One of the most popular perks attached to many miles earning credit cards in Singapore is an allocation of complimentary airport lounge visits, regardless of which airline you are flying with or in which cabin class, with access available both in Singapore and at overseas airports.
Such perks can range from just a couple of lounge visits per year through to unlimited access including an accompanying guest at the upper end, so let’s take a look at which cards might make themselves more worthy of a place in your wallet for this reason, now that international travel is back in full swing.
The primary lounge networks
There are three primary lounge access networks contracted by Singapore-issued credit cards for members to tap into complimentary access at airports worldwide.
 |
 |
 |
- DragonPass
736 airports | 1,300+ lounges - Plaza Premium
95 airports | 202 lounges - Priority Pass /
LoungeKey
732 airports | 1,400+ lounges
LoungeKey is effectively a subset of Priority Pass (both are owned by UK-based Collinson International), however you cannot buy LoungeKey access – it is always linked to your credit card.
As you can see, DragonPass and Priority Pass are the two major lounge access programme operators, each boasting well over 1,000 lounges worldwide.
Plaza Premium is a smaller operator, primarily focused on the Asia-Pacific region.
Which cards give you free lounge access
Here’s the latest list of miles-earning credit cards issued in Singapore that include some form of complimentary airport lounge access as part of their overall benefits package.
Singapore miles-earning credit cards
with lounge access benefits
| Card | Lounges | Primary Cardholder Visit Entitlement |
|
| Per Calendar Year | Per Membership Year | ||
 AMEX KF Ascend(terms) |
Plaza Premium | — | 4 |
 AMEX KF HighFlyer(terms) |
Priority Pass | — | 2 |
 AMEX Platinum ChargeAMEX Centurion (terms) |
Priority Pass Plaza Premium & others |
Unlimited + up to 2 guests |
|
 Citi Prestige Citi ULTIMA(terms) |
Priority Pass | Unlimited + 1 guest |
|
 Citi PremierMiles(terms) |
Priority Pass | 2 | — |
 DBS Altitude Visa(terms) |
Priority Pass | — | 2 |
 DBS Insignia(terms) |
Priority Pass | Unlimited | |
 DBS Vantage(terms) |
Priority Pass | — | 10 |
 HSBC T1(terms) |
DragonPass | 4 | — |
 HSBC VI(terms) |
LoungeKey | Unlimited | |
 Maybank Horizon VS(terms) |
Selected SIN, KUL & HKG lounges |
1 per calendar month (max) subject to a S$1,000+ single retail txn. in the last 3 months |
|
 Maybank VI(terms) |
Priority Pass | — | 4 |
 OCBC Premier VI(terms) |
DragonPass | — | 2 |
 OCBC Voyage(terms) |
DragonPass | Unlimited | |
 SC PBVI(terms) |
Priority Pass | — | 12* |
 SC Journey(terms) |
Priority Pass | — | 2 |
 SC VI(terms) |
Priority Pass | — | 6 |
 UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal(terms) |
DragonPass | 6 | — |
 UOB VI Metal(terms) |
DragonPass | Unlimited + 1 guest |
|
 UOB Reserve(terms) |
Priority Pass | Unlimited + 1 guest |
|
* Subject to S$200k+ in average deposits over the last three months, otherwise 2 visits per membership year. Unlimited visits plus one guest for Priority Private or Private Banking Programme members (S$1.5m+ average deposits)
We’ve only included miles-earning cards, since these are of most interest to our readers.
Some cashback credit cards like the Bank of China Visa Infinite and CIMB Visa Infinite also come with lounge perks, but we haven’t mentioned these since they don’t really cater to miles earning.
Accompanying guest visits, or those used over and above your annual allocation, are typically charged at US$35 per person per visit.
For example, if you have used nine out of ten visits in 2023 on your DBS Vantage card, then make a Priority Pass lounge visit in December 2023 with your partner (cardmember + 1 guest), the primary cardholder will take up the 10th complimentary visit but the guest will exceed it (11th visit), and a US$35 fee will be charged to your card account.
Calendar year vs. membership year
For most credit cards offering complimentary lounge visits, your entitlement is based on your card membership year.
For example, if you’re approved for your credit card on 1st October 2023, your annual visit entitlement runs from that date until 30th September 2024, then a new year starts.
In all cases, unused lounge visit entitlements do not roll over from one year to the next.
As you can see in the summary table above, some credit cards offer lounge visit allowances based on calendar year, 1st January to 31st December, rather than your card membership year.
For example, with the HSBC T1 card you get four DragonPass lounge visits per calendar year.
That means if you take out the card in November 2023 you will be entitled to four complimentary visits between approval and 31st December 2023, then a fresh four complimentary visits are loaded for the 1st January 2024 to 31st December 2024 period.
It’s therefore possible to achieve eight complimentary visits in the first 12 months with this one.
How the guest allowance works
In all cases, each accompanying guest you bring into a lounge will use up one of your annual visit entitlements. For example, if you bring your partner into a lounge with you using the Priority Pass membership with your Citi PremierMiles card, you’ll use up both of the two annual free visit allowances there and then.
The exception is cards allowing unlimited lounge access, which fall into two categories:
- Unlimited with no complimentary guest access (HSBC VI, Maybank VI, OCBC Voyage)
You will be charged for each accompanying guest entering the lounge with you - Unlimited with complimentary guest access (AMEX Platinum Charge, Citi Prestige, UOB VI Metal)
You can bring the stated number of accompanying guests into the lounge with you for free, after which you will be charged for each additional accompanying guest also entering the lounge with you
What about supplementary cardholders?
Generally your supplementary cardholders are not entitled to a lounge access membership of their own with these credit cards, but there are a few exceptions.
Singapore miles-earning credit cards
supplementary cardholder benefits
| Card | Supplementary Cardholder Visit Entitlement |
| AMEX Platinum Charge (terms) |
Unlimited for one supp. cardholder |
| Citi ULTIMA |
Unlimited up to two supp. cardholders |
| HSBC VI (terms) |
Unlimited up to five supp. cardholders |
| OCBC Premier VI (terms) |
2 |
| UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal (terms) |
6 |
| UOB Reserve (terms) |
Unlimited |
In the case of the HSBC Visa Infinite (see our review), this is a particularly generous perk, with up to five supplementary cardholders for no additional annual fee each entitled to their own unlimited access LoungeKey membership.
That means practically the whole family can potentially benefit with this one, since primary and supplementary cardholders are eligible for free access, whether travelling together or separately.
It’s not just lounges
The major lounge access scheme operators DragonPass and Priority Pass / LoungeKey also offer alternatives to the traditional third-party lounge access at several airports worldwide.
These are typically in the form of participating airport restaurants, where a set meal or fixed dining credit is available. There are also complimentary spa treatments or nap room use at some locations, and in each case one of your visit entitlements is deducted, just as it would be for lounge entry.
For example, at Melbourne Airport T2 (International) in Australia, Priority Pass and LoungeKey members can redeem one of their complimentary lounge visits instead for a dining rebate of AU$36 at one of four restaurants in the terminal.
If a guest visit allowance is also used, a rebate of AU$72 is unlocked, with one cardholder visit and one guest visit then deducted from your allowance.
For those with unlimited access plans, this can be a great deal.
It also does not prevent you from then proceeding to one of the Priority Pass lounges at the airport for some pre-flight relaxation, and potentially more F&B, for another visit deduction.
As we recently noted, here in Singapore there are now several restaurants available on Priority Pass. In these cases, a set menu is offered per guest visit.
How it looks at Singapore Changi Airport
For many of our readers, one of the main attractions of complimentary lounge access with a credit card is the ability to use a variety of lounges here at Changi Airport, when flying on low-cost carriers like Jetstar and Scoot.
This is also handy for those who regularly fly in Economy or Premium Economy cabins on Singapore Airlines, but don’t hold KrisFlyer Elite Gold or PPS Club status.
Here’s how the options look at Changi, depending on which lounge programme your credit card offers.
Third-party lounge options
at Singapore Changi Airport
| Lounge | DragonPass | Plaza Premium | Priority Pass / LoungeKey |
 |
|||
| Marhaba | |||
| Plaza Premium | |||
| SATS Premier | |||
 |
|||
| Ambassador Transit | |||
| Connect | |||
| SATS Premier | |||
 |
|||
| Ambassador Transit | |||
| Marhaba | |||
| SATS Premier | |||
 |
|||
| Blossom | |||
 |
|||
| Changi Lounge | |||
As you can see the DragonPass and Priority Pass / LoungeKey networks have an almost complete selection in all terminals, while the Plaza Premium membership is a little on the lighter side, despite now having a lounge option in each terminal.
Dining and spa options
at Singapore Changi Airport
| Restaurant / Spa | DragonPass | Priority Pass / LoungeKey |
|
||
| Crystal Jade | ||
| Terrace Chinese Kitchen | ||
| Thai Noodle Bar | ||
|
||
| Chutney Mary | ||
| Hudson Kiosk | ||
| Kaveri Indian | ||
| TGM | ||
| TranSpa | ||
|
||
| Hudsons Coffee | ||
| Kaveri Express | ||
| Pret a Manger | ||
| The Kitchen (Wolfgang Puck) |
||
|
||
| Crystal Jade | ||
| Tiger Den | ||
DragonPass rules the roost for dining and spa options at Changi, but Priority Pass also has a decent selection here too.
Do note that a Plaza Premium membership won’t help you with restaurant dining or spa credits, something to note when considering the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend and selected OCBC credit cards.
Summary
Around 20 miles earning credit cards in Singapore offer some form of complimentary lounge visits, and for many regular travellers these can add significantly to a card’s value proposition throughout the year, especially in cases where unlimited access is offered.
This can come in very handy when you’ve travelling with low-cost carriers like AirAsia, Jetstar and Scoot, or in Economy Class on airlines you don’t hold lounge-worthy status with.
At many airports, now also including Singapore Changi, there’s also the option to use up a complimentary visit to redeem a set menu at an airport restaurant, or receive a fixed rebate from your bill.
(Cover Photo: Plaza Premium)
Thanks a lot for the article! How can we find out which lounge is only accessible landside or airside, and whether we can use it for departure and also ok arrival as well?
While it is good to have many choices of lounge access in Changi airport, it is quite unexpected that the quality of food in some of these lounges often cannot measure up with that in our neighbour airports.
I think you missed out 1 free lounge pass from DINERS