Saving Money in the Maple Leaf Lounge
Posted January 3, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Travel Tips
Greetings from Air Canada’s Maple Leaf domestic lounge at Toronto International airport.
Today we’re traveling from Toronto to Penticton via Vancouver, and just popped into the lounge for a quick and free breakfast.
We’re NOT traveling executive class today, but get access to Air Canada and the Star Alliance partner lounges with my American Express Platinum credit card .
Ed uses a CIBC VISA card, but he only gets one Aeroplan reward point per dollar, whereas I earn 1.5 points per dollar with my American Express card.
I estimate that I save about $30.00 for each visit, as I usually grab a meal, check my email (there’s no free access at the boarding gates), and a beer or other drink if I’m flying in the afternoon. So, with the amount that I/we travel, paying a little bit extra per year for these cards is entirely worth it.
Oh ya, Rick Mercer is in the lounge at the moment too — although I expect that the CBC coughs up the fee for his credit card. 
If you’re interested, you can check out the other American Express® AIR MILES® Credit Card features through this link.
Technorati Tags: American Express, Maple Leaf Lounge, Air Canada, Aeroplan, Rick Mercer
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Comments
2 Responses to “Saving Money in the Maple Leaf Lounge”
Got something to say?
Interesting info Rosalind. I was also reading about another bloggers perks with a black American Express card and they included free flight upgrades with Virgin (my favourite airline) - but you do have to pay a hefty fee for the black card.
American Express definitely sounds worth looking into, although I have noticed that fewer business in the UK accept it. My business accepts it, but I have to pay higher commissions than I do for other cards, which may be what puts other businesses off.
[Reply]
Hi Catherine,
It’s true that fewer businesses accept American Express due to their high commissions, so I also carry a couple of different VISA cards for those that don’t take it.
I have a few friends with black cards… very few.
Cheers,
Ros
[Reply]