Priority Pass Lounges in Canada: Every Airport and Every Card (2026)

In Canada, Priority Pass comes only with American Express-branded cards. The Amex Platinum and Business Platinum ($799) include unlimited visits through December 31, 2026. The Scotiabank Platinum American Express ($399) includes 10 visits a year. Every Visa and Mastercard premium card uses DragonPass instead. The Amex Aeroplan Reserve includes the membership but charges every visit. From January 1, 2027, Amex Platinum access drops to 6 Priority Pass and 6 Plaza Premium visits a year. Guests use visits. Only $20,000 of annual spend restores unlimited access, and 2026 spend decides 2027. Priority Pass lists 23 lounges at 8 Canadian airports; Québec City is pending. Bought direct, membership costs US$99, US$329 or US$469 a year, with a US$35 guest fee.

What changed in this update (September 11, 2026)

• Corrected: the card list. Three Visa cards previously named as Priority Pass cards are DragonPass cards. Priority Pass is Amex-only in Canada.
• Added: the January 1, 2027 Amex Platinum caps, the Amex Aeroplan Reserve pay-per-visit trap, the Scotiabank Platinum Amex, direct membership prices and break-even math.
• Corrected: the guest section. No Canadian Priority Pass card includes two guests; the Amex Platinum includes one.
• Rewritten: Montréal (National Bank Lounge in a temporary space until about June 2028; two Aspire lounges and the Desjardins transborder lounge added; Air France operator fixed), Québec City moved to pending, and details at Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Ottawa.
• Changed: the airport count from nine to eight confirmed plus one pending; the network size from one number to the published range.

Editorial disclosure: AirportLounges.ca may receive compensation if you apply for a card through links on this page. This does not affect the issuer's terms or the price you pay. The cards named as including Priority Pass visits are the Amex Platinum, the Business Platinum and the Scotiabank Platinum American Express. The Amex Aeroplan Reserve includes a Priority Pass membership but charges each visit. Facts verified September 11, 2026.

Which Canadian credit cards actually include Priority Pass?

Priority Pass is Amex-only in Canada

Most Canadian lounge guides get this wrong, and it is the one fact this page exists to answer. Priority Pass in Canada comes only through American Express-branded cards. Every Visa and Mastercard premium card uses DragonPass instead. That includes the Scotiabank Passport, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege and the BMO Ascend. DragonPass is sold as Visa Airport Companion or Mastercard Travel Pass. Prince of Travel and Frugal Flyer both say it plainly. Three Canadian cards include Priority Pass, issued by American Express and Scotiabank. If a guide says a Visa card includes Priority Pass, it is describing DragonPass.

The Amex Aeroplan Reserve includes zero included visits

The Aeroplan Reserve ($599) is the trap. Its terms say the US$99 Priority Pass membership fee is waived. They also say "all lounge visits are subject to a usage fee at the prevailing rate," and that the fee "applies to the Cardmember and his/her guests." Prince of Travel prices that at US$35 a visit. The Reserve's real lounge benefit is unlimited Maple Leaf Lounge access with one guest. Treat "Priority Pass membership included" on any card page as a question, not an answer: how many visits come with it?

Scotiabank Platinum Amex: 10 visits without the $799 fee

The card almost nobody covers. The Scotiabank Platinum American Express costs $399. It includes Priority Pass with 10 visits a year for the primary cardholder and 4 for a supplementary cardholder, counted from the date of enrolment. A cardholder plus one guest counts as two visits. After that, the prevailing retail rate applies. It also charges no foreign transaction fee. If you want Priority Pass a few times a year without the Platinum's fee, it is the only middle option in Canada.

Full Canadian card comparison

*Unlimited again with one guest once $20,000 is spent on the account in a calendar year. The top three rows are the only Canadian cards with Priority Pass visits included. Fees verified September 11, 2026 on issuer pages; the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite and TD First Class Travel fees are the issuers' standard fees and are often waived in year one.

What changes for Amex Platinum holders on January 1, 2027

2027 alert: the Amex Platinum's unlimited Priority Pass and Plaza Premium access ends December 31, 2026. From January 1, 2027 it is 6 + 6 visits a year, guests use visits, and only $20,000 of annual spend restores unlimited access. Amex is counting 2026 spend now.

The new 6 + 6 visit caps

A basic cardholder gets 6 Priority Pass visits and 6 Plaza Premium visits per calendar year. That is 12 in total across the two networks. A supplementary cardholder gets 2 of each. Visits reset on January 1 and do not roll over. Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club, Aspire, Swissport and the other airline-run lounges stay unlimited. Once your visits are gone, you can still enter by paying the lounge's regular rate.

Guests now consume your visits

Under the capped model there is no complimentary guest. Each person who enters uses one visit. A couple burns a network's six visits in three trips. This is the single biggest change for anyone who chose the Platinum to bring a partner in.

How the $20,000 spend threshold restores unlimited access

Spend $20,000 on the account in a calendar year and unlimited access comes back, with one complimentary guest per network. It lasts for the rest of that year and all of the next. Supplementary cardholder spending counts toward the threshold. Hit $20,000 by March 1, 2027 and you are unlimited for the rest of 2027 and all of 2028.

Why 2026 spending decides your 2027 access

Amex is tracking spend from January 1, 2026. Apply in the autumn of 2026 and spend lightly, and you enter 2027 on the capped tier. Put $20,000 on the card in 2026, and you enter 2027 unlimited. Judge the $799 fee against its recurring credits, which published reviews put at roughly $400 to $640 a year depending on which you use. Treat the lounge benefit as the part being reduced. Our full guide: Amex Platinum airport lounge access in Canada.

Priority Pass vs DragonPass in Canada

Visa Airport Companion and Mastercard Travel Pass explained

Most Canadians with a premium travel card hold DragonPass, not Priority Pass. Most premium cards here are Visa or Mastercard. Visa's version is called Visa Airport Companion. Mastercard's is Mastercard Travel Pass. Both run on DragonPass. The mechanics differ from Priority Pass in three ways. Visits come as a pool, usually 4 to 6 a year. Every person who enters uses one, so a cardholder and guest are two visits. The overage is US$32 per person, against Priority Pass's usual US$35. Some pools belong to the primary cardholder only, as on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +. Others belong to each cardholder, as on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege with 10 each.

Which Canadian lounges accept both networks

In practice the lounge you sit in is often the same. Both networks are accepted at the Aspire lounges at Ottawa, Montréal and Billy Bishop, the WestJet Elevation Lounge at Calgary, the Plaza Premium lounges at Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg, the SkyTeam Lounge at Vancouver, and the Desjardins Plaza Premium transborder lounge at Montréal. The network name matters less than how many visits you get and what they cost.

What Priority Pass costs on its own

Standard, Standard Plus and Prestige pricing

Priority Pass prices in US dollars. Verified September 11, 2026. Promotions of up to 30% off appear from time to time.

Break-even: membership vs walk-in vs credit card

Three comparisons decide it. First, Standard against Prestige: at US$99 plus US$35 a visit, Standard is cheaper below roughly eleven visits a year and dearer above it. Second, membership against walk-in — Plaza Premium lounges in Canada sell walk-in entry at roughly C$60 to C$65 for two hours. Toronto Pearson sells discounted pre-booked passes on its own site. A traveller who visits three times a year is under C$200 and needs no membership at all. Third, membership against a card. Prestige costs US$469 for unlimited solo visits. The Amex Platinum costs $799 but returns about $400 in credits most people use, so its net cost is near $399. It also adds Centurion, Plaza Premium and Aspire access, and one guest through 2026. The Scotiabank Platinum Amex sits between them at $399 for ten visits.

Every Priority Pass lounge in Canada: quick reference

Twenty-three lounges at eight airports, from Priority Pass's own directory and operator pages, verified September 11, 2026. Room-level acceptance can change without notice — confirm in the app before you walk over. Québec City is listed separately because it has no confirmed Priority Pass lounge.

Airport-by-airport Priority Pass lounge guide

Toronto Pearson (YYZ)

Priority Pass lists Plaza Premium lounges in both terminals: Terminal 1 Domestic and US Transborder, and Terminal 3 Domestic, International and US Transborder. The Terminal 1 International Plaza Premium closed on December 27, 2025 for a full rebuild, with no reopening date. A T1 international departure currently has no Priority Pass lounge.

• Terminal 3 US Transborder sits past security and US customs, upstairs beside the Admirals Club near Gate A10, with a two-hour stay. Once you clear US customs you cannot go back.
• Terminal 1 also has a Be Relax spa on the Priority Pass list, which gives a treatment credit rather than a seat.
• Closing times differ by room. The domestic and international lounges run late; the transborder lounges close earlier in the evening.
• The KLM Crown Lounge in Terminal 3 has been reported as a Priority Pass option for international departures. It did not appear in the directory on our check — confirm in the app.

Toronto Billy Bishop (YTZ)

• One lounge: the Aspire | Air Canada Café, 133 seats, between Door A and the washrooms after security, accessible up to three hours before departure.
• Accepts Priority Pass, DragonPass and Amex Platinum, alongside Air Canada status and premium co-brand cardholders.
• On the Priority Pass pre-book list, which matters on Porter's busy morning bank.

Vancouver (YVR)

• Domestic: Plaza Premium at Gate B15 (full lounge) and a small Plaza Premium outpost at Gate C29 for short stays.
• International: Plaza Premium on Level 4 of Pier D between Gates D67 and D68, and the SkyTeam Lounge. The SkyTeam Lounge accepts Priority Pass, DragonPass, LoungeKey and Diners Club, and is international-only. Reviewers rate it among the best Priority Pass lounges anywhere.
• US: Plaza Premium on Level 3 near Gate E88.
• Priority Pass entry is limited to two hours at the Pier D and Pier E lounges; Amex card entry allows three.
• Plaza Premium First in international departures does not accept Priority Pass at all. Entry is $110 for two hours, or a $30 upgrade from the standard lounge.

Calgary (YYC)

• Aspire Lounge International on Concourse D, 06:30 to 20:30, access three hours before departure, children under 2 free.
• Aspire Lounge Transborder on Concourse E, after US preclearance.
• WestJet Elevation Lounge on Concourse B accepts Priority Pass, DragonPass via Mastercard Travel Pass, Lounge Club and Diners Club, with a three-hour stay. It is not available to passengers flying to the continental US or Hawaii, because of where it sits relative to US customs.
• Capacity is the real risk. Both Aspire lounges can be pre-booked. Do it.

Montréal-Trudeau (YUL)

• The National Bank Lounge near Gate 53 closed on July 31, 2026 for a complete renovation. A temporary, reduced-capacity lounge opened in the same spot on August 1, 2026, with a two-hour stay limit. National Bank expects the full lounge back in June 2028.
• Two Aspire lounges are new since 2025. The Aspire Domestic Lounge across from Gate 1 opened in July 2025 — a full lounge in the domestic zone on Priority Pass, so domestic flyers are no longer limited to a dining credit. The Aspire International Lounge between Gates 52 and 53 accepts Priority Pass, DragonPass, DreamFolks and Amex Platinum, with a three-hour stay. Published hours differ between Priority Pass and reviewers — check the app.
• The Air France Lounge between Gates 55 and 57 is an Air France lounge, not a Plaza Premium one. It is closed to everyone but Air France and KLM customers from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. every day.
• US-bound: the Desjardins Plaza Premium Lounge above Gate 81, 04:30 to 20:30, two-hour stay, also on DragonPass and Amex.

Ottawa (YOW)

• One lounge: the Aspire Salon Lounge on Level 2 just past Gate 18, 05:00 to 20:00. Accepts Priority Pass, DragonPass, Amex and walk-ins on any airline, three hours before departure. Not available for US transborder departures after preclearance. On the Priority Pass pre-book list.

Edmonton (YEG)

• Plaza Premium, Domestic/International, one level above departures opposite Gate 52, 04:30 to midnight, two-hour stay. The bar is open, but some drinks carry a charge.
• Plaza Premium, US Transborder, near Gate 88 past preclearance, 05:00 to 16:30, two-hour stay, US flights only. An evening US departure leaves after it has closed.

Winnipeg (YWG)

• One lounge: Plaza Premium opposite Gate 6 in domestic and international departures, 04:00 to 21:00 per the airport and Priority Pass. Open bar, hot and cold food, Wi-Fi.

Québec City (YQB): status pending

• The V.I.P. Lounge previously named on this page is listed as temporarily closed.
• Its replacement, the Boréal Lounge by YQB near Gates 29 and 30 behind the Lobbie bar, opens in fall 2026 (date has slipped from summer). Access is by purchased day pass — Priority Pass and DragonPass acceptance is unconfirmed.
• Do not confuse it with the Air Canada Café that opened at YQB in June 2026 with Plaza Premium. That one is for Aeroplan 50K+, Star Alliance Gold, premium Aeroplan cardholders and business class, not Priority Pass.
• Québec City stays off the confirmed list until Priority Pass or the airport lists the Boréal Lounge.

How to bring a guest to a Priority Pass lounge in Canada

Visits are counted per person

No Canadian Priority Pass card includes two guests. The Amex Platinum includes one. Any more are charged to the card at the prevailing retail rate. The Scotiabank Platinum Amex counts a cardholder plus guest as two of your ten visits. A direct membership includes no guest at any tier and charges US$35 each. From 2027, a Platinum guest uses one of your six visits. On any capped card, travelling as a pair halves the benefit.

Children and age thresholds

Children under 2 are admitted free at Edmonton, the Calgary Aspire lounges, Vancouver's Pier C outpost and Pearson's Terminal 3 transborder lounge, among others. From age 2, a child usually counts as a guest or a full entry. Some lounges require an unaccompanied member to be 21. Rules are set lounge by lounge, so check the listing before you bring the family.

Where guests are not permitted at all

Amex's own Corporate Platinum terms note that some lounges admit no guests. Priority Pass's help centre says guest limits and charges vary by lounge and by issuer, and points you to the individual listing. The two universal rules still apply everywhere: a same-day boarding pass, and the cardholder must be present. Guest fees are charged to the payment card linked to your Priority Pass account. For fees by network, see our airport lounge guest fees in Canada guide.

How to pre-book a Canadian Priority Pass lounge

Priority Pass now lets members reserve a place in advance at selected lounges, for a small fee, through the app or its pre-book page. As of September 11, 2026 the Canadian list includes the Aspire Lounge International and Aspire Lounge Transborder at Calgary, the Aspire Salon at Ottawa, the Aspire Lounge at Billy Bishop and the National Bank Lounge at Montréal. The list changes, so check the pre-book page. This is the direct answer to the capacity problem: a pre-booked seat is the only one a full lounge cannot refuse.

Peak hours to avoid at Canadian Priority Pass lounges

• Calgary Elevation Lounge: WestJet's morning and late-afternoon banks. Priority Pass members are the first refused when it is full.
• Montréal Air France Lounge: closed to Priority Pass from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. every day.
• Montréal National Bank Lounge: reduced capacity in the temporary space until about June 2028; expect queues before the evening Europe departures.
• Toronto Pearson Terminal 3 International: Priority Pass's most-reviewed Canadian lounge, and its busiest, from mid-afternoon.
• Vancouver Pier D: the two-hour Priority Pass limit is enforced when the Asia departures bank fills the room.

Pre-flight checklist

1. Confirm you actually have Priority Pass. Amex Platinum, Business Platinum or Scotiabank Platinum Amex. A Visa or Mastercard means DragonPass; use its app instead.
2. Enrol before the first trip. Amex cards need a one-time enrolment by chat or phone. Download the Priority Pass app and add the digital card.
3. Check the lounge for your zone. Domestic, international and US transborder are separate rooms; once you clear US customs you cannot go back.
4. Check hours and the stay limit. Edmonton's US lounge closes at 4:30 p.m.; Vancouver's Pier D and E lounges cap Priority Pass at two hours.
5. Pre-book where you can. Calgary, Ottawa, Billy Bishop and Montréal's National Bank Lounge.
6. Count your visits from 2027. Amex Platinum: 6 Priority Pass plus 6 Plaza Premium a year unless you spend $20,000. A guest uses one.
7. Bring a same-day boarding pass and the physical card. Every lounge on this page requires both.

Methodology

Card facts come from issuer pages and benefits guides (American Express Canada, Scotiabank, CIBC, TD, RBC, Rogers Bank) and Air Canada's co-brand terms, checked September 11, 2026. Lounge facts come from Priority Pass's Canadian airport directory and operator pages (Plaza Premium, Aspire, WestJet, National Bank, Desjardins, Aéroport de Québec, YVR, YWG), with reviews from Milesopedia, Prince of Travel, Frugal Flyer and Flytrippers used only to confirm. Where sources conflict (Aspire International hours at YUL, National Bank renovation dates, room-level acceptance at Pearson, the KLM Crown Lounge), the conflict is stated. Network size is given as a range because published figures range from about 1,600 to 1,900 depending on whether restaurants, spas and sleep pods are counted; never compare cards on advertised lounge counts. Break-even figures are calculations shown in full. No card ratings are displayed.

Change log

• September 11, 2026: Full re-verification. Card list corrected to Amex-only; Aeroplan Reserve and Scotiabank Platinum Amex added; January 1, 2027 Amex caps added; direct membership pricing and break-even added; guest section rewritten to one guest maximum; Montréal rewritten (renovation, two Aspire lounges, Desjardins transborder, Air France operator); Québec City moved to pending; Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Ottawa details corrected; airport count changed to eight confirmed plus one pending; network size given as a range; pre-booking section added.

Sources

• Prince of Travel — Priority Pass vs Visa Airport Companion Program and DragonPass lounge access with Visa and Mastercard; Frugal Flyer — Definitive guide: Priority Pass.
• American Express Canada — Platinum Card travel benefits, Business Platinum benefits, Aeroplan Reserve membership benefits, Aeroplan Reserve terms; Air Canada — American Express Aeroplan cards.
• Rewards Canada — Platinum Card lounge access changes effective January 1, 2027.
• Scotiabank — Platinum American Express Card and benefits, Passport Visa Infinite +, Passport Visa Infinite Privilege; CIBC — Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege benefits guide and Aventura Visa Infinite benefits guide; Milesopedia — Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard.
• Priority Pass — Canada directory pages for Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, Montréal, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa Aspire Salon, Winnipeg, Billy Bishop; Pre-book; guest policy; Chase — Priority Pass membership levels and cost.
• National Bank — National Bank Lounge at Montréal airport; Milesopedia — National Bank Lounge renovation and temporary lounge, Aspire Lounge international zone YUL, YUL and YVR lounge access guides; Aspire — Aspire International Lounge YUL.
• WestJet — Elevation Lounge and access rules; LoungeReview — WestJet Elevation Lounge review.
• Frugal Flyer — Plaza Premium First YVR review; YVR — SkyTeam Lounge; Plaza Premium — Edmonton lounges; Winnipeg Airports Authority — Plaza Premium Lounge; Ottawa International Airport — Lounges; Toronto Pearson — Book a lounge; Rewards Canada — Lounge access guide.
• Aéroport de Québec — Boréal Lounge by YQB and Air Canada Café opens at YQB.
• Priority Pass — network size; Upgraded Points — Priority Pass guide; Amex ICC — Priority Pass programme terms; Amex Canada — Corporate Platinum benefits.
• AirportLounges.ca — Amex Platinum lounge access in Canada, Airport lounge guest fees in Canada, Montréal airport lounges.

All card and lounge facts on this page reflect information current as of September 11, 2026. Rules change without notice — always confirm with the issuer and operator before travelling. Next scheduled review: December 2026 (Amex Platinum cap on January 1, 2027; Boréal Lounge opening; National Bank renovation status). Quarterly checks on lounge status thereafter.