Why I'm done paying for credit card lounge access

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For years, airport lounge access was one of my favorite travel perks. My husband and I happily paid hefty annual fees for premium travel credit cards because we loved having a quiet place to relax at the airport.

Unfortunately, those days seem to be over. On nearly every trip over the last year, we've encountered long lines, overcrowded lounges, and even waitlists just to get inside. For example, my family landed in Amsterdam during our spring break trip this year only to find an hour-plus line to enter the Priority Pass lounge and an incredibly crowded KLM Crown Lounge.

On another trip, I was turned away at an almost-empty Priority Pass lounge due to lounge restrictions only to find the nearby Centurion Lounge on a waitlist. I eventually just gave up, walked to my gate and sat there until it was time to depart.

After one too many disappointing experiences, I canceled my Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, and my husband canceled his Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business. I still have The Platinum Card® from American Express and its Global Lounge Collection® access for now, but that card may also be on borrowed time.

So what's our plan now? Instead of paying hundreds of dollars each year for lounge access we can't always use, we're changing the way we travel.

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Giving up paid lounge access doesn't mean we'll never visit airport lounges again. When we splurge on business class for international flights, lounge access is typically included with the ticket.

Premium fares cost more, of course, but the lounge experience is usually much more reliable than what we've seen with lounges where you can enter with a credit card. If we're paying for a premium cabin, we expect the premium experience to go with it.

I also have airline elite status that includes lounge access in some situations. My Delta status translates to SkyTeam Elite Plus, which gets me into many SkyTeam lounges on international trips, often with a guest.

My American AAdvantage status also gives me oneworld Emerald status, which offers similar access to many oneworld lounges on eligible international itineraries. Since I've already earned these benefits, there's no need to pay another annual fee just for lounge access.

I'm also shifting my focus to earning cash back. I've been putting more business spending on my Capital One Spark Cash card, which earns 2% cash back on purchases for a much smaller annual fee than premium cards. Those rewards can help cover airport meals and other travel expenses when lounges are crowded or unavailable. For us, that flexibility is worth more than a perk that depends on how crowded the lounge is that day.

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Airport lounge access is wonderful when everything goes as it should, but I'm tired of paying huge sums for a perk that's hard to use. We'll use the lounge access that comes with premium international flights or my airline elite status when it's available. The rest of the time, we'll enjoy the flexibility that comes with earning cash back and spending it wherever it makes the most sense.

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