Perks of Having a Credit Card With Airport Lounge Access

Nowadays, people want to get a credit card more because of its perks and benefits than its credit limit. Almost all the major credit card issuers offer credit cards with exclusive reward rates and benefits across different categories, including travel, dining, entertainment, lifestyle, and many more. Out of all these benefits, travel privileges are desired by most of the customers as travel is one of the most expensive categories among these. A credit card can not be named a travel credit card if it doesn’t provide complimentary lounge access, as this is something that most travel enthusiasts look for. It is because there are a lot of perks of having a credit card with airport lounge access, and it saves you a lot. If you are not aware of complimentary lounge access, let us first understand the same.

What Are Airport Lounges?

Airport Lounges are the restrooms with comfortable sittings in the airports. These lounges are made so that the frequent travelers can rest inside, avoiding the noisy environment there in the airport. If someone reaches the airport a few hours earlier than their flight, they can sit in these comfortable lounges and enjoy snacks and other facilities available there. Many people also like to rest in these lounges after a flight to get fresh before going further to their final destination.

The airport lounges are generally accessed by frequent travelers, and they need to buy annual memberships to some lounge access programs like Priority Pass, Dreamfolks Pass, etc. These memberships are expensive enough, and travelers also need to pay a usage fee every time they access a lounge. For Example, the Priority Pass membership comes for $99, and even after purchasing it, individuals need to pay a usage fee of $32 every time they visit a lounge. But, with domestic or international lounge access credit cards, these visits become super affordable.

Benefits of Having Credit Cards With Complimentary Lounge Access

With frequent flyers' travel requirements in mind, card issuers have now started offering complimentary airport lounge access to their credit card customers. If you have a credit card with free lounge access, you don’t need to pay any charges to access the longes, but you can visit these for free. To understand the benefits of airport lounge access credit cards in detail, refer to the following points:

• Even if your flight is delayed by two or more hours, you don’t need to worry if you have a credit card with complimentary lounge access. It is because you can go and rest in the comfortable lounges there and avoid the crowded and noisy environment of the airports.

• You can not only have a comfortable seat, but most of the airport lounges also provide breakfast, lunch, or dinner (depending on the time when you visit the lounge). And with a complimentary lounge access credit card, you will even enjoy a meal for free.

• You can make your traveling experiences even more rewarding and luxurious by availing of all the facilities present in an airport lounge.

• With international lounge access credit cards, you can rest in the airports in India and at the international airports, some of which even offer complimentary snacks and drinks.

• The biggest and most sought-after advantage of such credit cards is that you can save a lot of money that might have been spent on the fee of airport lounge access memberships.

• The credit cards offering complimentary lounge access are generally travel credit cards that come with lots of other travel privileges. So, other benefits that you may get with these cards include discounts on flight/hotel bookings, several travel insurance covers, complimentary flight tickets, free travel vouchers, and many more.

Best Credit Cards With Airport Lounge Access

Though there are lots of credit cards that offer complimentary lounge access these days, the following are some of the best cards available in the Indian market:

1. American Express Platinum Credit Card

It is the most premium card issued by American Express and comes with an annual fee of Rs. 60,000. The fees might seem to be really high, but once you go through the features and benefits of the card, you will realize that it’s totally worth it. The AmEx Platinum Card comes with several exciting privileges across different categories but is best suited for frequent travelers. It offers unlimited complimentary domestic and international lounge access to all Priority Pass & Delta Lounges, which means that cardholders can visit the lounges for free as many times as they want.

2. HDFC Infinia Metal Edition Credit Card

It is another credit card that is best for frequent travelers, especially for those who travel via flight very often. It provides its customers with unlimited complimentary lounge access at domestic and international airports. Talking about its annual charges, the card comes with a yearly fee of Rs.12,500 and offers various exclusive benefits to its customers.

3. Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card

The Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card is also a premium card issued by Axis Bank. It comes with an annual fee of Rs. 10,000 and offers great benefits across shopping, travel, and many more categories. With this card, you can get unlimited complimentary access to domestic and international airport lounges.

4. SBI Card Elite

The SBI Elite Credit Card is quite an affordable premium credit card with an annual fee of Rs. 4,999 and provides its customers with exciting travel privileges. With this card, you can avail of 8 complimentary domestic and 6 international lounge access every year.

Other than the four cards mentioned above, many more cards offer complimentary access to airport lounges. These cards include AmEx platinum Travel, HDFC Diners Club Black, Axis Bank Reserve, IndusInd Celesta, IDFC First Select Credit Card, etc.

Conclusion

If you are a frequent traveler, you should definitely get a credit card with airport lounge access as it will help you enjoy the lounge facilities without paying any charges. Just ensure to make the right choice as per your needs. You can get a credit card with domestic lounge access if you travel domestically more often. However, if you travel internationally very often, you should try to get a super-premium card that offers free lounge access worldwide.