Which Cards Offer Lounge Access to Secondary Cardholders?
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View other current offers here.
TPG reader Tom wrote in to ask about using a partner's lounge access even when traveling alone:
"Are there any credit cards that allow a secondary cardholder to access lounges for no charge when the primary cardholder is not present?"
The short answer? No — at least none that do it for free.
Credit card companies pay the airlines a lot of money for that lounge access, so in order to give access to secondary cardholders as well, there's going to be some sort of fee.
One of the best deals out there for additional cardholder lounge access is the Platinum Card® from American Express. For $175 total you can get three additional cards, each of which comes with full lounge access (including Delta Sky Clubs, Centurion Lounges and Priority Pass Select) and the up to $100 Global Entry rebate. At roughly $58 per each additional card (if you get three), that's a pretty good value for all of those perks.
There are other options, such as the Delta Reserve Credit Card from American Express, which charges $175 for an additional card that gains access to SkyClub lounges. For a $50 fee, Citi Prestige authorized users can get Priority Pass.
I think the key takeaway here is that you should get your own card. You'll have to shell out a bit up front, but these options are still cheaper than paying outright for lounge access. With the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, for example, you can earn a sign-up bonus of 50,000 AAdvantage miles (after spending $5,000 in the first three months), along with lounge access and other perks. All that can help offset the $450 annual fee.
For more info, check out TPG Contributor Richard Kerr's post on cards that offer airport lounge access.
If you have any other questions, please tweet me @thepointsguy, message me on Facebook or send me an email at info@thepointsguy.com.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit.Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month