If there is one thing that has significantly improved our travel experience, it would be the airport lounges. Ever since we first learnt about their existence and how we could access them, we have never travelled the same again.
These days, we would go to airports several hours before our flight departure to take advantage of the lounge facilities available.
We are also more inclined to accept longer layovers between flights if the transiting airport has an amazing lounge. Some lounges even have shower rooms that are perfect for layovers between very long flights.
How do I access Airport Lounges?
In general, there are a couple of ways one can get access to airport lounges.
The first way is to fly in a premium cabin. This typically means Business Class and First Class tickets, though occasionally Premium Economy might qualify. Your boarding pass will grant you access to an airport lounge regardless of whether it’s a revenue or a redemption ticket.
The second way is to purchase a single entry pass. Many lounges around the world allow guests to purchase single passes to enter the lounge, typically around the range of US$40 to US$100 per person. Personally, I would not pay for lounge access as I feel that most lounges are not worth the steep prices asked of them.
Last but not least, my favourite method is to use Credit Cards to get into lounges for free. Many credit cards in Singapore offer free airport lounge access to cardholders and their guests. The most common arrangement is to use a complimentary Priority Pass, DragonPass or LoungeKey lounge membership when you hold the credit card.
Lounge memberships typically grant you complimentary access to thousands of lounges around the world, greatly elevating your travel experience.
In this blog post, we will introduce the best credit cards in Singapore to gain access to airport lounges for free.
Our favourite Airport Lounges
Over the years, we’ve been to multiple airport lounges around the world simply by holding on to our credit cards. No 2 lounges are the same and here are some of our favourites.
ANA Lounge Narita Airport Tokyo
Read our full review of the ANA Lounge Narita Airport Tokyo.
SATS Premier Lounge Changi Airport
Read our full review of the SATS Premier Lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 3.
Sky Hub Lounge Incheon Airport Seoul
Read our full review of the Sky Hub Lounge at Incheon International Airport Seoul.
Best Credit Cards for free lounge access
There are many credit cards in Singapore that offer complimentary airport lounge access. However, many of them are mediocre or cost too much for what they offer.
Below are some of the most popular credit cards that offer complimentary access to Airport Lounges.
| Card | Visit Per Year | Program | Annual Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Amex Platinum Charge Card | Unlimited + 1 guest | Centurion Lounge, Delta Sky Club Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, Priority Pass | S$1,744 | |
 Citi Prestige | 12 (from 1 July 2025) | Priority Pass | S$651.81 (from 1 July 2025) | |
 HSBC Visa Infinite | Unlimited | Lounge Key | Supplementary cardholders get their own LoungeKey. Application paused. | |
 UOB Visa Infinite Metal | Unlimited + 1 guest | DragonPass | S$654 | |
 DBS Vantage | 10 | Priority Pass | S$599.50 | |
 Standard Chartered Visa Infinite | 6 | Priority Pass | S$594 | |
 HSBC Travel One | 4 | DragonPass | S$196.20 | |
 UOB PRVI Miles | 4 | Priority Pass | S$261.60* | No complimentary guests. Mastercard & Visa variants each give 4 visits. |
 Citi Premiermiles | 2 | Priority Pass | S$196.20* | Mastercard & Visa variants each give 4 visits. |
 DBS Altitude Card | 2 | Priority Pass | S$196.20* | |
 Standard Chartered Journey Card | 2 | Priority Pass | S$196.20 |
Even though there are so many cards that offer complimentary airport lounge access, there are some that are better than others. For us, there are a few factors that we consider if a credit card is good for us in terms of lounge access.
- Annual fees. If they are waivable.
- Number of complimentary visits per year.
- Guesting privileges.
Credit Cards We Recommend
Considering all the above, these are some of the cards we recommend (and personally own) for the purpose of airport lounge access.
Citi Premiermiles Card
| Lounge membership | Priority Pass |
| Number of complimentary visits per year | 2 |
| Number of complimentary guests | Up to the complimentary limit |
| Refresh | Calendar year |
| Apply | Review |
Citi Premiermiles Card is another entry-level credit card that offers a complimentary Priority Pass membership. The Citi Premiermiles card allows for 2 complimentary visits per calendar year. This is slightly different from the DBS Altitude card. You can potentially get 4 complimentary visits in a year if you apply for the card later in the year.
After the complimentary visits, each subsequent visit will cost US$32 per person per visit.
I would put the Citi Premiermiles Card at the same level as the DBS Altitude Card. You’ll not go wrong with either of them, though I have a slight preference for the Citi Premiermiles because of its visit refresh cycle.
DBS Altitude Visa Card
| Lounge membership | Priority Pass |
| Number of complimentary visits per year | 2 |
| Number of complimentary guests | Up to the complimentary limit |
| Refresh | Membership year |
| Apply | Review |
The DBS Altitude Credit Card offers a complimentary digital Priority Pass membership to its cardholders. With the Priority Pass membership, cardholders can enjoy 2 free lounge visits within each 12-month period.
Cardholders can either enjoy 2 separate visits or 1 concurrent member and guest visit. Subsequent visits will cost US$32 per person per visit, regardless of whether it’s the cardholder or the guest.
The DBS Altitude’s lounge offering is not the best of the bunch. However, given the low cost of the card (waivable annual fee), having some free lounge visits is better than none at all.
There are 2 versions of the DBS Altitude Card available for application – Visa and Amex. Note that only the Visa version of the DBS Altitude Card has lounge access, so do not apply for the wrong version.
UOB PRVI Miles Card
| Lounge membership | Priority Pass |
| Number of visits per year | 4 |
| Number of complimentary guests | 0 |
| Refresh | Calendar year |
| Review |
The UOB PRVI Miles recently underwent a major refresh. With it, every cardholder receives 4 airport lounge visits a year. This is a major improvement to the UOB PRVI Card, considering that it didn’t come with any lounge visits previously.
Given that there are 3 different versions of the UOB PRVI Miles (Visa, Mastercard and AMEX), you can apply for all 3 cards and receive up to a total of 12 complimentary lounge visits in a year. For someone who makes a couple of trips a year, this limit is more than sufficient.
The main disadvantage of the UOB PRVI Miles Cards is that the complimentary visits are not shared with guests. Therefore, the card is only truly useful when you’re travelling alone or when you’re visiting Priority Pass restaurants.
HSBC TravelOne Card
| Lounge membership | DragonPass |
| Number of visits per year | 4 |
| Number of complimentary guests | Up to the complimentary limit |
| Refresh | Calendar year |
| Apply | Review |
The HSBC TravelOne Card was launched in the summer of 2023 as HSBC’s first general consumer travel credit card.
It offers a slightly more generous 4 complimentary lounge visits per calendar year, which is shareable with guests. Similar to the Citi Premiermiles Card, you can potentially get up to 8 complimentary lounge visits if you apply for the card later in the year.
The main difference with the HSBC TravelOne Card is that its lounge program is offered through the DragonPass program. This is slightly different from the Priority Pass program offered by other credit cards.
In general, there are slightly fewer lounges around the world that accept the DragonPass as compared to Priority Pass. In Singapore’s Changi Airport specifically, most lounges that support Priority Pass also support Dragon Pass, with the exception of the Priority Pass Restaurant participants.
This is a weak recommendation as HSBC generally does not offer an annual fee waiver beyond the first year. It might be worth taking advantage of the lounge entitlements before evaluating the card in the second year.
Citi Prestige Credit Card
| Lounge membership | Priority Pass |
| Number of complimentary visits per year | Unlimited |
| Number of complimentary guests | 1 |
| Apply | Review |
Now we’re stepping up a level into the premium credit card category with the Citi Prestige Card.
The Citi Prestige has an annual income requirement of S$120,000 for application and costs S$540 for its annual fee, which is not waivable. In return, you’ll get a Priority Pass membership, which grants you an unlimited number of complimentary visits to airport lounges around the world.
This is a great option if you travel frequently throughout the year. You can easily make back the high annual fee through your lounge visits if you value each visit at US$32.
EDIT: Note that there will be significant changes coming to the Citi Prestige Credit Card from 1st July 2026 that alter the lounge benefits that it provides.
American Express Platinum Charge Card
| Lounge membership | Priority Pass, Amex Centurion Lounge, Delta SkyClub, Plaza Premium |
| Number of visits per year | Unlimited |
| Number of complimentary guests | 1 |
Last but not least, the crème de la crème credit card for complimentary lounge access in Singapore would be the American Express Platinum Charge card.
What sets it apart from the rest of the cards is the variety of lounges that cardmembers have access to. On top of the Priority Pass lounges typical of other credit cards, cardmembers can enter The Centurion Lounge, International American Express Lounges, Delta SkyClub and Plaza Premium Lounge.
The Centurion Lounge is one of the best airport lounges available around the world. Travellers can only access these lounges if they are cardholders of the Amex Platinum Card or the Amex Centurion Card, making them a lot more exclusive than the typical airport lounge.
However, most Centurion Lounges are located in the US. At the time of writing this blog post, there are only 8 other countries with Centurion lounges. Unfortunately, none of them is in Singapore.
The American Express Platinum Charge Card comes with an annual fee of S$1,774 and used to require an annual income of S$200,000, which has since been removed. This is not an affordable option for attaining lounge access, but it can prove worthwhile for travellers looking for the ultimate luxury.
Conclusion
Using credit cards to get complimentary access to airport lounges is the easiest way to immediately elevate your travel experience. Air travel is typically a very stressful affair, and airport lounges can really help to reduce some parts of that.
For travellers who are a little more savvy, some airport lounges can even be a great way to save money as they provide great food that can substitute a full meal. It is a no-brainer for anyone who even remotely travels for the slightest bit!
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