Premium credit cards offer free and unlimited access to airport lounges but you have to pay more than Rs. 10,000 in annual fees to get your hands on a premium credit card in India.
You will get a limited number of complimentary airport lounge access with regular credit cards.
If you are looking for a credit card for free airport lounges (without paying an annual fee) then you have two options.
- No annual fee credit cards that provide condition-based lounge access
- A card with annual fees that can be waived off on spending a certain amount in the year.
You will hardly find a credit card which is free for lifetime and also offers free airport lounge access (without any condition).
I have listed credit cards with an annual fee below Rs. 2,500 with an annual fee waiver clause with a maximum spending limit of 3 lakh per year.
Would that work for you?
Best Free Credit Cards for Lounge Access in India
#1. IDFC First Wealth Credit Card
Lifetime free credit card
IDFC First Wealth Credit card is the only zero annual fee credit card that provides free international lounge access along with domestic lounges.
You can get a combined 4 Domestic & International lounges and spa visits per quarter.
But the condition is that you have to spend Rs. 20,000 in a month. You can spend Rs. 20,000 in any month to access the lounge in the next month.
If you are planning to use lounge in May month then make sure you have spent more than 20,000 Rs. in the month of April.
You get a minimum reward value of 1.5% on online and 0.75% on offline purchases.
#2. IDFC First Select Credit Card
Easy approval lifetime free card
IDFC First Select is a reduced version of IDFC First Wealth credit card. The main difference between both the cards is fewer lounge access on “IDFC Select” card.
You get only 2 free domestic lounge access per quarter on spending Rs. 20,000 per month. You wouldn’t get international lounge access and spa sessions with Select card. Rest all the benefits are the same.
IDFC Wealth card is more beneficial but you get an easy approval for IDFC Select card.
You get a minimum reward value of 1.5% on online and 0.75% on offline purchases.
#3. AU Bank LIT (Live It Today) Credit Card
Lifetime free credit card
AU LIT lifetime free credit card comes with a unique feature of customizable benefits. You can simply pick the feature you want to use for the next 90 Days and just pay (Rs. 49 to Rs. 499) for it.
Domestic airport lounge visit is one such feature. You need to pay Rs. 199 to get 2 visit and Rs 299 to get 4 domestic lounge visits valid for 90 days.
#4. Federal Bank Visa Signet Credit Card
Low APR starting from 8.28% p.a.
Federal Bank Visa Signet is the last in the list of lifetime free (no joining fees or annual membership fees) credit card that offers complimentary lounge access.
You get 1 free domestic lounge access per quarter.
Federal Bank Visa Signet has dynamic APR in the range of 0.68% to 3.75% per month. At lower end this comes to 8.28% per annum. The APR is linked to AMB in your linked account and depends upon your banking relations with Federal Bank.
Best Credit Card For Lounge Access With Annual Fee Waiver
#5. Axis Ace Credit Card
5% cashback on Gpay
Axis Ace is one of the most worthy credit cards on this list. You get 4 domestic airport lounge access, 5% cashback on utility bill payments & mobile recharges on Gpay.
4% cashback on Swiggy, Zomato & Ola and 1.5% cashback on all your other spending.
You wouldn’t get better value in any other beginner-level credit cards.
#6. HDFC Millennia Credit Card
5% cashback on online shopping
HDFC Millennia is another alternative to the Axis Ace credit card.
You get 4 domestic lounge visits per year (1 per quarter). HDFC has merged its lounge access with the existing “spends milestone program”.
Now you have to achieve spend of Rs. 1 Lakh+ (quarter) in order to get Dream Folks Lounge access voucher OR Rs. 1,000 voucher from different brands.
Other Benefits: 5% cashback on Amazon, BookMyShow, Cult.fit, Flipkart, Myntra, Sony LIV, Swiggy, Tata CLiQ, Uber and Zomato.
You get 1% cashback on all other spends which is less than Axis ace.
#7. HDFC Regalia Credit Card
Lounge access with small annual fee
HDFC Regalia credit card is a good option for occasional travelers who are looking for free domestic and international airport lounges. You get 12 domestic and 6 international complimentary lounge visits in a year.
You can get a reward value of 1.33% on all your spending with a Regalia credit card which is not great for a credit card with Rs 2500 annual fee.
#8. HDFC Tata Neu Infinity
1.5% back as NeuCoins on UPI payments
HDFC Tata Neu Infinity can be an alternative to the HDFC Regalia credit card. You get 8 Domestic and 4 international airport lounge visits every year.
HDFC Regalia comes with an annual fee of Rs 2500 whereas Tata Neu Infinity charges Rs 1499 annual fee.
You can make UPI payments with the Tata Neu Infinity credit card and get 1.5% cashback in the form of NeuCoins which is a unique feature among all the other credit cards in this list.
#9. BOB Eterna Credit Card
Unlimited domestic lounge visits
BOB Eterna is good option for frequent domestic travelers as you get unlimited domestic lounge visits in India.
If you’re a salaried employee who frequently travels for business trips and wishes to avoid hefty annual fees, you may consider applying for the BOB Eterna credit card.
#10. ICICI MakeMyTrip Signature Credit Card
Travel benefits
ICICI MMT Signature credit card comes with one-time joining fee of Rs 2500 with lifetime access. You get welcome gifts worth more than Rs 2500.
You can get 2 domestic lounge visits per quarter on spending Rs 5,000 in a calendar quarter. You also get 1 international airport lounge visit every year with complimentary Dreamfolks membership.
#11. Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card
Milestone benefit
Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card offers 2 free domestic lounge visits per quarter. Kotak Royale comes with an annual fee of Rs 999 which is equivalent to an HDFC Millennia card with the same waiver clause of Rs 1 lakh.
You can compare both cards based on your spending nature.
You can apply for Kotak Royale Signature card if you reside in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.
If you are applying for your first credit card, you can check the list of best lifetime free credit cards in India. These are entry-level cards with a high approval rate.
You can check the list of best credit cards for international lounge visits if your primary requirement is international lounges.
How to Check Airport Lounge Access on Your Credit Card
You can check airport lounge access using one of the following methods:
- Call Customer Service – The number will be on the back of your credit card. Call and ask them about lounge access.
- Card Issuer Bank’s Website – like ICICI Bank, HDFC, Axis and others will have details about airport lounge access your card offers.
- Credit Card Manual – The manual sent along with the card contains details about the lounge access terms & conditions along with details.
- Lounge Access App – like Priority Pass, Dreamfolks and Dragon Pass lists acceptable credit cards under its program.
- Airport Lounge Desk/ Kiosk – Simply present your card to the lounge executive if you are at the airport and see if your card allows access.
FAQs
Is there a credit card with lounge access with no annual fees?
You can look for an IDFC First Wealth or IDFC First Select credit card for lounge access without annual fees. But you have to spend Rs. 20,000 in a month prior.
How to get free lounge access in India?
Two methods to get free lounge access in India are:
- No annual fee credit card with condition-based lounge access.
- Card with annual fees waived upon attaining a certain amount in a year
Can my wife use my credit card for lounge access?
No, lounge access is allowed to the person whose name is embossed on the card. You can get her a complimentary pass or an add-on card.
What is 2 rupees airport lounge access?
Visa has introduced this process to verify your card and access to the lounge program. It charges Rs. 2 on swipe that needs to be approved by your card issuer bank, thus validating your eligibility for lounge access.
Can two people use same card for lounge access?
No, lounge access will be allowed to the person whose name is embossed on the card presented. Other persons can be taken as guests on a complimentary pass for which you need to pay from your pocket.
