I first discovered about airport lounges after I watched Unaccompanied Minors. The film contains a scene the place a wealthy teenager sneaks right into a luxe airport lounge with an entry go that she presumably acquired from her mother and father.
That scene caught with me and left me in awe of airport lounges. They felt like an unique membership reserved for the wealthy elite — the type of glamorous place that somebody like me, whose middle-class household hardly ever traveled, would by no means expertise.
Till I did some analysis.
Final yr, I left my job as a full-time private finance editor to journey the world. Armed with my information of bank card factors, financial savings hacks and sensible cash recommendation, I found out how to visit more than 36 countries on a price range. One factor I discovered alongside the way in which: Airport lounges are hardly exclusive. You may sometimes snag a day go for round $35 to $75, and there are many methods to get free entry.
A Precedence Go membership, which grants members entry to a community of over 1,600 airport lounges and experiences worldwide, is likely one of the hottest methods. This is how one can get Priority Pass airport lounge access affordably, and in some instances, for no more money out of pocket.
How a lot is Precedence Go membership?
The prices for an annual Priority Pass membership vary from $99 for the Customary plan (with a $35 cost for every lounge go to) to $469 for the Status plan (with limitless complimentary visits).
Should you solely plan to go to a lounge a few times a yr, paying for a day go or the usual plan is your finest guess. However should you’re taking extra frequent journeys, you will desire a plan that offers you limitless entry.
Fortunately, there is a cheaper approach to get it than buying the Status plan straight from Precedence Go: bank cards.
Standard bank cards that supply Precedence Go
A number of premium journey bank cards provide cardholders (and typically licensed customers) complimentary Precedence Go Choose membership, which grants limitless lounge visits identical to the Status plan.
Because the Status plan prices $469 yearly, any bank card with an annual price beneath that quantity is already a greater deal, even earlier than you take into account the cardboard’s different advantages.
A few of the most popular travel cards people turn to for Priority Pass embrace:
A number of enterprise playing cards and lodge or airline co-branded cards additionally provide Precedence Go, however these playing cards attraction to a narrower viewers and are not considerably cheaper than the choices above.
The most cost effective approach to get Precedence Go
Trying on the 4 playing cards above, there is a clear standout: the Capital One Enterprise X has the bottom annual price, at $395. Capital One additionally permits you to add as much as 4 licensed customers, who all get their very own Precedence Go membership at no extra cost.
Clearly, the Enterprise X is the winner, proper?
Properly, that relies upon. Should you’re not going to make use of the cardboard for another journey advantages, then possibly. However should you’re touring typically sufficient to need Precedence Go membership, there are different components to contemplate.
Along with providing Precedence Go, the 4 playing cards above include a litany of advantages, together with assertion credit that supply quantifiable money worth. Should you use these credit to offset purchases you had been going to make by regular spending, they might help decrease the cardboard’s annual charges considerably. Let’s check out the worth you may get from every card’s assertion credit and efficient annual charges should you use all of them.
For ease of comparability, I am solely counting credit which have an outlined money worth connected and do not include sophisticated restrictions. Some credit aren’t accessible yearly, so the calculations beneath replicate every card’s first-year worth.
Precedence go bank card values
| Card title | Annual price | Complete money worth of credit and advantages | Efficient annual price |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Capital One Enterprise X | $395 | $420 | -$25 |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | $550 | $755 | -$205 |
| The Platinum Card from American Specific | $695 | $1,294 | -$599 |
| Financial institution of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit score Card | $550 | $550 | $0 |
Discover a pattern?
Should you can maximize all of the credit with out overspending, these playing cards are successfully free and also you may even come out on high.
Of the 4 playing cards above, the Amex Platinum technically has the bottom efficient annual price, at -$599. Nevertheless, the Platinum’s credit are cut up into many various elements, a few of which can be more durable to maximise than others. Among the many choices listed, it is also the cardboard with the very best precise annual price, that means it requires the most important upfront funding with no assure you’ll “earn” it again.
Which card provides Precedence Go at the perfect worth?
For most individuals, the Enterprise X will present the perfect stability between minimizing the efficient annual price and ease of utilizing the credit. The cardboard solely has two credit, one for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry and one for the Capital One Journey Portal, which provides a big choice of flights, resorts and rental automobiles.
I did not issue every card’s rewards into the calculations above, but it surely’s price noting that the Enterprise X provides a ten,000-mile anniversary bonus every year after the primary (price $100 if redeemed as a press release credit score towards journey). This bonus, mixed with the $300 annual journey credit score, retains the cardboard’s efficient annual price adverse even in years with out the TSA PreCheck/International Entry credit score.
Nevertheless, if you need to use the entire journey credit, the Amex Platinum is likely to be a extra rewarding approach to get pleasure from airport lounge entry with different perks in addition.
How you can get Precedence Go without spending a dime
Should you’ll be making 4 or fewer journeys in a yr, there’s one other lesser-known card that would get you Precedence Go for no annual price: the U.S. Financial institution Altitude® Join Visa Signature® Card*.
The cardboard acquired an improve in September that modified a few of its rewards and advantages and eliminated its earlier $95 annual price. Regardless of the annual price elimination, the cardboard saved its Precedence Go and TSA PreCheck/International Entry credit score advantages, basically giving the cardboard a couple of premium card perks for the value of a no-annual-fee card.
So what is the catch?
You will solely get 4 complimentary lounge visits per yr with the Altitude Join’s Precedence Go membership. Any visitor you carry additionally counts towards the four-visit allowance. That may not be sufficient to tempt frequent vacationers, but it surely’s excellent for infrequent vacationers or anybody interested by airport lounges who does not need to decide to an annual price card.
The ultimate verdict
You do not want airport lounge entry to get pleasure from touring. In reality, you may study, like I did, that this specific perk isn’t always as glamorous as it seems. However should you’re out and in of airports typically, lounge entry might elevate your journey expertise.
Should you’re new to airport lounges, I do not advocate springing for limitless lounge entry till you’ve got determined that it is an expertise you worth. Investing a couple of hundred {dollars} or opening a brand new bank card — which might have bigger implications in your credit score rating and general funds — is not a call it is best to make evenly. Should you’re on the fence, purchase a day go and take a look at it out with no dedication.
After testing the waters, should you plan to go to lounges often, it is sensible to discover a bank card that aligns along with your journey targets. For many vacationers, the Capital One Enterprise X would be the finest choose. For extra frequent journeys, the American Specific Platinum can provide the finest bang to your buck.
As for me, if I resolve I would like lounge entry once more, I might flip to the U.S. Financial institution Altitude® Join Visa Signature® Card. With no annual price, airport lounge entry seems like a pleasant perk, quite than a profit I might really feel pressured to make use of every time I fly to get my cash’s price.
*All details about the Financial institution of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit score Card, the Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card and the U.S. Financial institution Altitude® Join Visa Signature® Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
For charges and costs of The Platinum Card from American Specific, click here.
The editorial content material on this web page is predicated solely on goal, unbiased assessments by our writers and isn’t influenced by promoting or partnerships. It has not been offered or commissioned by any third occasion. Nevertheless, we might obtain compensation whenever you click on on hyperlinks to services or products provided by our companions.
Full record of credit in contrast within the desk above:
Capital One Enterprise:
- $300 annual journey credit score by Capital One Journey
- As much as $120 credit score for International Entry or TSA PreCheck price each 4 years
Chase Sapphire Reserve:
- $300 annual journey credit score for any journey buy charged to the cardboard
- As much as $100 credit score for International Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS price each 4 years
- Complimentary DashPass for one yr whenever you activate by Dec. 31, 2027 ($96 retail worth by DoorDash)
- $5 month-to-month DoorDash credit score ($60 yearly)
- Complimentary Lyft Pink All Entry membership for 2 years whenever you activate by Dec. 31, 2024 ($199/yr retail worth by Lyft)
The Platinum Card from American Specific:
- As much as $200 annual credit score for choose pay as you go lodge bookings by American Specific Journey
- As much as $20 month-to-month credit score for choose digital leisure subscriptions (As much as $240 yearly)
- As much as $12.95 month-to-month Walmart+ credit score ($155 yearly)
- $15 month-to-month Uber Money for US rides, plus a bonus $20 in December (As much as $200 yearly)
- $As much as 200 annual credit score for airline incidental charges from one qualifying airline of your selecting
- As much as $50 semi-annual credit score for Saks Fifth Avenue ($100 yearly)
- As much as $199 annual credit score for a CLEAR® Plus membership
Phrases apply to American Specific advantages and provides. Enrollment could also be required for choose American Specific advantages and provides. Go to americanexpress.com to study extra.
Financial institution of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit score Card:
- $300 annual credit score for qualifying airline incidental purchases
- $150 annual credit score for qualifying purchases of video streaming providers, meals supply, health subscriptions and rideshare providers
- As much as $100 credit score for TSA PreCheck or International Entry each 4 years
