Credit cards with airport lounge access UK

In this brief guide, we are going to discuss credit cards with airport lounge access in the UK.

Most people think you need to fly business or first class in order to benefit from free airport lounge access but this isn’t the case, there are various UK credit cards which can offer your airport lounge access.

UK Credit cards with airport lounge access

Below are the Uk credit cards which give you airport lounge access:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit is a UK credit card which offers you free airport lounge access. It has an annual fee of £0 for year one but afterwards, the annual fee is £140 per annum.

The card offers 2 complimentary visits every year, plus membership of Lounge Club, allowing further access at £20 per visit.

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 22.9% (variable) p.a. with an annual fee of £140 (£0 in the first year), your representative APR is 57.6% APR (variable).

American Express Platinum Business Card

American Express Platinum Business Card is a UK credit card which offers you free airport lounge access. This card is a charge card which means you must top it up before you can use it. It has an annual fee of £595 per annum and unlocks access to more than 1200 airport lounges across 130+ countries, including The Centurion Lounges and membership of PriorityPass.

The Platinum Card

The Platinum Card is a UK credit card which offers you free airport lounge access. This card is also a charge card which means you must top it up before you are able to use it. It has an annual fee of £575 per annum and provides complimentary access to over 1,200 airport lounges across more than 130 countries worldwide through Priority Pass, with supplementary cardholder as guests. Access to the new Centurion Lounge should now be available to Heathrow Terminal 3.

Coutts & Co Silk Credit Card Visa

Coutts & Co Silk Credit Card Visa is a UK credit card which offers you free airport lounge access. It has no annual fees and offers membership to LoungeKey, access to over 700 airport lounges worldwide. Charged at £15 per person per visit.

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 14.71% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 14.7% APR (variable).

HSBC Premier Credit Card Mastercard

HSBC Premier Credit Card Mastercard is a UK credit card which offers you free airport lounge access. It has an introductory purchase rate of 0% for 9 months which then reverts to 18.9% at the end of the ninth month. 

It has an annual fee of £0 and provides membership to LoungeKey, access to over 750 airport lounges worldwide. Charged at £15 per person per visit.

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 18.9% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 18.9% APR (variable).

Barclaycard Business Premium Plus Credit Card Mastercard

Barclaycard Business Premium Plus Credit Card Mastercard is a UK credit card which offers you free airport lounge access.

It has an introductory purchase rate of  0% for 6 months which then reverts to 14.9%.

It has an annual fee of £100 per annum and provides two free lounge visits a year with additional visits charged at £15 each.

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 14.9% (variable) p.a. with a fee of £100 per annum, your representative rate is 36.2% APR (variable).

Santander World Elite Mastercard

Santander World Elite Mastercard is a UK credit card which offers you free airport lounge access.

It has an introductory purchase rate of 0% for 18 months which then reverts to 18.9%.

It has a monthly fee of  £15 per month which is £170 per annum.

This card provides membership to LoungeKey, complimentary access to over 1000 airport lounges worldwide.

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 18.9% (variable) p.a. with a fee of £15 per month, your representative rate is 49.8% APR (variable).

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard is a UK credit card which offers you free airport lounge access.

It has an annual fee of £195 per annum and provides membership to LoungeKey, complimentary access to over 750 airport lounges worldwide.

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 18.9% (variable) p.a. with a fee of £195 per annum, your representative rate is 59.3% APR (variable).

Coutts and Co Silk Charge Mastercard

Coutts and Co Silk Charge Mastercard is a UK credit card which offers you free airport lounge access.

This is a charge card which means you have to top it up in order to use it.

It has an annual fee of £0 and provides access to over 700 executive airport lounges in over 300 major airports world. £15 per person per visit.

Allied Irish Bank (GB) Visa Gold Card

Allied Irish Bank (GB) Visa Gold Card is a UK credit card which offers you free airport lounge access.

It has an annual fee of £75 per annum and has a priority Pass with access to over 600 executive airport lounges.

What to consider when getting your credit card?

It is always advisable to use a credit card eligibility checker which provides you with all the credit cards you may be eligible for.

When comparing multiple credit cards; below are the things you should look out for before applying.

Eligibility

Each card issuer will have its own lending criteria that  you will need to meet before they will provide you with an offer of credit. There are now credit card eligibility checker platforms which let you know which credit cards you are eligible for and which you have a high probability of getting on application. 

Most credit card providers now have their own credit card eligibility systems in place which will let you know if you will be approved for a credit card with them  or not. These tools use a soft credit check t pull your credit file data and hence does not leave any footprints which are visible to the public or harm your credit score.

You should avoid applying for a credit card if you are not confident you will be accepted as rejections for credit could damage your credit score and history. This may then affect your ability to get further credit in the future.

Interest rates

When getting a credit card, the interest rates on the credit card are a very important factor and you should always look out for the APR figure. The interest rates on the credit card are the rates that will be charged on any outstanding credit card balance which you carry over from one month to another.If you pay your credit card balance in full each month then you will not have any interest to pay.

Credit cards typically come with up to 55 interest-free days on purchases if you don’t carry a balance month-to-month.

Credit limits

You should look at the credit Credit limits when choosing a credit card provider as the credit card limits will determine how much you can spend on your credit card. Most credit card providers may offer you a credit limit increase if you can show good credit behavior over a few months.

Rewards and perks

Credit card providers offer various rewards and perks but usually, these are reserved for applicants with high credit scores. In this case, free airport lounge access may be the main deciding factor for you.

Fees

Some credit card providers will have annual fees on their credit cards but these are usually for credit cards with high credit card limits and lots of rewards or perks.

You should always check what fees are attached to your credit card. These can include annual or monthly account fees, cash advance (withdrawing cash using the card) fees, overseas transaction fees and others.

How to get your credit card

To get your credit card, check to see if you have a credit score first.

If you are unsure of what your credit score is then you should check your credit score from the four credit bureaus in the UK: Experian, Crediva, Equifax and Transunion.

Some of these credit bureaus may charge you a fee to view your credit report so what you can alternatively do is request a statutory credit report which is a free credit report which each credit bureau must provide to you upon you requesting it.

Alternatively, you can also use credit score services such as Checkmyfile and clearscore to check your credit report.

Once you have done this you should then check on a credit card eligibility platform to see what credit cards you are eligible for and then apply for the best credit card. 

In this brief guide, we discussed credit cards with airport lounge access in the UK. If you have any comments or questions, please let us know.

If you need financial advice and you live in the UK then you could contact the Money Advice service over the phone or via chat for impartial advice.

You can also contact the debt charity “Step Change” if you are in debt and need help.