If you have a credit card, here’s what you should know: depending on which one it is, it may get you into the VIP lounges at Juan Santamaría International Airport in Costa Rica.
In this article
- Which Cards Get You Into the VIP Lounges at Juan Santamaría Airport?
- How Many Guests You Can Bring With Each Card
- What It Costs to Get In Without an Agreement
- Visa Lounge, Above Gate 5
- Mastercard Lounge, Above Gate 19
- Who Pays and Who Gets Into the BAC Credomatic Lounge for Free
- VIP Lounge Hours, Food, and Entry Rules
The first thing to know is that this airport has 3 VIP lounges: BAC Credomatic, Mastercard, and Visa. You get in through a card, airline, or membership agreement. Without one, Aeris charges a day pass of $40 plus tax, or $55 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Since November 2026, Aeris, the airport’s operator, has managed the lounges directly. It’s keeping most of the agreements and will announce changes later, so it’s best to confirm your access with your bank before you travel.
Keep in mind that having a card from one of these brands doesn’t guarantee entry, since each bank decides whether to include the benefit, how many visits you get, and whether you can bring guests. That’s why I’m giving you the full list of cards you need to get in here. If you just want to know which lounge suits you best, see how to choose which Juan Santamaría VIP lounge to use.
Which Cards Get You Into the VIP Lounges at Juan Santamaría Airport?
These were the agreements in September 2026. At the Mastercard lounge, each agreement is a separate way in, because they’re courtesies from the bank or the airline, and with airlines, access depends on each passenger’s class or status.
| Lounge | Location | Agreements (September 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| BAC Credomatic | Upper level, gate 19 | Dragon Pass and American Express Centurion of Central America. BAC credit or debit cards get in by paying, except for those with complimentary access |
| Mastercard (with Copa Club) | Upper level, gate 19 | Copa Airlines, Star Alliance, Promerica, Scotiabank, BCT, Davivienda, Improsa, Lafise, INS, Mastercard Black, Mastercard Platinum, Priority Pass, Mastercard Priority, CAFSA, and Sixt Rent Car |
| Visa | Upper level, gate 5 | Visa Airport Companion, Priority Pass, and, in business class only, Aeroméxico, Air France, Iberia, British Airways, Edelweiss, and KLM |
How Many Guests You Can Bring With Each Card
If you plan to bring someone along, these were the guests allowed per card at the Mastercard lounge in February 2026. Each bank can change them, so it’s important to check with your bank on the number of visits and people who can get in with your card’s benefit.
| Bank | Card | Guests |
|---|---|---|
| Scotiabank (now Davibank) | Classic, debit or credit | 1 |
| Scotiabank (now Davibank) | Gold, credit | 2 |
| Scotiabank (now Davibank) | Platinum, credit | 4 |
| Scotiabank (now Davibank) | Infinite or Signature, credit; Mastercard Black, credit | 5 |
| Davivienda | Mastercard Black | 3 |
| Davivienda | Platinum | 2 |
| Davivienda | Gold, credit only, issued in Central America | 1 |
| Lafise | Classic, Gold, Platinum, and Visa Signature, credit | 1 |
| Improsa | Visa Platinum, credit | 2 |
| BCT | Classic, Gold, and Platinum | 2 |
| Promerica | Visa Platinum and MANGO Mastercard Gold, credit only, issued in Central America | Not listed |
What It Costs to Get In Without an Agreement
The lounge use policy published by Aeris sets the day pass at $40 per person plus tax, rising to $55 plus tax from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Aeris can change these rates at any time.
An adult can bring up to 2 children age 7 or younger at no extra charge, and from age 8 you pay for the pass. The pass is personal and nontransferable, and buying one doesn’t guarantee entry if the lounge has reached maximum capacity. If you have a BAC card, I explain how the BAC Credomatic lounge works further down.
The same policy bans animals from the lounges, except for service animals or those Aeris expressly authorizes.
Visa Lounge, Above Gate 5
The first place I’ll tell you about at Juan Santamaría is the Visa lounge, also called VIP Santamaría, which used to be known as VIP AMEX Santamaría and also goes by the Visa Infinite lounge.
Visa Platinum, Signature, or Infinite credit cards get in through the Visa Airport Companion app, and the number of complimentary visits varies by bank. In February 2026, the only debit card with complimentary access was the Visa Infinite from Banco Nacional, with unlimited visits and one guest, as long as the customer had spent at least the equivalent of $3,600 in the last 6 months.
Passengers flying Aeroméxico, Air France, Iberia, British Airways, Edelweiss, and KLM can also get in, but only in business class, a detail that matters when you compare flights if you plan to get in with your ticket and not your card.
This lounge has a panoramic view of the runway, and its phone numbers are 2442-9192 and 2442-8786.
Mastercard Lounge, Above Gate 19
Another lounge at Juan Santamaría is the Mastercard lounge, also called the VIP Lounge, where you’ll find the Copa Club, and this is the option where most banks offer the benefit.
Holders of Mastercard Platinum or Black credit cards issued by any bank in Costa Rica have guaranteed access by showing their valid card, and if yours is from another country, you should ask your bank. The partner banks in the table above also get in.
This lounge also has showers, from 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., subject to reservation or availability. You get a bath kit with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a dental kit, and disposable slippers, plus a loaner towel, and in September 2026 a shower cost $10. Its phone number is 4704-4470.
Who Pays and Who Gets Into the BAC Credomatic Lounge for Free
Your third option is the BAC Credomatic lounge, also above gate 19, which started charging most of its customers on June 1, 2024. That said, some customers keep complimentary access based on their level of relationship with the bank. To validate it, BAC asks for your physical card, no digital wallets, and your boarding pass, while anyone without complimentary access pays whatever the lounge operator sets.
In September 2026, it cost $30 plus VAT ($33.90) with a BAC card and $40 plus VAT ($45.20) with a card from another bank. Since the switch to Aeris, it’s a good idea to ask the price before you pay, and the full story behind that charge is in how much the BAC Credomatic VIP lounge costs.
This lounge has a panoramic view of the runway and a multimedia room, and its phone number is 4703-6882. BAC also mentions a nursing room.
VIP Lounge Hours, Food, and Entry Rules
All 3 lounges are open Monday through Sunday, from 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., according to the airport’s website, and the email for questions is infosalasvip@aeris.cr.
All 3 lounges serve breakfast from 4:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and snacks from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Drinks include unlimited house beer, two glasses of house wine, coffee, tea, soft drinks, and juices, while the premium drink menu costs extra. They also have internet, a kids’ play area, and spaces to work and rest.
To get in, Aeris requires every user to have a valid boarding pass, along with the conditions of their access method, and even with the benefit, entry isn’t guaranteed if there are capacity, operational, or security restrictions.
With a day pass, you can stay a maximum of 3 hours before your flight’s scheduled departure, and if the flight is delayed more than 1 hour, the operator may let you stay in the lounge, subject to additional charges. For third-party programs, such as banks or memberships, each program sets the time and the number of guests.
Also keep in mind that the Aeris policy leaves it up to each user to check their flight time and gate, and it disclaims responsibility for missed flights. It also doesn’t look after luggage or belongings, and it prohibits leaving them unattended.
Aeris has also announced gradual improvements to the lounges: more protein options and local dishes, separate spaces for working and eating, screens with flight information, better Wi-Fi, chargers, a connection to the airport’s backup generators, and a new registration system linked to its business partners to speed up entry.
And if you don’t end up getting into any of them, the terminal has several places between the security checkpoint and boarding, so here you can see the restaurants at Juan Santamaría Airport.
