IGA Lounge in Istanbul Airport. Photo credit: Raina He
If there’s one thing I know well, it’s credit cards.
I’ve been writing about credit cards for years and decided to use my knowledge to plan out a backpacking trip across the world. I knew I needed a card with a competitive welcome bonus, transfer partners, helpful travel credits and a good rewards rate. But after wandering down a rabbit hole of points and miles blogs, I stumbled upon a travel perk I hadn’t even considered: airport lounge access.
Photos of tastefully-decorated spaces, luxurious amenities — and most appealing to me — delicious-looking free food and drinks, sold me instantly. I had to experience these lounges for myself.
IGA Lounge in Istanbul Airport. Photo credit: Raina He
So, I paid $950 in annual fees to open two premium travel cards that offered lounge access via Priority Pass. I was elated. But a few months into my trip, the initial excitement quickly dissipated. Not only were most of the airport lounges I visited unimpressive, but I was also so panicked about missing my flight that I could rarely enjoy them.
I don’t regret opening these travel cards since their welcome bonuses and other perks came in handy. But I wouldn’t open either again solely for lounge access. If you’re planning a trip and weighing the cost of Priority Pass lounge access, maybe I can save you a few hundred dollars.
As a budget traveler, I balked at the idea of paying $25 to $50 for individual airport lounge visits or $329 to $469 for a standalone Priority Pass membership with free lounge visits. Since I was already planning to open several travel credit cards for my trip, applying for a premium travel card with a slightly higher annual fee and complimentary Priority Pass membership seemed like the most cost-effective solution.
So, I opened the Chase Sapphire Reserve® in the fall of 2022 to take advantage of an elevated 80,000-point welcome bonus (the current bonus is now 60,000 points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening). I originally planned to hold that card for one year, take full advantage of Priority Pass during my trip, and then downgrade the card after one year to avoid paying the steep annual fee again.
But plans change. I delayed my trip by half a year. By the time I was ready to set off, my Chase Sapphire Reserve was nearing its first year anniversary. I knew I was going to downgrade my card to the more affordable Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. But that left me with only three months of Priority Pass access left. So I signed up for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card*, which granted me another full year of Priority Pass access and a sweet 75,000-mile welcome bonus (after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months).
Overall, I paid $945 in credit card annual fees — $550 for the Sapphire Reserve and $395 for the Venture X — for a total of about 18 months of Priority Pass.
Here’s how I recouped most of the annual fees I paid
$945 is a lot of money for someone who calls themself a budget traveler. But after redeeming travel credits, my effective cost for both cards jumped down to about $145 for the first year. Here’s how:
The Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with a $300 annual travel credit and up to $100 TSA PreCheck/Global Entry/NEXUS credit (every four years). When you subtract that from this card’s $550 annual fee, it effectively brought my cost down to $150.
The Venture X has a $300 credit toward Capital One Travel and up to $100 TSA PreCheck/Global entry credit (every four years). After paying the $395 annual fee, that left me up $5, bringing my overall “cost” to $145 for the year, across both cards.
“After the novelty wore off, I realized that I didn’t actually enjoy being in lounges all that much. I preferred to wait at the gate, where I could be sure I wouldn’t accidentally miss my flight.”
At the beginning of my trip, I was sure that the airport lounge experience (and free food!) would be worth it. But as my trip went on, I realized I wasn’t getting as much value out of my Priority Pass airport lounge access as I’d expected. Here’s why.
I originally intended to hop around Europe primarily on short-haul flights, paid for with my extensive collection of credit card points. This would allow me to spend lots of time in airports, and by extension, airport lounges.
Then I arrived in Europe and discovered…trains.
OK, that sounds a bit silly. But as someone who grew up in an area of the US where flying and driving are the most practical means of interregional transportation, I didn’t know just how good Europe’s rail infrastructure is — or how much I would prefer ground transportation to flying.
Sure, flying is probably faster, but can you see scenery like this? Photo credit: Raine He
I loved showing up at the train station a mere 15 minutes before departure, heading to the platform without a single security check, and not worrying about baggage allowances or transport from the airport to the city center. In places where train travel wasn’t available, I took ferries (which also felt like a fun activity) and buses (less fun but cheap). So, I ended up not flying very often, limiting my opportunities to visit airport lounges.
When I did end up in an airport by necessity, I found that I didn’t have much time to enjoy airport lounges. At large airports — where the nicest lounges tended to be — there was often a significant distance between security, the lounge and my gate. Sometimes, they were even in different terminals. Once I got to the lounge, it took time to get settled and eat a proper meal. Then, I had to rush back to my gate before it closed. Trying to squeeze in a lounge visit with less than one full hour before boarding ended up being more stressful than relaxing.
I thought lounges would make layovers more enjoyable, but navigating a new airport and trying to find the lounge and my gate just compounded my stress.
Unless I wanted to arrive at the airport even earlier, I realized I wouldn’t have much free time to unwind in a lounge. But I usually flew early in the morning or in the evening, when flights tended to be cheapest. In the former case, I preferred sneaking in an extra hour or two of sleep over lounge time. As for the latter, I opted to squeeze in an extra sightseeing day or time in the city.
The IGA Lounge in the Istanbul Airport was one of the most extravagant lounges I’ve been in. And the view from the terrace can’t be beat. Photo credit: Raina He
OK, I did visit a couple of amazing lounges that made me realize what the hype was about. For example, the IGA Lounge in Istanbul Airport boasted delicious food, incredible amenities and one of the biggest lounge spaces I’ve ever seen.
But those weren’t the norm for most airports. Many of the other lounges I visited were nice but nothing special. They offered a quieter space with refreshments and comfier chairs. The free food and drinks were a great alternative to expensive airport food, but they weren’t much better than bringing a snack to the airport and eating it at the gate. Plus, many traditional (non-budget) airlines in Europe provide complimentary light meals or snacks during the flight.
After the novelty wore off, I realized that I didn’t actually enjoy being in lounges all that much. I preferred to wait at the gate, where I could be sure I wouldn’t accidentally miss my flight.
For me, Priority Pass alone wasn’t worth the cost of the annual fees for either card. But both travel cards offered other perks and rewards that made opening them worthwhile. The value of the welcome bonuses on both cards far exceeded their annual fees, and each card came with useful travel benefits, like travel insurance. And, once you factored in the cash value of various statement credits, the effective annual fees for the cards were much lower than the sticker price.
But going forward, I’m probably not going to keep the two cards, nor would I get them again. Instead, I would get the mid-tier version of each card — the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card* — which both have a much more manageable $95 annual fee.
It’s generally worth paying a $95 annual fee for a mid-tier card, since the benefits you get far surpass a no-annual-fee travel card. The difference between a mid-tier travel card and a premium travel card from the same issuer typically boils down to Priority Pass access, plus a few other luxury benefits or statement credits — benefits I don’t actually need.
CNET’S PICK
60,000 bonus points
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
1x
– 10x
Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠.; Earn 5x total points on flights through Chase Travel℠.; Earn 3x points on other travel and dining.; Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
75,000 miles
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
2x
– 10x
Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel.; 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel.
; 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
Although I personally didn’t find Priority Pass as useful as I’d hoped, you might love it — especially if you spend a lot of time at airports. If you can’t stand the hustle and bustle of the main terminal and prefer a semi-private space, lounge access might upgrade your travel experience more than it did for me. And if you enjoy a cocktail when traveling (which I don’t), the monetary value of the free alcoholic beverages offered in many lounges alone may be worth it.
But as for me, you can find me at train stations, ferry terminals and airport boarding gates from now on, with no more FOMO now that I know what I’m (not) missing out on.
*All information about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.
