How many lounge visits can you enjoy with no-fee credit cards?

Many credit cards advertise free airport lounge access as a perk—but it’s not really free if you have to pay an annual fee.

However, the good news is that some cards really do offer lounge access with no annual fee necessary, making it truly costless. By my calculations, it’s possible to enjoy up to 22 lounge visits per year without paying a single cent, or even unlimited, depending on how you define “free”!

What do I mean by “free” credit cards?

There’s three ways of thinking about “free”.

1. Credit cards which waive the first year’s annual fee
2. Credit cards which waive the annual fee for Priority Banking customers
3. Credit cards which waive the annual fee upon meeting a minimum spend 

(1) will obviously be the most accessible, but the other two categories are worth mentioning nonetheless.

If you really want to get technical, then (2) and (3) still involve some opportunity cost, in terms of the interest that could be earned by depositing those funds elsewhere, or the miles that could be earned by putting that spending on other cards. But let’s not overcomplicate things, shall we?

Credit cards with first year fee waivers

The following credit cards either offer a first year annual fee waiver, or have no annual fee to begin with.

Card	Min. Income	Annual Fee	Lounge Visits
DCS Cards Apply	S$30K	Varies (FYF)	1* No Share
Citi PremierMiles Card Apply	S$30K	S$196.20 (FYF)	2 Share
DBS Altitude Visa Apply	S$30K	S$196.20 (FYF)	2 Share
StanChart Journey Card Apply	S$30K	S$196.20 (FYF)	2 Share
CIMB Visa Infinite Apply	S$120K	N/A	3 No Share
BOC Visa Infinite Apply	S$120K	S$381.50 (FYF)	4 Share
Maybank Visa Infinite Apply	S$150K	S$654 (FYF)	4 No Share
UOB PRVI Miles Card Apply	S$30K	S$261.60 (FYF)	4 No Share
*Capped at 1x lounge visit per calendar year, regardless of how many DCS cards you hold

For the Citi PremierMiles Card, DBS Altitude Visa and StanChart Journey Card, cardholders have the option of paying the first year’s annual fee to earn bonus miles. However, this is not mandatory, and you can opt for a first year fee waiver while still enjoying the complimentary lounge visits.

It may also be possible to waive the second and subsequent years’ annual fees, depending on your aggregate spending and relationship with the bank. You will still receive the complimentary lounge visits each year even if the annual fee is waived.

Credit cards with annual fee waivers for Priority Banking customers

The following credit cards offer a perpetual annual fee waiver for Priority Banking customers.

Card	Min. AUM	Lounge Visits
Maybank Premier World Mastercard Apply	S$300K	2 Share
OCBC Premier Visa Infinite Apply	S$350K	2 No Share
HSBC Premier Mastercard Apply	S$200K	4* Share
StanChart Priority Banking Visa Infinite Apply	S$200K	12 Share
OCBC PPC VOYAGE Apply	S$1.5M	Unlimited No Guest
*6x free visits for HSBC Premier Elite (min. AUM S$1.2M)

Do note that an annual fee may be charged if your total relationship balance falls below the specified minimums shown in the table above.

Credit cards with annual fee waivers for minimum spend

The following credit cards offer an annual fee waiver to cardholders who meet the minimum annual spending amounts listed in the table below.

Card	Annual Fee (Waiver Criteria)	Lounge Visits
HSBC TravelOne Card Apply	S$196.20 (S$25,000)	4 Share
DBS Vantage Apply	S$599.50 (S$60,000)	10 Share
Maybank Visa Infinite Apply	S$654* (S$60,000)	4 No Share
OCBC VOYAGE Card Apply	S$488 (S$60,000)	Unlimited No Guest
DBS Insignia Card Apply	S$3,210 (S$300,000)	Unlimited No Guest
*First year free with no minimum spend necessary

The minimum spend ranges from S$25,000 to S$300,000 and are strictly enforced with the possible exception of the HSBC TravelOne Card, where data points are more mixed.

Which other cards offer airport lounge access?

If you can’t get enough lounge visits from free cards alone, then paying an annual fee isn’t the end of the world- provided the entire package of benefits offers good value. 

For the complete list of cards offering lounge access in Singapore — both fee paying and free — refer to the article below.

2025 Edition: Best Credit Cards for Airport Lounge Access

Conclusion

If you’re looking for truly free airport lounge access, there are numerous credit cards which offer this without the need to pay an annual fee.

And don’t forget: if your Player 2 (wife, girlfriend, wife and girlfriend) qualifies for cards, you can effectively double the allowance at no extra cost!