For some travelers, accessing airport lounges is easier than ever.
As lounges become more popular and more passengers vie for a spot in one of their comfortable chairs, lounge operators are having to do more to control the flow. That means if you’re not a big spender with a fancy credit card or a premium airline ticket, you may not be able to secure a slot behind the frosted glass doors.
“The good news is there are more of them, and there are still relatively easy ways to join them, assuming you’re willing to spend the money on a lounge membership or premium travel credit card that can let you in,” Thrifty Traveler editor Kyle Potter tells USA TODAY. “The problem is: There is not enough lounge space for the amount of people who want to spend their time at the airport inside these spaces – and there never will be.”
What are the best ways to access airport lounges?
Travel-focused credit cards and premium airline tickets on long-haul routes are the most reliable ways to get lounge access.
“Easily the most popular and, in fact, not only the main culprit, but arguably the only culprit for lounge overcrowding are premium travel credit cards,” Potter said.
Cards like the American Express Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Capital One Venture
Most airlines provide lounge access to passengers with business or first class tickets on long-haul flights, although you should check with your carrier about specific policies. Many airlines with large lounge networks also offer annual memberships to their lounges for sale or as a benefit to top tier frequent flyers.
Potter warned that this could be expensive. He said the cost of an annual lounge membership can be higher than the higher annual fees on premium credit cards, but lounge memberships typically come with fewer restrictions than credit card access.
Can you get into the lounge without a premium credit card?
According to Potter, the popularity of premium credit cards has driven other travelers out of the lounge. While some airlines like American and United sell day passes in some of their lounges, availability can be limited, especially during peak travel days.
The same goes for facilities like escape lounges, which may cut access, add waiting lists or stop selling day passes depending on real-time crowd conditions. Escape Lounges recommend prebooking to avoid being denied entry due to lack of capacity on the day of travel.
“There are more cardholders entering these lounges than there is square footage to accommodate. When they’re at capacity, they all unilaterally make basically the same decision, which is we’re going to limit it to card members only,” Potter said.
American Airlines sells a one-day pass to its Admirals Club for $79. Passengers must have a same-day ticket on an American Airlines flight, and the company says clubs that are currently closed, under construction or where space is limited may be excluded.
United Airlines sells day passes to its United Clubs for $59, but warns that passengers can only purchase the pass for entry within three hours of their departure, and “access is subject to space availability.”
Many premium credit cards offer lounge access by including Priority Pass membership as a benefit. For those who don’t want to pay the full annual fee for a premium credit card, you can also purchase an annual Priority Pass membership individually. Membership to the global lounge network starts at $99 per year.
Is a premium credit card eligible for lounge access?
You’ll have to use the numbers yourself to determine whether the higher cost of a premium credit card is worth the extra expense of accessing airport lounges once or twice a year.
Potter said, “There are definitely trade-offs there. If you’re planning to travel twice a year, is it worth paying $900 for a credit card that gets you lounge access? Probably not.” “It really comes down to a utilitarian calculation: Will I be able to go to these lounges frequently enough to recoup the cost I’m paying to get in?”