10 Credit Cards for AirPort Lounge Access Without Any Spend Criteria

Currently, if you want to access an airport lounge in India for free with your credit card, most banks require you to meet certain monthly or quarterly spending criteria. Thankfully, we still have plenty of credit cards that provide airport lounge access without any minimum spending criteria.

For starters, previously, many credit cards offered free lounge access to attract customers. This led to overcrowded lounges, as cardholders flocked to these limited-capacity spaces. Additionally, it became expensive for banks, as people obtained multiple cards just for the lounge benefit. To counter this, banks implemented minimum spending requirements for lounge access.

If you’re someone who travels only occasionally and wants to access airport lounges without having to worry about any such criteria, I’ve got your back. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best credit cards in India that offer complimentary lounge access without any spending requirements.

1. HDFC Tata Neu Plus and Infinity Cards

HDFC Tata Neu Plus and Infinity are two co-branded credit cards from HDFC in partnership with Tata. They’re popular for offering up to 7% cashback (Neu Plus) and up to 10% cashback (Neu Infinity) on shopping, bill payments, and purchases at partner brands in the Tata Neu app.

You also get free airport lounge access without any minimum spend requirement. The Tata Neu Infinity card grants you 8 complimentary domestic and 4 international lounge accesses per calendar year (2 per quarter). Whereas the Tata Neu Plus credit card provides 4 complimentary domestic lounge accesses per calendar year (1 per quarter).

Tata Neu Infinity and Plus credit cards further offer a flat 1.25% and 1% cashback, respectively, on UPI payments via Tata Neu app. For this reason, they also rank among the best credit cards for UPI payments.

2. ixigo AU Credit Card

This co-branded AU credit card in partnership with ixigo brings great benefits to frequent travellers. You get 8 complimentary domestic airport lounge accesses, followed by 8 complimentary railway lounge accesses per year. You do not have to meet any spending criteria to avail these benefits.

Alongside, you get the following benefits via ixigo app and website, once per month:

• 10% discount on flight bookings up to ₹1,000
• 10% discount on flight bookings up to ₹1,000
• 10% discount on hotel bookings up to ₹1,000

3. Bank of Baroda Eterna Credit Card

The BOB Eterna credit cards is a semi-premium credit card that comes with a joining and annual fee of ₹2499. It gives you unlimited complimentary access to airport lounges in India and there’s no minimum spend criteria. Since the card comes in VISA, Mastercard, and RuPay variants, the participating lounges will depend upon the variant you choose.

You can spend ₹25,000 within first 60 days of activation to get your joining fee reversed. For annual fee reversal, you’ll have to spend ₹2,50,000 in a year. As for the reward program, BOB Eterna gives you:

• 3 reward points/₹100 for all categories of spends
• 5x or 15 reward points/₹100 for spending on online shopping, travel, dining, and movies (5000 per month)

4. HDFC Regalia Gold Credit Card

HDFC Regalia Gold is a travel-oriented credit card that provides 12 complimentary lounge accesses per year at both domestic and international terminals at Indian airports, without any spend-based requirements.

Additionally, this credit card offers accelerated rewards at select merchants, milestone benefits vouchers, travel insurance, and more. We discussed these benefits in detail when evaluating whether to upgrade to HDFC Regalia Gold from HDFC Millennia.

5. HSBC Live+ Card (formerly HSBC Cashback)

The HSBC Live+ credit card (previously known as HSBC Cashback credit card) is popular for its 10% accelerated cashback, up to ₹1,000 a month, on all dining, food delivery, and grocery spends. Most other spends get you 1.5% cashback.

But that’s not all. This credit card also gives you 4 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits per year – you can access 1 lounge visit every 3 months.

Welcome benefits include getting ₹1,000 cashback when you spend ₹20,000 within the first 30 days of receiving your card. Additionally, you’ll receive an Amazon e-gift voucher worth ₹250 for applying for the credit card online and completing your application and video KYC.

6. IndusInd Legend Credit Card

The IndusInd Legend is a lifetime free credit card that gives you 4 complimentary lounge visit per year – one per quarter. You further get Priority membership for you and your partner and complimentary movie tickets once a month via BookMyShow (buy-one-get-one offer).

It offers a reward rate ranging from 0.75% to 1.5%. Being a travel-focused credit card, it provides complimentary Air Accidental cover of Rs 25 Lakhs, complimentary Lost baggage Insurance of Rs 1 lakh, and several other travel insurance covers. Plus, you get a 24×7 concierge service.

Note that users have reported not getting the BookMyShow offer. So, keep that in mind. Overall, this card doesn’t offer anything extraordinary, but you may find it worth keeping for the free airport lounge access.

Pro Tip: Many IndusInd Legend users have been offered lifetime free upgrades to the Pinnacle credit card, which offers lounge access and extras like complimentary golf sessions. So do watch out for that.

7. Canara Bank World Credit Card

The Mastercard World from Canara Bank is an underrated card for airport lounge access in India. You get 3 self + 2 guests per quarter (that means 12 self per year) for domestic lounges and 2 self + 2 guests per year for international lounges. It does not require any minimum spend criteria.

More importantly, the card does not come with any joining or annual fees. The card eligibility requires a minimum of Rs. 10 lakh gross per annum for individuals. However, the main problem is getting this card, as you’ll have to visit a Canara Bank physical branch to apply for it.

8. HDFC Infinia Credit Card

HDFC Infinia is a premium credit card that gives you a flat 3.33% reward rate on most purchases, including gold jewellery and insurance payments. Alongside, you can access unlimited complimentary lounge access at airports within and outside India through Priority Pass. There’s no minimum spend criteria here.

But that also means there’s a premium joining and annual fee of ₹12,500. However, if you travel a lot and have high spending, this is one of the must-have credit cards in your collection.

9. Vistara SBI Card

Most Vistara co-branded credit cards still offer complimentary airport lounge access. I say “most” because Axis Vistara cards require you to spend a minimum of ₹50,000 in the last three months to enjoy it, but this Vistara SBI card does not!

You get one complimentary lounge access per quarter, which amounts to four times a year. The credit card comes with an annual and joining fee of ₹1499 + taxes, but you also get a free economy-class ticket (you just have to pay taxes on your ticket). Every swipe earns you Club Vistara points (but these perks may change soon with Vistara transitioning to Air India).

That being said, you also get complimentary Priority Pass membership worth USD 99 for 24 months from the date of issue.

Other AirPort Lounge Cards with No Spend Requirement

Here are some other credit cards that currently do not have a minimum spend criterion for the airport lounge benefit. For ease of readability, I am also including the credit cards I chose and added to the list above.

Bank	Credit Card
HDFC Bank	HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Metal Edition Credit Card HDFC Marriot Bonvoy 6E Rewards XL Indigo HDFC Card Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Card HDFC Infinia HDFC Regalia HDFC Tata Neu Plus/ Infinity
Axis Bank	Axis Burgundy Private Axis Reserve Axis Atlas
SBI Cards	SBI Card Elite SBI Aurum Air India SBI cards SBI Card Prime SBI Doctor’s CC Reliance SBI Card Prime SBI Pulse SBI BPCL Octane Etihad Guest Credit Card Vistara SBI Card
ICICI Bank	ICICI Bank Diamant Credit Card ICICI Bank Emerald Private Credit Card ICICI Bank Emerald Credit Card
Punjab National Bank	PNB VISA Signature PNB RuPay Platinum/Millenial/Select PNB Patanjali Rupay Platinum/Select
AU Bank	AU Zenith/Zenith+ AU Vetta Xcite Ultra Xcite Ace AU LIT (you must activate lounge access pack) ixigo AU
IDFC First Bank	IDFC FIRST Private IDFC LIC Select IDFC LIC Classic
Bank of Baroda	BOB Premier BOB Eterna
Federal Bank	Federal Bank Imperio Federal Bank Celesta Federal Bank Signet
HSBC	HSBC Premier HSBC Live+ (formerly Cashback)
Standard Chartered	Standard Chartered Ultimate Standard Chartered Bank Rewards Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip
IndusInd Bank	IndusInd Pinnacle IndusInd Tiger Credit Card IndusInd Legend credit card
Kotak Mahindra Bank	Kotak White Reserve

Before You Apply for a Credit Card for Lounge Access

• Check its joining and annual fee: Some credit cards with lounge access come with hefty joining and annual fees, like the HDFC Infinia. So, check if the benefits you’d use outweigh the costs, especially if you don’t travel frequently. Consider if there are other cards with lower fees or better rewards that might suit you better.
• Check the list of participating airport lounges: Lounge access benefits can vary widely. Make sure the card you choose offers access to lounges at the airports you frequently travel from. The lounge list may also change based on which card variant you choose – Visa, Mastercard, or RuPay.
• Understand the lounge access limits: Most cards will have a cap on the number of complimentary lounge visits you can make per year or per quarter. Check if these limits align with your travel frequency.
• Consider other benefits and rewards: Don’t solely focus on lounge access. Check the card’s overall rewards program, including cashback, points, travel miles, and other perks. Choose one that offers a good balance of lounge access and other benefits that suit your spending habits and lifestyle. This way you won’t accumulate too many unused credit cards.

I hope the above guide helps you find the best card. I’ll keep this list updated if any changes. Bye 👋

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