While no one looks forward to a flight delay, there’s an interesting product on the market that can help to mitigate the pain: Visa SmartDelay.
The name may conjure images of an elixir for men with performance issues, but what it actually offers is complimentary lounge access for you and a guest, in the event your flight is delayed— no lounge membership necessary.
The only catch is that at the moment, Visa SmartDelay is only available to StanChart Smart Credit Card customers.
What is Visa SmartDelay?
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| Visa SmartDelay |
Visa SmartDelay provides complimentary access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide for the cardholder and a guest, in the event of a flight delay exceeding one hour. Do note that Visa is dependent on the airline to accurately report delays. If this does not occur, the lounge pass will not trigger.
Cardholders simply need to register their flight. If their flight is delayed by more than one hour, an email containing a LoungeKey QR code will be automatically generated (which covers both the cardholder and guest).
| âť“ When must you register by? |
| Visa’s FAQs say that registration must be made prior to the flight’s actual departure time, but StanChart’s FAQs say you can register even after you’ve been notified of the flight’s delay. It’s probably better to do it sooner rather than later! |
This can be redeemed at any LoungeKey-accepting airport lounge worldwide (LoungeKey and Priority Pass are basically the same). I would assume that it can also be used for non-lounge experiences like airport restaurants or spas, but I haven’t tested it before.
Interestingly, there is no requirement that you pay for your flight with the card you use to register. That’s a good thing, because the StanChart Smart Card earns just 0.46 mpd on air ticket bookings— hardly the right card to use!
Visa SmartDelay is provided as a complimentary benefit to all SC Smart credit cardholders. There is also no requirement to charge your travel fare to the Smart credit card to be eligible for this benefit.
-StanChart FAQs
SmartDelay is available to both principal and supplementary cardholders, but the supplementary cardholder cannot register for the same flight that the principal cardholder has registered for. I suspect this might be a problem unique to Standard Chartered cards, however, since supplementary cards share the same card number as principal cards (yes, it’s weird).
There is no limit to the number of times you can use the Visa SmartDelay benefit, though I imagine it’s not something you want to enjoy too often.
How is it different from Mastercard Flight Delay Pass?
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| Mastercard Flight Delay Pass |
If Visa SmartDelay sounds familiar, it’s probably because Mastercard has a similar product called Flight Delay Pass (incidentally, both SmartDelay and Flight Delay Pass are provided by Collinson, the company behind Priority Pass and LoungeKey).
The basic idea is the same; register your flight, and if it’s delayed, you get complimentary airport lounge access for yourself and a guest.
However, to the best of my knowledge, Mastercard Flight Delay Pass is no longer offered by any card issued in Singapore, as it’s limited to Mastercard Prepaid Platinum Travel cards.
Which credit cards offer airport lounge access?
Remember, Visa SmartDelay and Mastercard Flight Delay Pass only provide lounge access in the event of a flight delay.
If you’re looking for a credit card that offers lounge access regardless, refer to the article below.
Conclusion
Visa SmartDelay offers cardholders complimentary airport lounge access if their flight is delayed by more than an hour.
If you don’t have a credit card with unlimited lounge visits, this saves you from having to burn one of your free visits on an unexpected delay. Even better, it doesn’t restrict your choice of cards for air ticket bookings (use a Mastercard if you want; they’re usually the better option for air tickets!).
Some travel insurance policies also provides lounge visits for delayed flights. 20 times per annual policy.
Oh that’s interesting, which ones?
Singtel Travel Protect by GE provides Mastercard flight delay pass.
I think you get 20 – 25 passes for annual plans and a couple for single plans.
I never had to use it myself as I haven’t flown economy for many years now.
The nice thing about buying the GE plan via singtel is that they will cover a higher amount on your phone if you have a Singtel plan.
https://www.singtel.com/personal/products-services/lifestyle-services/travel-insurance/promotion/travel-insurance?utm_source=singtel&utm_medium=atl-paid&utm_campaign=stp-paid-comms#stp-testimonials2
Singtel Travel Protect by GE provides the Mastercard Delay Flight Pass. I think its 20-25 times for annual plan and 4 times for single plans. Never had to use it, simply because work allows business class travel. It might be useful in places where the alliance doesn’t have a good lounge or if they allow meal/service credits.
Or just buy an eSIM with Jetpack
https://www.jetpacglobal.com/perks/