5 best credit cards with lounge access in 2023
Jacob Lund / Shuttersock
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A comfy, quiet airport lounge in a crowded airport is like an oasis in the middle of the desert.
But if you’ve ever visited one of these lounges on your own dime, you know how expensive passes can be. That’s why we want to talk about one of the best credit card benefits for more relaxing flights: complimentary airport lounge access.
There are a number of excellent travel credit cards that include free airport lounge access in some capacity as a perk. But depending on your travel preferences and credit card needs, the perfect card for one traveller might not be the perfect card for you. Find out which credit card is best for you to maximize your comfort between flights without running up your bill.
5 best lounge access credit cards (Canada)
- Best for unlimited lounge access: The Platinum Card®
- Best for discounted lounge access: Scotiabank Gold American Express® card
- Best for travel rewards (4 visits): BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®
- Best for everyday rewards (6 visits): Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card
- Best for low income requirements (4 Vvsits): CIBC Aventura® Gold Visa* Card
Compare the best credit cards for airport lounge access
| Recommended credit card | Lounge program | Number of free lounge visits | Annual fee | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Platinum Card® | The American Express Global Lounge CollectionTM | Unlimited | $699 | Apply Now |
| Scotiabank Gold American Express® card | Priority Pass | Discounted access only | $120 | Apply Now |
| BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®* | DragonPass* | 4 annually* | $150 | Apply Now |
| Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card | Visa Airport Companion Program | 6 annually | $150 | Apply Now |
| CIBC Aventura® Gold Visa* Card | Visa Airport Companion Program | 4 annually | See terms | Apply Now |
Best for unlimited lounge access
The Platinum Card®
Quick Facts
Rewards
3 points for every $1 in Card purchases on eligible dining and food delivery purchases in Canada
2 points for every $1 in Card purchases on eligible travel including flights, hotel bookings, and more
1 bonus point for every $1 on eligible hotel and car rental bookings made through Amex Travel Online
1 point for every $1 in all other Card purchases
Bonus offer: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points – that’s $800 towards a weekend away. New Platinum® Cardmembers, earn 80,000 Welcome Bonus points after you charge $7,500 in net purchases to your Card in your first 3 months of Cardmembership. Conditions apply.
Annual fee: $699
Eligibility:
Minimum Credit Score: Good-Excellent
Minimum Income: N/A
Age: 18+/Age of majority
Residency: Canadian Resident
The only card on our list offering unlimited airport lounge access, The Platinum Card® is one of the most premium cards out there for Canadians. It’s intentionally exclusive with a lofty annual fee of $699, but the tradeoff for paying that kind of cash to be a member is a more elevated travel rewards experience. If you travel really regularly and like to do so as lavishly as possible, this card may be worth it for you. Just make sure you use the statement credits.
Lounge access is just one of many benefits you get with this card in your pocket. The Platinum Card grants unlimited access to The American Express Global Lounge CollectionTM which unlocks access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide. This includes The Centurion® Lounge network, Plaza Premium Lounges, and hundreds of other domestic and international lounges designed to enhance your travel experience.
Plus, there are airport-specific Toronto Pearson perks like free valet service, discounts on parking, and access to the Pearson Priority security lane.
The Platinum Card has no set spending limit, so it could be ideal for big spenders. And while we won’t list all of the benefits it comes with, some of the best ones are:
- $200 CAD annual travel credit for one booking ($200 or more) made on www.americanexpress.ca/travel or through Platinum Card® Travel Service
- $100 NEXUS Card Statement Credit (conditions apply)
- Access to many leading hotel and car rental companies’ loyalty programs, including Marriott International, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Radisson Hotel Group Americas, Hertz and Avis
More: The Platinum Card review
Best for discounted lounge access
Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card
Quick Facts
Rewards:
6X Scene+ points for each $1 CAD charged to your account on all eligible purchases1 at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà by IGA, Voilà by Safeway, Chalo! FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, IGA West, Les Marchés Tradition, Rachelle Béry and Co-Op.
5X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD spent on other eligible grocery stores, restaurants, fast food, and drinking establishments
5X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD spent on eligible entertainment purchases including movie tickets and theatre shows
3X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD spent on eligible gas and daily transit
3X Scene+ points for every $1 CAD spent on eligible select streaming services
1X Scene+ point for every $1 spent on every other purchase
Bonus offer: Earn up to $650* in value in the first 12 months, including up to 40,000 bonus Scene+ points¹. Earn 20,000 bonus Scene+ points by making at least $1,000 in everyday eligible purchases in your first 3 months. Plus, for a limited time, you are eligible to earn a 20,000 Scene+ point bonus when you spend at least $7,500 in everyday eligible purchases in your first year. Offer ends October 31, 2023.
Annual fee: $120
Purchase APR: 20.99%
Cash advance APR: 22.99%
Eligibility:
Minimum Credit Score: Excellent
Age: Age of majority in your province or territory
Residency: Canadian citizen or permanent resident
Other: No bankruptcies in the past seven years
If you’re not 100% sure that you’d use free lounge access but you’d like the option to visit at a discounted rate, the Scotiabank Gold American Express® card might be right for you. This credit card is for anyone who wants to “have it all” and doesn’t want to have to choose between travel benefits, lifestyle benefits, and everyday rewards. This is an incredibly high-earning card for a higher but fair annual fee and solid perks like insurance and savings.
This card offers discounted Priority Pass membership to get you into airport lounges. It’s up to you whether you take advantage of this benefit, but if you do, your account will automatically renew each year unless you cancel. As far as airport lounge programs go, the Priority Pass program is a good one to be a part of since it’s one of the largest.
But no matter how you end up using this card, you shouldn’t really need to modify your purchasing habits at all to maximize your rewards. It earns a high rate in almost every top spending category from dining to streaming, with an impressive maximum rate of 6X Scene+ points for each $1 CAD. So even if you never set foot in an airport lounge, you’re likely to make that annual fee back pretty easily if you use this card on the regular.
A few of the best benefits include:
- No foreign transaction fees
- Extensive travel coverage including travel emergency medical insurance, flight delay insurance, travel accident insurance, new mobile device insurance, and much more
- American Express benefits including Amex Offer®, Amex Front Of the Line®, and American Express Invites®
More: Scotiabank Gold American Express review
¹ Conditions Apply. Visit here for the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card to learn more.
Best for travel rewards (4 visits)
BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®*
Quick Facts
Rewards:
5X points per dollar spent on eligible travel purchases*
3X points per dollar spent on eligible dining, entertainment, and bill payment transactions*
1X points per dollar spent everywhere else*
Bonus offer: New cardholders earn up to 60,000 bonus points total* (30,000 when you spend $3,000 within three months of account opening* and 2,500 points for each month you spend $2,000 or more in eligible purchases*); annual fee waived for the first year for both the primary cardholder and authorized users*
Annual fee: $150
Purchase APR: 20.99%
Cash advance APR: 23.99% (21.99% for Quebec Residents)
Eligibility:
Minimum Credit Score: Excellent
Minimum Income: $80,000 (personal), $150,000 (household)
Age: Age of majority in your province or territory
Residency: Canadian
The BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®* is a lounge access credit card with a high earn rate on travel and a decent airport lounge package. It’s perfect for people who want a card that really focuses on travel and flying benefits
This card comes with four complimentary airport lounge passes per year and membership in Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass. You can use these passes yourself or put them toward the cost of passes for people you’re travelling with. And if four isn’t enough, you can purchase additional passes for $32 USD per person, per visit.
Be sure to look into the terms and conditions and restrictions for each lounge. Some will have limits on how long you can stay or when you need to check in. For example, the Plaza Premium Lounge in the Toronto Pearson International Airport allows you to stay for a maximum of three hours per visit, and you won’t be permitted to enter if your ticket is for a domestic or U.S. transborder flight.
Travel purchases eligible for 5X points for every $1 include flights, hotel bookings, car rentals, train tickets, and more*. You can earn this rate on up to $15,000 per year. After you reach this limit, travel earns one point per dollar.
Other notable benefits of this card include:
- Up to $2 million in Travel Emergency Medical insurance* to cover medical expenses like treatment, emergency room visits, medication; up to $2,000 for Trip Interruption (per insured person)
- Free use of over a million Wi-Fi hotspots around the world with no roaming charges*
- No foreign transaction fees
*Terms and conditions apply
Best for everyday rewards (6 visits)
Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card
Quick Facts
Rewards:
3X Scene+ points for each dollar charged to your account on all eligible purchases1 at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà by IGA, Voilà by Safeway, Chalo! FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, IGA West, Les Marchés TradItIon, Rachelle Béry and Co-Op
2X Scene+ points per dollar spent on dining and at other eligible grocery stores
2X Scene+ points per dollar spent on eligible entertainment purchases including movie tickets and theatre shows
2X Scene+ points per dollar spent on eligible daily transit purchases including rideshare, buses, and more
1X Scene+ points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
Bonus offer: Earn up to $1,100* in value in the first 12 months, including up to 35,000 bonus Scene+ points and first year annual fee waived on your first supplementary card.¹ Earn 25,000 bonus Scene+ points by making at least $1,000 in everyday eligible purchases in your first 3 months. Plus, as a Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite cardholder, you are eligible to earn an annual 10,000 Scene+ point bonus when you spend at least $40,000 in everyday net eligible purchases annually. Offer ends October 31, 2023.
Annual fee: $120
Purchase APR: 20.99%
Cash Advance APR: 22.99%
Eligibility:
Minimum Credit Score: Excellent
Minimum Income: $60,000 (personal), $100,000 (household), or minimum assets under management of $250,000
Age: Age of majority in your province or territory
Residency: Canadian citizen or permanent resident
Other: No bankruptcies in the past seven years
The Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card is for fans of the Scene+ rewards program who are looking for a card for more than just travel. While this credit card does include airport lounge access as a perk, it earns rewards for everything from groceries and dining to entertainment and transit. It’s a well-rounded option for everyday spending, not just flying. Points can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, statement credits and gift cards, and more.
This card gives cardholders six complimentary annual lounge passes in the Visa Airport Companion Program. If you use all your passes before the annual renewal, you can pay for entry at a cost of $32 USD per person, per visit. Six yearly airport passes is generous for a card in this price range, and you’ll have no problem finding eligible lounges within the global Visa Airport Companion Program.
And although the Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card isn’t exclusively for travel, it’s a good card to have with you whenever you’re away from home. You can save significant cash whether you’re taking a short trip in Canada or flying across the ocean. Travel benefits include:
- Complimentary Avis® Preferred Plus membership
- No foreign transaction fees
- Visa Infinite Concierge Services, Visa Infinite Hotel Collection access, and Visa Infinite Dining and Wine Country program
¹ Conditions Apply. Visit here for the Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card to learn more.
Best for low income requirements (4 visits)
CIBC Aventura® Gold Visa* Card
Quick Facts
Rewards:
2 points for every $1 spent on travel purchased through the CIBC Rewards Centre†
1.5 points for every $1 spent at eligible gas stations, EV charging, grocery stores and drug stores† (plus link your card with Journie Rewards to automatically save up to 10 cents per litre† at participating gas stations)
1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases†
Bonus offer: Up to 40,000 Aventura Points† (20,000 Aventura Points when you make your first purchase†, 20,000 Aventura Points when you spend $1,000 or more in the first 4 monthly statement periods†), one-time annual fee rebate ($139) for you (the primary cardholder) and up to three authorized users ($50 each)†
Annual fee: $139
Purchase annual interest rate: 20.99%†
Cash Advance Annual Interest Rate: 22.99%† (for non-Quebec residents only)
Balance Transfer Annual Interest Rate: 22.99%† (for non-Quebec residents only)
Eligibility:
Minimum Credit Score: Good
Minimum Income: $15,000 (household)†
Age: Age of majority in your province or territory
Residency: Canadian resident
The CIBC Aventura® Gold Visa* Card is a travel-focused rewards card with good flat earnings rates and great travel benefits. With this card, you’ll earn up to 2 points for every $1 spent on travel when you book flights, hotels, and more through the CIBC Rewards Centre† and no less than 1 point for every $1 spent on everything else†. Compared to the other credit cards on this list, this card has a very low income requirement, so you can qualify even if your salary is on the low end. Its annual fee is also lower and easily paid if you take advantage of lounge access.
This card includes four complimentary visits to airport lounges within the Visa Airport Companion Program per year. And if you’d like to purchase more than this, you can buy one-time passes for $32 USD for you and/or your guests.
This may not be the most rewarding card of the bunch, but it has the lowest barriers to entry, making it a good fit for many Canadians. Just watch out for the 2.5% foreign currency conversion fee.
Other benefits of this card worth mentioning are:
- Extensive travel coverage including flight delay and baggage insurance†, out-of-province emergency travel medical insurance†, $500,000 common carrier accident insurance†, and more.
- $50 value† NEXUS application fee rebate†
† Conditions apply
Best for Priority Pass lounge access
BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card
Quick Facts
Rewards:
Earn 5X the BMO Rewards points per $1 on dining, groceries, gas, drugstore and travel*
1 BMO Rewards point per dollar on everything else*
Bonus offer: Earn 50,000 BMO Rewards points when you reach $6,000 in purchases within your first three months*. Plus, receive an additional 40,000 BMO Rewards Points after you spend a minimum of $100,000 within the first twelve months* after account open date bringing you to a total of up to 90,000 BMO Rewards points* in your first year.
Annual fee: $499
Eligibility:
Minimum credit score: Excellent
Minimum income: Minimum $150,000 (individual) or $200,000 (household)
Age: Age of majority in your province or territory
Residency: Canadian
This is a digital-exclusive offer.† To be eligible for this offer, you must apply for a new eligible card using the “Apply Now” link available on this webpage.†
Quebec Residents – Learn More about this CIBC product here
Résidents du Québec : Pour en savoir plus sur ce produit CIBC, suivez ce lien
Airport lounge access programs in Canada
As you’ve probably noticed, one credit card’s airport lounge benefit is not quite the same as any other’s. Every card offers membership in different programs with different levels of lounge access, some with benefits like unlimited visits and others with a set number of visits or discounted passes. So even if two credit cards use the same lounge program, this perk varies.
Compare some of the most popular lounge programs for Canadians here.
American Express global lounge collection®
The Amex lounge network consists of over 1,300 lounges worldwide. Within this extensive network, there are seven different types of airport lounges. These are:
- Centurion® Lounges
- International American Express Lounges
- Priority Pass lounges
- Escape Lounges
- Delta Sky Club® lounges
- Plaza Premium lounges
- Airspace lounges
The number of airport lounges within each of these programs varies. For example, as of 2023, there are 24 different Centurion® lounges (with about half in the U.S. and the rest in major cities like London, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, etc.), while the Delta Sky Club has over 50.
Centurion® and Amex lounges are exclusively available to Amex cardholders.
Priority Pass
With 1,300+ lounges in around 150 countries, the Priority Pass network is easily one of the largest. Priority Pass lounges are included in the American Express Global Lounge Collection® and other programs. But unlike the American Express Global Lounge Collection®, the Priority Pass program is not exclusive to people with certain credit cards.
Anyone can purchase one of three memberships — Standard, Standard Plus, or Prestige — for an annual fee of between $99 and $469. You can also buy one-time lounge passes or guest passes whenever you want.
Visa Airport Companion program by DragonPass
This program offered to Visa cardholders gives access to more than 1,200 lounges in airports around the world. This includes Plaza Premium lounges as well as many smaller programs specific to certain airlines and airports. Membership benefits extend beyond lounge access to dining and retail offers. This program is very similar to Mastercard Travel Pass.
Mastercard Travel Pass by DragonPass
This is another airport lounge program offered through Mastercard in partnership with travel service provider DragonPass. Within the DragonPass lounge network, there are over 1,300 lounges. This program also includes dining benefits and services like limousine pickups.
You don’t need a Mastercard credit card to join DragonPass, but membership is included free with many credit cards. However, only some give you free airport lounge access.
Mastercard airport experiences by LoungeKey
The Mastercard Airport Experiences program by LoungeKey is reserved for select cardholders. Because it’s associated with a credit card network rather than a specific issuer, it’s widely available. Many Mastercard World and World Elite credit cards include this benefit.
There are more than 1,100 different Mastercard Airport Experiences lounges worldwide in over 400 airports. This program also includes exclusive offers and discounts at select restaurants and stores, giving it a slight edge over lounge-only programs for travel savings.
Plaza Premium lounges
The Plaza Premium lounge network is the largest independent airport lounge network in the world. There are more than 100 lounges in the program in countries across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East and Africa. To get access, you can either purchase a pass or membership or use a travel credit card.
Air Canada’s Maple Leaf lounges
A much smaller program by comparison with only 23 Maple Leaf Lounges total, this program features lounges in 17 different airports in the U.S. and Canada. Maple Leaf Lounges are ideal for domestic travel, and it’s not hard to get an invitation to one.
There are a variety of ways to get into Maple Leaf Lounges. Frequent flyer elite status with Aeroplan, Star Alliance, and Air Canada is just one way. Those flying with premium tickets (business or Premium Rouge) can also enjoy these lounges.
How to choose a credit card with lounge access
Unsure how to distinguish between the different options out there? Keep the following in mind when mulling over which lounge access card is best for you.
Travel frequency
Start by taking a look at your travel history in the past year: How many flights did you take in total? How many involved connections of two or more hours?
Knowing how often you’ll actually use airport lounge privileges each year is the first step in determining which credit cards you should consider – and which annual fees are worth it.
Estimated savings vs. annual fee
A high annual fee can be tough to swallow. But if you’re a constant globetrotter who seems to spend more time in the airport terminal than in your living room, you might save money by paying a high annual fee for a card with lounge access.
Take the number of lounge visits you estimate that you’ll need annually, multiply it by the price of a visit to whichever lounge program you’d be most likely to use, and add the price of a membership to that program. For example, if a Priority Pass one-time lounge pass costs $32 and a basic Priority Pass membership is $100, you’d look for a card with an annual fee of around $130.
But be mindful of more than just lounge access. Other travel benefits can offer immense value, often much more than a trip to a lounge a few times a year.
Affiliated lounge program
It’s hard to definitively say which lounge program offers the best amenities, as even two lounges within the same program can differ from one airport to the next. That said, airport lounges will generally offer some combination of plush, comfy chairs and sofas; luxury restrooms (some with showers); free alcohol and food; complimentary Wi-Fi; massages; sleeping areas and more.
Keep in mind that although different lounge programs will offer similar comforts to their members, they will not necessarily be equally distributed throughout the world. Compare the lounge network of the card you’re looking at with your most frequent travel destinations and make sure there’s overlap between their domestic and global distribution.
Additional card features
Even if two cards have comparable annual fees and lounge benefits, they will likely have other differentiating features that suit different lifestyles and priorities. When comparing credit cards, take a look at rewards earning and redemption, travel benefits like insurance, and savings like statement credits to see which ones you’d prefer.
Other features to research are foreign transaction fees and sign-up bonuses.
Eligibility requirements
You don’t need to be a gazillionaire to travel comfortably, but most travel credit cards with worthwhile lounge features tend to be geared toward those with an annual income of $60K or more on top of requiring strong credit scores for approval.
Always double-check a card’s income and credit score requirements before applying so you don’t waste your time.
Are airport lounge credit cards worth it?
Clearly, there’s no truly free way to get a credit card with lounge access in Canada. But if you spend hours and hours of your life in airports and being able to walk into a lounge before or between flights would add some noticeable stress relief and comfort to your trips, you might decide you’re ready for the Lounge Life.
Not only will these credit cards make your time at the airport terminal a pleasure rather than a misery, but most of them also have other attractive, wayfarer-friendly advantages that reduce the cost of your trips.
Frequently asked questions
BMO is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click on the Apply now link for the most up to date information.American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information click the Apply now link. Conditions apply.
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