Have time to kill before a flight? An airport lounge can provide a perfect place to relax. The best lounges will pamper you with access to fast WiFi, fresh food, drinks, and other amenities while you wait for your boarding time.
Once a perk exclusively for business and first-class flyers, airport lounges have become havens for all types of travelers. What’s more, a growing number of credit card companies are offering airport lounge access to certain cardholders. For example, the Capital One Venture X Rewards and the Chase Sapphire Reserve include subscriptions to Priority Pass, a network of over 1,500 airport lounges worldwide, as part of their annual fee. (You can find out more details about these cards and other credit cards with travel rewards below and in our roundup of the best travel credit cards.)
Don’t have a travel rewards credit card? Don’t worry — many airport lounges offer day passes, with prices typically ranging anywhere from $40 to $100 a day, according to Kayak. But which lounges offer the best value?
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
5 Best Airport Lounges
Here are five airport lounges in the U.S. that are well worth your travel dollars.
1. Escape Lounge at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Day pass: $45, or $40 if you pre-book at least 24 hours in advance
Location: Terminal 3
Hours: 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
“It doesn’t get any more bang for the buck than this,” says Scott Leazemby, a San Diego-based travel blogger who chronicles his travel experiences at SANSpotter. Although it lacks private areas, the lounge’s selection of food is “excellent for a small independent lounge, featuring a variety of hot and cold entrées and plenty of snacks,” Leazemby says. The bar offers complimentary drinks such as lattes, draft beer, and wines.
2. Admirals Club at Miami International Airport
Day pass: $79
Location: North Terminal, Concourse D
Hours: 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily
This two-story lounge offers no shortage of ways for families to pass the time. It features Android tablets, where you can play games, catch up on the news, and browse the Web; an enclosed kids’ room, where the little ones to get their energy out; and a main sitting area with great views of the tarmac, according to a review on the travel site Upgraded Points.
3. Capital One Lounge at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport
Day pass: $65
Location: Terminal D
Hours: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Featuring a cycling and yoga room with Peloton bikes, nap pods, shower suites, and luggage lockers, this buzzy airport lounge from Capital One includes a bar with a wide assortment of beverages, including a pecan Bourbon old fashioned and other craft cocktails, local craft beer, and cold brew coffee on tap. There’s also a grab-and-go cooler with salads, sandwiches, juices, sparkling water, and desserts. Plus, “The décor is sleek and modern, and most areas offer a view of the runway,” writes Stacy Brooks, a Minneapolis- based blogger, in a review of the lounge on her travel and food blog Tangled Up In Food.
If you're considering a Capital One card with lounge access, read our review of the Capital One Venture Rewards card, offering new cardholders a $750 bonus offer. The luxury version of that card, the Capital One Venture X card, was voted the best airline credit card in the Kiplinger 2024 Readers' Choice Awards for best travel credit cards.
4. United Club B East at Denver International Airport
Day pass: $59
Location: Terminal B
Hours: 5:00 am to 9:30 pm.
This 35,000-square-foot, 600-seat lounge, unveiled in 2023, captures the essence of the Mile High City. Beer lovers can sip on a flight of beers from Colorado breweries in the second-floor bar, which has shuffleboard tables and an industrial vibe with an exposed ceiling. The lounge offers three buffets, serving up unique dishes such as maple-mustard chicken thighs, vegetarian green chili, and an egg frittata inspired by the Denver omelet. Throughout the two-story space you’ll find a wide array of furnishings and artwork from Denver artists, including photography, paintings, sculptures, and murals. Both levels feature floor-to-ceiling glass views of the airfield and a gas fireplace with neatly stacked logs.
5. Chase Sapphire Lounge at New York LaGuardia Airport
Day pass: $100
Location: Terminal B
Hours: 4:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily
This is the highest-priced lounge on our list, but it’s an all-around winner. Opened earlier this year, the 21,850-square-foot lounge offers two floors packed with amenities. The seasonal menu, from West Village bistro Joseph Leonard, features fresh pastries, Korean fried chicken bites, vegan spinach bowls, and other dishes that you can order directly to your seat using a QR code. Ben Schlappig, of the One Mile at a Time travel blog, called the seared salmon and lentil ragout "phenomenal” in a review of the lounge. In addition, the lounge features private rest pods, wellness treatment rooms with complimentary facials, and a retro-inspired game room with a photo booth, pinball machines, a jukebox, and shuffleboard.
Tips for Saving on Lounge Access
Credit cards with lounge privileges and sign-on bonsues
Some air carriers offer lower lounge membership prices to travelers who have the airline’s credit card and to frequent flyers. Many of these are offering bonuses to new cardholders, listed below. Not all cards provide lounge access, so read the terms carefully. For example, new cardholders can earn points worth up to $937 with a Chase Sapphire Preferred card, but they won't get lounge privileges. Only the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers lounge access in the Sapphire line.
And don't forget credit cards that are co-branded with hotels. For example, the Hilton Honors Surpass card offers premium airport lounge access with a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. Enrolled members get ten free airport lounge visits each Priority Pass Membership year.
Hot tip: Some of the best bonus and lounge offers are for business credit card customers.
- $1,500 to $3,000 Amex Card Intro Offer (for a business card)
- $2,775 Capital One Business Card Intro Offer
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card $750 Bonus Offer
- Alaska Airlines Credit Card: $660 Bonus Offer
- Earn Delta SkyMiles Worth up to $720
- Best Airline Credit Card Bonuses with a Free Ticket
- Hilton Honors Bonus Offer Worth $780 Plus Free Night
Getting access through memberships
Frequently fly a particular airline? A number of major air carriers, such as Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, and United, offer annual memberships that provide access to their network of lounges. Prices typically run from $400 to $850 per year. A one-year Delta Sky Club membership, which offers access to more than 50 airport lounges, costs $695. A one-year United Club membership, with access to more than 45 locations, costs $650.
Alaska Airlines won the best airline credit card rewards program in the Kiplinger 2024 Readers' Choice Awards.
Read More
-
Average Net Worth by Age: How Do You Measure Up?Financial advisors discuss the secrets to growing your net worth over time.
-
Three Charitable Giving Strategies for High-Net-Worth IndividualsIf you have $1 million or more saved for retirement, these charitable giving strategies can help you give efficiently and save on taxes.
-
Three Charitable Giving Strategies for High-Net-Worth Individuals
If you have $1 million or more saved for retirement, these charitable giving strategies can help you give efficiently and save on taxes.
-
The Wealth-Building Powers of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)Health savings accounts could be the most underutilized wealth-building tool out there. Here’s who should use them and how to maximize their benefits.
-
Seven Ways to Be an Absolute Jerk as a LawyerHere's what law students need to know about damaging their relationships with other lawyers and judges and running up the bill for clients.
-
One Good Way to Withdraw Retirement Assets (and a Bad One)Don't withdraw retirement assets haphazardly. Managing distributions intentionally can lower your taxes, conserve your wealth and reduce Medicare premiums.
-
Five Ways to Maximize Your End-of-Year PhilanthropyTo do the most good, pick the right charity, be smart about how you donate and consider giving something just as valuable as money: your time.
-
Short-Term Rentals: 10 Things to Know About Sites Like AirbnbA successful short-term rental stay requires knowing the ins and outs of booking sites. Here's our take on Trip Advisor, Expedia, Booking.com, VRBO and Airbnb.
-
Get Amazon Music Unlimited With Audible Free for 3 MonthsDeal Treat yourself to the gift of music and literature with a free trial of Amazon Music Unlimited. The service includes Audible, allowing book and music fans to save.
-
Are You Annoyed That You Have to Buy Car or Home Insurance?Maybe instead of considering car and home insurance extra expenses that you don't benefit from, think about how those policies protect your investment instead.
