Which credit cards allow you to share lounge visits?

If you’re looking for a credit card with complimentary lounge access, you’ll be glad to know there are plenty of options in Singapore— more than two dozen, at last count. But what if you’re travelling with someone who can’t get a card, like a retiree or a child? In that case, you might be wondering whether your lounge visits can be shared.

Now, it may seem intuitive that if you have ten lounge visits, it should make no difference whether you go by yourself ten times, or whether you go with a companion five times.

Unfortunately, that’s not always how it works. Some banks don’t allow lounge visits to be shared, and if you’re not careful, you could be hit with extra guest charges!

Which credit cards allow you to share lounge visits?

For cards with limited visits

Principal cardholders of the following cards enjoy anywhere from 2-12 complimentary lounge visits per year.

Do note that “year” can refer to the calendar year (c. year in the table below), or the membership year (m. year) of your lounge pass. Bank of China is an exception, tracking its allowances based on a year that runs from 1 November to 31 October (I’ve never pretended to understand how BOC does things!).

Card	Lounge Visits	Shareable?
Citi PremierMiles Card Apply	2 C. Year	Yes 1x Guest
DBS Altitude Visa Apply	2 M. Year	Yes 1x Guest
Maybank Premier World Mastercard Apply	2 C. Year	Yes 1x Guest
OCBC Premier Visa Infinite Apply	2 M. Year	No
StanChart Journey Card Apply	2 M. Year	Yes 1x Guest
CIMB Visa Infinite Apply	3 M. Year	No
BOC Visa Infinite Apply	4 1 Nov to 31 Oct	Yes Multiple Guests
HSBC TravelOne Card Apply	4 C. Year	Yes Multiple Guests
Maybank Visa Infinite Apply	4 M. Year	No
UOB PRVI Miles Card Apply	4 C. Year	No
DCS Imperium Card Apply	6 C. Year	No
StanChart Visa Infinite Apply	6 M. Year	Yes 1x Guest
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card Apply	6 C. Year	No
DBS Vantage Apply	10 M. Year	Yes Multiple Guests
Citi Prestige Card Apply	12 C. Year	Yes Multiple Guests
StanChart Priority Banking Visa Infinite Apply	12^ M. Year	Yes 1x Guest
^12 visits with min. AUM S$200K and wealth holdings, otherwise 2 visits

In this segment, the cards you need to watch out for are the CIMB Visa Infinite, DCS Imperium, Maybank Visa Infinite, OCBC Premier Visa Infinite, UOB PRVI Miles, and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card, which don’t allow lounge visits to be shared.

Even if the card does allow for guest visits, you need to be careful because the StanChart Visa Infinite and Priority Visa Infinite only allow a maximum of one guest per visit. If you were to visit as a party of three, you would have to pay for one guest, notwithstanding the fact you have sufficient visits to cover everyone. 

At the risk of stating the obvious, your guest must be accompanied by you when visiting the lounge, so it’s not possible for you to redeem a visit for a guest and only incur a single visit deduction.

For cards with unlimited visits

Principal cardholders of the following cards enjoy unlimited lounge access, but only certain cards allow for guests.

Card	Lounge Visits	Guests
AMEX Centurion Apply	∞	1-2 (each time)
AMEX Platinum Charge Apply	∞	1-2 (each time)
StanChart Beyond Card Apply	∞	6 (each year)
UOB Reserve Card Apply	∞	1 (each time)
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card Apply	∞	1 (each time)
Citi ULTIMA Card Apply	∞	0
DBS Insignia Apply	∞	0
HSBC Premier Mastercard Apply	∞	0
HSBC Prive Card Apply	∞	0
HSBC Visa Infinite Apply	∞	0
OCBC VOYAGE (all versions) Apply	∞	0

Three important things to note here.

• You might be surprised to know that despite their four-digit annual fees, neither the Citi ULTIMA nor DBS Insignia Cards come with guesting privileges. On the other hand, the much-cheaper (relatively speaking) UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card allows one guest to accompany the principal cardholder!
• With regards to the AMEX Platinum Charge, one guest is permitted for Priority Pass and Plaza Premium lounges, and two guests are permitted for Centurion Lounges
• The StanChart Beyond Card works slightly differently from the rest of the cards mentioned here, with principal and supplementary cardholders sharing a combined cap of six guest visits per calendar year

What about supplementary cardholders?

So far we’ve only focused on principal cardholders, but some cards extend lounge access to supplementary cardholders as well.

Therefore, even if your principal card doesn’t have guesting privileges, you might consider applying for a supplementary card for your frequent travel companion. This has the added benefit of enabling them to visit the lounge, even when you’re not travelling with them. 

✈️ Lounge Access for Supplementary Cardholders
Card	Lounge Visits	Remarks
AMEX Centurion	∞ + 1-2 guests, depending on lounge	Priority Pass for 1st supp card only
AMEX Platinum Charge	∞ + 1-2 guests* (exact entitlement depends on lounge)	Priority Pass for 1st supp card only
Citi ULTIMA	∞	2x supp cards
HSBC Premier Mastercard	∞	3x supp cards
HSBC Visa Infinite	∞	5x supp cards
StanChart Beyond Card	∞ + 6 guests (each year)	4x supp cards. Guest entitlement shared with principal cardholder
OCBC VOYAGE (all versions)	2 visits	Cannot be shared
UOB Reserve	∞	All supp cards
*8x Priority Pass visits, unlimited visits to Plaza Premium and Centurion Lounge

Two important things to note here:

• While principal UOB Reserve Cardholders enjoy unlimited visits with one guest, supplementary cardholders enjoy unlimited visits without the guest allowance
• While principal OCBC VOYAGE Cardholders enjoy unlimited visits, supplementary cardholders only receive two lounge visits (which cannot be shared)

What if you exceed your free visits?

If you exceed the number of visits you are entitled to, or bring more guests than you are allowed, then a US$32 (DragonPass) or US$35 fee (Priority Pass) will apply per person. 

This will be billed to your credit card automatically. 

Conclusion

If you travel often with companions who can’t get credit cards of their own, being able to share your lounge visits can save you from unnecessary guest fees. Alternatively, some cards offer lounge access to supplementary cardholders, which allows them to visit the lounge even when they’re flying solo.