There is a scene in the movie Unaccompanied Minors where a wealthy teenager sneaks into a luxurious airport lounge. This was my first encounter with this dazzling travel perk; I never thought I would be able to experience this on my own.

Last year I quit my job as a full-time personal finance editor to travel the world. Armed with my knowledge of credit card scores, savings tips, and smart money advice, here’s what I figured out: How to visit more than 36 countries on a budget. I learned this quickly airport lounge access It’s not as costly as you think. You can usually get a day pass for around $35 to $75.

But if you play your cards right, you can enjoy free access to the Priority Pass lounge.

Priority Pass membership can give you access to a network of more than 1,600 airport lounges and experiences worldwide. Here’s how you can do it Get Priority Pass airport lounge access affordable and in some cases at no extra cost.

Read more: Go Through Airport Security. These Credit Cards Offer TSA PreCheck for Free

How much does Priority Pass membership cost?

annual Priority Pass membership prices They range from $99 for the Standard plan (with a $35 fee for each lounge visit) to $469 for the Prestige plan (with unlimited free visits).

If you plan to visit a lounge only once or twice a year, paying for a day pass or standard plan is your best option. However, if you travel more frequently, you’ll want a plan that gives you unlimited access.

Luckily, there’s a cheaper way to get this than buying the Prestige plan directly from Priority Pass: credit cards.

Popular credit cards that offer Priority Pass

Many premium travel credit cards offer cardholders (and sometimes authorized users) a free Priority Pass Select membership, which gives them unlimited lounge visits, just like the Prestige plan.

Since the Prestige plan costs $469 annually, any credit card with an annual fee below that amount is already a better deal, even before you consider the card’s other benefits.

Some The most popular travel cards people apply for Priority Pass add:

A few business cards and hotel or airline co-branded cards It also offers Priority Pass, but these cards appeal to a narrower audience and aren’t much cheaper than the options above.

What’s the cheapest way to get Priority Pass airport lounge access?

Looking at the four cards above, there’s one clear standout: Capital One Venture X has the lowest annual fee at $395. Capital One also lets you add up to four authorized users who have their own Priority Pass membership at no additional cost.

Frankly, the winner is Venture X, right?

It depends on the situation. If you won’t be using the card for any other travel benefits, then maybe. But if you travel often enough to want a Priority Pass membership, there are other factors to consider.

In addition to offering Priority Pass, the four cards above come with a host of perks, including statement credits that offer measurable cash value. If you use these credits to offset purchases through regular spending, they can help lower the card’s annual fees significantly. Let’s take a look at the value you can get from each card’s statement credits and the applicable annual fees if you use them all.

For ease of comparison, I’m only counting loans that have a defined cash value and don’t come with complex restrictions. Since some credits do not apply every year, the calculations below reflect the first year value of each card.

Have you noticed a trend?

If you can max out all the credits without overspending, these cards are virtually free and you can even make it to the top.

Of the four cards above, the Amex Platinum technically has the lowest effective annual fee at -$599. However, Platinum’s credits are split into many different parts, and some of them may be harder to maximize than others. It is also the card with the highest value among the options listed. real It requires an annual fee, the largest upfront investment, and there is no guarantee that you will ever be able to “earn” it back.

Which card offers Priority Pass at the best value?

For most people, Venture X will provide the best balance between minimizing the effective annual fee and ease of credit availability. The card only has two credits, one TSA PreCheck/Global Entry and one for the Capital One Travel Portal, which offers a wide selection of flights, hotels and rental cars.

I didn’t include each card’s rewards in the calculations above, but it’s worth noting that Venture X offers a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus each year after the first (worth $100 if used as a statement credit for travel). This bonus, combined with the $300 annual travel credit, keeps the card’s actual annual fee negative even in years without the TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit.

However, if you can use all travel credits, Amex Platinum can be a more rewarding way to enjoy airport lounge access along with other perks.

Card that offers Priority Pass for free

If you’ll be making four or fewer trips a year, there’s another lesser-known card that can get you Priority Pass with no annual fee: the US Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card*.

The card received an upgrade in September that changed some of its rewards and benefits and removed its previous $95 annual fee. Despite the elimination of the annual fee, the card retained its Priority Pass and TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit benefits; This gave the card several premium card advantages over the price of a card with no annual fee.

So what’s the problem?

With Altitude Connect’s Priority Pass membership, you’ll only get four free lounge visits per year. Any guests you bring also count towards the four-visit allowance. This might not be enough to attract frequent travelers, but it’s perfect for anyone who travels occasionally or is curious about airport lounges who don’t want to commit to an annual fee card.

Need airport lounge access?

You don’t need access to an airport lounge to enjoy traveling. In fact, you can take advantage of this special advantage as I did. It’s not always as attractive as it seems. However, if you travel in and out of airports frequently, lounge access can improve your travel experience.

If you’re new to airport lounges, I don’t recommend applying for unlimited lounge access until you decide it’s an experience you value. Investing a few hundred dollars or opening a new credit card (which can have larger impacts on your credit score and overall financial situation) isn’t a decision you should make lightly. If you’re unsure, buy a day pass and try it without any commitment.

If you plan to visit lounges frequently once you’ve tested the conditions, it’s smart to find a credit card that suits your travel goals. For most travelers, Capital One Venture X will be the best choice. For more frequent trips, American Express Platinum may give you the best bang for your buck.

As for me, if I decide I want lounge access again, I’ll turn to the US Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card. With no annual fee, airport lounge access feels like a nice perk rather than a perk I’ll have to use every time I fly to get my money’s worth.

*All information about the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, and US Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card has been independently collected by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

For tariffs and fees of The Platinum Card from American Express, Click here.