Credit Cards which offer Lounge Access
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:
| Credit Card | Lounge Access |
| CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite Privilege Card | Receive four Maple Leaf Lounge One-Time Guest Passes each year to access AC’s lounges when flying on Aeroplan reward flights. Enjoy select number of complimentary visits to over 500 airport lounges worldwide. |
| CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite Card | Maple Leaf Lounge One-Time guest access benefit each year-will need to present reward boarding pass and credit card |
| BMO Air Miles World Elite MasterCard | Exclusive access to VIP Airport Lounges worldwide, with annual Priority Pass membership and two complimentary passes per year |
| BMO World Elite MasterCard | Exclusive access to VIP Airport Lounges worldwide, with annual Priority Pass membership and four complimentary passes per year |
| TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card | One annual One-Time Guess Access Benefit to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge when you travel on an Aeroplan Rewards Flight. |
| TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card | Four annual One-Time Guest Access Benefits to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge when you travel on an Aeroplan Rewards Flight. |
| TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card | Annual Discount on a Priority Pass membership, which allows access to 600 VIP airport lounges worldwide |
| TD Platinum Travel Visa Card | Annual Discount on a Priority Pass membership, which allows access to 600 VIP airport lounges worldwide |
| TD Classic Travel Visa Card | Annual Discount on a Priority Pass membership, which allows access to 600 VIP airport lounges worldwide |
| Scotiabank Gold American Express Card | Annual discounted Priority Pass Membership of $65USD or access to a one time lounge visit for $27USD. |
| ScotiaGold Passport Visa Card | ScotiaGold Passport Visa cardholders are eligible to redeem Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Passes |
| Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card | Complimentary membership to Priority Pass Airport Lounges Worldwide |
| RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card | Global airport lounge access |
| NBC World Elite MasterCard | Access to the National Bank World MasterCard lounge at Montreal-Trudeau airport with a guest for your international trip |
| NBC World MasterCard | Access to the National Bank World MasterCard lounge at Montreal-Trudeau airport |
| American Express Platinum Card | Through the Canadian Platinum Lounge Benefit enjoy complimentary lounge access across most major Canadian cities. When travelling in The Airport Club Program, enjoy complimentary airline club access globally. Complimentary access to the American Express Lounge.As a Platinum member, you can receive Complimentary Membership in Priority Pass. |
| American Express AeroplanPlus Platinum Card | Access to Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges Complimentary. Priority Pass Membership. |
| American Express AeroplanPlus Reserve Card | Unlimited access to Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges. Unlimited access to Priority Pass Lounges. |
| American Express Air Miles Reserve Card | Receive four complimentary visits per year to Priority Pass Worldwide Lounges. After four visits, you may access a lounge for US $27 each time. |
| American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card | Access to American Express Lounges at The Molson Amphitheatre, Roy Thomson Hall, Princess of Wales Theatre. |
| American Express Business Platinum Card | Access to over 600 airport lounges around the world, such as Canadian Platinum Lounge Benefit, Priority Pass Worldwide Airport Lounge Access and Airport Club Program. |
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.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Leave a Reply