Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with the latest information.
Airline lounges offer many benefits for all types of travelers. Many of us have spent hours happily working from lounges, which usually provide complimentary food and drinks and personalized assistance with flight cancellations and rebookings.
These lounges provide a welcome escape from the chaos of airport terminals and gate areas. If you have a large stash of airline miles, you may be wondering if you should use those miles to purchase a lounge membership with your airline of choice. Although it’s generally best to use a credit card to gain access to an airline lounge, this guide will consider lounge memberships with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines before discussing several other options.
American Airlines Admirals Club
The Admirals Club at LaGuardia Airport (LGA). ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
If American Airlines is your airline of choice, you may want to purchase an annual Admirals Club membership. Admirals Club membership offers access to nearly 50 Admirals Club locations and more than 60 partner lounges across the globe.
To gain Admirals Club access, Admirals Club members must have a boarding pass for same-day travel on any departing or arriving flight that is:
Marketed or operated by American
Marketed and operated by any Oneworld airline
Admirals Club membership includes access for the member and the member’s immediate family members (spouse or domestic partner and children under 18 years of age) or up to two guests when these individuals accompany the Admirals Club member.
The cost for an Admirals Club membership varies across the different elite levels of the AAdvantage program, and new memberships require additional miles or cash to cover the initiation fee. Travelers can choose between a single membership or a household membership that provides full membership to a spouse or domestic partner.
Membership type
AAdvantage member
AAdvantage Gold
AAdvantage Platinum
AAdvantage Platinum Pro
AAdvantage Executive Platinum
Individual (new)
$850 or 85,000 miles per year
$825 or 82,500 miles per year
$800 or 80,000 miles per year
$775 or 77,500 miles per year
$750 or 75,000 miles per year
Individual (renewal)
$800 or 80,000 miles per year
$775 or 77,500 miles per year
$750 or 75,000 miles per year
$725 or 72,500 miles per year
$700 or 70,000 miles per year
Household (new)
$1,650 or 165,000 miles per year
$1,625 or 162,500 miles per year
$1,600 or 160,000 miles per year
$1,575 or 157,500 miles per year
$1,550 or 155,000 miles per year
Household (renewal)
$1,600 or 160,000 miles per year
$1,675 or 167,500 miles per year
$1,550 or 155,000 miles per year
$1,525 or 152,500 miles per year
$1,500 or 150,000 miles per year
As you can see in the table, AAdvantage miles are valued at 1 cent each when used to purchase an Admirals Club membership. This is well below TPG’s valuation of AAdvantage miles at 1.5 cents each, so we generally wouldn’t recommend using your AAdvantage miles to purchase an Admirals Club membership.
Another option for an Admirals Club membership is the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees). Although this card carries a $595 annual fee, the card comes with full Admirals Club access.
The card’s annual fee is less than the least expensive annual membership. To learn more, check out our Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard review.
Related: Best credit cards for American Airlines flyers
Delta Air Lines Sky Club
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
If Delta Air Lines is your airline of choice, you may want to purchase a Delta Sky Club membership. Sky Club membership offers access to more than 50 Sky Club lounges.
Delta Sky Club members may only use the Sky Club with same-day, ticketed air travel on Delta or its partner airlines. You can also purchase a Sky Club membership with Delta Medallion elite status.
Delta offers two types of Sky Club membership: executive or individual. Executive membership includes unlimited Delta Sky Club access for the member and up to two guests per visit, while individual membership includes unlimited Sky Club access for only the member. However, members with an individual membership may bring up to two guests for $50 per guest per visit (or $25 per guest at grab-and-go Sky Clubs).
Membership type
Cash cost
Miles cost
Individual membership
$695 per year
69,500 miles per year
Executive membership
$1,495 per year.
149,500 miles per year.
When you use SkyMiles to pay for a one-year Sky Club membership, Delta SkyMiles are valued at 1 cent each. This is below TPG’s valuation of Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents apiece, so we generally wouldn’t recommend using your SkyMiles to purchase a Sky Club membership.
Starting Feb. 1, 2025, Delta will limit how many times you can visit a Sky Club in each program year (Feb. 1 through Jan. 31 of the following year) as follows:
Card
Number of annual visits
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
10
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
10
The Platinum Card® from American Express
6
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
6
If you have the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, you can currently pay $50 per person for one-time Sky Club access for yourself and up to two travel companions (terms apply). However, effective Jan. 1, 2024, this benefit will no longer be available.
Also, suppose you have a Delta Reserve card and travel on a Delta partner airline on flights not marketed or operated by Delta. In that case, you can enter a Sky Club for $50 per person (up to two guests) per visit or a grab-and-go location for $25 per person, per location.
Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 10 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter.
Related: Amex Platinum vs. Delta Reserve: Which card is best for Delta loyalists?
United Airlines Club
United Club Fly entrance. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
If United Airlines is your airline of choice, you may want to purchase a United Club membership. As a United Club member, you’ll have access to more than 45 United Club locations worldwide.
United Club customers, including members and their guests, must provide a same-day arrival and/or departure boarding pass in the customer’s name on a United, Star Alliance or a contracted partner flight to enter all United Club locations.
United Club membership includes access to select guests that accompany the United member. Guests are limited to two adults or one adult and dependent children under 21.
The cost for a United Club membership varies across the different elite levels of the United MileagePlus program.
Membership rate
Cash cost
Miles cost
General member, Premier Silver and Premier Gold
$650 per year
85,000 miles per year
Premier Platinum
$600 per year
80,000 miles per year
Premier 1K
$550 per year
75,000 miles per year
If you use United MileagePlus miles to purchase a United Club membership, you’ll get a value of between 0.73 and 0.76 cents per mile. This is well below TPG’s valuation of United MileagePlus miles at 1.45 cents each, so we generally wouldn’t recommend using your United MileagePlus miles to purchase a United Club membership.
Another option if you’re considering paying for a United Club membership is the United Club Infinite Card ($525 annual fee) or the United Club Business Card ($450 annual fee). The annual fees for these cards are lower than even the least expensive United Club membership, so it may make sense to apply for one of these United credit cards instead of paying for a United Club membership. To learn more, read our United Club Infinite Card review.
The information for the United Club Business Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: United Club Infinite Card vs. United Club Card
Other options
KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
This guide specifically focuses on airline lounges within the U.S. that offer membership options using points or miles. However, it is crucial to note that access to airline lounges is typically limited to flights with a specific airline or its partner airlines. Therefore, it is important to explore alternative methods for accessing a wider range of airport lounges.
For instance, holders of The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express can enjoy lounges within the American Express Global Lounge Collection. Additionally, many credit cards provide membership to Priority Pass lounges. Moreover, the American Express® Green Card offers up to $100 in statement credits annually for lounge access via LoungeBuddy.
The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: Best credit cards for airport lounge access
Bottom line
The value you’ll get from purchasing these airline lounge memberships with miles ranges from 0.73 cents per mile to 1 cent per mile. In each case, TPG values these miles at a higher rate than what you’ll get by redeeming them for a lounge membership.
We all have different valuations for our hard-earned frequent flyer currencies, though. So, if you are short on cash, these memberships can offer an alternate way to spend your miles to make your airport experience more comfortable.
