Why Capital One’s JFK Lounge won TPG’s Best New Card Lounge

It’s one of the best times of the year when we get to share our favorite things about traveling. One of the most hotly contested categories is the airport lounge and premium credit card wars, as they both try to compete with each other in the lounge arms race.

Our winner this year has it all, including excellent food and drink options, a stunning bar and space – a really big space.

This year, the Best New Credit Card Lounge is the Capital One Lounge at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). You’ll find the lounge in Terminal 4, which competes with the American Express flagship lounge, the new Chase Sapphire Lounge, two Delta Sky Clubs and a fairly new Delta One lounge.

Despite stiff competition, Capital One Lounges stand out as the best-in-class lounges due to their size, amenities and overall experience. Here’s a closer look at why Capital One’s Kennedy Lounge won the top award.

Great layout and beautiful design choices

The Capital One Lounge at JFK International Airport is located in Terminal 4 and spans nearly 13,500 square feet with ample seating, private, reservable private rooms and multiple dining areas.

This is the largest lounge in the Capital One network and is called the flagship lounge for a reason.

A space this large can often feel spacious and loud, but the Capital One Lounge does a great job of dividing the different areas. Each part of the lounge has a unique feel and provides a more intimate-feeling environment to relax and unwind before your next flight.

You will also find two private rooms available for reservation at the front desk. These spaces can be used as meeting spaces or family rooms, giving you even more peace and quiet.

There is also a parent’s room reserved for families with babies; it includes a changing surface.

We loved how natural light filled the space, with the large windows overlooking the tarmac that spanned the entire far end of the lounge.

There are some great views of the airport and you can even catch a glimpse of beautiful aircraft like the Emirates A380.

You’ll also find a Central Park-style dining area.

Capital One makes a point of highlighting local artists and evoking elements of local culture in each of its lounges, and the JFK Airport Lounge is no exception. Artwork by local artists can be found throughout the space. There are even nods to New York City in the food and drinks (more on that later).

The lounge is also fully wheelchair accessible and features a large ramp that takes passengers from the elevated entrance to the main floor.

There are seven gender-neutral bathrooms, one of which has a shower, which you can reserve at reception.

There were no queues during our visit, but we imagine that during peak times, there might be a wait for the restrooms (especially the single showers).

24-hour access for tourists

Every frequent flyer knows the struggle of being at the airport for a pre-dawn flight or an overnight layover only to find that no lounges are open. Thankfully, you’ll never run into this problem at the Capital One Lounge at JFK Airport, as it’s the only card issuer lounge at JFK Airport that’s open 24 hours a day.

Capital One told TPG that this is part of an agreement with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages JFK International Airport, to provide a space that will be open throughout the day — something TPG is very grateful for given how often we arrive at the airport before or after the lounge’s normal operating hours.

The lounge does use temporary walls to close off parts of the lounge in the middle of the night, so be aware that the entire space is inaccessible during the late night and early morning hours.

Still, it’s very rare that the lounge is open all day. Travelers stuck at the airport due to long delays can thank Capital One!

Great food and drinks

The Capital One Lounge is also excellent in terms of food and drinks.

Fine dining has long been a draw for Capital One’s lounges, but the lounges at JFK Airport have really outdone themselves with a range of options – whether you plan to hang out for a while or need to grab a bite to go.

Small Plates Bar

There’s a generous buffet with hot and cold options, a rotating menu throughout the day, and options for both dine-in and takeout (there’s even paper bags in true takeout style). When we went there recently, the breakfast selection was incredible.

At the small plates bar, chefs in the kitchen behind the wall are restocking hot dishes, including pre-made fried egg and bacon sandwiches called “red-eye sandwiches.”

There’s also a bevy of on-demand beverages, including iced tea, lemonade, soda and water.

There is a bakery station opposite with a variety of delicious items such as croissants, coffee cakes, sticky buns and raspberry danishes.

Bodega coffee and bagels

Around the corner you’ll find a coffee bar where friendly staff will make you just about any specialty coffee imaginable. There are more grab-and-go options here, like fruit cups and salads, and you can also get freshly baked bagels with all the toppings here.

Ess-a-Bagel is a New York City favorite, and you can experience it at Capital One Lounge. The famous bagel shop brings six varieties of bagel dough into the airport every morning and bakes the bagels fresh in the lounge kitchen. There are no stale bagels in this lounge.

flagship bar

The main bar is truly stunning. In addition to a beautiful bar and stylish seating, the bar offers more than a dozen specialty cocktails, all named after famous New York City locations like Staten Island and the Lower East Side. There’s even an airport called Idlewild, the original name of JFK Airport.

Bartenders can even create non-alcoholic mocktails. TPG tried a tropical mocktail with whipped cream called the “Alice Austin,” based on a custom Capital One cocktail called the “Staten Island Ferry,” infused with fresh juice, mezcal and spices. Finished with toasted coconut flakes – yum.

The lounge has partnered with Brooklyn brewer Grimm Artisanal Ales to create an exclusive beer—Skyscraper IPA—that you can order at the bar.

cafe cart

Capital One offers a fun activity called Daily Ritual at different times of the day. Several coffee carts rotate in the lounge, serving cocktails and other made-to-order treats.

In the evening you can enjoy Italian shaken iced coffee, afternoon tea service or a champagne toast. We got to try the freshly mixed drinks on a cart.

One last note about food and drink: each seat or pair of seats comes with a QR code that you can use to order food delivered directly to you and your companions. This is another way Capital One provides fresh food.

Highlight facility: Unique cheese vendor experience

Another standout? The only cheese shop in New York!

You heard that right. Capital One has a full bar-style cheese shop where you can enjoy a 45-minute cheese tasting. Capital One has partnered with Murray’s Cheese, a famous New York store. TPG experienced a tasting event with a selection of cheeses served on a personalized charcuterie board.

Our cheesemonger, Marvin, asked us about our cheese preferences and then laid out an incredible array of specialty cheeses, biscuits, carnitas and gherkins. Jasper Hill Harbison from Vermont and Harvest Moon from 5 Spoke Creamery in New York stood out.

Marvin also asked about our wine preferences and offered a variety of wines (and cranberry juice) during the tasting.

Also, be sure to try the incredible platinum honey imported from Canada.

Few lounges offer the amenities that make us want to actually organize our time more The time at the airport was just to be able to experience it. But this cheesemaker is a first in many ways.

How to Enter the Capital One Lounge at JFK Airport

Of course, the big question is: how do you get all this wonderful stuff?

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture

Note that you can bring up to two guests for $45 per adult ($25 per child ages 7 to 17; children under 2 are free) — unless you spend at least $75,000 on your card in a calendar year, or add your guests as authorized users who pay $125 per year to access the lounge (giving them their own access).

Read our guide to Capital One lounges to learn more.

bottom line

Many airports have no shortage of beautiful and well-appointed lounges these days, but this year’s Best New Credit Card Lounge winners are really raising the bar for future lounge openings.

There’s a reason the Capital One Lounge is now considered one of its flagship lounges: The Capital One Lounge at Kennedy offers extensive dining and snack options in an always-open, comfortable, and stylish environment that will be a priority for us to visit again and again.

Even Clint, who is not currently a Venture If you’re a frequent flyer of JFK Terminal 4 (home to airlines like Delta, Emirates, Etihad, LATAM and Virgin Atlantic), then you have a reason to keep a Venture X card in your wallet.

Capital One continues to expand its footprint with the opening of new locations: a new lounge at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and a new Capital One Landing (a unique dining concept) at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), both of which have opening dates yet to be determined.

Each year, the TPG Awards recognize excellence in credit cards, loyalty programs and travel. Please click here Learn more about the selection process and methodology for the 2026 TPG Awards winners.

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