Airport lounge access is a travel perk available with many premium credit cards. It allows you to escape the crowds in the main terminal area, relax before your flight and eat and drink as much as you wish.
What facilities can I expect in an airport lounge?
Restricted-entry airport lounges range from basic to luxuriously opulent. At the lower end, your ‘lounge’ may be a bar or café in the ordinary passenger concourse, offering discounts on food and beverages to members (or single-entry pass holders) of specific lounge programs. The most opulent lounges may offer luxuries such as spa treatments, five-star dining, and personal transport between the airline’s check-in desk, the lounge, and the boarding gate.
In most lounges, you will find many of the following facilities:
- Comfortable seating
- TV and movies
- Complimentary newspapers and magazines
- Complimentary food and beverages
- A dedicated working area with desks, device charging points, free Wi-Fi, and access to a computer if you don’t have your own
- A ‘quiet area’
- Showers with towels provided
- A screen with flight boarding information
Can I take guests into the lounge with me?
If your credit card lounge access includes two single-visit passes annually, you can usually use the second pass for a guest travelling with you. Alternatively, you may be able to pay a fee (usually between $35 and $65) for your guest’s entry.
If your card provides full membership to a specific lounge program, you might be able to admit a guest free of charge, but this is not always the case. Check the terms and conditions found either in the small print at the bottom of the credit card’s web page or in the link to a file with full terms and conditions.
How much is complimentary airport lounge access worth?
The value of complimentary airport lounge access depends on the level of access your card provides, the quality of the lounge, and how often you travel.
Qantas lounges cater primarily to Qantas Club members ($399 to join plus $450 per year), passengers travelling in Qantas business or first class, and high-tier frequent flyers. These lounge access methods require high expenditure, making even two single-entry passes quite valuable.
Virgin Australia, Priority Pass, and Delta SkyClub have similar programs, with joining and annual membership fees granting unlimited access.
Access to Véloce World, American Express, and Diners Club lounges is limited to holders of specific credit cards, but the value obtained is comparable to programs with a joining and annual membership fee. For frequent travellers, membership in any program with unlimited lounge access is probably worth at least $500 annually.
Based on lounge programs that sell single-visit passes for guests or travellers on their linked airline, two single-visit passes are likely worth between $75 and $130 per year.
Will I find a lounge affiliated with my program at every airport?
Most lounge programs belong to a network of affiliated lounges, so you will likely have access to at least one lounge (and sometimes more) at major airports worldwide. However, you may not be as fortunate at smaller airports.
Qantas and Virgin lounge members will have plenty of choices in Australia and will also find affiliated lounges overseas. In Australia, very few airports outside the state capitals have lounges.
Single-entry passes may have restrictions, such as being only available for domestic or international lounges, so be sure to read the small print.
Can I roll over my unused lounge passes for the following year?
No. Single-entry passes must be used within 12 months. If you are not travelling and cannot use the passes within that year, you will forfeit the benefit.
Is it worth paying a higher annual fee for a credit card with lounge access?
Frequent air travellers are likely to find it worthwhile to pay for a card granting unlimited lounge access in one or more programs, as it saves them the cost of joining a lounge program and paying an annual fee. Premium cards that confer full lounge membership often come with other valuable complimentary benefits, such as reward points, travel insurance, cashback, and free flights or travel credits, all of which help justify the high annual fee.
Infrequent travellers may struggle to justify the cost of such a premium card. Even a less expensive card that provides two single-visit passes annually may not justify its cost in years when you do not use the lounge passes and travel insurance.
