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One of the most frequently asked questions I get while posting travel content is we get into so many amazing airport lounges. So, today, I am going to break it all down in an easy-to-understand blog post because it’s complicated! But, once you know how to get into airport lounges, you’ll be glad you did. The complimentary food and drinks save us so much money!
How To Get Into Airport Lounges
Before I share exactly how to get into airport lounges, I think it’s important for you to know what they are.
Believe it or not, up until a few years ago, I didn’t really know what I was missing. I wandered through airports, overpaying for mediocre food and drinks. Then, I jockeyed for an uncomfortable seat near the gate and waited for my plane to board. So, I can bet that a lot of you don’t realize what you’re missing out on, either!
What Are Airport Lounges
Sometimes, as I am heading into or exiting airport lounges, I pass by people and wonder just how many people have no idea what is on the other side of that door. Or, maybe they think they are only for the elite. But, they’re more accessible than you think.
Most major airports have at least one airport lounge, and many can have a dozen or even more. But they aren’t all the same! The majority of airport lounges have comfortable sitting areas, work tables, bars, and buffets. Some even have family rooms, private pods for taking calls, showers, and even spa services!
In general, the food and drink (including alcohol, beer, and wine) are complimentary in these lounges. Many have showers which I really appreciate on long travel days. Some have sleeper pods, fitness rooms and classes, and even spa services! It’s mind-blowing for people who don’t know that airport lounges exist, let alone how to get into airport lounges.
SIDE NOTE: After writing this post, I realized that I don’t ever take photos inside of lounges. So, I pulled a few from my phone. But, during my upcoming travels, I’ll try to take more and update this post so that you can see just how amazing they are!
3 Types of Airport Lounges
There are 3 main types of airport lounges. I will discuss each of these in more detail in an upcoming section when I share how to get into each type. But here is a quick overview.
1) The first are airline-specific lounges, such as the Delta Sky Club and the United Club. These are often tied to your airline loyalty status, the class of ticket you buy, and whether you hold particular airline credit cards.
2) The second type of lounges are credit card-specific lounges such as the American Express Centurian Lounges, The Chase Sapphire Lounges, or the Capitol One Lounges. Again, these are going to be, of course, tied to credit cards.
3) The last group of lounges that you see are club lounges managed by membership programs such as Priority Pass, Plaza Premium Lounges, Dragon Pass and others. The good news is that some of these memberships are also often included with premium credit cards such as the Capital One Venture X.
How To Find Airport Lounges
The airport lounges that you will access the most often will be in your home airport. So, it’s critical that you first know what the options are. That will make the next section most helpful!
For example, we almost always start in Atlanta or here in Dothan with a required connection in Atlanta. Hartsfield Jackson is a Delta hub, so each terminal has at least one Delta Sky Club. Up until recently, there was only one other airport lounge, The Club (accessible via Priority Pass), which is located in the International Terminal. Earlier this year, a beautiful brand new American Express Centurian Lounge opened in Terminal E, next to gate E11. We have been to it several times now, and I love it!
You will also need to figure out what lounges are available at destinations you like to travel to. However, that should not dictate your main strategy. In some instances, you may not even be able to use airport lounges. For example, if most of your travel is from my other local airport, ECP in Panama City Beach, to a southwest hub like Dallas Love Field, neither airport has lounges.
My favorite way to see what lounges are available at various destinations when traveling is to use the Louge Buddy website. I loved their app, but it’s no longer available. However, the website works great!
Click here to browse Lounge Buddy and see what lounges are available in your home airport or airports. That will make the next section even more helpful!
How To Get Into Airport Lounges On Your Next Trip
So, how can you get into these lounges? There are a lot of different ways. It will be easiest for me to break them down into the following categories.
- Credit Cards With Lounge Access
- Lounge Access With Airlines Status
- First Class / Premium Ticket Access
If you are new to this, you likely will fall under the first category unless you fly international business class often or have top-tier airline status. In both of those cases, you would usually know how to get into airport lounges and use them often!
Please note that most lounges allow access up to 3 hours before your initial flight or on a same-day layover. However, there are some exceptions!
Airport Lounge Access For Families
Also, each card, club, or airline has different rules about guests, including kids. I can’t possibly list them all here, but I will touch on the rules for the most common. So, please read through and consider the guest policies, credit card authorized user costs, etc.
At the end of this post, I share my three favorite travel credit cards for families to get airport lounge access. We do it all of the time! Our kids are always well-behaved in the lounges, and it saves us so much money.
Credit Cards With Airport Lounge Access
The most popular way to get into airport lounges is to have a premium travel credit card. Many cards, such as the American Express Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Capital One Venture X, include access to lounge membership clubs such as Priority Pass and the bank’s exclusive clubs, such as the American Express Centurion Lounge.
Let’s look at the three main types of lounges that your credit card will get you into.
#1 Priority Pass, Plaza Premium Louges, Etc
There are thousands of lounges around the world. They are operated under various names, such as The Club and Aspire, and even some airline-specific lounges, such as the Virgin Clubhouse lounge at some airports. In most cases, you can bring two guests in with you for free. Most of these are included in the Priority Pass or Plaza Premium network of lounges. I want to specifically highlight Priority Pass because that membership is included with the credit cards I will mention later in this post and is generally the easiest to access.
Click here to view the Priority Pass lounge network, which includes over 1,400 airport lounge locations in nearly 150 countries.
Click here to view the Plaza Premium lounge network with 110+ lounges worldwide.
You can also buy memberships to these lounge networks on your own, but it’s usually more economical to sign up for a credit card that includes the membership. The most popular credit cards that provide free Priority Pass Memberships are the American Express Platinum Card, Capital One Venture X, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Once your new premium travel credit card arrives in the mail, you will have to activate your Priority Pass membership. Priority Pass is only available for ages 18+. They mail you a membership card, but I like to use the Priority Pass app to show my card and search for lounges.
#2 Credit Card-Specific Lounges
There are also lounges operated by the banks that issue your credit cards. You are probably familiar with the American Express Centurian Clubs with 14 locations in the US and 10+ more internationally, but other banks are getting into the mix. Capital One now has three new lounges open at DFW, DEN, and IAH. Chase has been opening up its new Chase Sapphire lounges—the new one in Boston is fantastic! There are currently five Chase Sapphire lounges located at JFK, LGA, IAD, BOS, AUS, and HKG with plans to open five more.
These have varying rules regarding guest access to airport lounges, but here is a short summary. Some other cards, such as the Delta Reserve for Centurian Lounges, allow access for the cardholder only with same-day Delta tickets, etc. But I want to keep this as a more basic introductory.
American Express Centurian Lougue Guest Policy: American Express Platinum cardholders can bring up to 2 guests but need to pay $50 for adults and $30 for children ages 2-17. The card also allows for 2 complimentary guests after $75,000 in spend each year.
Capital One Lounge Guest Policy: Capitol One Venture X cardholders can bring 2 guests in for free. Additional guests are allowed at a rate of $45 each.
Chase Sapphire Lounge Guest Policy: A Chase Sapphire Reserve card member can bring up to 2 free guests into the lounge. Additional guests are allowed at a rate of $27 each.
So, if any of these lounges are in your home airport, it may help dictate which card you go with since all three have premium cards that include Priority Pass.
#3 Airlines Specific Airport Lounges
The final type of lounge that your credit card may get you into is airline-specific lounges such as the Delta Sky Club, United Club, and American Airlines Admiral Club. Sometimes, this access is tied to airline loyalty status, which I will talk about below.
An example here is the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard. It offers complimentary Admirals Club membership to primary cardholders and up to 10 authorized users at no extra cost.
United has some cards that include either an unlimited or a set number of passes that give you access to the United Club. As a Delta loyalist near their main hub in Atlanta, I’ll share my Delta strategy at the end of this post.
Lounge Access With Airline Status
The above section discussed using credit cards to access the three main types of lounges. However, you can also earn access to specific lounges by earning high-tier loyalty status with the airline.
In some cases, you are not permitted to bring guests or are limited to one guest. Additionally, sometimes access is dependent on your loyalty status + what fare class ticket you bought, or whether your destination is domestic or international.
Again, if you are a frequent flyer and have earned or are chasing top-tier airline status, I am going to assume that you already know the ins and outs of lounge access and won’t elaborate here.
Airport Lounge Access For Premium Fares
If you book business class or first class airfare, you are often allowed access to airport lounges. However, access really varies! Some airlines such as Delta, only include lounge access on international business class flights, not domestic. So, first class passengers flying from NYC to LA don’t mean you automatically get lounge access. You would need one of the other access methods above.
So, research that airline or airline alliance specifically to see if you can access the lounges before your business or first-class flight. There are even some first class lounges at international airports that are incredible!
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How To Get Into Airport Lounges For Beginners
So, to recap, there are three main types of airport lounges and various ways to get into them. But the first thing you need to do is know which lounges are available at your home airports! We actually have all of the below credit cards and a lot of experience using these lounges all over the world.
Unless you are a top-tier loyalist to particular airlines or purchasing first-class international fares, you are going to need to rely on credit cards for lounge access.
So, I am going to share my top 3 reccomendations for premium travel credit cards with lounge access! These come with higher annual fees, but those are often offset with various credits and perks. Most include free TSA Precheck or Global Entry credits as well as high-tier status with various hotel chains and rental car companies.
Honestly, being able to access these lounges for complimentary food and drink has saved us so much money when we travel. We never pay for anything in the airports anymore!
Overall Pick: Capital One Venture X
In my opinion, the Capital One Venture X is the best starter travel credit card for families to access lounges for a few reasons.
First, it includes Priority Pass lounges and Plaza Premium Lounges, so there are over 1500 worldwide lounges. We use these very often. Two guests are included, but there is a workaround. You can add up to 4 authorized users to your Capital One Venture X for free. Each of those users will get their own memberships to the above lounges.
Note that kids can be added as authorized users but need to be 18+ to activate the Priority Pass lounge memberships. But a family of 6 can have both parents as authorized users, and all access these lounges for free (2 x 1 +2 guests). You can pay for additional guests for $45.
Plus, as I mentioned above, Capital One is opening their new Capital One Lounges in the United States, and they are really nice. As of now, they are located in Dallas-Fort Worth (near gate D22), Denver (Concourse A), and IAH Washington-Dulles (main terminal). Clubs will also be opening soon at JFK in New York City and LAS in Las Vegas. These allow 2 guests as well. So, if any of these are your home airport, the Capital One Venture X is a no-brainer!
Annual Fee: $395 However, it comes with a $300 Capital One Travel credit and 10k points annually at renewal, so it’s very easy to break even and actually come out ahead.
The Capital One Venture X also earns 2 points for every dollar spent, making it a great credit card for everyday spending.
My Favorite: American Express Platinum Card
My second recommendation is the American Express Platinum Card. It does come with the highest annual Fee, but I more than recoup my cost with the generous credits offered.
First, of course, it includes the Priority Pass lounges with 2 guests. However, authorized users are not free. They are $195 each. So, for a family with 2-4 children, you would need to have your spouse as an authorized user.
In addition, you can only have two guests at the Centurian Lounge, and they are charged $50 for adults and $30 for kids under 18. So, for us, it makes sense for Matt to either have his own card or be an authorized user on mine for $195 per year. When we access the Centurian lounges as a family of four, we would pay $60 ($30 per kid).
Abby actually has her own American Express Platinum authorized user card so we only spent $30 each time we enter Centurian Clubs as a family. Why would I spend another $195 on that?
Well, the American Express Platinum Card also includes access to the Delta Sky Clubs when traveling on a Delta ticket. This is a huge perk for me. You can bring in up to two guests (also on Delta tickets) for $50 each.
We use the Delta Sky Clubs numerous times each year in Atlanta, and Abby and I travel often just the two of us. So, it makes more sense to pay $195 per year than $50 for each visit. If all four of us want to use the American Express Platinum Card to access a Delta Sky Club, we either pay $50 for Jake or use one of the one-time passes that come with my Delta Amex Reserve Business Card.
Annual Fee: $695 But, it comes with a lot of credits that are worth more than that. Yes, it’s essentially a big coupon book, but I spend all of my credits, and this is actually my favorite overall card, personally. Credits include a $200 Amex Hotel Credit, a $200 airline incidental credit, $200 annual Uber cash, a $240 annual digital entertainment credit (we use ours for free Disney+), a free Walmart+ membership valued at $100, $100 annual Saks 5th Avenue credit, and more. As you can see, it makes up for the annual fee and then some.
The American Express Platinum Card earns 5 points per dollar spent on airfare, making it my card of choice for all of my airfare purchases. However, I don’t use it for most of my spending as other cards earn better. But I love it for the benefits.
Another Option: Chase Sapphire Reserve
The other most popular way to access airport lounges is with a Chase Sapphire Reserve card. I actually don’t have this card, as it overlaps too much with my others. I do have a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, but it doesn’t include lounge access.
People like this card because it includes a travel credit to help offset the annual Fee and earns 3 points per dollar spent on travel. It again comes with the Priority Pass and authorized users here are $75 per year.
Additionally, if you travel out of an airport with a Chase Sapphire Lounge, it’s a real treat. The first two guests are free, and you only have to pay $27 for additional, which is less than some of the above scenarios.
Annual Fee: $550 It comes with a $300 Capital One Travel credit and free Lyft Pink and Dash Pass Memberships. However, it’s more expensive overall than the previous two, as those memberships aren’t really that valuable to me.
Travel Tip: My ATL Airport Lounge Strategy
Since many of my readers are located here in the Southeast, I want to share my specific lounge strategy for the Atlanta airport. We almost always start there for our big trips. Or, I fly in and out of my hometown airport in Dothan, Alabama, and have to connect at Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta.
My American Express Platinum Card is all that I really need. The Priority Pass lounge is way over in the international terminal and pretty crummy compared to most. So, we always use the Delta Sky Clubs and the brand’s new American Express Centurian Lounge. We pretty much always fly Delta, so my card gets me into both. And it’s wonderful to have the new American Express lounge for when we don’t fly Delta.
I really only need either Matt or Abby to be an authorized user instead of both. But the way we have it set up, the three of us can get into either the Delta Sky Club or the American Express Lounge and even The Club anytime we travel.
At worst, I pay $30 or $50 for Jake if I am out of one-time passes. This may seem expensive, but it would easily cost us upward of $100 to dine at the terminal food court or restaurants each time we travel. Now, we look forward to visiting the airport lounges and saving money while we travel!
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Now You Know How To Get Into Airport Lounges
Every time I post airport lounges in my Instagram stories while traveling, people ask me how to get in there! It’s a little hard to answer in one or two sentences. So, I hope this guide on how to get into airport lounges answers some quetions for you and learn to enjoy travel days as much as I do!
Do you have a favorite airport lounge? Please comment on this post and let me know!
More Travel Guides & Travel Blog Posts
If you enjoyed this post about getting into airport lounges, you’ll love my other travel blogs! I have posts about travel tips, travel destination guides, and more. Here are some posts you may enjoy.
- Flight Deals With Thrifty Traveler
- Tips For International Travel
- Why We Love Booking.com
- My Favorite Travel Steamer
- Baby Gear Rental While Traveling
- How AirTags Make Travel Easier
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