Credit Cards That Give Airport Lounge Access
Having airport lounge access is a great perk you won’t want to go without after being used to it, and it’s an even more enjoyable benefit when you get it for the excellent price of free. Despite often looking and feeling like something that belongs only to the well heeled and high SES crowd, airport lounge access is… well, accessible to anyone who qualifies for a credit card.
$30,000 annual income requirement cards, no annual fee required
Citi PremierMiles and DBS Altitude both offer free Priority Pass membership that gives 2 complimentary lounge visits each membership year. You can use the 2 visits on separate visits for yourself, or use one of the visits for a guest. There is also no stopping you from having both cards for two Priority Pass memberships to have 4 visits a year.
While there is technically a $180 (before GST) annual fee to be paid for either of the cards, each card’s annual fee is waived for the first year, and easily waived for subsequent years as long as you put in the request. This essentially means you can get free lounge access with these cards.
Citi PremierMiles
Please note there are two different promos and select carefully:
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Citi Promo:
- Citi PremierMiles: 30,000 miles
- Citi Prestige: 177,500 points and more
- Citi Rewards: 40,000 points
- Citi Cash Back: S$300 cashback
- Citi SMRT: S$300 cashback
- Tap here to see Citi promos
Until 31st October 2023
SingSaver Promo:
- Apple iPad 9th Gen 10.2 Wifi 64GB (worth S$503.65) or
- Dyson Supersonic (worth S$699) or
- Dyson V8 Slim Fluffy (worth S$509) or
- S$300 cash via PayNow
Spend a minimum S$500 within 30 days of card approval to qualify.
Last date to apply: 1st October 2023.
Terms and Conditions. Click here
Get 1.2 mpd on eligible transactions. Get free Priority Pass membership which grants 2 complimentary lounge visits a year!
DBS Altitude
(Amex or Visa)
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| Annual Fee Waiver | Annual Fee Payment | |
| New Cardholders | ALTMEXW: up to 30,000 miles ⭐️ | ALTMEX: up to 40,000 miles |
| Existing Cardholders | ALTMEXAW: up to 16,000 miles ⭐️ | ALTMEXA: up to 26,000 miles |
Until 30th September 2023
⚠️ Please remember to use the promo codes.
Get 1.2 mpd for local spend. Free Priority Pass membership which gives 2 complimentary lounge vists a year (exclusive to Visa version only).
$50,000 annual income, annual fee required
As part of the $315 annual fee (before GST), Amex KrisFlyer Ascend card offers Plaza Premium membership which gives 4 visits each year. Plaza Premium has a much smaller network of lounges than Priority Pass, but they have joined forces with DragonPass to offer a combined global network of lounges that is supposedly the largest.
Amex KrisFlyer Ascend
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New to Amex Basic Cards (promo by SingSaver)
Receive*:
- Grab up to 21,500 KrisFlyer miles
Features
Plus:
- Complimentary one night stay each year at participating Hilton Properties and complimentary upgrade to Hilton Honors Silver membership tier
Until 31st July 2023
Amex KrisFlyer Ascend earns 1.2 KrisFlyer miles per S$1 spent, and it’s credited directly to your KrisFlyer Account. Complimentary one night stay each year at participating Hilton Properties and complimentary upgrade to Hilton Honors Silver membership tier, plus 4 complimentary lounge passes each year. Annual fee of S$337.05 is payable.
$120,000 annual income, annual fee required
As we move up the tiers of annual income, we reach the $120,000 spot that is keenly contested by many travel cards. Most $120,000 cards in the market offer unlimited lounge access. The standouts in this space, in my opinion, are the Citi Prestige and DBS Vantage.
While other cards tend to offer unlimited lounge visits for the cardholder, Citi Prestige very helpfully lets you sign in one guest each time you use the lounge. It isn’t really tenable to head to the lounge yourself and leave your travel companion outside – or worse, pay for lounge access – so this perk is very useful, particularly since most people I know don’t have their own lounge memberships.
DBS Vantage does not give unlimited visits, instead offering 10 free visits in a year. While this may seem like a step down from unmetered access, having 10 visits gives the unique ability to sign in a large family or entourage of friends to the lounge at the same time. It’s great for group travel where other unlimited cards prove useless… unless you decide to slink off for a bite at the lounge yourself.
Citi Prestige
If code is required C04233289T
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New or existing Citi Cardholders
Apply here (if you get an error message signing up as an existing cardholder, try again as a new Citi cardholder)
Get 177,500 ThankYou points worth 71,000 miles (even existing cardholders of other Citi cards are eligible!):
| Welcome Gift (payment of annual fee) | 62,500 points (25,000 miles) |
| S$1,000 spend in local currency¹ within qualifying period² | 57,500 points (23,000 miles) |
| S$1,000 spend in foreign currency within qualifying period² | 57,500 points (23,000 miles) |
| Total | 177,500 points (71,000 miles) |
For quick reference only. See terms and conditions for full details.
- Fee-paying Citi PayAll transactions also count towards the local spend requirement.
- Qualifying period is 2 months after end of card approval month (e.g. card approved on 15th August 2023 → qualifying period until 30th October 2023).
- Existing cardholders of other Citi cards can also enjoy this promo.
Until 31st October 2023
⚠️ For new to Citi customers: I encourage you to apply for one of the other Citi Cards first before getting Citi Prestige. This way you enjoy both promos.
Complimentary hotel nights, unlimited lounge access, and limousine service. Annual requirement of S$120,000 (fairly flexible and up to the bank’s discretion). Read the review here and an analysis if the promo is worth it
DBS Vantage
No promo code required
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New and existing cardholders
New and existing cardmembers will be credited up to 60,000 miles and 40,000 miles respectively in the form of DBS Points, within 90 to 120 days from the Card approval date.
- Apply for a DBS Vantage Card
- Make payment for non-waivable annual fee of S$594.00 (inclusive of GST); and
- Charge a minimum spend of S$4,000 within 30 days from card approval date
Until 31st January 2024
See terms and conditions and save a copy for your future reference.
Get free Accor Plus Explorer membership with one free hotel night per year! Also get 10 free lounge visits a year via Priority Pass. S$120,000 annual income requirement. Watch the review here
$120,000 annual income requirement, no annual fee required
Possibly the only $120,000 card without an annual fee, the CIMB Visa Infinite is also the only cashback card in this tier, I think. Despite not being a typical miles and travel card, it still offers DragonPass membership which gives 3 free visits a year. It’s likely my next card to get to complement my Priority Pass memberships because DragonPass (and its partner Plaza Premium) has lounges in some places where Priority Pass doesn’t.
CIMB Visa Infinite
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New to bank
Receive:
- Apple iPad 9th Gen 10.2″ WiFi 64GB (worth S$503.65) or
- S$320 cash via PayNow
Upon activating and spending min. S$988 within 60 days following card approval.
⚠️ Fill up SingSaver rewards form in email to choose your gift. No form completed = no reward given
Terms and conditions (save a copy for your future reference)
Apply latest by end of 1st October 2023
Unlimited 2% cashback with minimum $2,000 monthly spend on travel, overseas, and online foreign currency spend. 3 complimentary DragonPass lounge visits per year. No annual fees for life.
Conclusion
Given that many lounges provide free food, drinks, even things like alcohol and free use of massage chairs, it’s something you want to get before your next trip to make it so much more comfortable. It’s even more relevant if you’re flying with a low cost carrier, since you can fill your stomach before going on your budget flight. Lounge access certainly isn’t just for the hoity toity business class crowd.
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