Every time I am at the airport, I have two questions.
1) Does my card provide me lounge access here?
2) Do I have complimentary visits remaining on my card?
The only way for me to answer these on account of my poor memory is to get in line at the lounge.
On swiping the card, if either of the answers is in the negative, I get to take the long and sad walk to the gate.
What if I I told you, there is way to get the answers directly. That too without any human interaction!
(drum roll)
Disclaimer: Only for diners club cards
Just download the Diners Club Mobile Application.
It provides you the following info, you just need to put in your card number.
1) Find the list of lounges and benefits.
2) See what amenities are provided in the lounge. It also shows you the lounge timings. Don’t just assume lounges are open 24x7. Some do close up at night.
You can just press "Access Now" to get access instead of swiping your card.
3) Check if you have complimentary lounge access pending.
It even shows your Visit History.
Conclusion
All in all, it is a good app to keep.
Hope Mastercard and Visa also come up with a similar Mobile application. But considering they have tie ups with multiple banks and each card has its own lounge list and access criterions, don’t hold your breath.
P.S: thanks again to Amit for finding out such interesting nuances.