To the point
Istanbul Airport has a new lounge accessible to Lounge Key and Priority Pass members! Find out about credit cards to access them.
Istanbul Airport
Istanbul’s new airport was inaugurated earlier this year. I recently had the opportunity to transit through this airport while travelling in business class on Turkish Airlines between Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur.
Because I was travelling in business class, I had access to Turkish Airlines lounges:
However, passengers with access to Lounge Key and Priority Pass lounges had no option in Istanbul (IST) until now.
IGA Lounge in Istanbul
From now on, Lounge Key and Priority Pass members will be able to access the IGA Lounge.
This lounge was previously only available to passengers of specific airlines.
This lounge has a very large area (nearly 50,000 sq ft (4,645.15 m²)) and features:
- An all-you-can-eat buffet
- Showers
- A children’s playroom
- A pool table
- Business center
Conditions
Priority Pass members can stay in that lounge for 3 hours.
Children under the age of 2 are admitted free of charge.
Credit cards offering Priority Pass
There are several credit cards offering Priority Pass memberships. However, the difference will be on the number of free passes included each year in addition to the subscription.
CIBC Aventura cards for example, offer four free annual passes.
At this annual fee level, the card with the most passes to airport lounges is the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* card! With that card, you will get six free annual passes to Priority Pass airport lounges.
In addition, this card currently offers a great welcome bonus. And it’s one of the few cards that doesn’t charge any conversion fees for foreign currency transactions.
If you want more lounge passes, Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card offers ten free accesses to Priority Pass airport lounges each year.
This card currently offers a welcome bonus of 30,000 points and you can earn:
- 4 points per Dollar in Gas Station
- 4 points per Dollar in Grocery stores
- 4 points per Dollar in Restaurants
- 4 Points per Dollar in Entertainment
But if you’re a frequent flyer, it’s best to head to one of these cards offering free unlimited access to Priority Pass airport lounges!
- the Platinum Card® from American Express: Unlimited access for the cardholder AND a guest
- Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Unlimited access for the cardholder AND a guest
Our choice is the Platinum Card® from American Express, which includes:
- A 200 $ annual travel credit
- Unlimited access to many airport lounges (Priority Pass, Centurion…)
- 3 Membership Rewards points per dollar in restaurants
- 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar for travel
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status
- Hilton Honors Gold Status
Credit Cards offering Lounge Key access
Lounge Key is an airport lounge program owned by Mastercard.
Most World Elite Level Mastercard cards therefore offer a Lounge Key membership. However, like Priority Pass, the difference will be the number of free passes you get per year.
For example, cards such as the HSBC World Elite® Mastercard® or theBMO® CashBack® World Elite®* Mastercard®* card offer a Lounge Key membership. But access to the lounges has to be paid.
So it’s better to get these cards instead:
- BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard®*: two annual complimentary passes
- BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard: 4 complimentary LoungeKey airport lounges annually
Our favourite will be the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard:
- First year free
- 4 annual complimentary passes to VIP airport lounges
- A 35,000 points welcome bonus
- 3 points/dollar for travel, restaurant and entertainment purchases
- 2 points/dollar everywhere else (including Costco)
- Premium travel insurance
Conclusion
This is great news to see Istanbul Airport offering an airport lounge accessible to Lounge Key and Priority Pass members!
Source: CAPA
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