Do You REALLY Need a Credit Card with Airport Lounge Access?

Airport lounges were once fairly exclusive. Most people got in because they (or their company) purchased a membership or they flew First Class. Maybe — just maybe — they held one of the few credit cards that provided access to a club.

Now, we see TV commercials for a bunch of credit cards that feature airport lounge access.

(I frequently hear The Platinum Card® from American Express is “the one that gets you into all the airport lounges, right?” Well, it doesn’t get you into every lounge around the world. But it provides access to lot, provided you meet various eligibility requirements that vary by lounge and airline.)

Some people brag that they’re perfectly content sitting in gate areas and couldn’t care less about airport lounges.

Then there are people like me. And maybe you. (We could probably be friends.) So, you might ask yourself, Do I need a credit card that gets me into airport lounges?

Let’s take a look at the pros of airport lounges and those cards.

Pros

There’s plenty of upside to airport lounge access.

Food and Beverage

Free (more accurately: “included”) food and drinks are a major airport lounge perk, though selection and quality vary wildly across the lounge sphere.

There are times I’ll eat breakfast at one lounge before taking my first flight of a trip. I’ll enjoy lunch at my connecting airport. Then eat dinner at a club when I arrive at my destination. That saves me a decent amount of money I’d spend at airport or hotel restaurants.

Spread that out across several times a year and the savings are substantial.

If you enjoy alcoholic beverages, you can really enjoy big savings in most lounges. Some premium lounges (Capital One Lounges, Chase Sapphire Lounges, American Express Centurion Lounges) offer pretty good complimentary beer, wine, and liquor. Other lounges feature complimentary well offerings and you can purchase more premium options. For example, Old Forester is the Delta Sky Club’s complimentary bourbon (though they occasionally feature local companies, too). Buffalo Trace (my old favorite), Woodford Reserve, and Maker’s Mark are an extra charge.

But if you’re not too picky, the complimentary offerings are just fine. (Although, I remember some of the Sky Club wine being kind of meh. Can someone give me an update?)

My wife, daughter, and I ate lunch at the (club-less) Hollywood-Burbank Airport restaurant a couple of years ago. My wife and I each ordered two adult drinks. We shared a flatbread pizza and fries with our daughter. (Don’t judge. We were traveling.)

Our tab was over $100. Before tip.

We longed for a lounge that day.

A Calmer Environment Than the Terminal Outside

With a few exceptions, I find airport lounges to be quieter and calmer than the world outside their doors. I’ve been to a few lounges where it’s more like a bar atmosphere than a quiet lounge. In my experience, that’s usually during the evenings — especially on weekends. And it’s not overly obnoxious or anything.

The seating options are generally better than those slanted, vinyl seats you find in most gate areas.

A Place to Work

I’m much more comfortable — physically and mentally — getting work done at an airport lounge table or bar than sitting in a gate area. Even an empty gate area.

I can usually plug in a charger and juice up all my electronic devices while using my laptop and/or tablet. I appreciate access to complimentary water, coffee, and snacks to help keep me going. The WiFi is often faster than the networks I find in general terminal areas.

Helpdesks

This feature is more apropos of airline clubs (i.e., Delta Sky Club) than general credit card lounges (American Express Centurion Lounges).

Airline reps inside lounges can sometimes help with requests ranging from seat assignments to itinerary changes. The fantastic staff at Delta’s La Guardia gorgeous lounge literally once saved me from missing work.

Entertaining Clients

Back in the days when you could bring two free guests into Amex Lounges, I’d invite clients or coworkers when we traveled. They appreciated the invitation and enjoyed the clubs. Plus, everyone got to pocket their respective per diem (or spend it elsewhere) and eat in the lounge. I think it’s worth the $50 guest charge (discuss that with your accountant at tax time) if you and the client will be at the airport for a while.

Cons

But is everything as glamorous inside the lounges as it appears? Let’s take a look at a few negatives to consider.

Annual Fees

Credit cards that feature airport lounge access carry annual fees most of us consider pretty expensive. For example:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve® – $795
• The Platinum Card® from American Express – $695 (for now). See Rates & Fees.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express – $695 (also for now) See Rates & Fees.
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card – $650 (Rates & Fees.)

The value you place on airport lounge visits is subjective. You might visit lounges twice a year and decide they’re worth $350 a pop. Maybe the combination of food, beverages, and not sitting in the general terminal area is worth that much to you. That’s up to you.

If you visit lounges on a fairly consistent basis, then cost savings over eating and drinking in airport and hotel restaurants could very well be worth it.

Overcrowding

Holding one of those cards does not guarantee you entrance into any lounge.

It seems more people than ever are happy plunking down their money on card membership that includes airport lounge access.

That leads to scenes like this:

Lounges and card issuers are instituting changes to their guest policies, how soon you can access a lounge before your flight’s departure time (not boarding time!), and even in the case of Delta Clubs and Amex, how many visits a year cardholders can receive.

Once you’re inside the lounge, finding the perfect spot is sometimes easier said than done.

However, there are times I’ve waited outside Delta and Amex lounges only to be let in — and find plenty of open seats. (Then again, there’s probably a good reason for that They run the clubs, I’m just a blogger. 🙂 )

Food and Beverage

Wait! you might say. He was just raving about the food and drinks a minute ago! Now he’s complaining about them? Typical travel and points blogger!

I’ve enjoyed some delicious food inside airport lounges. Amex Centurion Lounge creamy scrambled eggs are nothing short of magical. The Meatball Sandwich and Sapphire Cheeseburger at the Chase Sapphire Lounge are items I’d order in restaurants. I start looking forward to the T3 LAX Delta Sky Club’s chorizo breakfast tacos a few days before a trip. The Capital One Landing steak? My goodness.

That said, airport lounges probably aren’t the best places to eat if your doctor tells you to watch your sodium. If you’re looking to eat healthy, you should hope the lounge has a salad bar. (A lot of Delta Sky Clubs — especially the new or remodeled locations — have decent salad bars.)

Some lounges are better than others about rotating “entrees.” I love the Delta Sky Club at O’Hare but they’re always serving barbecue chicken when I’m there. And I love barbecue chicken! But after a while, it gets old. Especially if you ate the same thing in Minneapolis earlier in the day.

But it’s an excellent First World problem, for sure.

Some clubs offer nothing more than some crackers, trail mix, and soda. But again, it might be better than paying for stuff in the airport shops. That’s your decision.

Free beverages are great — coffee is one of my best friends! But if alcohol is also one of your besties, it’s easy to over-enjoy your favorite drinks. (Except at the Salt Lake City Sky Club. Party poopers.) When they’re free — except for tipping your bartenders — hey, the bartender offered a double? Why not?! Well, that went down easily enough, I earned another one! A double, of course! And it’s all included in my credit card membership!

I’m certainly not discouraging people from drinking in lounges. But just be careful — especially when you have a long layover. Maybe mix in a Heineken 0.0 between alcoholic drinks or something.

You’ll Get Hooked

Two friends of mine — let’s call them Dan and Diane, very possibly their real names — one poo-pooed my invitation to the Centurion Lounge when we flew back from Vegas.

“We don’t need that bougie airport lounge bull(stuff),” Dan said.

“Yeah,” Diane echoed.

And off they went. So, I invited some other people. Who later rubbed it in their faces with pictures of mimosas, French toast, and those amazing Amex eggs.

Diane and Dan have since tagged along on many a lounge visit. They admitted their error. (In fact, Diane will sometimes text me out of the blue, “I’m still thinking about that tomato bisque from the Centurion. Do you think they still have it?”) They have credit cards that get them into lounges.

Final Approach

Premium cards’ annual fees are getting higher. And it’s getting harder for me to justify their expense if I don’t use the benefits enough. So, we’ll see what happens in the coming months.

Could I live without airport lounge access? Of course. Do I need a credit card that gets me into airport clubs? Of course not. They’re not absolutely essential to my travel.

But they make life a lot easier.

What’s your take?

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this link.