So you’ve saved a bunch of money by finding cheap tickets for your flight. Now, what do you plan to do with those savings? With the following tips, you can use part of those savings to get into airport travel clubs—on the cheap—and enjoy some luxury while you wait for your flight to board.
- Most of the time, the annual fee for airport lounges just isn’t worth it. Annual passes only make sense for frequent travelers that find themselves spending a whole lot of time in the airport. And most of the time, these frequent flyers get complimentary access to airport lounges anyway. But the rest of us should consider checking into getting a day pass. Most airlines and airports charge anywhere between $25 and $50 for an airport club day pass.
- If you find yourself in a situation where you’re volunteering to give up your seat or getting bumped up, ask the representative for complimentary access to the airport lounge to compensate for your sacrifice.
- If you have a platinum credit card, then airport lounge may be included in your rewards package. The annual fee for some platinum cards includes various rewards, which often include access to various airlines’ airport lounges. Become familiar with your credit card’s rewards and check to see if access to airport clubs is included.
- Visit an online auction site such as eBay and search for the airport club you’re hoping to get into. Many airlines encourage travelers to buy day passes to their lounges ahead of time, and many times, these day passes go unused. Therefore, some travelers with unused day passes might find themselves selling them on eBay—and at a great price for you.
These are several ways that you can get into an airline’s airport club on the cheap. What other advice can you think of to share with fellow travelers looking for cheap admission?