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”.
- Credit cards which waive the first year’s annual fee
- Credit cards which waive the annual fee for Priority Banking customers
- 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 CardsApply |
S$30K | Varies (FYF) |
1* No Share |
 Citi PremierMiles CardApply |
S$30K | S$196.20 (FYF) |
2 Share |
 DBS Altitude VisaApply |
S$30K | S$196.20 (FYF) |
2 Share |
 StanChart Journey CardApply |
S$30K | S$196.20 (FYF) |
2 Share |
 CIMB Visa InfiniteApply |
S$120K | N/A | 3 No Share |
 BOC Visa InfiniteApply |
S$120K | S$381.50 (FYF) |
4 Share |
 Maybank Visa InfiniteApply |
S$150K | S$654 (FYF) |
4 No Share |
 UOB PRVI Miles CardApply |
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 |
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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 MastercardApply |
S$300K | 2 Share |
 OCBC Premier Visa InfiniteApply |
S$350K | 2 No Share |
 HSBC Premier MastercardApply |
S$200K | 4* Share |
 StanChart Priority Banking Visa InfiniteApply |
S$200K | 12 Share |
 OCBC PPC VOYAGEApply |
S$1.5M | Unlimited No Guest |
| *6x free visits for HSBC Premier Elite (min. AUM S$1.2M) |
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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 CardApply |
S$196.20 (S$25,000) |
4 Share |
 DBS VantageApply |
S$599.50 (S$60,000) |
10 Share |
| Maybank Visa Infinite Apply |
S$654* (S$60,000) |
4 No Share |
 OCBC VOYAGE CardApply |
S$488 (S$60,000) |
Unlimited No Guest |
 DBS Insignia CardApply |
S$3,210 (S$300,000) |
Unlimited No Guest |
| *First year free with no minimum spend necessary |
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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.
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!
If we have a few of these cards presumably we do need multiple priority pass sign ins and accounts?
yup. 1 priority pass account per card.
Most of the time on my visit in changi with amex priority pass, they keep saying it’s full. So pretty much I couldn’t use it for my last 4 trips in changi.
Wife and girlfriend = triple, no? Just sayin’.
i think the dilemma here is who you want to pool your lounge visits with.
would be more informative if adding in “reset per calendar year (like Citi PM)” and “reset per membership year (like DBS Altitude)”
refer here: https://milelion.com/2025/01/11/best-credit-cards-for-airport-lounge-access/
Do all cards issued by DCS Cards Centre have 1 free complimentary lounge pass/year? (i.e. visa, mastercard and diners international brands under DCS Cards Centre)
It looks like Flex does not have it? But I have the Vicom card and 1 visit is included
Only Diners card. Their Visa/Mastercard don’t have. The pic in this article is misleading.
have updated it, thanks!