My first exposure to airport lounges was through the 2006 movie Unaccompanied Minors, which featured a scene where a rich teenager sneaks into a luxe airport lounge with an access pass she presumably got from her parents.
That scene left me with the impression that airport lounges were an exclusive club reserved for the rich elite — the kind of place that someone like me, who grew up in a middle-class family that rarely traveled, would never experience.
It’s funny how wrong I was.
Last year, I left my job as a full-time personal finance editor to travel the world. Armed with my knowledge of credit card points, savings hacks and smart money advice, I figured out how to visit more than 36 countries on a budget. One tip I learned along the way: airport lounges are hardly exclusive. You can typically snag a day pass for around $35 to $75, and there are plenty of ways to get free access.
A Priority Pass membership, which grants members access to a network of over 1,600 airport lounges and experiences worldwide, is one of the most popular ways. Here’s how you can get Priority Pass airport lounge access affordably, and in some cases, for no extra money out of my pocket.
How much is Priority Pass membership?
The prices for an annual Priority Pass membership range from $99 for the Standard plan (with a $35 charge for each lounge visit) to $469 for the Prestige plan (with unlimited complimentary visits).
If you only plan to visit a lounge once or twice a year, paying for a day pass or the standard plan is your best bet. But if you’re taking more frequent trips, you’ll want a plan that gives you unlimited access.
Luckily, there’s a cheaper way to get it than purchasing the Prestige plan directly from Priority Pass: credit cards.
Popular credit cards that offer Priority Pass
Several premium travel credit cards offer cardholders (and sometimes authorized users) complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which grants unlimited lounge visits just like the Prestige plan.
Since the Prestige plan costs $469 annually, any credit card with an annual fee below that amount is already a better deal, even before you consider the card’s other benefits.
Some of the most popular travel cards people turn to for Priority Pass include:
Several business cards and hotel or airline co-branded cards also offer Priority Pass, but those cards appeal to a narrower audience and aren’t significantly cheaper than the options above.
The cheapest way to get Priority Pass
Looking at the four cards above, there’s a clear standout: the Capital One Venture X has the lowest annual fee, at $395. Capital One also lets you add up to four authorized users, who all get their own Priority Pass membership at no additional charge.
Clearly, the Venture X is the winner, right?
Well, that depends. If you’re not going to use the card for any other travel benefits, then maybe. But if you’re traveling often enough to want Priority Pass membership, there are other factors to consider.
In addition to offering Priority Pass, the four cards above come with a litany of benefits, including statement credits that offer quantifiable cash value. If you use these credits to offset purchases you were going to make through normal spending, they can help lower the card’s annual fees significantly. Let’s take a look at the value you can get from each card’s statement credits and effective annual fees if you use all of them.
For ease of comparison, I’m only counting credits that have a defined cash value attached and don’t come with complicated restrictions. Some credits aren’t available every year, so the calculations below reflect each card’s first-year value.
Priority pass credit card values
| Card name | Annual fee | Total cash value of credits and benefits | Effective annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Capital One Venture X | $395 | $420 | -$25 |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | $550 | $755 | -$205 |
| The Platinum Card from American Express | $695 | $1,294 | -$599 |
| Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit Card | $550 | $550 | $0 |
Notice a trend?
If you can maximize all the credits without overspending, these cards are effectively free and you might even come out on top.
Of the four cards above, the Amex Platinum technically has the lowest effective annual fee, at -$599. However, the Platinum’s credits are split into many different parts, some of which may be harder to maximize than others. Among the options listed, it’s also the card with the highest actual annual fee, meaning it requires the largest upfront investment with no guarantee you’ll be able to “earn” it back.
Which card offers Priority Pass at the best value?
For most people, the Venture X will provide the best balance between minimizing the effective annual fee and ease of using the credits. The card only has two credits, one for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry and one for the Capital One Travel Portal, which offers a large selection of flights, hotels and rental cars.
I didn’t factor each card’s rewards into the calculations above, but it’s worth noting that the Venture X offers a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus each year after the first (worth $100 if redeemed as a statement credit toward travel). This bonus, combined with the $300 annual travel credit, keeps the card’s effective annual fee negative even in years without the TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit.
However, if you can use all of the travel credits, the Amex Platinum might be a more rewarding way to enjoy airport lounge access with other perks to boot.
A lesser-known card that offers Priority Pass
If you’ll be making four or fewer trips in a year, there’s another lesser-known card that could get you Priority Pass for no annual fee: the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card*.
The card got an upgrade in September that changed some of its rewards and benefits and removed its previous $95 annual fee. Despite the annual fee elimination, the card kept its Priority Pass and TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit benefits, essentially giving the card a few premium card perks for the price of a no-annual-fee card.
So what’s the catch?
You’ll only get four complimentary lounge visits per year with the Altitude Connect’s Priority Pass membership. Any guest you bring also counts against the four-visit allowance. That might not be enough to tempt frequent travelers, but it’s perfect for occasional travelers or anyone curious about airport lounges who doesn’t want to commit to an annual fee card.
The final verdict
You don’t need airport lounge access to enjoy traveling. In fact, you might learn, like I did, that this particular perk isn’t always as glamorous as it seems. But if you’re in and out of airports often, lounge access could elevate your travel experience.
If you’re new to airport lounges, I don’t recommend springing for unlimited lounge access until you’ve decided that it’s an experience you value. Investing a few hundred dollars or opening a new credit card — which can have larger implications on your credit score and overall finances — isn’t a decision you should make lightly. If you’re on the fence, buy a day pass and try it out with no commitment.
After testing the waters, if you plan to visit lounges frequently, it’s smart to find a credit card that aligns with your travel goals. For most travelers, the Capital One Venture X will be the best pick. For more frequent trips, the American Express Platinum can give you the best bang for your buck.
As for me, if I decide I want lounge access again, I’d turn to the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card. With no annual fee, airport lounge access feels like a nice perk, rather than a benefit I’d feel forced to use each time I fly to get my money’s worth.
*All information about the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit Card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card from American Express, click here.
Full list of credits compared in the table above:
Capital One Venture:
- $300 annual travel credit through Capital One Travel
- Up to $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee every four years
Chase Sapphire Reserve:
- $300 annual travel credit for any travel purchase charged to the card
- Up to $100 credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee every four years
- Complimentary DashPass for one year when you activate by Dec. 31, 2027 ($96 retail value through DoorDash)
- $5 monthly DoorDash credit ($60 annually)
- Complimentary Lyft Pink All Access membership for two years when you activate by Dec. 31, 2024 ($199/year retail value through Lyft)
The Platinum Card from American Express:
- Up to $200 annual credit for select prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel
- Up to $20 monthly credit for select digital entertainment subscriptions (Up to $240 annually)
- Up to $12.95 monthly Walmart+ credit ($155 annually)
- $15 monthly Uber Cash for US rides, plus a bonus $20 in December (Up to $200 annually)
- $Up to 200 annual credit for airline incidental fees from one qualifying airline of your choosing
- Up to $50 semi-annual credit for Saks Fifth Avenue ($100 annually)
- Up to $199 annual credit for a CLEAR® Plus membership
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit Card:
- $300 annual credit for qualifying airline incidental purchases
- $150 annual credit for qualifying purchases of video streaming services, food delivery, fitness subscriptions and rideshare services
- Up to $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry every four years
