Banks offer access to airports' business-class lounges as a perk for premium credit card holders, writes Robert Laing

A few years ago, Diners Club cards were a popular way for frequent economy-class flyers to escape the metal departure lounge chairs that airports use to torture poorer travellers.

A key selling point of Diners Club was that its cards provided access to its Premier branded business-class airport lounges, irrespective of your air ticket.

This perk proved so popular that all banks now offer it with their platinum cards, although you have to go through the small print to know which lounges you can use and how often.

Different banks have allied with different airlines, meaning you can gain access to a particular airline's business-class lounge with either a business-class ticket or a platinum credit card of an allied bank, irrespective of which airline you are flying and what class.

Comair, which operates domestic British Airways flights, and kulula.com launched Slow branded lounges in partnership with First National Bank in time for the World Cup.

FNB card holders are debited R250 to use the lounge, which is refunded provided they spend at least R3000 on their card during that month.

If they spend less, only half gets refunded; in other words access to the lounge costs R125.

Barrett Whiteford, the head of marketing for FNB Credit Card, said this "free if you spend at least R3000 on your card" system was to avoid people signing up for credit cards they never use just to get the lounge perk.

Besides much more comfortable chairs, the business lounges offer free snacks and beverages, plus Internet-linked computers. Slow lounges even offer massages.

Standard Bank also has a relationship with British Airways, and there appears to be some confusion about whether its card holders can use Slow lounges.

A Standard Bank spokesman said they can, but Comair's Jamie Clyde contradicted this: "Slow is exclusively for British Airways passengers and FNB or its sister company, Rand Merchant Bank, platinum card holders.

"Standard Bank has a relationship with BA Executive Club that allows certain card holders to collect BA Miles - part of this deal is that these clients can get lounge access included as Executive Club members, but only when they travel BA."

Most of the other banks provide access to the Premier branded airport lounges originally developed by Diners Club.

Absa includes six visits a year in the R169 monthly fees on its platinum cards, after which card holders are charged R220 per visit. Nedbank limits its service to eight visits a year.

Nedbank is also allied to SAA's Voyager lounges, but access here requires an SAA Voyager Premium Credit Card and is limited to SAA ticket-holders.