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MONEYSENSE RECOMMENDS
Why it’s our prime decide?
- 6 annual passes to over 1,200 airport lounges
- No foreign exchange charges (2.5% financial savings on overseas purchases)
- Under common $150 annual price (most lounge entry bank cards cost over $500)
- Earn versatile Scene+ factors on each buy
The very best bank cards for airport lounge entry in Canada for 2024
Airport lounge entry can rework an in any other case gruelling layover into a calming respite. Lounges could supply free snacks and drinks (together with complimentary alcoholic drinks), free Wi-Fi, plentiful snug seating, devoted work areas, showers, sleep pods and even spa companies. It’s little marvel, then, that for a lot of frequent fliers, lounge entry is an particularly coveted bank card function. Let’s have a look at the lounge entry playing cards that presently prime the class in Canada.
MoneySense tip
Bank cards with airport lounge entry include an annual price, however these charges differ considerably between playing cards. When trying to find the proper card, don’t get caught up on the price alone. Figuring out how a lot you fly in a median yr, and what different journey perks you intend to utilize, will aid you decide which card provides essentially the most worth.
—MoneySense editors
Greatest total airport lounge entry bank card
At a look: With six complimentary airport lounge visits a yr, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card provides essentially the most free visits amongst bank cards in a comparable price vary. For that cause alone, the cardboard pays for itself. Including to its travel-friendly attract is the truth that it’s one of many few playing cards in Canada that doesn’t cost a overseas transaction (FX) price. Different playing cards sometimes cost 2.5% on purchases made in a overseas forex.
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Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite
- Annual price: $150 (waived for the primary yr)
- Earn fee: 3 Scene+ factors per $1 spent at Sobeys shops; 2 factors per $1 on groceries, eating, leisure and transit; 1 level per $1 on every little thing else. Plus, pay no FX charges
- Welcome supply: earn as much as $1,300 in worth within the first 12 months, together with as much as 40,000 bonus Scene+ factors and first yr annual price waived. Provide ends July 1, 2024.
- Annual revenue requirement: Private revenue of $60,000 or family revenue of $100,000
The professionals
- Obtain complimentary Visa Airport Companion Program membership, which incorporates six free lounge visits per yr, essentially the most free visits of any journey bank card in the same price vary.
- No overseas transaction charges on purchases made in non-Canadian forex.
- It’s one of many few playing cards that don’t make you e-book journey via a proprietary reserving web site with a view to redeem factors. When you can e-book with Scene+ Journey, you can even e-book journey on-line or with any journey company and nonetheless redeem Scene+ factors to cowl the price of your journey.
The cons
- The best earn fee of three Scene+ factors is simply accessible at just a few grocery retailers.
- No cellular system insurance coverage protection.
- Scene+ factors have a decrease worth when redeemed for present playing cards or merchandise than when used for grocery purchases and journey.
Greatest luxurious airport lounge entry card
At a look: For Aeroplan factors collectors who need an elevated airport expertise, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege bank card could be a nice journey companion. It’s filled with journey advantages like limitless free entry for you and a visitor to Maple Leaf Lounges all through North America.
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TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege
- Annual price: $599
- Rewards: 2 Aeroplan factors per $1 on direct purchases with Air Canada and Air Canada Holidays, 1.5 Aeroplan factors per $1 on eligible fuel, grocery, journey and eating purchases, 1.25 factors per $1 spent in all places else
- Welcome bonus: You possibly can earn a welcome bonus of 20,000 Aeroplan factors if you make your first buy together with your new card; Earn an extra 40,000 Aeroplan factors if you spend $10,000 inside 180 days of Account opening. Circumstances apply. Account should be authorised by June 3, 2024.
- Annual revenue requirement: Private revenue of $150,000 or family revenue of $200,000
The cardboard additionally comes with a complimentary membership within the Visa Airport Companion Program and consists of six lounge visits, usable at over 1,200 airport lounges worldwide. You’ll actually really feel like a VIP on the airport with different perks like precedence check-in, boarding and baggage dealing with, and also you’ll get peace of thoughts with an in depth suite of journey insurance coverage.
The professionals
- Consists of limitless entry to Maple Leaf Lounges for you and a visitor and 6 free visits per yr to DragonPass accomplice lounges.
- Make the most of a Nexus price rebate of as much as $100 each two years.
- Comes filled with beneficiant travel-friendly perks like precedence boarding and upgrades, in addition to a companion cross.
- The included journey insurance coverage is powerful—with protection for the primary 31 days of your journey if you’re below 65, versus the extra widespread 15-21 days. You additionally get flight delay/ journey cancellation protection, widespread provider and rental automobile accident insurance coverage.
The cons
- To qualify, you’ll want a excessive private or family revenue.
- Even for a premium card with tons of perks, the annual price is excessive, at $599.
- Lots of the journey advantages (like precedence check-in and precedence boarding) solely apply to flights operated by Air Canada.
Greatest airport lounge entry card for frequent travellers
At a look: It’s one of the costly premium bank cards in Canada, however the $799 annual price will get you entry to essentially the most complete and amenity-laden choice of airport lounges worldwide, together with top-tier American Categorical Centurion Lounges. Relying on the lounge, cardholders could have a limiteless variety of free visits and may convey one companion with them at no further value. Cardholders may reap the benefits of a yearly $200 journey credit score, which primarily brings the price of the cardboard right down to $599 so long as you make a degree of utilizing the credit score.
American Categorical Platinum
- Annual price: $799
- Rewards: 2 factors per $1 on eating and meals supply; 2 factors per $1 on journey, plus 1 further level on purchases booked via Amex Journey On-line; 1 level per $1 on every little thing else.
- Welcome bonus: You possibly can earn as much as 100,000 rewards factors ($1,000 worth). Circumstances apply.
- Annual revenue requirement: None
The professionals
- The cardboard offers you entry to The American Categorical World Lounge Assortment, which is the biggest airport lounge assortment accessible, that includes greater than 1,300 lounges in over 140 nations. Lounges embody American Categorical Centurion Lounges, Plaza Premium and Delta Sky lounges.
- Get a $200 credit score that may be redeemed in direction of a journey buy made through American Categorical Journey On-line.
- When staying at eligible Tremendous Inns + Resorts, get pleasure from extras like assured late check-out and complimentary each day breakfast for 2.
The cons
- Comes with one of many highest annual charges in Canada.
- The journey medical insurance coverage is considerably lacklustre for such a excessive annual price—it solely covers you for as much as 15 consecutive days (different playing cards supply 20 days or extra) and doesn’t supply any insurance coverage to those that are 65 or older.
- American Categorical isn’t as extensively accepted by retailers in Canada as Visa and Mastercard.
Greatest airport lounge entry card for infrequent journey
At a look: If you end up in an airport even just some instances a yr, you’ll recognize that the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard provides free membership within the Mastercard Journey Move program supplied by DragonPass, plus 4 free passes a yr. BMO additionally has one of the versatile redemption applications within the nation, so you may redeem your factors to cowl eligible journey purchases like flights, motels and automobile leases it doesn’t matter what journey supplier you booked with.
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BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard
- Annual price: $150 (waived for the primary yr)
- Earn charges: 5 factors per $1 spent on eligible journey purchases; 3 factors per $1 on eating, leisure, and recurring invoice funds; 1 level per $1 on every little thing else
- Welcome bonus: You possibly can earn as much as 100,000 factors and the annual price waived within the first yr for each the first cardholder and approved customers.
- Annual revenue requirement: Private revenue of $80,000 or family revenue of $150,000
The professionals
- Comes with free membership within the Mastercard Journey Move program supplied by DragonPass, in addition to 4 free passes a yr.
- Strong choice of journey insurance coverage that features journey medical, journey cancellation/journey interruption insurance coverage, and delayed and misplaced baggage insurance coverage.
- BMO Rewards has one of the versatile redemption applications within the nation, and you’ll redeem factors for journey purchases with out shopping for from a selected supplier.
The cons
- To qualify, you’ll want an annual private revenue of $80,000 or a family revenue of $150,000.
- The cardboard’s base earn fee of 1 BMO level per greenback comes out to a return of 0.67%, which is significantly decrease than 1 % return provided by most comparable playing cards on generic purchases that don’t fall below a bonus class
Greatest airport lounge entry card for travelling to the U.S.
At a look: If you happen to steadily cross the border to the U.S. for holidays, work journeys or household visits, contemplate the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite. The cardboard consists of membership within the Visa Airport Companion Program and in addition offers you 4 free lounge visits a yr. Each 4 years, you get an announcement credit score of as much as $100 in direction of a Nexus utility price.
CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite
- Annual price: $139 (rebated for first yr)
- Rewards: 2 factors per $1 spent on journey via the CIBC Rewards Centre; 1.5 factors per $1 on fuel, groceries and drugstores; 1 level per $1 on every little thing else
- Welcome bonus: You possibly can earn as much as $1,500 in worth together with a primary yr annual price rebate.
- Annual revenue requirement: Private revenue of $60,000 or family revenue of $100,000
The professionals
- Features a free membership to the Visa Airport Companion Program managed by DragonPass, in addition to 4 free lounge visits per yr.
- Versatile rewards program that permits you to redeem factors for journey, merchandise, present playing cards, mortgage funds and extra.
- Save as much as 10 cents/litre on fuel at eligible fuel stations for those who hyperlink your card with Journie Rewards, a loyalty program that helps you earn factors at Pioneer, Fasgas, Ultramar and Chevron fuel stations.
The cons
- To get the best earn fee of two factors for each $1 spent, you could make a journey buy through the CIBC Rewards Centre.
- The worth of factors decreases once they’re not used for journey.
- There may be an $80,000 cap on the 1.5-point earn fee, after which you’ll solely get 1 level per $1 spent on groceries, fuel and drugstore purchases.
Our methodology: How we decide the perfect playing cards
The MoneySense editorial crew selects the perfect bank cards by assessing the worth they supply to Canadians throughout varied classes. Our greatest bank cards for airport lounge entry rating is predicated on an in depth record of card particulars and options—with a concentrate on people who matter to air travellers—together with the variety of airport lounge visits, annual charges, rates of interest, welcome provides, rewards earn charges and redemption choices, annual revenue necessities and perks. Now we have additionally thought-about the professionals and cons of every card that will help you decide which of them finest fit your monetary wants. Our rankings are an unbiased supply of knowledge for Canadians. The addition of hyperlinks from affiliate companions has no bearing on the outcomes. Learn extra about how MoneySense makes cash.
Airport lounge entry applications in Canada
| Program | Key particulars | Variety of lounges |
|---|---|---|
| DragonPass | In 2022, DragonPass took over the airport lounge applications for Visa and Mastercard; in Canada, the applications at the moment are respectively known as the Visa Airport Companion Program and Mastercard Journey Move supplied by DragonPass. This system consists of entry to Plaza Premium lounges in Canada, in addition to a whole bunch of various lounge applications worldwide. Lounges function snacks and drinks, free Wi-Fi, showers and enterprise centres. Cardholders can normally use their free passes for themselves and for a visitor, however particular guidelines differ by lounge. | Greater than 1,200 worldwide |
| Maple Leaf Lounges | Facilities embody cell-free quiet zones, snacks and drinks, free Wi-Fi and showers. Maple Leaf Lounges can solely be utilized by prospects departing on flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, Air Canada Categorical or a Star Alliance accomplice airline. | 16 throughout North America and Europe |
| Centurion Lounges | Centurion Lounges sometimes function high-quality meals (designed by award-winning cooks) and drinks (and will even function a signature cocktail), free high-speed Wi-Fi, plush seating and devoted working areas. Some function elevated facilities like spa companies, nap pods and showers. Centurion Lounges are sometimes a part of The American Categorical World Lounge Assortment that options greater than 1,300 airport lounges in over 140 nations. | Greater than 40 worldwide |
The right way to get free entry to airport lounges in Canada
A number of journey bank cards supply entry to airport lounges for cardholders. Relying on the bank card, you will get a sure variety of lounge visits yearly in particular nations all over the world. If you wish to get free limitless entry to airport lounges, contemplate a bank card just like the American Categorical Platinum Card which incorporates the American Categorical World Lounge Assortment. The cardboard comes with a pretty big annual price, like most bank cards with airport lounge entry, however the card’s rewards and advantages could outweigh the price if you’re a frequent flier and worth the flexibility to go to airport lounges if you’re touring.
DragonPass vs. Precedence Move: Which must you select?
DragonPass and Precedence Move are third-party lounge entry membership suppliers. Up till 2022, Precedence Move was the first accomplice for many Mastercard and Visa airport lounge applications. Nevertheless, DragonPass has develop into the accomplice of selection for many bank card lounge entry applications for playing cards just like the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege and the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite. You possibly can nonetheless entry the Precedence Move program with the American Categorical Platinum Card, nonetheless.
Steadily requested questions
Extra of Canada’s finest bank cards:
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