Busy airports are generally agreed to be among the worst places on Earth. If you have ever spent several hours sat on your suitcase waiting for a delayed flight, eaten a $15 croissant, slurped a $9 latte, and tried on all the $500 moisturisers in the cosmetics shop, you’ve probably daydreamed about getting into one of the lounges.

Comfy seats to lie down in, free and nutritious food, clean showers - paradise is no exaggeration, so credit cards with complimentary lounge access can be extremely enticing. Here’s what to know.

Compare credit cards with airport lounge access

The following table displays premium credit cards with lounge access, sorted by annual fee (low to high).

Credit card

[American Express Membership Rewards]0[Receive 70, 000 Bonus Membership Rewards® Points when you apply online, are approved and spend $4, 000 on your new Card on eligible purchases within the first 3 months. T&Cs apply. New Card Members only. Offer subject to change without notice. Receive $400 to spend on eligible domestic and international flights, hotels or car hire with American Express Travel. Earn up to 2 Membership Rewards points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases. Enjoy two complimentary entries per year to The Centurion® Lounge at Sydney International Airport or Melbourne International Airport. Apple Pay, Android Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, ]0030$product[$field["value"]]-1AMEXMore details

American Express Explorer® Credit Card

    [ANZ Rewards]0[180, 000 Reward Points with your new ANZ Rewards Black when you spend $3, 000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months from approval.* Offer ongoing until further notice. Unlimited access to participating airport lounges outside Australia. Personal Concierge can help you with travel planning, last minute travel advice, restaurant or hotel bookings, gift ideas, or even a recommendation on your next holiday. View balances, transfer money and make payments simply and easily with the ANZ App. Apple Pay® and Google Pay let you use your compatible Apple® or Android™ device to tap and pay with an eligible ANZ credit card. Apple Pay, Android Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay , ]01020$product[$field["value"]]21.99VisaMore details

    ANZ Rewards Black

      [Qantas Frequent Flyer]0[Receive 90, 000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply online by 3 September 2024, are approved, and spend $3, 000 on eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months. Plus, an additional 20, 000 bonus Qantas Points in your second year upon fee renewal. Annual Card fee is $450. T&Cs apply. New Amex Card Members only. Apple Pay, Android Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, ]0030$product[$field["value"]]0AMEXMore details

      American Express Qantas Ultimate Card

        [Bankwest More Rewards]0[More Mastercard customers will earn 115, 000 annual bonus points each year, provided they meet the minimum spend requirements of $84, 000 on eligible purchases in any year from card account opening. 0% for 6 months on Balance Transfers (1% BT fee) 2.5 More Rewards points for each $1 spent on eligible purchases. Uncapped reward point earning potential Unlimited complimentary airport lounge access at participating lounges with LoungeKey. 24/7 worldwide personal assistance with the Mastercard Concierge Service** No foreign transaction fees on online and overseas purchases^ Range of complimentary insurance and purchase protection benefits** Stay in control with alerts and payment reminders set up through your Bankwest mobile app Activate mobile payments with Android Pay Up to 3 additional cardholders at no additional cost Android Pay, Google Pay, ]0025$product[$field["value"]]21.99MastercardMore details

        Bankwest More World Mastercard

          [Ascent Premium ]0[Receive a welcome bonus of 150, 000 Membership Rewards points when you apply online by 25 June 2024, are approved, and meet the minimum spend criteria of $5, 000 in the first 3 months. Available to new Card Members only. Receive a $450 Platinum Travel Credit each year, which can be redeemed for eligible flights, hotels, car hire or unique experiences. Transfer your points to a choice of 10 major Airline Reward Partner Programs including Qantas Frequent Flyer and Velocity Frequent Flyer Complimentary access for you and a guest to over 1, 400 Airport lounges across 140 countries and counting. Complimentary domestic and overseas travel insurance. Smartphone Screen Insurance for up to $500 for screen repairs to your Smartphone when you pay for your smartphone with your Platinum Card, either outright or on a monthly contract., ]006$product[$field["value"]]0AMEXMore details

          American Express Platinum Card

            [Rewards Plus]0[Get 0% p.a. interest on Balance Transfers for 12months (2% Balance Transfer Fee applies) and reduced annual fee of $0 first year, $149 thereafter. Earn 1.5 Rewards Plus point per dollar for all other eligible purchases. Rewards Plus points can be redeemed for e-gift cards from Bunnings, Coles, Woolworths, Uber and more Enjoy 2 airport lounge passes every year at over 500 airports worldwide Complimentary domestic and international travel insurance Available when you apply for a new Platinum Credit Card. HSBC may change or end this offer at any time. Please see full terms and conditions below. Other fees and charges apply.  Apple Pay, Android Pay, Google Pay, ]0030$product[$field["value"]]21.99VisaMore details

            HSBC Platinum Credit Card

              Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

              All products with a link to a product provider’s website have a commercial marketing relationship between us and these providers. These products may appear prominently and first within the search tables regardless of their attributes and may include products marked as promoted, featured or sponsored. The link to a product provider’s website will allow you to get more information or apply for the product. By de-selecting “Show online partners only” additional non-commercialised products may be displayed and re-sorted at the top of the table. For more information on how we’ve selected these “Sponsored”, “Featured” and “Promoted” products, the products we compare, how we make money, and other important information about our service, please click here. Rates correct as of November 13, 2024. View disclaimer.

              Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

              How does credit card lounge access work?

              Airport lounge access is a feature offered by select credit cards, alongside other features like rewards programstravel insuranceconcierge services and more. Depending on the card, you might qualify for free or discounted entry to certain airport lounges both domestically and overseas. Other cards might have lounge access as one of the rewards points can be redeemed for.

              However, there are generally a few conditions around lounge access.

              • You may have to buy the plane ticket with the credit card, and the ticket may have to be valid for that day

              • You might also have to reach a minimum spend limit each year to be eligible

              • You might be restricted to certain airlines (e.g. only Qantas, no Virgin)

              • You might have to enrol in programs like Priority Pass to be granted entry

              • You might be restricted to one guest per cardholder, so families might not be granted access for every member, although you can often purchase additional guest passes.

              • There may be a limit to the amount of visits per year (this tends to be around two to four)

              • Some basic offers might not even grant you free access - you might still need to pay a nominal amount

              Since airport lounges can be fairly fancy places, there might be a dress code you’ll need to adhere to as well, which might mean forgoing your usual thongs and Bintang singlet.

              It’s a bit misleading to suggest airport lounge access is completely complimentary. These cards will typically come with significant annual fees for these privileges, and will generally also have higher interest rates.

              Which lounges can you access?

              Some cards grant you access to a wide range of lounges, while others just a few. If you’ve got a Qantas card for example, you probably won’t be allowed into Virgin lounges, and vice-versa.

              Some cards, however, grant customers access to more than 1,500 airport lounges across the globe through Priority Pass. This is a paid service with an annual fee, but certain credit cards can grant subsidised or free memberships to this program. If you have it, then you can use the airport lounges in countries like China, the USA, the UK, Thailand, Singapore, Japan among many others.

              Some other products might grant you access to an airline’s network lounges. For instance, Qantas is part of the One World Alliance, in which 13 airlines around the world participate. This could see you fly with Qantas, but have access to a Cathay Pacific lounge, for example.

              How much do airport lounges cost otherwise?

              Let’s have a look at the cost of entry into some of these lounges without a card. You can use this to compare the cost of a membership against the annual fee certain cards charge, to help work out if it's worth having this feature.

              Lounge

              Entry cost

              Virgin Australia Lounge

              $65 per single entry.

              AUD $399 for one year membership or $9,750 lifetime fee.

              Qantas Club

              AUD $699 per year (or 116,500 Qantas points) with a $129 joining fee.

              Priority Pass

              USD $329 for 10 visits a year

              USD $469 for unlimited visits per year 

              Emirates Lounge (Melbourne, Sydney)

              USD $170.5 per visit

              Prices correct as of April '24

              Is it worth getting a card with lounge access?

              A credit card with lounge access could be worth it if the cost of the card works out less than the equivalent membership.

              For example, the Virgin Money Velocity High Flyer card comes with two complimentary single lounge entry passes per year. Without the card, these two passes would cost $130. However, this card has a $329 annual fee, and a purchase rate of 20.74% p.a.

              If choosing an alternative card with a lower rate and fees would save more than $130, as far as the airport lounge goes this card might not be worth it. Of course, it isn’t this simple: there are a range of other features that come with the Velocity High Flyer card that you should also take into consideration, but you get the idea.

              What other travel perks do credit cards have?

              Frequent travellers tend to get more use out of certain credit cards, as there are products on the market that come with a range of features and travel benefits. Other travel perks these credit cards can offer include:

              Certain cards also have lower than average currency conversion fees, which can be a big money suck for overseas travellers.

              Savings.com.au’s two cents

              In general, access to airport lounges makes travelling much more enjoyable, relaxing and comfortable. If you find a credit card that suits your needs that comes with complimentary lounge access, that’s great. As a frequent traveller, you might prioritise travel related benefits when choosing a credit card, which is also totally understandable.

              As with any credit card benefit though, lounge access is rarely free. More comprehensive rewards usually mean a more expensive card, so you’ll always want to run the numbers to work out if you end up ahead.

              First published on March 2021

              Jay Wen on Unsplash