**For the widest airport lounge access in Canada, the American Express Platinum Card ($799) is still the benchmark. If you only need a few visits a year for under $160, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ Card gives you 6 and the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard gives you 4.** Here are our picks by type of traveller, from Montreal-Trudeau to Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounges.
A credit card with lounge access lets you wait in quiet comfort, with food, drinks and Wi-Fi, for the price of its annual fee. The right card mostly depends on how often you fly, which airport you leave from and who travels with you.
The table below shows our selection. Further down, you will find the best pick for each type of traveller, the math on what a lounge visit is actually worth, and the changes already announced for 2027.
Annual fees and lounge access terms in effect as of November 3, 2026, according to each issuer's website. Terms change often: check them with the issuer before you apply. Milesopedia may receive compensation when you get a card through our links; this does not change our ranking by traveller profile.
Widest access: the Amex Platinum cards
Winner: the American Express Platinum Card. For $799 a year, it opens more lounge networks than any other card in Canada: Centurion, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass, Escape and Executive Lounges by Swissport, plus Delta Sky Clubs when you fly Delta. At Swissport, in Calgary and Montreal, you get in with your spouse and 2 children under 21, or with one travel companion.
Alternative for businesses: the Business Platinum Card from American Express. Same fee, same lounges, and the company's spending stays separate from yours.
Both cards do change in 2027: we explain below what you keep and what tightens.
American Express Platinum Card →Business Platinum Card from American Express →Best cards for the American Express Global Lounge Collection →Toronto and Vancouver: Plaza Premium and Priority Pass
Winner: the American Express Gold Rewards Card. For $250, it gives you 4 free visits per calendar year at Plaza Premium lounges in Canada, including those at Toronto Pearson and Vancouver. A Priority Pass membership is included, but each visit there is paid.
Alternative with more visits: the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card. For $399, you get 10 visits a year across the Priority Pass network, which counts more than 1,900 lounges and experiences in 143 countries.
Our airport lounge directory shows which lounges each terminal offers and which cards get you in.
American Express Gold Rewards Card →Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card →Best cards with Plaza Premium access →Airport lounge directory →Montreal-Trudeau: the National Bank lounge
Winner: the National Bank World Elite Mastercard. If you fly from Montreal to an international destination, it gives you a free lounge with no visit limit for $150. You get in with one guest and 2 children aged 12 and under.
Keep two conditions in mind: the lounge serves flights outside Canada and the United States, and during renovations, a temporary lounge near gate 53 limits stays to 2 hours. National Bank plans to reopen the renovated lounge in 2028.
National Bank World Elite Mastercard →Review: National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau →National Bank Lounge at YUL: renovation and temporary lounge →All Montreal-Trudeau (YUL) lounges →A few visits a year, under $160
Winner: the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ Card. For $150, you get 6 visits a year at Visa Airport Companion lounges and no foreign transaction fees.
Mastercard alternative: the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard. For $150, waived in the first year on applications received by December 8, 2026, you get 4 DragonPass visits.
Alternative for points: the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card. For $139, you get 4 Visa Airport Companion visits and 6 points per dollar on groceries and dining.
Alternative at $120: the Tangerine Rewards World Elite Mastercard. It gives you 4 DragonPass visits a year.
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ Card →BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard →TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card →Tangerine Rewards World Elite Mastercard →How DragonPass works →Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges
Winner: the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Credit Card. For $599, you get into Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges in North America when you depart the same day on an Air Canada or Star Alliance flight, and you also get 6 visits a year at Visa Airport Companion lounges.
Alternative: the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card. It also gives you Maple Leaf Lounge access. American Express has announced that annual fees charged on or after January 12, 2027 will rise from $599 to $799. On the same date, the card adds 8 passes per calendar year to the Aspire Amex Lounge in the Montreal-Trudeau domestic terminal.
We built a full ranking of the cards that open Air Canada's lounges.
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Credit Card →American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card →Best cards for Maple Leaf Lounges →How to access Maple Leaf Lounges →What is a lounge visit worth?
A visit is worth about US$32 per person, the rate DragonPass, Mastercard Travel Pass and Visa Airport Companion charge beyond your included visits. At Priority Pass, extra visits are charged at the network's current rate.
Let's run the numbers for a couple taking 2 round trips a year: 4 departures for 2 people, so 8 visits. At US$32, that is US$256. With the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ Card and its 6 visits, you cover 3 of the 4 departures for a $150 annual fee. With the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card and its 10 Priority Pass visits, you cover all 4 departures with 2 visits to spare.
How Priority Pass works →Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card →Your guests: the rule that matters
Most cards count one visit per person, guests included. With 6 visits, you and your partner get in together 3 times. That is how Visa Airport Companion, DragonPass and the Priority Pass visits on the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card work.
A few cards do better. The National Bank lounge at YUL lets you in with one guest and 2 children aged 12 and under, without touching any counter. The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege Card gives 10 visits to every cardholder, supplementary included: add your partner to the account and you double your household's visits.
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege Card →Priority Pass: how to bring the most guests →What changes in 2027
You keep unlimited access to Centurion lounges with the American Express Platinum cards, and nothing changes before the end of 2026. Starting January 1, 2027, the primary cardholder gets 6 complimentary visits per calendar year at Priority Pass and 6 at Plaza Premium, and a supplementary cardholder gets 2 in each network. You can use these visits for your guests.
American Express keeps your access unlimited if you charge at least $20,000 in eligible purchases to the card in a calendar year. It then stays active for the rest of that year and until December 31 of the following year.
American Express Platinum cards: lounge access limit in 2027 →How to choose your card
Count your departures rather than your trips. A round trip gives you 2 lounge stops, and each person travelling with you usually counts as one visit. Multiply that total by US$32 to see what the card saves you.
Look at your home airport. In Toronto and Vancouver, Plaza Premium runs lounges in both airports. In Montreal, the National Bank lounge changes the game for international flights. Priority Pass and DragonPass cover most major airports elsewhere.
Check the income requirement. Visa Infinite and World Elite cards often ask for $60,000 to $80,000 in personal income. The Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card only asks for $12,000.
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Airport lounge directory →Free airport lounge access in Canada: 6 ways in →Compare cards with lounge access →Create your free Milesopedia account →Frequently Asked Questions
Which credit card gives free airport lounge access in Canada?
The American Express Platinum Card offers the widest access, with no visit count until the end of 2026. For under $160, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ Card gives 6 visits a year and the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard gives 4. The National Bank World Elite Mastercard opens its Montreal-Trudeau lounge with no visit limit on your international flights.
What is the best credit card for airport lounges in Canada?
It depends on how often you fly. If you fly every month, the American Express Platinum Card is the most complete. If you take 4 or 5 trips a year, the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card and its 10 Priority Pass visits cost $400 less. If you fly internationally from Montreal, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard gives you a lounge with no visit limit.
Do World Elite Mastercard cards include lounge access?
Several World Elite Mastercard cards include Mastercard Travel Pass, provided by DragonPass, with a number of free visits that varies from card to card. The BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard and the Tangerine Rewards World Elite Mastercard each give 4 a year. The National Bank World Elite Mastercard relies instead on its Montreal-Trudeau lounge.
Does a guest use one of my free visits?
In most cases, yes: Visa Airport Companion, DragonPass and the Priority Pass visits on the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card count one visit per person. The National Bank lounge at YUL is the exception, since you get in with one guest and 2 children with no visit limit.
Which card gets you into Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges?
Premium Aeroplan cards, such as the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Credit Card and the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card, give access to Maple Leaf Lounges when you depart the same day on an Air Canada or Star Alliance flight. Both cost $599 a year for now; the American Express card's fees charged on or after January 12, 2027 rise to $799.
How do you get into the National Bank lounge at Montreal-Trudeau?
You need a National Bank World Elite Mastercard and a flight to a destination outside Canada and the United States. Entry is free and unlimited for you, one guest and 2 children aged 12 and under. During renovations, a temporary lounge near gate 53 limits stays to 2 hours.
How much does a lounge visit cost without a credit card?
Beyond your included visits, DragonPass, Mastercard Travel Pass and Visa Airport Companion charge US$32 per person. The 6 visits on a $150 card are therefore worth US$192 if you use them all. At Priority Pass, extra visits are charged at the network's current rate.
What changes in 2027 for the American Express Platinum Card?
Starting January 1, 2027, the American Express Platinum Card and Business Platinum Card give 6 complimentary visits a year at Priority Pass and 6 at Plaza Premium. You keep unlimited access if you charge $20,000 in eligible purchases to the card in the year. Centurion lounges remain unlimited.
