Once you airport lounge you neverrrrr go back 🙂

Let me tell you, it’s boujee perk you never knew you needed that makes your travel days SO much more enjoyable (all the more so with kids!)….a vacation before the vacation!

Complimentary food and drinks, a quiet and nice oasis away from the hustle of the airport, CLEANNNN bathrooms…SAY NO MORE.

And by holding the right credit card you can get free lounge access for you family! Let’s dive into the BEST cards to get your family that amazing lounge life!

The best card (currently) for lounge access: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

For the past few years, without question, I would have told you the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was easillyyyyyy the BEST value premium card to get the MOST lounge access possible for your family.

Unfortunately, some recent announcements let us know that big changes are coming to the extensiveness of the Venture X’s lounge access starting February 1, 2026- no longer making it the best card for lounge access…

…specifically for families!

And until February 1, 2026 the Venture X still remains KING of lounge access!

• Unlimited access to all Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges worldwide (1300+!) for all main card holders and authorized users
• Unlimited FREE authorized users
• Both can bring in 2 free guests each to all Capital One and Priority Pass lounges
• $300 annual credit to use in the Capital One travel portal + 10,000 anniversary points (both of these credits easily cancel out the annual fee!)

So if you have some big trips between now and then, where lounge access would be clutch for your family…NOW is the time to get this card! (and then you can downgrade after the one year mark if you decide the card is no longer worth it once the changes hit)

In February of 2026, to add authorized users with lounge access it will cost you $125. As well, two free guests no more to either of the lounge networks. YUCK. Quickly making the Venture X (starting in February) NO longer the best card option for families.

Solo travelers the Capital One Venture X is your best option.…LOUNGE IT UP.

Couples? It is probably worth each of you having your own Venture X (as with the yearly credits the annual fee nets to $0, versus paying $125 for an authorized user)

1 kid? It could be worth it to pay the $125 to add them as an authorized user.

More than 1 kid? You probablyyyy want to take a look at some better options below!

Now if you spend $75,000 on your Venture X (yeahhhh) in one calendar year, the main card holder receives 2 complimentary guests into Capital One Lounges for the following calendar year. As well, Capital One Venture X Business card holders can still bring 2 free guests into Priority Pass lounges

Yeah…not great right?! Let’s dive into some other options- all hope is not lost!!

Best lounge access for families: The Chase Ritz-Carlton Card®

Ok so this is probably not what you were expecting…but this lesser known card surprisingly provides the most extensive lounge access for larger families beyond the Venture X!

• Main card holder receives unlimited access to all Chase Sapphire and Priority Pass lounges worldwide (1300+!)
• FREE unlimited authorized users (rare!) that get that same access
• Unlimited guests at BOTH lounge networks (also very rare…so ONE card holder = getting an entire family into these lounges for free!)
• $300/year travel credit (you do have to call in to use this, so not as user friendly as other travel credits)
• 85,000 point annual Marriott Free Night Certificate!

That $300 annual credit isn’t but favorite, BUT it can be used on:

• Airline lounge day pass
• Yearly lounge membership of your choice
• Airline seat upgrades
• Airline baggage fees
• In-flight internet/entertainment
• In-flight meals

Here’s the catch…

The Ritz card isn’t open for new applications

You have to hold a Chase Marriott card with Chase for a year, and THEN you can upgrade to this Ritz card.

Welllllll CHEF’S KISS to this timing…

Amazingly enough, a limited time elevated offer on my favorite Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card just went live! The 5 free 50k free night certificates is a favoriteeeee offer and its BACK! This is the ONLY time I recommend applying for this card!

So you could apply for this limited time offer now, and then after a year upgrade to the Ritz card just a few months after those Venture X lounge benefits are changing! (I mean did they plan this?!)

💳 Learn how to apply for the LIMITED TIME 5 Free Night 50k Marriott offer here!

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

This is the runner up in my opinion…orrrr a close tie for first, just because the Ritz card isn’t as accessible. The Reserve is easier to get because you can apply for the card directly!

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is the premium version of our MVP #1 travel card the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card– so you can upgrade to the Reserve from the Sapphire after one year, or upgrade from any card in Chase Freedom family. NOTE, you can only hold ONE card in the Sapphire family!

• Main card holder receives unlimited access to all Chase Sapphire and Priority Pass lounges worldwide
• You can add authorized users for $75 (lowest cost for adding an authorized user other than the Ritz card!)
• Both can bring in 2 guests each into to both Sapphire and Priority Pass lounges
• $300 annual travel credit (easiest one to use as it is a statement credit that can be used on the widest variety of travel)
• Access to Chase Travel℠ where your points are worth 1.5x more! (10,000 points = $150)

Not to mention the always benefit of alllll the amazing transfer partners for your Chase points! Lookin’ at you Hyatt for $0 hotel stays!

There are currently four Sapphire louges in the US: New York City (JFK), and Phoenix (PHX), New York LaGuardia (LGA), andBoston (BOS). Internationally, there’s also a Sapphire Lounge in Hong Kong (HKG).

Additional locations for Las Vegas (LAS), Philadelphia (PHL), and San Diego (SAN)…and rumors of Dallas (DFW) as well coming SOON!

The Platinum Card® from American Express

This is probably my least favorite option of the bunch. And that’s mostly because of the crazy steep annual fee (with credits that are not nearly as user friendly) and the VERY strict guest access policy for AMEX Centurion Lounges.

• Primary card holder gets access to all AMEX Centurion, Plaza Premium, and Priority Pass Lounges
• It costs $175 to add any authorized users on the personal Platinum card (yikes)
• Only the primary cardholder is able to access Centurion lounges for free (no guests allowed! SO stingy). You can get a free guest if you spend $75,000 on your card annually.
• Main card holders and authorized users each can bring 2 guests each into Plaza Premium and Priority Pass lounges
• A wide array of statement credits (that I think are difficult to use and keep up with), including $200 for airline incidental fees, $200 for hotel bookings through Amex Travel, $200 in Uber Cash, up to $240 in digital entertainment, and $100 for Saks Fifth Avenue

So with some of these limitations for larger families combined with the steep, hard to justify annual fee ($675!)…I would much more likely go for the Ritz card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Other notes about Lounge Access

If you only travel one, maybe two, times a year…prioritizing a card with lounge access might not be worth it for your family. If you ARE spending $50-75 on airport food (wayyyyy to easy to do with a larger family and the cost of those meals!) a few times a year, there can be some immense savings with airport lounges!

I encourage you to not just think about what lounges are at your home airport…but also alllllll the places you are going to travel! Being able to visit an airport lounge at all those destination airports on your way home is equally valuable.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to terminal hop! We always check into terminal D at DFW because that’s where the best lounges are, but then will take the tram over to whatever terminal our flight is departing from after lounging!

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I hope this was helpful! Cheers to traveling MORE, and BETTER, for CHEAPER!!