4 credit cards that get you free or discounted access to Delta Sky Club airport lounges

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4 credit cards that get you free or discounted access to Delta Sky Club airport lounges

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Delta

One of the benefits of Delta's two mainstream credit cards - the Gold Delta SkyMiles and the Platinum Delta SkyMiles cards from American Express - is the ability to purchase discounted access to Delta's Sky Club airport lounges.

Until recently, anyone could purchase one-time access to Sky Clubs for $59 at any lounge's front desk. However, these day passes were eliminated in mid-November 2018.

Fortunately, single-visit passes are still available for Gold and Platinum Delta SkyMiles cardholders. If you have one of those cards, you can buy access to the Sky Club for just $29 - about half the price of what used to be available to anyone flying Delta.

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Those discounted lounge passes are great for travelers who occasionally fly Delta, or would only use the lounge access a few times each year - for instance, in case of delays, long connections, or a tendency to arrive for flights a bit early.

If you can see yourself using the Sky Club more often, you should instead consider Delta's premium card - the Delta Reserve Credit Card from American Express - which gives the cardholder complimentary access to Sky Clubs whenever they're flying Delta. That helps offset the card's $450 annual fee.

The Delta Reserve card comes with a few other perks, including a domestic first class companion pass, and higher upgrade priority for Delta Medallion members.

An alternative, if you're looking for the widest lounge access you can get from a credit card, the best option is the (not Delta-branded) Platinum Card® from American Express. In addition to Sky Club access whenever flying Delta, that card offers access to Priority Pass lounges, AmEx's own Centurion and International Lounges, and more. That's a network of over 1,200 lounges around the world.

The AmEx Platinum has a high $550 annual fee, but it's easy to get more value than that - in my first year with the card, I got over $2,000 in value. Right now, the card offers 60,000 AmEx Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 in the first three months.

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Click here to learn more about the Gold Delta SkyMiles card from Business Insider's partner: The Points Guy.

Click here to learn more about the Platinum Delta SkyMiles card from Business Insider's partner: The Points Guy.

Click here to learn more about the Delta Reserve card from Business Insider's partner: The Points Guy.

Click here to learn more about the AmEx Platinum card from Business Insider's partner: The Points Guy.

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