Saving Money in the Maple Leaf Lounge
January 3, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner
Filed under Our Trips & 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
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.
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