Link: Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review) is one of the most popular premium travel credit cards. The card offers valuable lounge perks, including access to Chase Sapphire Lounges and a Priority Pass™ membership.
In October 2024, we saw the card also add access to select Air Canada Lounges, presumably as part of an expansion of the existing partnership between Chase and Air Canada, as the two companies also partner on the Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card (review).
I want to take an in-depth look at this and also provide an update, as this benefit has been improved to allow a complimentary guest when visiting lounges.
Access Air Canada Lounges with Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers Air Canada Lounge access at participating locations. This is available both to the primary cardmember and to authorized users. Note that this benefit only applies on the personal version of the card, and not on the Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (review).
Let’s take a look at some of the details. Which lounges participate in this agreement, are you allowed to bring guests, and what do you have to present to enter the lounges?
Which Air Canada Lounges can you access?
Thanks to this partnership, it’s possible to access most (but not all) Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. You can access the following lounges in the United States:
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, Terminal 6
- New York LaGuardia (LGA) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, Terminal B Eastern Concourse
- San Francisco (SFO) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, Terminal 2
You can access the following lounges in Europe:
- Frankfurt (FRA) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge
- London Heathrow (LHR) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge
You can access the following lounges in Canada:
- Calgary (YYC) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge
- Edmonton (YEG) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge
- Halifax (YHZ) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge
- Ottawa (YOW) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge
- Regina (YQR) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge
- St. John’s (YYT) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge
- Saskatoon (YXE) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge
- Toronto Pearson (YYZ) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Express , and Air Canada Café (excludes Air Canada Signature Suite)
- Toronto Downtown Billy Bishop (YTZ) – Aspire Air Canada Café
- Vancouver (YVR) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge (excludes Air Canada Signature Suite)
- Winnipeg (YWG) – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge
For airports with multiple facilities, access is offered for domestic departures, transborder departures, and other international departures. It’s worth noting that none of the lounges in Montreal (YUL) are currently participating in this partnership, so that’s a major carve-out.
Can you bring guests into Air Canada Lounges?
Those entering an Air Canada Lounge with a Chase Sapphire Reserve are allowed to bring one guest on a complimentary basis. That applies regardless of whether you’re a primary cardmember or authorized user.
Guests beyond that are allowed at the rate of CAD 59 for locations within Canada, USD 59 for locations within the United States, EUR 59 for locations within the European Union, and GBP 59 for locations within the United Kingdom. Lounge access is also subject to capacity constraints.
What airline do you need to be flying?
To enter an Air Canada Lounge, you simply need to present your eligible Chase Sapphire Reserve, plus a same day boarding pass for a flight operated by Air Canada or a Star Alliance member airline. Note that access is allowed up to three hours before departure, except when connecting, when you can access earlier.
This is an underrated and overlooked perk
Admittedly everyone’s travel patterns are different, but I think the Air Canada Lounge access offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve is often an overlooked benefit. It’s also better than before, since you can now even bring a complimentary guest into lounges.
Obviously if you’re a frequent traveler to, from, or within Canada, on a Star Alliance airline, this is awesome. However, I think it’s also worth emphasizing how this is potentially a nice perk for Air Canada Lounge locations in the United States, when flying United domestically.
Air Canada Lounges are typically a step up from your typical United Club or Priority Pass lounge, so being able to access these lounges prior to a flight is pretty useful.
Bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers access to most Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges when flying Air Canada or a Star Alliance partner airline the same day. Travelers can even bring one guest on a complimentary basis. This applies both to the primary cardmember and authorized users on the personal version of the card, and doesn’t apply on the business version of the card.
I’d say that this is a great, underrated lounge access perk, since it doesn’t get much attention. It’s awesome that guests are now even allowed.
What do you make of this Air Canada Lounge access perk with the Chase Sapphire Reserve?
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