What are the best credit cards with lounge access?

There are more than 10 credit cards with Priority Pass available right now. Priority Pass is a network of 1,000+ airport lounges located around the world. If you purchase a Priority Pass membership, rather than receiving one as a complimentary benefit from the right credit card, it’ll cost you $99-$429 per year. The price depends on the level of membership. But the membership you’d get with credit cards includes free guest passes, unlike the stand-alone plans available for purchase.… read full answer

The best credit card with Priority Pass is Chase Sapphire Reserve because it has a huge signup bonus: 50,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. Chase Sapphire Reserve points are worth 1.5 cents each when redeemed for travel. That means those 50,000 bonus points can be used for $750 worth of travel purchases. Cardholders also get an annual $300 travel credit. The travel credit can be applied to travel expenses like flight upgrades and Uber rides.

Credit Cards with Priority Pass:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card – $550 annual fee
• Citi Prestige Card – $495 annual fee
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card – $450 annual fee
• Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card – $95 annual fee
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card – $450 annual fee
• Mastercard Black Card – $495 annual fee
• Mastercard Gold Card – $995 annual fee
• The Platinum Card from American Express – $550 annual fee
• U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card – $400 annual fee
• The Business Platinum Card from American Express – $595 annual fee
• Hilton Honors American Express Business Card – $95 annual fee
• The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Card (no longer open to new applicants) – $450 annual fee

As you can see, credit cards with Priority Pass also come with high annual fees. That’s not surprising considering the value of Priority Pass access, but you’ll want to get your money’s worth. On top of Priority Pass, these cards come with valuable rewards and signup bonuses of 50,000-150,000 points.

That being said, credit cards with Priority Pass are not the only credit cards offering access to airport lounges. So it’s good to shop around.

The Capital One Venture does not offer complimentary lounge access.

Some of the best credit cards you can get for lounge access are the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Citi Prestige, with their unlimited access to lounges in the Priority Pass Select network.

Another great option is the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® with its full membership access to the Admirals Club lounges.… read full answer

Chase Sapphire Preferred does not have lounge access. Reserve is the Chase Sapphire card with the airport lounge benefit, giving cardholders (and up to two guests) access to over 1,200 airport lounges with a complimentary Priority Pass membership. That package would ordinarily cost $399/year. Chase Sapphire Reserve’s $450 annual fee is nearly five times more than the $95 that Chase Sapphire Preferred charges, though. That means neither Chase Sapphire card is worth it for lounge access alone.… read full answer

There are ways to make it work, though. One option is to use the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s big initial rewards bonus to pay for a separate airport lounge membership, or at least to cover the cost. New cardholders who spend $4,000 in the first 3 months with Sapphire Preferred get 60,000 bonus points, worth $600 in cash back or $750 in travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

If you’re dead set on getting lounge access from your credit card, you’re mostly looking at cards with $400+ annual fees, like Chase Sapphire Reserve. Many can be worth it for frequent travelers, though, thanks to features like Sapphire Reserve’s $300 yearly travel credit.