How to get Airport Lounge Access for FREE!

Have you ever had a crazy long airport layover? Ever had to practically fight someone for the chair in an airport that is close to a charging station? Tired of overpriced and underwhelming airport food? Fellow traveler- You need airport lounge access!

What are Airport Lounges?

Airport lounges are basically exclusive areas where you can wait for your next flight. They usually have comfortable chairs with plenty of charging stations, Wi-Fi, food and refreshments (including cocktails, beer & wine) and big bathrooms. Some lounges also offer other points of interest for the weary traveler….like showers, sleeping suites and meditation areas.

How can I get lounge access?

Of course it’s always possible to pay for a day pass to enjoy the lounge. Prices we have seen are usually between $45-$65. But here at Traveling Tribu we look for ways to do things FREE,  so we will focus in this post on how to access these lounges for free.

Priority Pass

Having a membership with priority pass can get you access to 1,300 airport lounges. You could pay for a membership to priority pass….but again, that is not FREE! Oooooo, travel hacking is about to get real y’all! What’s awesome is that many of our favorite travel credit cards like Capital 1 Venture X, American Express Platinum and the Amex Business Platinum come with a complimentary Priority Pass membership!! (Enrollment required)  While these credits cards come with a pretty high annual fee, this benefit of lounge access can really offset the fee. (Trust me, when you are sitting in a cozy, clean airport lounge, sipping champagne 🍾 and enjoying crazy fast internet, I don’t think the high annual fee will even be an issue 😉)  These cards also allow you to bring a guest/guests along with you…just check your terms and conditions.

Amex Centurion and Capital  1 lounges

The other lounges you can gain access to while holding the above mentioned cards, are American Express Centurion lounges (these are King) like the one shown above at Denver airport and the Capital 1 Venture X lounge in DFW (w/ more of these opening soon!)  These lounges are super luxurious! All have amazing food, drinks and cozy private areas. Some have relaxation rooms, yoga and Pelaton studios, coffee bars and really well, so much more! We love these lounges and sometimes, I even purposely book a layover in a certain airport….just to go to the lounge! 🤭🤭🤭I’m so serious y’all!

At Centurion lounges, the card holder gets free access. As far as guests….Amex charges $50 for adults and $30 for children ages 2-17. Capital 1 Venture X allows the cardholder plus 2 additional guests! Yay 😁

Bottom Line

Taking full advantage of the benefits that your credit cards offer…like lounge access is one of our all time favorite Travel Hacks! We hope to see you in a bougie lounge soon!