We love airport lounges. In fact, we never go to an airport and not hit up a lounge. People often ask us how we can afford to hang out in airport lounges. Well, actually it doesn’t cost us very much at all.
The thing is, you don’t have to be Executive Platinum or Diamond to get access to lounges anymore. You don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars on travel. Travelers certainly don’t need to fly first or business class.
And you don’t need to be lucky enough to get a random invitation to a lounge.
You just have to know what you are doing.
Credit Cards
There are dozens of credit cards out there you can use that give you lounge access. Our favorites are:
Delta Reserve by American Express
The Delta Reserve gives you access to every Delta Sky Club around the world when you fly on Delta Airlines. You just walk into the lounge, scan your ticket, and show them your Delta Reserve card.
That’s it. You’re in.
We love Delta Sky Clubs.
The food is great, they always have a good selection of wine and beer (many times local stuff), and the food, while not luxurious, is pretty darned good.
In most large airports around the country, you’ll find a Sky Club.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
The second, and more lucrative card we have is the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. It’s not tied to any particular airline and it is $450 a year, but you get SO much from it, including a Priority Pass.
Priority Pass gives you access to over 1,200 airport lounges around the world. And you don’t need to be flying on any particular airline to use it. All you need is a same day ticket and you’re good. You can even bring a guest (or more) when you visit.
You can sign up for Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card here using our referral link.
American Express Platinum
The American Express Platinum is our third card. It also gives you a Priority Pass. It also gives you access to Delta Sky Clubs when you are flying Delta. Finally, you get access to the exclusive American Express Centurion Lounges.
You’ll usually get a 60,000-point sign-up bonus after a minimum spend. But sometimes, the Amex bonus goes up to 75,000 or even 100,000!
Airport Lounges – benefits
Until a couple of years ago, neither of us had seen the inside of an airport lounge. Seriously. We’d dutifully arrive at the airport 2-3 hours early and head to Starbucks.
We’d grab a coffee and then go to our gate with the hundreds of other people who were waiting there. Sounds fun!
Either that, or we’d eat at one of those airport chain restaurants like TGI Fridays. There goes $30 per person!
Saving money
Never again. At least not if we have the option. And we usually do because our Priority Pass allows us into over 1,200 airport lounges around the world. And you don’t need a credit card to get one – well, you do to pay for it.
But after that, you don’t. You just sign up for a Priority Pass, wait for it to arrive in the mail, book your flight, and use it.
Simple.
Never spend another $10 for a beer at an airport. Never pay for overpriced food again.
Sure, the food is decent enough (I guess), but wouldn’t you rather be in a place that’s nice and quiet. It’s far better to sit in a place that has the game on, chatting with people normally instead of trying to yell over the crowd. And the service in airport lounges is better too.
A lot of times, that’s because you serve yourself. But the staff is far better inside a lounge than outside!
Showers and clean bathrooms
Oh, and did we mention showers?
Yeah. Many airport lounges have showers. Do I need to go into how wonderful it is to wash the smell of the airport off of you before a long haul flight?
No? I thought not.
And the bathrooms/toilets are usually much cleaner than in the main terminals.
Get a Priority Pass
What are you waiting for? Click here to get your Priority Pass today and get access to over 1,200 airport lounges around the world!!
You can choose from a number of membership levels. The cheapest, $99 a year, will get you reduced price access to Priority Pass lounges. The other ones are a little more expensive, but give you and your guests completely free access for airport lounges in the network.
You just need to choose what’s right for you.
You can do that by thinking about how much you travel and how much you normally would spend at an airport. If you travel 5-6 times a year and eat a meal and have a drink when you’re at the airport, the $99 pass might be what you’re looking for.
If you travel a lot, like we do, paying for the whole shebang is probably the better deal.
Just do the math. We can’t help you with that, but we can promise you this:
Your airport experience won’t be the same!
Airport Lounges – Reviews
We’re always in airport lounges. So when we travel, it’s the first thing we do after security. We’ve taken it upon ourselves to give you an idea about what the lounge experience is like at the airports we’ve been to.
This list is just starting, but will grow over time. Eventually, we’ll organize it a bit better when it gets big.
But for now, click on any of the links below to check out the places we’ve been!
Before you do that though, read our post, “Is Airport Lounge Access Worth the Cost?” It’ll give you a better idea about the cost/benefits of getting a credit card with lounge access or a Priority Pass.
North America airport lounges
Atlanta, GA – Minute Suites at ATL
Atlanta, GA – Delta Sky Clubs in Atlanta
Atlanta, GA – The Club at ATL
Chicago, IL (O-Hare) – Swissport Lounge
Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Delta Sky Club in Fort Lauderdale
Miami, FL – The American Express Centurion Lounge
Philadelphia, PA – Minute Suites at PHL
Philadelphia, PA – Delta Sky Club in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA – The American Express Centurion Lounge
San Francisco, CA – The American Express Centurion Lounge
San Francisco, CA – Delta Sky Club in San Francisco
Seattle, WA – The American Express Centurion Lounge
Seattle, WA – Alaska Airlines Lounge Terminal D
Seattle, WA – The Club at SEA
Seattle, WA – Delta Sky Club in Seattle
Toronto, Ontario – Plaza Premium International T1
Europe airport lounges
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Aspire Lounge 41
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – KLM Crown Lounge 52
Budapest, Hungary – SkyCourt Lounge
Budapest, Hungary – Menzies Aviation Lounge
Frankfurt, Germany – Primeclass Lounge
Frankfurt, Germany – Sky Lounge
Kiev, Ukraine – Business Lounge Kiev
London, United Kingdom (Heathrow) – Aspire Lounge and Spa Heathrow T5
Minsk, Belarus – Business Lounge Minsk
Asia airport lounges
Bali, Indonesia – Premier Lounge Bali
Istanbul, Turkey – HSBC Premier Lounge
Istanbul, Turkey – Comfort Lounge
Jakarta, Indonesia – Premier Lounge Jakarta
Male City, Maldives – Wellness Airport Lounge
Mumbai, India – GVK Airport Lounge
Oceania airport lounges
Auckland, New Zealand – Strata Lounge
Auckland, New Zealand – Air New Zealand International Lounge
