Best Credit Cards For Free Airport Lounge Access

Updated August 23 2019

Remember 'The Terminal', the things Tom Hanks did being stranded in the airport. Well, If you travel a lot for work or leisure, you’re bound to spend a big chunk of your time at airports. Fortunately, with certain credit cards, you don't have to emulate some of the things Tom Hanks did. You can make the hours spent at the airport way more pleasant by taking advantage of airport lounges? Check out these travel credit cards which not only grant you access to airport lounges but also reward you for your purchases while traveling!

Best Credit Cards For Free Airport Lounge Access

Citibank Rewards Card

5X Rewards Points on Overseas Spend

COMPLIMENTARY ACCESS TO PLAZA PREMIUM LOUNGE

Present your Citi Rewards Card and a valid boarding pass for complimentary access to the Plaza Premium Lounge in Kuala Lumpur International Airport with a variety of services and facilities at your disposal.

• Overseas retail transactions will be awarded 5X Citi Rewards points up to a maximum spend of RM24,000 per year.

Annual fees: RM 636 (principal), RM 159 (supplementary)

Minimum income: RM60,000 per annum

Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card

Get up to RM300,000 travel insurance for free

This air miles credit card is designed to fit for those who are looking for the best experience in their travel throughout the year with great rewards and benefits. You enjoy unlimited access to Plaza Premium Lounges in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and England. Every time you spend overseas by using this card, you get a free ride back home from KLIA.

To make things better, you can get up to RM300,000 travel insurance for free when you buy your flight tickets with a Citibank PremierMiles credit card. You get to earn 3 PremierMiles Points for every RM2 spent overseas and 1 PremierMiles Point for every RM3 spent locally. You are also allowed to have the flexibility to redeem your points for Asia Miles, Enrich Miles, KrisFlyer, PriorityClub Rewards & Hilton Hhonors.

Annual fees: Free

Minimum income: RM8,333 monthly (RM100,000 per annum)

Ambank Islamic World MasterCard

 Have access to 26 major airport lounges worldwide

For a wider range of airport lounge access, this is the card you should consider. You will have access to 26 major airport lounges worldwide. This includes airports in London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and more. On top of that, access to all of the airport lounges are unlimited!

You can also travel at ease as you will be protected with RM2 million Takaful coverage when you charge your flight tickets to the card. You will get 5x points for all your overseas transactions and the points can then be converted to Air Miles and you can redeem free flight tickets. You can also use your points for AmBonus on-the-spot redemption with participating stores like Sen Heng, ESH and Cosway, just tell the cashier you’d like to use your AmBonus Points to pay.

Cardmembers can enjoy lounge access throughout the year plus 25% discount on all lounges in Malaysia and 20% discount on all lounges overseas for each accompanying guest.

Annual fees:  Free for life with no conditions

Minimum income: RM10,000 monthly (RM120,000 per annum)

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HSBC Visa Signature

Enjoy 6x access to airport lounges at KLIA, Singapore and Hong Kong

This card will get you access to airport lounges and also earn more rewards for your overseas spending. You will enjoy 6x access to airport lounges at KLIA, Singapore and Hong Kong. To top it off, you get to collect more points as per below:

When you charge your flight tickets to this card, you will also get up to RM1.5 million of Takaful coverage.

Annual fees: RM 600 (principal) waived for the first year. RM 300 (supplementary)

Minimum income: (RM72,000 per annum)

Maybank Islamic Ikhwan Visa Infinite Credit Card-i

Get 5x access to Priority Pass airport lounges worldwide

If you are looking for a Shariah-compliant credit card that will also offer you traveling perks and airport lounge access, this is a card you can consider.

You will get 5x access to Priority Pass airport lounges worldwide, but after the first 5 times, you will then be required to pay USD 27 to enjoy the airport lounges. Similar to some of the cards above, you will also enjoy travel insurance coverage of up to RM 2 Million when you charge your full travel tickets to the card.

Annual Fee
Principal: RM800, FREE for the first year
Subsequent years FREE if spend a min of RM50,000 per annum
Supplementary: FREE up to 4 supplementary card
5th supplementary card will be charged RM 400 per annum

Minimum income: RM10,000 monthly (RM120,000 per annum)

Credit cards that offer you extra benefits such as airport lounge access usually come with a relatively high-income requirement. However, if you don’t qualify for these premium cards, you can consider getting a credit card that would be best for traveling and still make the most of the rewards or cashback advantages as you travel.

Hong Leong Emirates card

Complimentary 1x airport lounge access per year r

Emirates HLB cardholders can hit the ground running with a sign-on bonus of up to 10,000 Skywards Miles after their first spend and can also earn Miles at a higher rate when purchasing flight tickets directly with Emirates and on any eligible international spends.

Emirates HLB World Elite and World card customers will also be offered complimentary access to the Emirates Lounge in Kuala Lumpur and Dubai and Emirates Skywards Silver membership for one year, unlocking exclusive perks such as priority check-in, boarding and additional checked baggage allowance on Emirates flights. Subject to a minimum spend criteria, World Elite and World customers will also be eligible to receive up to 160,000 bonus Skywards Miles which can be redeemed for a Business Class return ticket on Emirates between Kuala Lumpur and Europe.

• Fly to Europe in Business Class on us
• Earn Skywards Miles on daily spend
• Enjoy Emirates Skywards Silver membership for one year
• Emirates Lounge access in Kuala Lumpur and Dubai
• Complimentary Destination Limo service
• Complimentary golf privileges globally
• Global medical & travel insurance
• Complimentary airport transport in Malaysia
• Complimentary WiFi service globally

Annual Fee: Free For Life

Monthly Income: 

Emirates HLB World Elite (Mastercard): RM250,000 min annual income
Emirates HLB World (Mastercard): RM90,000 min annual income
Emirates HLB Platinum (Mastercard): RM60,000 min annual income

Standard Chartered WorldMiles World Mastercard

Unlimited Plaza Premium Lounge Access at KLIA and KLIA2

Not only will cardholders gain access to these lounges, but they will also be able to enjoy all the facilities, including shower, food and beverage, internet access, and luggage storage facilities. Currently, cardholders are only able to access the Plaza Premium Lounge in both KLIA and KLIA2

• 3 WorldMiles per RM2 spent overseas & 1 WorldMiles per RM3 spent locally
• 2 WorldMiles = 1 AirMile of Asia Miles, KrisFlyer, Enrich or AirAsia BIG
• Unlimited access to Plaza Premium Lounges in KLIA & KLIA2
• Up to RM80 Cashback on Airport Limousine or KLIA Ekspres ride home when you return from overseas travel, by performing 3X overseas transactions in the past 30 days

Annual Fee MYR 600/year

Minimum Annual Income MYR 90,000

Related article: Countries Malaysians Can Travel to Visa Free in 2019