The best airport lounge membership is the one that matches how you fly. If you fly different airlines from many airports, a lounge network membership like Priority Pass or DragonPass gives you the widest choice. If you stick to one airline or alliance, airline status or that airline's own club usually gets you better lounges. And if you only fly a few times a year, a credit card benefit or a pay-per-visit lounge may be all you need. This guide compares the main ways to get lounge access, who each one suits, and what to check before you pay.
The main ways to get airport lounge access
You don't need a first-class ticket to use a lounge. These are the six main routes in:
- Lounge network membership: one membership for many independent and airline lounges, whatever airline you fly. Examples: Priority Pass and DragonPass.
- Credit or bank card benefit: some premium cards include a lounge membership or a set number of free visits.
- Airline status: frequent flyer status with an airline, and the matching alliance tier, can open its lounges even when you fly economy.
- Premium cabin ticket: business and first class tickets usually include the airline's lounge on the day you fly.
- Airline club membership: some airlines sell their own lounge memberships, but often only to some travelers.
- Pay per visit: many independent lounges let you buy a single entry online or at the door.
Lounge network memberships compared
Lounge networks don't own most of the lounges you visit. They sign deals with lounges around the world, and your membership gets you in, as long as you have a same-day flight and the lounge has space.
Priority Pass
Priority Pass says it covers more than 1,900 airport lounges and experiences in over 600 cities and 143 countries. You can buy it directly in three tiers: Standard for occasional travelers, Standard Plus for regular travelers and Prestige for frequent travelers. The tiers differ in what's included, so compare them on its website. Many people also get it through a premium credit card. Its app helps you find and access the lounges at your airport.
Best for: travelers who fly many different airlines and want the widest lounge choice without airline loyalty.
DragonPass
DragonPass says its members can use over 1,400 airport lounges at more than 800 airports. Its memberships work with a set number of passes per year that you can use for lounges, and on some tiers for airport dining or Fast Track security lanes. Some tiers let you share passes with travel companions. You enter with the digital membership card in the app.
Best for: occasional travelers who want a fixed number of visits a year, or families and couples who travel together.
LoungeKey
LoungeKey is not a membership you buy yourself. It's a benefit your card issuer gives you, and it works regardless of the airline you fly or the ticket you hold. Some cards include free visits, others charge each visit to your card. Check your bank's terms to see which applies to you.
Best for: anyone whose bank or credit card already includes it. Check before you pay for another membership.
Do the networks share the same lounges?
Partly. Many lounges are in more than one network, but not all. Lounge deals also change. For example, Plaza Premium lounges left Priority Pass for a while and returned to Priority Pass and LoungeKey in 2023. Before you buy, look up the airports you use most in the network's app or website.
Credit cards with airport lounge access
For many travelers, the easiest way into lounges is a card they already have. Premium credit and bank cards often include a Priority Pass, LoungeKey or DragonPass membership, a few free visits a year, or access to the card brand's own lounges. One example is the American Express Centurion Lounge, open to eligible Platinum and Centurion Card Members and some Delta cardholders, in the US and a few cities such as London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Amsterdam.
Card offers differ a lot by country and bank, so compare these points on the card's own terms page:
- Which programme: Priority Pass, LoungeKey, DragonPass or the card's own lounges.
- How many visits: unlimited, a fixed number per year, or paid per visit.
- Guests: whether a partner or children get in free, and what extra guests cost.
- Conditions: some cards ask for a minimum yearly spend, or limit access to the main cardholder.
Is a card with a high annual fee worth it for lounges?
Only if you'd use the lounges often enough. Count how many times a year you pass through an airport with a covered lounge, and compare the annual fee with what single visits would cost you. If you fly twice a year, paying per visit or a small lounge membership is usually cheaper. If you fly every month, a card or membership with unlimited visits can pay for itself, especially if you also use its other benefits.
Airline lounges: status, alliances and premium tickets
Airline lounges are run by an airline for its premium cabin passengers and frequent flyers. A lounge network membership usually won't get you into them, though some airline lounges do take part in the networks.
Airline status and alliance tiers
Most big airlines belong to one of three alliances, and a high status with one member airline gets you into partner lounges too, even in economy, when you fly with an airline of the alliance:
- oneworld: Emerald and Sapphire members can use oneworld member lounges and bring one guest on a oneworld flight.
- Star Alliance: Star Alliance Gold members can use member airlines' business class lounges when flying a Star Alliance airline, with one guest on the same flight.
- SkyTeam: SkyTeam Elite Plus members can use SkyTeam lounges on same-day international flights operated by a member airline, in any cabin, with one guest.
Each alliance has exceptions, such as some lounges reserved for first or business class passengers. Check the alliance's lounge finder for your airport.
Business and first class tickets
A business or first class ticket usually includes the lounge of your airline or its alliance partners on the day you fly. Some airlines exclude short domestic flights or their cheapest premium fares, so check your fare rules.
Airline club memberships
Some US airlines run their own lounge clubs, such as Delta Sky Club, United Club and American Airlines Admirals Club. The rules for buying a membership or day pass differ by airline and change over time. For example, Delta Sky Club now sells annual memberships only to its Medallion status members and has stopped selling single visit passes. An airline club membership makes sense when you fly that airline from its hubs most weeks.
Pay per visit: day passes and independent lounges
If you fly a few times a year, you may not need a membership at all. Many independent lounges sell single visits to any traveler, whatever airline or class you fly. Plaza Premium, for example, sells lounge visits online and multi-visit passes on its own website. Walk-in entry depends on space on the day.
Pay per visit works well for:
- a long layover where you want a shower, a meal or a quiet seat,
- an early morning or late night flight,
- trying a lounge before you commit to a yearly membership.
Some airline lounges also sell entry to economy passengers, depending on the airline and airport. Ask your airline or check the lounge's page for your airport.
Which lounge access is best for you?
Pick the traveler profile that sounds most like you:
- The Global Nomad: you fly often, across continents and airlines. A lounge network membership with plenty of visits, like Priority Pass or DragonPass, gives you the widest choice.
- The Brand Loyalist: you stick to one airline or alliance. Build your status there, and the airline lounges come with it.
- The Occasional Indulger: you fly a few times a year. Check your bank cards first, then pay per visit or pick a membership with a few visits included.
- The Upscale Seeker: you want the best food, design and quiet. Look at airline lounges for premium cabins and premium card lounges at the airports you use.
Your step-by-step plan
- Count your trips: how many times a year you fly, and from which airports.
- Check what you already have: your credit and bank cards and any airline status may already include lounge access.
- Look up your airports: search each network's lounge finder for the terminals you actually use.
- Compare the real cost: annual fee plus paid visits and guests, against pay per visit.
- Test first: try a single visit or the smallest tier before paying for unlimited access.
What to check before you pay
Lounge access always comes with conditions. Read the terms for:
- Same-day flight: you usually need a boarding pass for a flight that day. Some lounges only let you in a few hours before departure.
- Departures only: many lounges are for departing passengers. On arrival, you may only get in if you have a connecting flight.
- Your terminal: a lounge at your airport is no use if it's in another terminal or on the other side of passport control.
- Guests: guests often pay extra or use one of your visits.
- Capacity: access is subject to space. At busy times, a lounge can turn away members.
What if the lounge is full?
Ask the staff how long the wait is, or look for another lounge in your network at the same terminal. Lounge networks generally don't guarantee entry, so a full lounge isn't usually a reason for compensation. If you have a long layover, booking a pay-per-visit lounge ahead, where the lounge offers it, can help.
Stay connected in the lounge and after you land
A lounge is a good spot to get your phone ready for the trip. If the lounge has Wi-Fi, use it to install a travel eSIM before you board, so you have mobile data as soon as you land. That way you don't depend on airport or hotel Wi-Fi or your home carrier's roaming charges. Planning a long trip with stopovers? Our guides on layover flights and surviving long-haul flights can help too.
If you're flying to Europe, Asia or the USA, these data-only eSIMs install on Wi-Fi in a few minutes and give you mobile data at your destination.
Europe, Asia and USA plans shown · data-only eSIMs, no phone number · Find the eSIM for your destination
FAQ
What is the best airport lounge membership?
There's no single best one. Priority Pass and DragonPass suit travelers who fly many airlines. Airline status suits those who stick to one airline or alliance. If you fly rarely, a card benefit or pay per visit is often the better deal.
Is Priority Pass worth it?
It can be if you fly often from airports with Priority Pass lounges in your terminals. Check its lounge finder for your usual airports first, and see whether one of your cards already includes it.
Can I use an airport lounge if I fly economy?
Yes. A lounge network membership, a card benefit, a pay-per-visit lounge or airline status can all get you in on an economy ticket. Airline lounges are the hardest without status or a premium ticket.
Which airlines offer the best lounge access?
It depends on where you fly from. Airlines usually have their biggest lounges at their home hubs, and alliance status lets you use partner lounges around the world. Choose the alliance with the most flights from your home airport.
Can I use a lounge during a long layover?
Usually yes, with a boarding pass for your connecting flight. Some lounges limit how early you can enter before that flight, so check the lounge's rules.
Can I use a lounge without Priority Pass or airline status?
Yes. Look for pay-per-visit lounges at your airport, check your bank cards for LoungeKey or DragonPass, or ask your airline whether it sells lounge entry.
Is a lounge the same as a private terminal or VIP service?
No. Some airports also offer private terminals, meet-and-assist or other VIP services. These are separate paid services, usually booked directly with the airport or operator, and not part of a lounge membership.