NPCI unveils new lounge access policy for RuPay credit cards effective January 1, 2025. Details here

In the recent past, most banks have either reduced the benefits of their credit card reward program or allowed some benefits on spending a specified amount. For example, for airport lounge access, some banks have either reduced the complimentary visits and/or made the access spend-based. 

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has come up with a RuPay exclusive lounge access policy for RuPay credit card holders. What is this policy? How and from when will it come into effect? Let us discuss.

RuPay’s exclusive lounge

RuPay has set up an exclusive lounge at departure Terminal T3 of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi. It is the country’s first exclusive lounge for RuPay cardholders. As of now, the access is only for RuPay credit cardholders. Currently, there is no information on whether RuPay debit cardholders will be allowed in future. The lounge is located near Boarding Gate number 41 of the T3 Departure Terminal.

The lounge offers a pleasant stay where travellers can sit and relax before boarding their flight. It offers a wide spread of foods with breakfast, lunch, evening snacks, dinner, etc. The lounge has a small bar section, which is yet to be operational. It also has an entertainment section with PlayStation consoles for gaming enthusiasts. So, the lounge caters to the needs of various travellers with a pleasant stay, a good spread of food and drinks, and entertainment.

NPCI’s exclusive lounge access policy: Spend-based access

The RuPay Exclusive Lounge access will be only for RuPay credit cards of specified variants: Select, Platinum, and higher variants. The access will be provided in the subsequent calendar quarter based on the amount spent in the previous calendar quarter. The calendar quarters will be January to March, April to June, July to September, and October to December.

The spend-based access will be provided based on the four tiers below.

The above table shows how many complimentary visits a RuPay credit cardholder will get based on the amount spent in a calendar quarter.

For example, if a credit cardholder spends Rs. 52,000 in the January to March quarter, they will get four complimentary visits in the April to June quarter. Similarly, if a credit cardholder spends Rs. 5.4 lakhs in the July to September quarter, they will get unlimited complimentary visits in the October to December quarter.

The visits must be availed in the quarter they are applicable, and cannot be carried forward. At the end of the calendar quarter, the complimentary visits will be reset to 0. At the start of the subsequent calendar quarter, the complimentary visits will be updated based on the spends in the previous calendar quarter. For example, if the amount spent in the April to June quarter is Rs. 7,000 (less than Rs. 10,000), the cardholder will not get any complimentary visits in the July to September quarter.

The spend-based complimentary lounge access policy will be effective from 1st January 2025. The NPCI circular mentions RuPay credit card spends at the point of sale (POS) terminals, and credit card spends on UPI will be considered for the calculation of quarterly spends.

The access to the lounge will be spend-based and driven through the RuPay Benefit Management System (RBMS). The credit card issuing bank and member banks will have to share the details of eligible credit cardholders every quarter. At the time of access, the RBMS will check the cardholder’s eligibility and accordingly allow access or deny.

While RuPay has come up with its first exclusive lounge at the IGI Airport, New Delhi, it may come up with more such exclusive lounges in other cities. If they set up a network of lounges at domestic airports across various cities, it will be a good benefit for RuPay credit cardholders to avail of.

Should you get a RuPay credit card?

RuPay credit cards, just like other credit cards, offer various benefits to their users. Some of the benefits include a free credit period of up to 50 days, instant discounts, reward points, milestone benefits, airport lounge access, etc. The benefits differ from bank to bank and the credit card variant. Complimentary airport lounge access is an important benefit for travellers. They reach the airport a couple of hours before the flight departure time.

Once the security check is cleared and the boarding pass has been collected, if there is time before boarding, the airport lounge is an excellent place to relax. 

The RuPay Exclusive Lounge offers a combination of pleasant stay, good food spread, and entertainment. You can access the lounge twice a quarter with a spend of Rs. 10,000 in the previous quarter. The credit card spend requirement for domestic airport lounge access is low compared to other banks. Hence, if you are a frequent traveller, you may consider getting a RuPay credit card and use it to enjoy the airport lounge access benefit.

Gopal Gidwani is a freelance personal finance content writer with 15+ years of experience. He can be reached at LinkedIn.