Before starting collecting miles and points (and credit cards!), we thought the world of fancy airport lounges would never be our world.

But we’ve crossed over and now it is one of the things we look forward to on travel days — when they are available to us.

For families doing a few trips a year (or more!), I highly recommend looking into getting lounge access. The lounges you can access will vary based on the credit card you have, the airline you’re flying, and the airport you’re at.

What is an airport lounge & how can I get in?

Airport lounges are an oasis of calm in a busy airport terminal. They typically have free wifi, free drinks (many include alcoholic options) and some food. Generally you’ll find more expansive lounges internationally but the U.S is catching up with some great lounges, too.

Free food and drinks in the airport was a revelation for us. As budget travelers, we were always those people packing our carry-ons full of food for the airport and airplane. Prior to living the lounge life we have actually been known to refuse to buy water even if we were quite thirsty, because we wanted to wait to get on the plane where water was free. Such was the case in the Cancun airport where there aren’t drinking fountains and bottled water is highly overpriced. We suffer of thirst no more!

To get in you usually need to fall into one of these categories:

• • Have airline status (not us)

• • Fly business or first class (not us, have never done it)

• • Pay a one-time fee (not us, again, with being cheapskates)

• • Have a lounge pass for a lounge network (Ding, ding, ding! That’s the one for us!)

Where are these lounges?

Because the answer to this is so complicated, check out our post that walks you through how exactly to determine which lounges are at the airports you frequent. 

The most common lounge network that premium credit cards give you access to is Priority Pass. There are also lounge networks operated by banks for premium card members — like American Express, Capital One, and Chase. You’ll also find lounges operated by individual airlines, lounge chains, and other networks like Plaza Premium.

It’s important to note that Capital One, Chase, and American Express cards give you access to more than just their own lounges and Priority Pass — see the notes under each card for all the lounge networks you can access with a certain card.

Priority Pass has a growing number of lounges in the US, but has a much larger presence in international airports.

We’ve enjoyed some great food and drinks (and sometimes massage chairs and showers) at lounges in South Korea, Taiwan, Spain, the Philippines, Jamaica, Cancun, and more. We’ve also been known to walk to another terminal (if airports allow) to track down lounges on layovers or upon arrival, such as in Seattle, Honolulu, and LAX.

Priority Pass: Lounges vs Restaurants vs Experiences

Priority Pass also has a relationships with a number of airport restaurants or even spas where you can get a free massage. This gets a bit confusing, though, as many cards that provide Priority Pass memberships but don’t offer access to all Priority Pass options.

All of the credit cards do provide access to locations marked as Priority Pass lounges.

The main cards that will access to Priority Pass experiences and spas are the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card and The Ritz-Carlton^™ Credit Card. This includes locations marked as “Refresh” and “Unwind.”

Very few cards still offer access to Priority Pass restaurants. These are marked in the Priority Pass app and website with “Eat.” As of November 2024, the only cards that I’m aware of that offer this benefits still are the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite or U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve.

If you have one of these, your Priority Pass membership will get each member and typically get your included guest $28 to spend. The Priority Pass app tells the number of guests allowed – some restaurants allow one guest and other allow two guests.

Which airports have airport lounges?

Because the answer to this is so complicated, check out our post that walks you through how exactly to determine which lounges are at the airports you frequent. 

On the day of your flight, be sure to check open/close times when you are looking at lounges. Many lounges participate with other clubs and offer entrance to other loyalty programs. Because of this, note that some lounges say they are full and don’t accept Priority Pass members at certain times.

Best lounges if you fly Southwest

Since we frequently fly Southwest, I often reference this Flyertalk thread when trying to figure out if I can get into an airport’s Priority Pass lounge from the terminal Southwest operates out of.

Best Credit Cards For Family Airport Lounge Access

Many premium credit cards out there give you lounge access as an included benefit. It is part of a package of premium benefits they offer. Here are the top options and my take on them.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Our take: This is the current best option for families to get lounge access for the lowest price and least hassle — unless you are very loyal to one airline like Delta, American, or United. It is even better if your airport has a great Priority Pass option or one of the new Capital One Lounges (currently in DFW and IAD, expanding to Denver in late 2023). It matches most of the current policies by allowing only 2 guests – but the ability to add authorized users for $0 means even large families can get in lounges for free. The annual fee is low for a premium card and very easy to off-set with the $300 annual travel credit. Capital One used to be notoriously hard to get approved for (specifically for people with many cards, if you are newer to miles and points it should be easier), but if we were approved and this card will definitely be a keeper. See my complete guide to the Venture X here.

Note: If you want to stay under 5/24, you could consider the Capital One Venture X Business card. This card is very similar to the Venture X with a notable exception: authorized users do not receive lounge access.

Lounge Network: Priority Pass + Capital One Lounges + Plaza Premium Lounges

Guests allowed: 2 guests – but authorized users are free to add and get their own lounge access for themselves + 2 guests

Authorized User Fee: $0 for up to 4. No minimum age for authorized users means you can add your kids as authorized users as well.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Our take: I like that this card includes Priority Pass experiences and not just lounges. It’s also nice that it includes access to the new Sapphire lounges! Unfortunately, the lounge access benefit isn’t enough for our family of 4 to get into lounges and requires us to add another authorized user for $75. So instead of holding this card, we decided to hold a pair of cards for lounge access: The Venture X plus the The Ritz-Carlton^™ Credit Card. Read my complete guide here.

Lounge Network: Priority Pass + Chase Sapphire Lounges + select Aeroplan lounges if you’re flying Star Alliance

Guests allowed: 2 guests

Authorized User Fee: $75

The Ritz-Carlton^™ Credit Card

The information related to the Chase Ritz-Carlton® Card was collected by Katie’s Travel Tricks and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see the issuer website for current information. Katie’s Travel Tricks does not receive commission for this product.

Our take: This card is no longer available directly, you can only get it if you have a Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card or Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card and call to upgrade to this card. You will need to hold your Marriott card for a year before being eligible for upgrade. So obviously that is a hoop to jump through for most people.

This card has the most generous Priority Pass membership out there. You can add unlimited authorized users and they get unlimited guests. You could add a trusted extended family member or friend as an authorized user and they would get their own Priority Pass. This Priority Pass also includes experiences (but no longer includes restaurants as of July 1, 2024)! It also includes unlimited guests to the new Sapphire lounges.

The annual travel credit is based on a calendar year, so you can very easily upgrade to this card in August, for instance, and use the $300 Travel Credit. Then in January, the travel credit will reset and you can get use it again. The Travel Credit is not automatic and has to be requested manually, it is also somewhat restrictive. See our full guide here.

Lounge Network: Priority Pass

Guests allowed: All accompanying guests (essentially unlimited).

Authorized User Fee: $0, Authorized Users get their own Priority Pass membership

Annual Fee: $450

Annual Travel Credit: $300 per calendar year. See what qualifies

Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card

Our take: This card will give you 4 Priority Pass Select memberships for the annual fee! That’s without even adding authorized users.

And each of those currently can bring in unlimited guests to all Priority Pass locations (subject to the lounge or restaurant’s policies).

It’s the best remaining option to get Priority Pass Restaurant access.

Lounge Network: Priority Pass (all locations)

Guests allowed: All accompanying guests (essentially unlimited).

Authorized User Access: You get to designate 4 Priority Pass memberships without even adding authorized users

Annual Fee: $550

Annual Credit: $300 annually in Airline Incidental Statement Credits and $150 annually for “lifestyle conveniences” including specific video streaming services, food delivery, fitness subscriptions and rideshare services

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Our take: The annual fee is the highest of this group, with the lowest and most restrictive travel credit. Unfortunately, the lounge access benefit still isn’t enough for our family of 4 to get into Centurion lounges. Even for Priority Pass lounges, we would have to pair this with another option in order to get lounge access or pay the authorized user fee.

The *trip delay insurance is the best on this card and Amex does have great *purchase protection, which I have utilized twice when I’ve had newer cell phones break.

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Lounge Network: Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass (except restaurants and experiences), Delta Lounges (if you’re flying Delta), Also the following:

• • Escape Lounges — The Centurion Studio Partner.

• • Airspace lounges.

• • Plaza Premium lounges.

• • Lufthansa lounges.

• • Other Global Lounge Collection partner lounges.

• • Find participating airport lounges during your travels by using the Global Lounge Collection website

Guests allowed: No free guests at Centurion Lounges unless you spend $75,000 a year on your card. You can pay $50 for an adult guest and $30 for a child. Priority Pass and Plaza Premium allow 2 guests. Escape Lounges allow 2 guests or immediate family members.

Annual Fee: $695

Terms Apply. | Rates & Fees.

Annual Travel Credit: Up to $200 for a specific airline you select in advance, per calendar year

Authorized User Fee: $175 per authorized user. You can add kids as authorized users when they reach 13 if you want to get access to Centurion lounges for your whole family.

United Club℠ Ininite Card

Our take: If you are very committed to flying United/Star Alliance partners and have a large family, this card could definitely make sense. If you fly a variety of airlines, it would be hard to get the value of the annual fee out of this card.

Lounge Network: United Clubs (and select Star Alliance Clubs) when flying on United or another Star Alliance Partner

Guests allowed: 1 adult + all dependent children under 18

Authorized Users Do Not Get Lounge Access

Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard

Our take: If you are very committed to flying American and have a large family, this card could definitely make sense. If you fly a variety of airlines, it would be hard to get the value of the annual fee out of this card unless you have a lot of friends who also fly American and you add a bunch of authorized users.

Lounge Network: American Airlines Admirals Club (when flying on American Airlines)

Guests allowed: 2 guests OR all immediate family members (spouse, domestic partner and/or children under 18)

Annual Fee: $595

Annual Travel Credit: None

Authorized User Fee: $0 — Authorized users get access to Admirals Club lounges but not other lounges including oneworld lounges with reciprocal agreements

Other card benefits:

• • Free checked bag

• • Global Entry or TSA Precheck fee credit

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Our take: If Hilton is your brand of choice, this card definitely could make sense. Unfortunately, the lounge access benefit still isn’t enough for our family of 4 to get into lounges more than twice.

Lounge Network:Priority Pass (except restaurants and experiences)

Guests allowed: 2 guests

Authorized Users: No Priority Pass membership for authorized users

All information about Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Katie’s Travel Tricks. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no longer available through Katie’s Travel Tricks.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

Our take: Not of any great value to families because you still have to pay for guests to enter the lounge. The American Express Platinum is a better option if you are a family who loves to fly Delta because you will get into Delta lounges as long as you are flying Delta.

Lounge Network: Delta Sky Club Access when flying Delta. Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 10 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter.

Guests allowed: Bring up to two guests or immediate family at a rate of $50 per person per visit.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

Our take: If you have a small family and are loyal to Marriott, this card might make sense as a way to also enjoy lounge access. For bigger families, it won’t cut it! A better option would be to get the Ritz card (see above)

Lounge Network: Priority Pass (Lounges only, not restaurants or experiences)

Guests allowed: 2

Authorized User Access: Authorized users do not appear to get their own Priority pass access

TL; DR: Best Options for Families

Best overall: Capital One Venture X! It is easy to make up your annual fee and you can add authorized users until you have enough guest access for your whole family. You’ll not only have access to Priority Pass lounges, but to Plaza Premium and Capital One lounges, too.

Best for Sapphire Lounges + adding access to Priority Pass Experiences: The Ritz Carlton Card, if you can get it. Otherwise get the Sapphire Reserve.

Best for Priority Pass Restaurants: Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite. This card will give you 4 Priority Pass Select memberships for the annual fee! That’s without even adding authorized users. And each of those currently can bring in unlimited guests to all Priority Pass locations (subject to the lounge or restaurant’s policies). It’s the best remaining option to get Priority Pass Restaurant access.

If you’re very loyal to either American Airlines or United Airlines: their premium cards may make the most sense for your family. Both provide access to their respective lounges for all immediate family members when flying on that airline.

Do you have more questions about lounge access? Leave a comment below so I can help answer!