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Airport lounge access is a headline benefit for most luxury credit cards, and the majority of lounges available through your credit card benefits are part of the Priority Pass lounge network.
For anyone who travels regularly, airport lounge access can feel like a necessity. But for the average person, it’s more of a nice-to-have; it may only be worth it as an extra perk from a credit card you value in other ways.
If airport lounge access is something you’re pining for, a credit card is usually the most affordable way to get a Priority Pass membership. Let’s examine a handful of the top credit cards that provide Priority Pass lounge access.
What is Priority Pass?
Priority Pass is the world’s largest airport lounge network, with over 1,800 locations. You don’t need a credit card to enroll, and there are three membership tiers:
- Standard: $99 a year with a $35 per visit fee for the member and guests
- Standard Plus: $329 a year with 10 free visits, then a $35 per visit fee for the member, and a $35 per visit fee applies for all guests
- Prestige: $469 per year with unlimited free member visits and a $35 fee for all guests
Priority Pass lounges can be a great place to relax when traveling, but before you commit to a pricey membership, consider your travel habits. Smaller airports are less likely to have a Priority Pass lounge, and larger airports may have lounges that aren’t anywhere close to your departure gate.
For example, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the U.S. and features three Priority Pass lounges. However, these lounges are all located in Terminal 5, which is largely used for international flights and may require a separate trip through security if you’re not flying out of that terminal. In other words, Chicago residents may find a Priority Pass membership less useful.
Affordable credit cards with Priority Pass benefits
The overwhelming majority of credit cards with airport lounge access have annual fees of $400 to $900, but there are a few cards that provide access for less.
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature Card comes with a Priority Pass membership and has no annual fee. You’re limited to four complimentary visits per year, but it’s still the cheapest way to get into a Priority Pass airport lounge, unless you’re visiting as the guest of someone else who’s paying.
A handful of low-cost business credit cards also give you the opportunity to enroll in Priority Pass for free. The U.S.Bank Business Altitude®Connect Visa Signature®Card has a $0 annual fee for the first year, then $95, and it also offers four complimentary visits per year.
The SignifyBusiness Cash℠Card byWells Fargo allows you to enroll in Priority Pass for no cost, but you’ll pay a per-visit fee. The Signify Business Cash has no annual fee, so even though you pay for Priority Pass visits, you could think of it as a Standard Priority Pass membership without the $99 annual fee.
Premium credit cards with Priority Pass benefits
Many premium credit cards offer complimentary Priority Pass lounge access with unlimited access for the primary cardholder with no per-visit fees. However, you’ll pay hundreds of dollars in annual fees for this benefit, so it’s important that the card’s other perks make sense for you.
When comparing Priority Pass benefits, there are two details to pay attention to beyond the access you receive as the primary cardholder:
- Guest access rules
- Authorized user fees and access benefits
With the top Priority Pass card credits, you’re typically allowed to bring up to two guests along for no additional cost. Cards that come with two complimentary Priority PassTM guest passes include the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), Citi Strata Elite℠ Card and American Express Platinum Card®.
You can also add authorized users to your account, and with certain cards, they’ll be able to enroll in a complimentary Priority Pass membership.
The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card may be the best option for getting lounge access for a large group. You can enroll up to four additional members in Priority Pass at no cost (they don’t even need to be authorized users), and each receives a separate membership. That means they don’t need to travel with you to be able to access Priority Pass lounges.
Most cards with airport lounge perks charge an additional fee for authorized users, which can still be one of the cheapest ways to access airport lounges. For example, it costs $75 to add an authorized user to a Citi Strata Elite account, and authorized users can enroll to receive a complimentary Priority Pass membership that comes with complimentary access for up to two guests.
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