In anticipation of our ultimate guide to VIP airport lounges coming soon, here’s how 6 different types of lounge access benefits work very concretely. These 6 excellent cards are among the best that offer free lounge access, but their lounge access benefits are not identical at all.
Yes! Everything is often different from one card to another in the wonderful world of travel rewards. That’s normal; they’re different cards.
Here are the details in infographic format for the 6 cards, with many more details (and many more cards) to come very soon.
American Express Platinum Card
Airport lounge access: American Express Global Lounge Collection (including Priority Pass)
We have a complete guide to the Amex Platinum airport lounge benefit with all the details.
Benefits of the American Express Platinum Card:
- Best lounge access (unlimited for 2 travelers and the largest network)
- Luxury benefits such as automatic hotel elite status
- Huge INCREASED welcome bonus of ≈ $1102 (or higher with more spending)
- Lucrative points with unlimited value (≈ $1102 can easily become $3000+)
- Credit that reimburses your NEXUS subscription to avoid airport queues
- $200 travel credit that can be cashed in on Day 1 (so net fee is $599, not $799)
- $200 dining credit at luxury restaurants
- No minimum income requirement
- Excellent insurance
TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card
Airport lounge access: Visa Airport Companion by DragonPass
We have a complete guide to the TD First Class Travel airport lounge benefit with all the details.
Benefits of the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card:
- One of the highest welcome bonuses in Canada for simple points right now
- Simple points that can be redeemed for any trip at a fixed value
- Very low minimum spending requirements (giving you 15.5% back with the bonus)
- Excellent insurance
BMO Ascend World Elite MasterCard
Airport lounge access: Mastercard Travel Pass by DragonPass
Benefits of the BMO Ascend World Elite MasterCard:
- Best Mastercard with lounge access (so it’s accepted at Costco)
- Simple points that can be used for any trip booked on any website
- Free welcome bonus of $330
- One of the best earn rates for travel (3.33%), even if it’s not that important
- Excellent insurance
American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
Airport lounge access: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges (North America)
We have a complete guide to the Air Canada airport lounge benefit with all the details.
Benefits of the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card:
- Unlimited access to Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges (largest network in Canada)
- Priority boarding (and other luxury benefits) on Air Canada
- Free checked bags on Air Canada (for 8 companions too)
- Free full-size carry-ons on Air Canada (even in basic economy fare class)
- Discounts on flights booked with points (on Air Canada, not partners)
- Accelerator for those with Air Canada Aeroplan elite status
- Lucrative points with unlimited value (≈ $442 can easily become $1,000)
- Credit that reimburses your NEXUS subscription to avoid airport queues
- No minimum income requirement
- Excellent insurance
American Express Gold Rewards Card
Airport lounge access: Plaza Premium (Canada)
Benefits of the American Express Gold Rewards Card:
- $100 travel credit that can be cashed in on Day 1 (so net fee is $150, not $250)
- No minimum income requirement
- Huge INCREASED welcome bonus of ≈ $1080 (or higher with more spending)
- One of the highest welcome bonuses in Canada right now
- 8 lounge passes in the 1st year of your card (4 in 2025 and 4 in 2026)
- Lucrative points with unlimited value (≈ $1080 can easily become $2,000)
- Credit that reimburses your NEXUS subscription to avoid airport queues
- Excellent insurance
Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card
Airport lounge access: Priority Pass
Benefits of the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card:
- More lounge passes than any other card in Canada (except cards with unlimited access)
- Good INCREASED welcome bonus of $601 (highest ever seen for this card)
- No foreign transaction fees (savings of 2.5%)
- Simple points that can be used for any trip on any website
- Low minimum income requirement
- Excellent insurance
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