When your flight reveals a long layover time and you’re looking for a good place to relax and have a few drinks, the best thing to do is to visit an airport lounge. With complimentary amenities such as unlimited access to alcoholic beverages snacks, hot foods, free Wi-fi and most importantly, some personal space and the elimination of airport noise, who wouldn’t want to take advantage of this opportunity. Depending on the airline carrier you are flying, lounges can be accessed on a one-time basis by paying a fee. Another option would be to attain elite status as your loyalty level offers access into airport lounges.

This is when certain travel credit cards come in handy. Many premium travel credit cards come with complimentary lounge access or one-time visit passes.

Below is a list of credit cards which offer this service:

With the Priority Pass membership, you can access 700 VIP airport lounges around the world, in 400 cities and 120 countries. The benefits with holding a Priority Pass membership is that you can access a VIP airport lounge regardless of which airline you travel with or which class of travel your flight is. There is also an overlap in airport lounges such as the Maple Leaf Lounges and Plaza Premium Lounges. Some popular VIP airport lounges are the Kuala Lampur Plaza Premium Lounge, Tokyo IASS Executive Lounge, Beijing Air China Business Class Lounge, and Paris Icare Lounge.

Calgary International (YYC)

• Concourse C – Transborder
  Lounge: Rocky Mountain Lounge
• Concourse D
  Lounge: Chinook Lounge

Edmonton – International (YEG)

• Domestic-International Terminal
  Lounge: Plaza Premium Lounge
• US Transborder Terminal
  Lounge: Plaza Premium Lounge (USA transborder)

Montreal – Pierre Elliott Trudeau International (YUL)

• International Terminal
  Lounge: National Bank World Mastercard Lounge

Québec – Jean Lesage International (YQB)

• Lounge: Salon Vip Lounge

Toronto – Lester B. Pearson International (YYZ)

• Terminal 1
  Lounge: Plaza Premium Lounge (international departures)
  Lounge: Plaza Premium Lounge (USA transborder)
  Lounge: Plaza Premium Lounge (domestic departures)
• Terminal 3
  Lounge: Air France Klm Lounge
  Lounge: Plaza Premium Lounge (domestic departures)
  Lounge: Plaza Premium Lounge (international departures)
• Lounge: Plaza Premium Lounge (international departures)

Vancouver – International (YVR)

• Domestic Terminal
  Lounge: Plaza Premium Lounge (domestic departures)
• International Terminal
  Lounge: Plaza Premium Lounge (international departures)
• USA Terminal 1
  Lounge: Plaza Premium Lounge (USA departures)

With the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge membership, you can access 21 lounges across major airports in Canada and some international locations. You can access the full list here.

Priority Pass memberships come in different levels. You can purchase a pass for unlimited access to all VIP airport lounges or you can pay a fee or 10 free visits to any VIP airport lounge. One of the greatest benefits with having the Priority Pass membership is that you can also access other airport lounges such as the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in Paris.

Additionally, if you need assistance locating an airport lounge prior to your flight, Loungebuddy is a great tool to use. Based on the type of credit card you own, the Loungebuddy app can indicate which lounges you have access to and if there will be a fee required to enter. Another benefit to this tool is they offer directions on how to get to a specific airport lounge.

Lounge access is something we don’t often think about if we are heading to a relaxing destination. However, if you happen to come across a long airport layover, fighting for a seat at the gate may become torturous and dreadfully mood blowing. With a lounge pass, you can easily eliminate all this.

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