Hanging out at an airport departure gate before a long flight or during a connection is likely not your favourite part of travelling. Given a choice, most of us wouldn’t choose to spend hours being in the loud, crowded, and generally uncomfortable spaces that are the airport waiting areas.
Luckily, airport lounges exist, and they’re a great way to easily improve your travel experience, offering a more comfortable and quieter space, free food and drinks, and more.
There are a few different ways to access these spaces, including paying cash or being an elite member of an airline loyalty program; however, one of the easiest ways to enjoy these airport oases is by holding an eligible credit card that comes with complimentary lounge access.
In this article, we’ll look at the best credit cards for airport lounge access, giving you some great options to elevate your experience for your next adventures.
Why Is Lounge Access So Valuable?
For travellers, having lounge access can be valuable for several reasons.
In general, lounges give you a space in the airport that is much less crowded than the public restaurants, waiting areas, and gates. Plus, they typically come with comfortable seating options, free food and drinks, free Wi-Fi, and more.
If you’re waiting a couple hours for your flight to board, a lounge will certainly be more peaceful than your departure gate, and if your flight is delayed or you have a long connection between two flights, a lounge becomes invaluable.
The free food and drinks offered in lounges can save you tons of money given how expensive airport food tends to be. Not only that, but you can also usually snag a snack for the plane, which can save you from buying a mediocre boxed sandwich when flying ultra-low-cost carriers or shorter economy flights that charge for food and drinks.
In addition to food, drinks, and comfortable chairs, some lounges also offer showers, daybeds, and business centres, which can be incredibly welcome if you’re looking to get some work done while you wait for your flight or if you’d like to freshen up or grab a nap.
When most people think of lounges, they think only of the pre-departure sanctuary away from the hectic energy and constant boarding announcements of the main terminal space — few people are aware that there are also lounges for when you arrive at your destination.
Arrivals lounges give you a chance to freshen up and have a bite to eat before heading into town, which can be very convenient if you’ve arrived early in the city or if you’re heading directly to an event or meeting and would like to look and feel your best.
Lounge access is generally included with your ticket if you’ve booked business class or First Class, and depending which airline you’re flying with, these lounges may come with some exceptional experiences such as high-end dining or a private bubble bath.
However, for the majority of travellers who fly in the economy cabin, lounge access will instead come from airline elite status or by paying for individual entry or by holding the right credit card.
Most ultra-premium credit cards that are even slightly travel focused will offer cardholders complimentary airport lounge access as part of their perks and benefits package. Additionally, for those who can’t justify the higher annual fees that come with these cards, there are also other cards with more modest annual fees that offer a handful of free lounge passes.
Keep in mind that gaining lounge access by holding a particular credit card will also be much cheaper than earning access through airline elite status since the latter involves flying often with an individual airline or their partners and paying cash fares.
Canada’s Best Credit Cards for Lounge Access
Here are our picks for the best credit cards with lounge access in Canada.
Canada’s Best Overall Credit Cards with Lounge Access
The two best overall credit cards that come with lounge access are the American Express Platinum Card and the Business Platinum Card from American Express.
Both cards offer complimentary, unlimited access to Plaza Premium, Priority Pass, American Express Centurion, Delta Sky Club® lounges, and more through the American Express Global Lounge Collection™.
As ultra-premium cards, both have a high annual fee of $799 (all figures in CAD), but this fee is partially offset by the $200 annual travel credit that’s offered by each card, ostensibly bringing the respective annual fees down by $200.
The two cards also come with some solid travel perks and benefits like Marriott Gold elite status, Hilton Gold elite status, Amex’s Platinum Concierge Service, access to American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts, and excellent travel insurance coverage.
Plus, both cards typically offer strong welcome bonuses of the valuable and flexible Membership Rewards points, which can help justify the high annual fee (at least in the first year).
Overall, both the American Express Platinum Card and the Business Platinum Card from American Express are great cards to choose if you travel often.
If you’re able to take advantage of the unlimited lounge access, the hotel elite statuses, the $200 annual travel credit, and the additional perks and benefits offered by these cards, it may not be difficult at all to justify the high annual fee on an ongoing basis.
Canada’s Best Credit Cards with Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Access
Maple Leaf Lounges are Air Canada’s airport lounge offering and exist in 17 airports across Canada, the US, and Europe.
If you’d like to enjoy complimentary access to the Maple Leaf Lounges in North America,† there are three solid card choices for you to choose from: the American Express Aeroplan® Reserve Card, the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, and the CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card.
As premium credit cards, all three of the cards have a higher annual fee of $599, but each card gives you unlimited access to Maple Leaf Lounges in Canada and the US so that you can relax and snack before your flights.†
Additionally, the CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card and the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card also offer six complimentary passes through the Visa Airport Companion Program for when you find yourself in an airport with no Maple Leaf Lounge.
As premium travel-focused credit cards, all three cards also provide a nice array of perks and benefits, including priority airport services†, free first checked bags on Air Canada flights for you and up to eight companions†, solid travel insurance coverage†, and the ability to earn an Air Canada Companion Pass after you spend $25,000 on the card in the year.†
All three of these cards are good choices for Air Canada frequent flyers who want to enjoy free lounge access and many other travel perks while also collecting Aeroplan points on their everyday spending.
Canada’s Best Visa Infinite Credit Card with Lounge Access
Visa Infinite cards are mid-tier credit cards offered by multiple different banks and provide Visa Infinite perks plus additional features unique to each bank.
The Visa Infinite benefits package includes complimentary concierge services that help you with bookings and reservations, hotel and dining perks, discounts for experiences and services, and more.
Our pick for the best Visa Infinite* card that comes with lounge access is the CIBC Aventura® Visa Infinite* Card, which is one of only a handful of mid-tier cards that provide free airport lounge access.
This card comes with four complimentary lounge visits per membership year for you and any guests through the Visa Airport Companion Program,† which can be used at 1,200+ lounges globally within the DragonPass network.
The card only charges an annual fee of $139,† and this is often waived or rebated for the first year. The card also earns Aventura Points, which you can use to help cover travel costs.
Given that a lounge visit often costs in excess of $50 (USD) per visit, this a very solid card to carry even if you’re just looking to enjoy a few free lounge visits each year and earn a nice stack of Aventura Points.
Canada’s Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Card with Lounge Access
If you travel internationally often and are looking for a card that not only provides lounge access but also helps you save on your adventures, you may want to consider using a card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees when you make purchases abroad.
The Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card not only comes with six free visits each year to airport lounges through the Visa Airport Companion Program, but it also saves you 2.5% on all foreign currency purchases as one of the very few Canadian credit cards offering no foreign transaction fees.
This card has an annual fee of $150† and earns the flexible Scene+ points†, which can be used for groceries, restaurants, entertainment, travel, and more. The card also comes with the Visa Infinite benefits mentioned above,† a strong insurance package,† and a handful more perks.
This card is a great choice if you’re looking for a strong travel card that will save you money on foreign currency transactions and give you access to airport lounges around the world.
Canada’s Best WestJet Mastercard for Lounge Access
WestJet is Canada’s second biggest airline after Air Canada, making it a frequent choice for Canadians flying within the country and to select locations abroad.
If you find that you often fly with WestJet, particularly through WestJet’s home airport in Calgary, and you’re interested in lounge access, check out the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard‡.
Although the card doesn’t list lounge passes as part of its perks and benefits, by holding the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard ‡, you’ll earn an annual companion voucher that you can then choose to convert into four lounge vouchers if you won’t otherwise use it.
These four lounge vouchers are valid for use by the cardholder and accompanied guests,† and can be redeemed at WestJet’s Elevation Lounge in Calgary and partner lounges (the full list of eligible locations can be found on WestJet’s website).†
The WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard has an annual fee of $119† and typically comes with a strong welcome bonus of WestJet dollars that can be used to pay for the base fare of any WestJet flight, as well as a free checked bag on WestJet flights.†
Overall, this is a solid card to choose if you’d like a few lounge vouchers and you often fly WestJet and can take advantage of the associated airline benefits.
Conclusion
Airport lounges are a great way to elevate your travel experience with added comfort and conveniences.
By choosing the right credit card to add to your wallet, you can easily pick up free access to lounges around the world, in addition to other compelling travel-focused perks and benefits.
We hope this article has helped illuminate the many excellent credit card options available to you if you’re looking for a little more luxury on your adventures, and if you’re looking for some one-on-one support in this area, our consulting services are always available.
† Terms and conditions apply. Please refer to the card issuer’s website for up-to-date information. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accuracy of information.