One of the reasons premium credit cards are worth it is because of the airport lounge access that certain cards provide. In Canada, some premium cards provide a Priority Pass membership to cardholders. Typical airport lounges charge $40-$60 for access, which is quite pricy if you’re just looking for an hour of quiet and some food.
Priority Pass Memberships
If you buy a Priority Pass membership directly, three membership plans are offered.
Priority Pass Canada Memberships
Unless your employer is reimbursing you, I strongly recommend against purchasing a membership directly. Instead, sign up for a credit card.
Credit Cards with Priority Pass Lounge Access
There are four credit cards I recommend for airport lounge access with Priority Pass. All provide a free membership and free visits. Other cards merely give you a discount on the membership and/or charge you per visit, which is a bad deal.
American Express Platinum Card
American Express Platinum Card Canada
The American Express Platinum Card is the only card in Canada that provides unlimited lounge access. With each lounge visit, you can bring in an additional guest for free. When you’re flying with a friend or family member, this doubles the value of the benefit. As a frequent traveller, this is extremely important for me. The “money I save” is in the four figures if I paid for everything.
But let’s forget that a moment, and just say the actual value of a lounge (i.e. the maximum amount I would be willing to pay for entrance) is $15. I’ve probably used my Priority Pass 20 times in the last six months, so even with that lower value, it’s a huge benefit just by holding a credit card.
American Express Centurion Lounge San Francisco
On top of that, you can access Centurion Lounges in the US and and Plaza Premium lounges worldwide for free with this card. AMEX Centurion lounges are one of the best spaces in North America, with a full open bar and chef-inspired dining.
Currently, this card has a signup bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points after completing minimum spend, which sweetens the deal on top of all the travel benefits you get.
The American Express Business Platinum Card offers a higher signup bonus with 75,000 points, also with AMEX lounge access. However, that card charges for Priority Pass visits, but still, it’s not bad for Centurion and Plaza Premium lounge access.
Lounge access is just one benefit of the Platinum Card – there are tons of travel benefits that make the card an even better deal.
Application Link: American Express Platinum Card
Scotiabank Platinum American Express
Scotiabank American Express Platinum
The Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card offers a Priority Pass membership with 10 free passes per year. Each visit after will cost $27 USD. If you already have the AMEX Platinum Card, this card doesn’t really make sense. However, there’s one where it does – Manufactured Spend.
A while back, I wrote about earning 4% back with the Scotiabank American Express Gold Card through prepaid cards. Incidentally the Gold Card offer has improved to a whopping 30,000 points after completing minimum spend, with an annual fee waiver.
Additional Reading: Getting 4% Back on All Purchases – Manufactured Spend
That card has as $50,000 annual limit for earning 4x points on gas, groceries, dining, and entertainment. However, the Scotiabank Platinum card doubles that, offering a $100,000 cap on 4x points. If you’re a heavy spender, picking up this card may be useful. The lounge access is the icing on top.
Application Link: Scotiabank American Express Platinum Card
BMO World Elite MasterCard
The BMO World Elite MasterCard comes with 4 free Priority Pass lounge visits annually. While there is an annual fee, there’s a promotion where your annual fees are waived with certain requirements. This makes it an entirely fee-free option for those who don’t travel as much.
BMO World Elite MasterCard
This card offers 20,000 rewards points after approval, worth $200. With ongoing spend, you earn 2% in travel rewards, so this is actually not a bad option for straight 2% returns if you want to diversify away from traditional airline and hotel programs.
Application Link: BMO World Elite MasterCard
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your forgetting to let everyone know due to high volume of PP many airline lounges are limiting access. In many cases limits the card to worthless
Good point except it affects less than 50 of the 950+ lounges available.
You are less than clear regarding the Scotiabank Gold American Express and Priority Pass????
No free access with Scotiabank Gold AMEX.
So is it just the membership that’s included with it(and you have to pay $27 usd per visit)?
Correct, although I’d recommend other cards to avoid paying per visit.
OH I think more than 50 or so but never the less many people opted for cards offering PP are located within the continental US and that is where the bulk of the lounges not allowing PP most of the time. Now having said that I have will continue to enjoy PP overseas hell Kilimanjaro Airport lounge is the only public room with a/c!!
The key is to get the card with more than one access at a time such as the Sapphire Card
Actually, there is one other Canadian credit card offering unlimited lounge access: the American Express AeroplanPlus Reserve card. However, at $899, it’s the most expensive publicly-available card in Canada, and seems to have fewer benefits than the American Express Platinum card which only costs $699 — although you do also get Maple Leaf Lounge access, which comes with the Platinum card. I really don’t know who the Reserve card is meant to appeal to.
Yeah, that’s why I excluded it.
I got the reserve card earlier this year for the signup bonus. The 2 for 1 long haul and the lounge accesses. Because I was traveling to Geneva (on Swiss business for 4 pplwith the help of the 60k signupbonus). Then to France. England. Scotland and Tennessee ( for the eclipse). With the 200 back and maximizing use i thought it was a good chance to try it out. But it’s not a useful regular card.
Being stuck in Ottawa, we don’t have any PP, which makes the first leg of each trip a lounge free affair 🙁
For a brief time, YOW had a third-party lounge (not sure if it was part of PP). But it was *outside* security, on the second floor, which made it pretty useless. Chances are, though, if you’re flying frequently out of Ottawa you’re probably an Air Canada person and can use the MLL.
No mention of the Chase Reserve?? Not only unlimited access but cardholders’ traveling companions are also included.
That’s not a Canadian credit card.
ATB master card World Elite also offers 2 free PP entry every year .
Did the BMO banking application since I was looking to change banks anyway for a fee free option since my student banking expired.
1st attempt on my iPad: Got to the very end of the questions and it told me they were having technical issues, and to set up my account in a branch.
2nd attempt on my Mac: Bank account set up, credit card in pending status. I applied for the World Elite under the spend over $2,100 monthly on cards waver. Next day card number was showing under my credit cards tab with a 6K limit which is usually my average for Mastercard. (Typically get $15-20K with Visa, $20K for AMEX)
TD aeroplan visa infinite privilege offers 10 priority pass visits per year also.
Hi there , can anyone tell me if you need to get an actual “Lounge Card” or do you just need the CC ? ……….. If so , how do you get said Lounge Card ?
Thanks
You need the actual priority pass card.
They send the PP card to you automatically.
Thanks for the reply.
I have never received any PP at all .
Who do I contact ?
Your credit card company.
Does the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard offer Priority Pass Lounge access?
Probably not.
You get access but it costs $27 a visit.
@greg and @bernie, As a World Elite MasterCard cardholder, you receive
Complimentary Priority Pass membership
One free lounge visit per cardholder per year and after that, you’ll pay $27 USD for each individual visit
Simply present your Priority Pass membership card upon arrival at the lounge.
This is great news to me, thanks @greg for asking, as it made me look into it 🙂
How can this be claimed? I have two different World Elite Mastercards, one PresidentChoice and the other one is MBNA.
Do you need to register online somewhere to take benefit of the PP membership and the free visit you mentioned?
Thanks
Use the Lounge key app on your phone
How can i check if RBC avion card offers Priority pass?