Best Credit Cards to Access Admirals Club Lounges

The best way to escape crowded airport terminals is by getting access to an airport lounge. With more than 50 locations worldwide, the American Airlines Admirals Club^® lounges are an attractive place to relax. Plus, if you have an Admirals Club^® membership, you also get access to more than 60 partner lounges worldwide, including all Alaska Airlines Lounges and all Qantas Clubs.

There are different ways you can gain access to American Airlines lounges, but the easiest is with a credit card.

Top Credit Cards for Admirals Club Access

The best way to access Admirals Club is through one specific credit card: the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^®*. It's the only credit card that offers complimentary Admirals Club^® membership. While the card comes with a $595 annual fee, the Admirals Club access benefit is valued at up to $850. This benefit alone covers the card's annual fee. So it's cheaper to have the Citi / AAdvantage Executive card in your wallet than to purchase an Admirals Club membership.

The second-best option for Admirals Club access is the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card. Cardholders of this card receive four digital Admirals Club^® Citi Strata Elite℠ Passes to the Admirals Club^® lounges every year. Cardmembers can use these passes to enter an Admirals Club lounge four times or redeem additional passes to bring in a maximum of three adult guests in one visit. A one-day pass to Admirals Club lounges costs $79, which translates into a value of $316 each year. Add here other Strata Elite benefits and perks, and this becomes a good deal in exchange for the annual fee.

Other Ways to Access Admirals Club Lounges

If none of the credit cards above is an option for you, there are other ways to unwind at Admirals Club lounges. But before you jump to them, keep in mind that no matter how you enter, you must present a same-day boarding pass on American Airlines or one of its partners.

Here's how else you can access American Airlines Admirals Club lounges:

• Buy an Admirals Club Day Pass: Admirals Club one-day passes cost $79 or 7,900 AAdvantage^® miles. These are available at select domestic and international Admirals Club locations. The day pass includes access for you and up to three children under 18.
• Purchase an Admirals Club Membership: Admirals Club membership cost varies depending on your AAdvantage^® frequent flyer status and whether you buy it the first time, renew, or buy for the whole household. So if you can't get a free Admirals Club membership with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive card, you will have to pay from $750 to $1,650 based on your AAdvantage^® status and the chosen membership type. AAdvantage members can pay with AAdvantage^® miles: from 75,000 to 165,000 based on AAdvantage^® status and the chosen membership type.
• Fly in First Class or Business Class: You can access Admirals Club when flying in first or business on a qualifying departing or arriving international, transcontinental, or other domestic flight marked and operated by American Airlines, a oneworld^® airline, or Aer Lingus.
• Earn AAdvantage Elite Status: Qualifying AAdvantage Executive Platinum^®, AAdvantage Platinum Pro^®, and AAdvantage Platinum^® members can access Admirals Club lounges on a qualifying departing or arriving international flights marked and operated by American Airlines, a oneworld^® airline, or Aer Lingus. The member can bring one guest (children over 2 count as a guest), and the guest must be traveling on a departing or arriving oneworld^® flight.
• Earn oneworld^® Emerald℠ or Sapphire℠ Status: This option is good for non-AAdvantage members who have oneworld^® Emerald or Sapphire status. To access Admirals Club lounges, elite status holders must be on a departing or arriving flight marketed and operated by American or a oneworld^® airline (regardless of cabin). Members can bring one guest.
• Use Your Military Benefits: U.S. military personnel traveling in uniform on a same-day flight operated by American can access most Admirals Club locations (exception: Airspace Lounge in San Diego (SAN) and JAL Sakura Lounge in Honolulu (HNL)). To access lounges, military personnel must present their military ID and a boarding pass on a same-day flight operated by American. The guest policy is less strict here: military personnel can bring in their immediate family (spouse, domestic partner, and/or children under 18) or up to 2 guests.