Credit Cards which offer Free Airport Lounge Access (updated October 23, 2017)

23Oct2017

Shirley put together a very comprehensive post about Credit Cards which offer Lounge Access over 2 years ago, so I thought that this post was due for an update. Alternatively from the previous post, I will only focus on credit cards that give complimentary airport lounge visits, along with how many.

If you have been to an airport lounge recently, you probably felt that it was packed. How did so many other people get lounge access? In the United States, there are many credit cards that offer this benefits, but do not underestimate the Canadian market either.

Below is a list of credit cards that offer lounge access, along with the requirements.

Credit Cards	Lounge Access	Annual Fees
American Express AeroplanPlus Platinum Card	Unlimited access to Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge. Unlimited access to Priority Pass Lounges.	$499
American Express AeroplanPlus Reserve Card	Unlimited access to Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge. Unlimited access to Priority Pass Lounges.	$899
American Express Air Miles Reserve Card	Receive 4 complimentary Priority Pass Lounge passes per membership year.	$299
American Express Business Platinum Card	Unlimited Canadian Platinum Lounge Benefit. Unlimited access to The Centurion Lounges. Unlimited access to Delta Sky Club airport lounges.	$399
American Express Platinum Card	Unlimited Canadian Platinum Lounge Benefit. Unlimited access to Priority Pass Lounges, along with one companion. Unlimited access to The Centurion Lounges. Unlimited access to Delta Sky Club airport lounges.	$699
BMO Air Miles World Elite MasterCard	Receive 2 complimentary Priority Pass Lounge passes per membership year.	$120
BMO World Elite MasterCard	Receive 4 complimentary Priority Pass Lounge passes per membership year.	$150
CIBC Aerogold Visa Card for Business	Receive 1 complimentary Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge pass per calendar year. To be used only on an Aeroplan Flight Reward only, on a flight operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or under the Air Canada Express banner.	$180
CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite Privilege Card	Receive 4 complimentary Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge passes per calendar year. To be used only on an Aeroplan Flight Reward only, on a flight operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or under the Air Canada Express banner. Receive 6 complimentary Priority Pass Lounge passes per membership year.	$399
CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite Card	Receive 1 complimentary Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge pass per calendar year. To be used only on an Aeroplan Flight Reward only, on a flight operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or under the Air Canada Express banner.	$120
Desjardins Visa Odyssey Infinite Privilege	Receive 12 complimentary Desjardins Odyssey Lounge passes per year. Receive 6 complimentary Priority Pass Lounge passes per membership year.	$395
Desjardins Odyssey World Elite MasterCard	Receive 8 complimentary Desjardins Odyssey Lounge passes per year.	$130
NBC World Elite MasterCard	Unlimited access to the National Bank World MasterCard lounge, along with a companion.	$150
NBC World MasterCard	Receive 1 National Bank World MasterCard lounge pass.	$125
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card	Receive 6 complimentary Priority Pass Lounge passes per membership year.	$399
Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card	Receive 10 complimentary Priority Pass Lounge passes per membership year. Supplementary cardholder receives 4 complimentary Priority Pass Lounge passes per membership year.	$399
TD Aeroplan Visa Business Card	Receive 1 complimentary Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge pass per calendar year. To be used only on an Aeroplan Flight Reward only, on a flight operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or under the Air Canada Express banner.	$149
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card	Receive 1 complimentary Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge pass per calendar year. To be used only on an Aeroplan Flight Reward only, on a flight operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or under the Air Canada Express banner.	$120
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card	Receive 4 complimentary Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge passes per calendar year. To be used only on an Aeroplan Flight Reward only, on a flight operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or under the Air Canada Express banner. Receive 6 complimentary Priority Pass Lounge passes per membership year.	$399

Please let me know if I missed any credit cards!

About The Author

Matt

Chief Editor

Matt has been an avid points collector since 1992 (an elementary school student), when his dad signed up for the new (at the time) Air Miles program. Since then, Matt took a keen interest in learning how the miles and points world works. He quickly found out that there is a lot of value in leveraging miles and points to fund his passion for travelling.

8 comments

Shawn
October 23, 2017 / 3:51 pm
Great post! Regarding the Amex AeroplanPlus Platinum vs. Reserve, is the $400 difference in cost mitigated by the $200 annual travel credit? Is that $200 travel credit based on calendar year (similar to the Amex Platinum)? The terms say that it is per year based on card anniversary date, but does anyone have experience with this?
Reply
- Matthew Lau
  October 24, 2017 / 9:00 am
  You do need to spend $200 first to get the credit back later. Should be per calendar year.
  Reply
  - Shawn
    October 24, 2017 / 10:14 am
    Which means that if we signup now, we will get 2x $200 back?
    
    Thank you.
    Reply
    - Matthew Lau
      October 24, 2017 / 12:48 pm
      You do not get it on sign up. You get the credit if you fulfil the conditions of using your credit card for a travel purchase.
      Reply
      - Shawn
        October 24, 2017 / 12:53 pm
        Thank you for the clarification. Understood.. So if I signup for the card now, fulfill the conditions of using the card for a travel purchase before December 2017, I will receive 1x $200 credit. Next year, say in March 2018, I fulfill the conditions of using the card for a travel purchase again, would I receive a second $200 credit?
      - Matthew Lau
        October 24, 2017 / 3:25 pm
        Yes
Greg
October 25, 2017 / 3:41 pm
Thanks for this post. I do find the lounge access wording confusing at times, and this helps.

Questions: does the American Express AeroplanPlus Platinum Card not give unlimited access to The Centurion Lounges? I thought it did because it was a Platinum card. Also I thought that you get a guest at Centurion Lounges such as a spouse and a family member such as a child.

I thought that the American Express Platinum just gives Delta access to the cardholder only?

Also do any of the cards give out free or lower cost authorized user cards?
Reply
- Matthew Lau
  October 25, 2017 / 7:39 pm
  I do not see the Centurion lounge offer for the AeroplanPlus card. Did you see it somewhere?
  
  Good point about the authorized users. Will include that aspect in a future update of the post. In the meantime, all authorized users have a lower annual fee than the primary cardholder; however, they may not all have lounge access being a supplementary cardholder.
  Reply

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Credit Cards which offer Free Airport Lounge Access (updated October 23, 2017)

Shawn

Matthew Lau

Shawn

Matthew Lau

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