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HomeCredit Card Lounge Benefits


CREDIT CARD LOUNGE BENEFITS




With travel picking up again and airports getting busier, it’s time to take an
updated look at which credit cards offer the best lounge access perks. 

Once the exclusive domain of First and Business Class passengers, airport
lounges can now be accessed through lounge club memberships available on even
the most basic of credit cards. Passengers flying out of Changi Airport, for
example, can visit a total of six lounges across Terminals 1 and 3. 

🛫 Contract Lounges in T1 & T3 LoungePriority PassLounge KeyDragon PassT1Marhaba
Lounge✔✔✔Plaza Premium Lounge  ✔SATS Premier Lounge✔✔✔T3Ambassador Transit
Lounge✔✔✔Marhaba Lounge
✔✔✔SATS Premier Lounge✔✔✔


WHICH CREDIT CARDS GRANT AIRPORT LOUNGE ACCESS?

Ambassador Transit Lounge Changi Terminal 3

Here’s a summary of which credit cards grant airport lounge access, the network
they use, and how many free visits you’re entitled to. 

CardLounge NetworkFree Visits
(Per Year)PrincipalSupp.Income Requirement S$30KMaybank Horizon PlatinumSelected
lounges in SIN, KUL, HKGSpend S$1K in single trxn within 3 months prior to
travelDiners Club CardsDiners Network1*N/ACiti PremierMilesPriority Pass2*N/ADBS
Altitude VisaPriority Pass2N/AIncome Requirement S$50-80KSCB X CardPriority
Pass2N/AAMEX KrisFlyer AscendPlaza Premium4N/AIncome Requirement ≥S$120K
CIMB Visa InfiniteDragonPass3N/AUOB Visa Infinite Metal CardDragonPass4N/ASCB
Visa InfinitePriority Pass6N/AUOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal CardLoungeKey6*6*OCBC
VOYAGEPlaza Premium∞∞HSBC Visa InfiniteLoungeKey∞∞Maybank Visa InfinitePriority
Pass∞N/ACiti PrestigePriority Pass∞ + 1 guestN/AAMEX Platinum ChargePriority
Pass, Plaza Premium, AMEX & Centurion Lounges, Delta SkyClubs∞ + 1-2 guests∞ +
1-2 guestsPriority Banking CustomersOCBC Premier Visa InfinitePlaza Premium22SCB
Priority Banking VIPriority Pass24^N/AAll caps refer to membership year, with
the exception of those marked with *, which follow calendar year
^With min. AUM S$200K. If AUM falls under S$200K, then 4 visits

Here’s the main changes since last year’s article:

 * The Bank of China Visa Infinite no longer offers lounge access
 * It’s unclear at the moment whether ICBC has extended their impressive
   DragonPass offer, which gives ICBC Horoscope, Chinese Zodiac, Global Travel
   Mastercard, and UnionPay Dual Currency cardholders six complimentary visits
   per calendar year. At the moment, the landing page shows the offer has
   expired, but it could simply be that they haven’t got around to updating it.

2021 was a bad year for Priority Pass and LoungeKey members, as Plaza Premium
announced its divorce from the two networks (and cozied up with DragonPass).
This leaves them facing gaps in airports where Plaza Premium was the only lounge
operator. 

Plaza Premium Lounge Singapore- no longer accessible to Priority Pass/LoungeKey

Thanks to the breakup, Priority Pass members no longer have lounge access in
airports like:

 * Brisbane (restaurant amenity available)
 * Cebu
 * Hong Kong (restaurant amenity available)
 * Hyderabad
 * Kuching
 * Langkawi
 * London Heathrow Terminal 2 (where SIA operates out of; restaurant amenity
   available)
 * Penang
 * Phnom Penh (restaurant amenity available)
 * Siem Reap

However, DragonPass members are unaffected, which arguably makes DragonPass the
membership of choice at the moment (since they have access to most of the
lounges that Priority Pass/LoungeKey members have, plus Plaza Premium). 

Here’s a few things to consider when choosing a credit card for lounge access. 


(1) NOT ALL LOUNGE NETWORKS ARE MADE EQUAL

The main lounge networks used by credit cards are Priority Pass, DragonPass,
LoungeKey and Plaza Premium.

NetworkSizeOther Perks1,300 lounges
 * F&B dining credits at selected airport restaurants
 * Sleep pods and nap rooms at selected airports

1,200 lounges
 * Lounge access at 60 railway stations in China
 * Discounts/free set meals at selected airport restaurants

1,150 lounges
 * Dining offers at selected airport restaurants

180+ lounges 



Priority Pass has historically been the largest network, but that title may be
under threat with the loss of Plaza Premium (the website still claims to have
1,300+ lounges, same as before).

To bolster their value proposition in airports where they have no lounge
agreements, Priority Pass has added alternative amenities like F&B credit
(usually US$28 in the US and A$36 in Australia), or access to sleep pods in
Dubai or nap rooms in selected US airports.

Bar Roma at SYD, which offers Priority Pass holders a dining credit

Do note that Priority Pass memberships issued by American Express no longer
cover non-lounge experiences, so you’ll be billed separately if you use your
Priority Pass for these.



DragonPass is a China-based lounge network that has more than 1,200 lounges,
including some at railway stations in China. Members can also redeem free meals
at certain airport restaurants (e.g. The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck at Changi
Terminal 3), or even things like complimentary massages. 

The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck at Changi T3



Lounge Key (owned by Collinson Group, which also owns Priority Pass) has 1,150
lounges worldwide, and partners with Mastercard to offer eligible cardholders
lounge access during flight delays. Members will also have access to special
dining offers at selected airport restaurants. 



Plaza Premium has a much smaller network of 180+ own-branded and third-party
managed lounges worldwide. While its footprint is small, Plaza Premium lounges
tend to be much higher quality than the average contract lounge, and in some
airports (e.g. Penang and Langkawi), Plaza Premium is the only lounge operator. 

Plaza Premium has announced a strategic tie-up with DragonPass, which means that
cardholders with Plaza Premium lounge entitlements will be able to access the
DragonPass global network “in the near future”. 

Plaza Premium First Lounge, Hong Kong

Plaza Premium also has a chain of Plaza Premium First lounges, which offer an
experience that could rival that of some First Class airline lounges. These
require an upcharge, but you might find the experience very much worth it. 


(2) LOUNGE VISIT ENTITLEMENTS STACK ACROSS CARDS

2 free visits on the DBS Altitude Visa (LHS) stack with the 2 free visits on the
Citi PremierMiles Card (RHS)

Lounge allowances are tied to each card, so you can stack free visits across
multiple cards. 

In other words, if I get two free Priority Pass visits from the DBS Altitude
Visa and two free Priority Pass visits from the Citi PremierMiles Card, I have
four free Priority Pass visits in total.


(3) IF YOU WANT UNLIMITED VISITS, BE PREPARED TO PAY AN ANNUAL FEE

Cards which offer annual fee waivers (e.g DBS Altitude Visa) also offer limited
lounge visits. If you want a card with unlimited lounge access, you need to look
at those in the $120K segment, where annual fees are mandatory (with some very
limited exceptions).



An exception is the Maybank Visa Infinite, which comes with an unlimited visit
Priority Pass and waives the first year’s S$600 annual fee. Subsequently, you
can enjoy a fee waiver when you spend at least S$60,000 in a membership year.

ADVERTISEMENT




(4) VISIT ENTITLEMENTS FOLLOW MEMBERSHIP YEAR (WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS)

Free visit entitlements are typically refreshed based on membership year (i.e.
the date when you got your lounge membership). For example, if your Priority
Pass was approved on 1 April, your free visits will be tracked from 1 April to
31 March of the following year. 

However, there are a handful of cards which track entitlements by the calendar
year (i.e. 1 January to 31 December). Be sure to check the wording, or you might
get charged unwittingly.


(5) GUEST FEES AND SUPPLEMENTARY CARD ENTITLEMENTS

Some high-end cards like the Citi Prestige or AMEX Platinum Charge allow you to
bring a guest for free. 

On most other cards, you’ll either have to pay out of pocket or use one of your
free visit entitlements. For example bringing three guests with you on your UOB
Visa Infinite Metal’s DragonPass would exhaust your four visit allowance.



The policy on children is more nebulous and varies by lounge. Some will turn a
blind eye, others will insist on charging you. In general, infants under the age
of 2 will be admitted for free.



Supplementary cardholders are generally not entitled to any free lounge visits.
The exceptions:

 * AMEX Platinum Charge: All supplementary cardholders enjoy the same visit and
   guest entitlements as the principal cardholder (only the first supplementary
   cardholder gets a Priority Pass)
 * HSBC Visa Infinite: Up to five supplementary cardholders also get an
   unlimited visit LoungeKey
 * OCBC Premier Banking Visa Infinite: Supplementary cardholders enjoy the same
   lounge entitlements as principal cardholder
 * OCBC VOYAGE: Supplementary cardholders enjoy the same lounge entitlements as
   principal cardholder
 * UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card: Supplementary cardholders enjoy the same
   lounge entitlements as principal cardholder


CONCLUSION

SATS Premier Lounge Changi Airport Terminal 3

The quality of airport lounges can be extremely variable, especially in the
post-COVID era where amenities may be scaled back significantly. The best
precaution against wasting your free visit on a crappy lounge is to simply ask
whether you can have a quick look inside before deciding.

Here’s some things to look out for when surveying a lounge:

 * How plentiful are power outlets and USB charging ports?
 * What’s the quality of the F&B selection (especially alcohol!) like?
 * Are there shower rooms, and do they look decent?
 * Does the lounge have productivity pods or workstations?
 * Is there a napping area, or better yet, nap rooms?

In theory, some lounges do impose time limits on visits, but I’ve never seen
this actively enforced because of the difficulty tracking who came in when. If
lounges do enforce time limits, they usually base it on time of departure (e.g.
if your flight departs at 9 p.m and the restriction is 3 hours per visit, they
won’t let you in before 6 p.m).

Hopefully 2022 will offer many more opportunities to go lounge hopping! 



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