Airport Lounge Access Strategies Without a Premium Credit Card
The $550 Annual Fee You Might Not Need Walk through any travel forum and the advice sounds identical: get the Amex Platinum, get the Chase Sapphire Reserve, get the Capital One Venture X. Pay the annual fee. Problem solved. Except “solved” means $550 to $695 per year before you’ve booked a single flight. If you travel three or four times a year — enough to appreciate a lounge but not enough to justify a premium card’s full benefits package — you’re overpaying for access. And if you travel internationally, the card-linked lounge that’s “included” might not even exist at your departure terminal. ...