Review: Desjardins Odyssey Lounge in Montreal (YUL)
Here’s our photo report from the Odyssée Desjardins lounge in Montreal, open to passengers with a Desjardins credit card.
Key Takeaways
- The Desjardins Odyssey Lounge reviewed is in Montréal-Trudeau’s international zone.
- This lounge is not for Canadian domestic flights; the transborder area has a separate lounge.
- Before departure, check your flight zone and Desjardins access conditions for cardholders and guests.
The Desjardins Odyssey Lounge is located at Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, inside the International Zone. Only people flying to an international destination can enter. It is not available for flights within Canada. For flights to the United States, Desjardins has a second lounge near Gate 76 in the transborder zone.
After baggage check-in and security, the Desjardins Odyssey Lounge is located near boarding gate 63. This type of airport lounge is away from all the hustle and bustle of the airport, allowing you to relax before your flight.
The short answer: according to Desjardins, the Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege card gives 12 free visits per year and the Odyssey World Elite Mastercard 8 for all cards on the account, then a 50% discount. Without a free visit, entry costs $42 plus tax per adult. Each visit is valid for the 3 hours before your flight.
All services are free of charge. These include:
- Eat and drink for free
- Comfortable seating space
- Connect to free Wi-Fi service
- Watching the ballet of planes coming and going outside on the runway
The lounge is like the Salon Air France or Salon Banque Nationale, on the second floor. So there’s a staircase or elevator to get there.
How to access the Desjardins Odyssey Lounge at Montréal-Trudeau (YUL)
To access the Desjardins Odyssey Lounge, you must have your boarding pass for the day and a Desjardins credit card in good standing:
- Odyssée Visa Infinite Privilege (12 free accesses per year)
- Odyssée World Elite MasterCard (8 free accesses per year)
- Odyssey Visa Gold (50% discount)
- Platinum Prestige and Platinum (50% discount)
It should be noted that the Platinum Prestige and Visa Platinum cards have not been offered to new customers by Desjardins for several years. However, holders who still have it are entitled to access the Salon Odyssée Desjardins, at a discount.
Eligible Desjardins cardholders may bring as many guests as they wish, as long as they still have free access. Each person counts as one lounge access, even children over 3.
When Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege and Odyssey World Elite Mastercard cards are used up, there is a 50% discount on the cost of admission to the lounge. Then there will be a guest limit.
There is a limit of one adult and up to 3 children under 18 to enter the lounge. This also applies to Odyssey Gold, Platinum and Prestige Platinum cardholders with the 50% discount.
In a nutshell – Access and Free admission
- Odyssée Visa Infinite Privilege: 12 free accesses per year, with no guest limit as long as free accesses remain. From the 13th access, 50% discount and limit of one adult guest and up to 3 children under 18 years of age.
- Odyssey World Elite MasterCard: 8 free accesses per year, with no guest limit as long as free accesses remain. From the 9th access, 50% discount and limit of one adult guest and up to 3 children under 18.
- Odyssey Gold Visa: 50% discount on admission at any time for the holder + one adult guest and up to 3 children under 18.
- Platinum Prestige and Platinum: 50% discount on admission at all times for the holder + one adult guest and up to 3 children under 18.
Admission to the Salon Odyssée Desjardins costs $42 plus tax for ages 12 and over and $26 plus tax for ages 3 to 11 (Desjardins rates, subject to change without notice). So, with a Visa Gold Odyssey, Platinum or Platinum Prestige card, admission costs $21 plus tax and $13 plus tax for children.
Admission is free for children under 3.
Reservations are not required. Show your physical Odyssey card and your boarding pass for the same day. A visit is valid for the 3 hours before your flight: if your flight is delayed beyond that, an extra visit is deducted for you and for each person with you. When the lounge is full, Odyssey World Elite Mastercard and Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege cardholders can join a virtual waiting list on site. In addition, annual accesses are counted from January to December.
Our experience at the Desjardins Odyssey Lounge (photos from 2019 and 2021) and opening hours
This section describes our visits, not today’s rules: our photos were published in May 2019 and June 2021, and the exact date of the visit was not recorded. The layout, menu and furniture may have changed since. After the reception desk, there was the departure notice board and advice on the BONUSDOLLARS rewards program.
Depending on the time of day, there are various options for eating and drinking, in an all-you-can-eat mini-buffet style. Opening hours of the Odyssée Desjardins lounge vary according to flight schedules in the International Zone.
According to Desjardins, it is open daily from 4 a.m. until the last flight, around 10 p.m. The second lounge, in the transborder zone, is open from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m.
During the hours when the law allows it, the beverage offer is classic, with beer, wine and a few spirits on a self-service basis.
Odyssée Desjardins lounge menu
During our visits, the breakfast menu was served from opening until 11:30 a.m. and varied from day to day. It included:
- Croissants, pastries and bagels
- Yogurt, cereal, fruit salad and granola
- Pancakes, sausages and small potatoes
- Scrambled eggs, omelettes and pancakes
For lunch and dinner, it includes :
- Soups and salads
- Cold cuts, pasta and a variety of hot meals
- Some desserts
Then a corridor with a long bench faces the runways.
This is one of the positive points of this lounge: it is very open to the outside and therefore very bright. You can also admire the aircraft on the tarmac. A pleasure for the little and big avgeeks 🙂
The lounge is quite large, it is announced a capacity of 260 people. The furniture is modern, Ikea style, it can please. Wi-Fi access is the same as that offered by the airport in the lounges, and is very efficient.
The advantage is the diversity of the furniture: tables, armchairs and benches. There is something for everyone, whether you are a solo traveler, a couple or a group.
Some coffee tables include electrical outlets and USB charging points.
In addition, large screens are placed throughout the lounge to check flight times.
Bottom Line
The Salon Odyssée Desjardins YUL is a beautiful airport lounge at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport. To check how many free passes you have left, log in to AccèsD, select your Odyssey card under Cards, loans and lines of credit, open the Benefits tab, then click the Desjardins Odyssey Lounge access link under Discounts and other benefits.
- Annual fee
- $250
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,020Total$1,020Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $1,020
- Welcome offerAfter $12,000 in 12 months
- Up to 60,000 points
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How can I access the other VIP lounges or the Maple Leaf Lounge at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport?
To see the other lounges at the airport and how to get in, read our guide to the lounges at Montréal-Trudeau Airport (YUL).
The Maple Leaf Lounge has its own access rules: see our guide to accessing Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges.
Where is the Odyssée Desjardins lounge located at Montreal Airport?
Around gate 63, in the International Zone. If you don’t have a ticket to an international destination, access is impossible.
A domestic flight within Canada does not give access to this lounge. If you are flying to the United States, you can use the second Desjardins Odyssey Lounge – Plaza Premium Lounge, near gate 76 in the transborder area, open daily from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Which Visa or Mastercard World Elite card gives access to the Desjardins Odyssey Lounge at Montreal Airport?
Admission to the Salon Odyssée Desjardins costs $42 plus tax for adults (12 and over) and $26 plus tax for children aged 3 to 11.
With the Odyssée Gold Visa card, there’s a 50% discount on the cost of admission.
The Odyssey World Elite Mastercard gives you 8 free accesses per year. The Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege card gives you 12 free visits a year to the Desjardins Odyssey Lounge.
Once you’ve used up your free admission, you’ll receive a 50% discount on the regular admission price.
What are the opening hours of the Odyssée Desjardins lounge at Montreal Airport?
According to Desjardins, it is open daily from 4 a.m. until the last flight, around 10 p.m. The second lounge, in the transborder zone, is open from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Is there a Desjardins Odyssey lounge at Quebec City Airport?
No. Both Desjardins Odyssey Lounges are at Montréal-Trudeau. At Jean-Lesage Airport in Quebec City, we visited the Club Med VIP Lounge: see our photo report, with all the information you need to access it.
Go further with airport VIP lounges
To access VIP lounges without paying for entry each time, check our complete guide on free airport lounge access and our best credit cards for airport VIP lounges ranking, updated monthly by the Milesopedia team.
