Choosing a card
Credit Cards With Priority Pass and Airport Lounge Access in Canada
Which Canadian credit cards still include Priority Pass, which use DragonPass programs instead, how many free lounge visits each gives and whether the annual fee is worth it.
Which Canadian credit cards include Priority Pass?
The Scotiabank Platinum American Express includes Priority Pass with 10 free visits a year for the primary cardholder (4 for each supplementary cardholder). The Platinum Card from American Express also includes Priority Pass enrolment as part of the Amex Global Lounge Collection.
Many cards that used to offer Priority Pass have moved to programs run by DragonPass, which is a separate lounge network.
Put it into practiceTravel credit cardsWhich cards give free airport lounge visits?
These cards include a set number of free visits each year. Visits are counted per person, so bringing a guest usually uses a second visit.
| Card | Lounge program | Free visits a year | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| TopScotiabank Platinum American Express | Priority Pass | 10 (4 per supplementary card) | $399 |
| Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege | Visa Airport Companion (DragonPass) | 10 for each cardholder | $599 |
| Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite + | Visa Airport Companion (DragonPass) | 6 | $150 |
| RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege | DragonPass | 6 | $399 |
| CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite | Visa Airport Companion (DragonPass) | 4 | $139 |
| BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard | Mastercard Travel Pass (DragonPass) | 4 | $150 |
| BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard | Mastercard Travel Pass (DragonPass) | 4 | $150 |
Annual fees come from WalletReturn’s card pages; lounge programs and visits come from each issuer’s own pages. Most programs require you to enrol with your card before your first visit.
Is DragonPass the same as Priority Pass?
No. They are separate lounge networks with different lounges. Visa Airport Companion (on Visa Infinite cards) and Mastercard Travel Pass (on World Elite Mastercards) are both run by DragonPass.
Check that your home airport and the airports you fly through have a lounge in your card’s network before choosing a card for lounge access.
What happens after your free visits run out?
You pay per visit. CIBC’s Aventura guide, for example, lists US$32 per person per visit after the 4 free visits through Visa Airport Companion.
Is a lounge-access card worth the annual fee?
Only if you travel often enough to use the visits. Four visits are worth little if you fly once a year; a frequent traveller who uses all 10 visits on a premium card may come out ahead.
WalletReturn doesn’t give lounge visits a dollar value in card rankings, so compare the rewards value on each card page with how often you’d use the lounges.
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Official sources and further reading
- Scotiabank: which credit cards give me access to airport lounges? ↗
- American Express: Platinum Card lounge access ↗
- RBC: Avion Visa Infinite Privilege ↗
- CIBC: Aventura Visa Infinite benefits guide ↗
- BMO: World Elite Mastercard benefits guide ↗
Terms vary by product. Confirm the provider’s current terms before acting. This guide does not predict approval, realized value or credit-score changes. How WalletReturn calculates value