There’s a scene in the movie Unaccompanied Minors where a rich teenager sneaks into a luxurious airport lounge. It was my first exposure to this glamorous travel perk – one I never thought I’d be able to experience myself.

Last year, I left my job as a full-time personal finance editor to travel the world. Armed with my knowledge of credit card points, savings tips, and smart financial advice, I figured it out how to visit more than 36 countries on a budget. I quickly learned that access to the airport lounge It doesn’t cost as much as you might think. You can usually purchase a day pass for around $35 to $75.

But if you play your cards right, you might be able to access the Priority Pass lounge for free.

Priority Pass membership gives you access to a network of more than 1,600 lounges and airport experiences worldwide. Here’s how you can get Priority Pass airport lounge access at an affordable price and, in some cases, at no additional cost.

Learn more: Go through airport security. These credit cards offer TSA PreCheck for free

How much does Priority Pass membership cost?

THE price of an annual Priority Pass subscription range from $99 for the Standard plan (with a $35 fee for each salon visit) to $469 for the Prestige plan (with unlimited free visits).

If you plan to visit a trade show only once or twice a year, paying for a day pass or the standard package is your best bet. But if you travel more frequently, you’ll need a plan that gives you unlimited access.

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

Popular credit cards offering Priority Pass

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

Since the Prestige plan costs $469 per year, any credit card with an annual fee lower than that amount is already a better deal, even before considering the card’s other benefits.

Some of the the most popular travel cards people turn to for Priority Pass include:

Several business cards and hotel or airline co-branded cards also offer Priority Pass, but these cards are aimed at a smaller audience and aren’t much cheaper than the options above.

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

Looking at the four cards above, there’s one clear advantage: the Capital One Venture X has the lowest annual fee, at $395. Capital One also lets you add up to four authorized users, all of whom get their own Priority Pass subscription at no additional cost.

Clearly, the Venture X is the winner, right?

Well, it depends. If you don’t use the card for other travel benefits, then maybe. But if you travel often enough to want to become a Priority Pass member, there are other factors to consider.

In addition to offering Priority Pass, the four cards above offer a litany of benefits, including statement credits that provide quantifiable monetary value. If you use these credits to offset purchases you were going to make as part of normal spending, they can help significantly reduce the card’s annual fee. Let’s take a look at how much value you can get from each card’s statement credits and the effective annual fees if you use them all.

For ease of comparison, I only count credits that have a defined cash value and are not subject to complicated restrictions. Some credits are not available every year, so the calculations below reflect the value of each card in its first year.

Notice a trend?

If you can max out all the credits without spending too much, these cards are effectively free and you might even come out on top.

Of the four cards above, the Amex Platinum technically has the lowest effective annual fee, at -$599. However, Platinum Credits are divided into several different parts, some of which may be more difficult to max out than others. Among the options listed, this is also the card with the highest real annual fees, which means they require the largest initial investment with no guarantee that you will be able to “recover” these fees.

Which card offers Priority Pass the best value?

For most people, the Venture X will offer the best balance between minimizing effective annual fees and ease of use of credits. The card only has two credits, one for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry and one for the Capital One travel portal, which offers a wide selection of flights, hotels and rental cars.

I haven’t factored each card’s rewards into the calculations above, but it’s worth noting that the Venture $100 if used as a statement credit for travel). This bonus, combined with the $300 annual travel credit, keeps the card’s effective annual fee negative even in years without the TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit.

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

The card that offers Priority Pass for free

If you take four or fewer trips per year, there’s another lesser-known card that could help you get a 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 eliminating the annual fee, the card retained its Priority Pass and TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit benefits, essentially giving the card some premium card perks for the price of a no annual fee card.

So what’s the problem?

You’ll only get four free salon visits per year with Altitude Connect’s Priority Pass membership. Any guests you bring also count toward the four-visit allowance. That may not be enough to tempt frequent travelers, but it’s perfect for occasional travelers or anyone curious about airport lounges who doesn’t want to commit to an annual fee card.

Do you need airport lounge access?

You don’t need access to airport lounges to enjoy the trip. In fact, you may learn, as I did, that this particular benefit is not always as glamorous as it seems. But if you fly in and out of airports often, lounge access could improve your travel experience.

If you’re new to airport lounges, I don’t recommend getting unlimited lounge access until you decide it’s an experience you enjoy. Investing a few hundred dollars or opening a new credit card – which can have larger implications on your credit score and overall finances – is not a decision you should take lightly. If you are hesitant, buy a day pass and try it without obligation.

After testing the waters, if you plan to visit trade shows frequently, it’s a good idea to find a credit card that fits your travel goals. For most travelers, the Capital One Venture X will be the best choice. For more frequent travel, American Express Platinum may offer you the best value.

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

*All information on the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit Card, Capital One Venture the transmitter.

For American Express Platinum Card rates and fees, Click here.