requires the largest upfront investment with no guarantee that you’ll be able to “earn” it back.

Which card offers Priority Pass at the best price?

For most people, Venture X will provide the best balance between minimizing the actual annual fee and ease of use of credits. There are only two credits on the card, one for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry and one for travel portal Capital One, which offers a large selection of flights, hotels and car rentals.

I didn’t factor in the rewards on each card in the calculations above, but it’s worth noting that Venture X offers a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus every year after the first (worth $100 if used as travel credit). This bonus, combined with a $300 annual travel credit, keeps the card’s effective annual fee negative even in years without a TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit.

However, if you can use up all the travel credits, the Amex Platinum could be a better way to get airport lounge access with other perks to boot.

How to get Priority Pass for free

If you plan to take four or fewer trips per year, there’s another lesser-known card that can get you Priority Pass without an annual fee: the US Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card*.

The card received an update in September that changed some of its rewards and benefits and removed the previous $95 annual fee. Despite eliminating the annual fee, the card retains its Priority Pass and TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit benefits, which essentially gives the card several premium perks for the price of a card with no annual fee.

So what’s the catch?

With an Altitude Connect Priority Pass membership, you will only receive four free lounge visits per year. Any guest you bring also counts towards the four visits. It might not be enough to tempt frequent travelers, but it’s ideal for casual travelers or those interested in airport lounges and don’t want to commit to an annual fee card.

Final verdict

You don’t need airport lounge access to enjoy your travels. In fact, you, like me, may find out that this particular bonus not always as glamorous as it seems. But if you’re in and out of airports frequently, lounge access can improve your travel experience.

If you’re new to airport lounges, I don’t recommend giving up unlimited lounge access until you decide it’s a valuable experience. Investing a few hundred dollars or opening a new credit card, which could have larger implications for your credit score and overall finances, is not a decision you should make lightly. If in doubt, buy a one-day pass and try it without any obligations.

After testing the waters, if you plan to frequent lounges, it’s smart to find a credit card that fits your travel goals. For most travelers, the Capital One Venture X is a better choice. For more frequent trips, American Express Platinum can provide the most bang for your buck.

For me, if I decide I need lounge access again, I would look to the US Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card. Without an annual fee, airport lounge access seems like a nice perk rather than a benefit I’d be forced to use every time I fly to get my money’s worth.

*All information about the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and US Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card was collected independently by CNET and has not been verified by the issuer.

American Express Platinum Card Rates and Fees: Click here.

The editorial content on this page is based solely on the objective, independent opinions of our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It was not provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.

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Full list of loans compared to the table above:

Capital One Venture:

• $300 annual travel credit through Capital One Travel.
• Credit up to $120 towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fees every four years.

Chase Sapphire Reserve:

• $300 Annual Credit on any travel purchase charged to your card.
• Credit up to $100 towards Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fees every four years.
• One year free DashPass when redeemed by December 31, 2027 ($96 retail via DoorDash)
• $5/month DoorDash credit ($60/year)
• Complimentary two-year Lyft Pink All Access membership when activated by December 31, 2024 (retail $199/year through Lyft)

American Express Platinum Card:

• Up to $200 annual credit on select prepaid hotel reservations through American Express Travel.
• Up to $20 monthly credit on select digital entertainment subscriptions (up to $240 annually)
• Walmart+ Credit up to $12.95/month ($155/year)
• Uber Cash – $15 per month for travel in the US, plus a bonus of $20 in December (up to $200 per year).
• Up to $200 annual airline incidental credit from one qualifying airline of your choice.
• Semi-Annual Credit of up to $50 for Saks Fifth Avenue ($100/year)
• Up to $199 annual credit for CLEAR® Plus membership.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Registration may be required for some American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit Card:

• $300 annual credit towards eligible airline incidentals.
• $150 annual credit towards eligible purchases of video streaming, food delivery, fitness subscriptions and car sharing services.
• Up to $100 credit toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry every four years.