The Best Credit Cards for Airport Lounge Access

Traveling is fun but it comes with its share of hassles. Let’s say you’re all set to go for a long-awaited vacation and the moment you reach the airport, you are hit by the moment of truth – queues! Long ones!

 

Over-crowded airports are like a nightmare before travelling. You barely get a place to sit or rest for a while. People are constantly running around you, which can get very irritating after a point. Lack of good snacks at some airport stores can add to your frustrating experience.

 

So, here comes the famous question that Axl Rose sang in the song called Sweet Child O’ Mine – “Where do we go now?”

 

To the airport lounge, we say! How do you get there? Just use your credit card.You will have the impression that you have entered the dining room of a 5-star hotel whenever you enter an airport lounge. Freshly brewed coffee will leave an aroma in the air, and elegantly adorned coffee tables will have options for cappuccino, latte, mocha, and tea, along with jars of pastries and nuts, to name a few.You can brew some coffee, move over to the nearby table, and charge your laptop and smartphone. You will have free WiFi access in the lounge, allowing you to download Netflix movies right before boarding the plane. You won't want to miss these two hours before taking off on the flight, especially if they come free with your credit card. 

 

Here’s a list of top 5 credit cards that can offer airport lounge access to you when you are on the move.

 

• HDFC Regalia First Credit Card
• SBI ELITE Credit Card
• Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card
• Jet Privilege HDFC Bank Platinum Credit Card
• Yatra SBI Credit Card

1. HDFC Regalia First Credit Card

This credit card comes with an annual fee of Rs.1,000 plus GST. Upon successful payment of your fee, you can enjoy 1,000 welcome points. The HDFC credit card gives you access to over a thousand airport lounges over the world. You can access both Visa and MasterCard lounges using this credit card. You can have 8 complimentary lounge access in India (international and domestic). Priority Pass can also be used thrice every calendar year when you use this HDFC credit card. Enjoy cash back of up to 5% on travel. Benefits do not end here. There are more rewards you may reap on shopping and other spends expenses..

 

Every year, 12 domestic lounges are accessible with the HDFC Regalia credit card. Additionally, you would receive six free visits to more than 1,000 airport lounges worldwide as part of your complimentary membership to Priority Pass. Beyond the set cap, you will be billed $27 per visit. For every ₹150 paid, you will also receive 4 reward points. With each reward point valued at ₹0.50, there is a savings of 1.33%. Every year, you will receive a welcome gift of 2,500 reward points, valued ₹1,250. On spending ₹75,000 in a year, you'll also receive a Zomato Gold membership for a full year.

 

Here are the milestone benefits:

 

• 2,500 reward points will be given to you as a welcome gift.

• You will receive 2,500 reward points annually as a renewal benefit.

• Get 10,000 reward points for every ₹5,000 you spend in a year.

• Get 15,000 reward points provided your spending total is ₹8 Lakhs or more.

Here are the key benefits:

 

• ₹150 spent result in 4 reward points, each worth 50 paise

• A 2% foreign currency markup

• 15% off of dining at upscale restaurants  

• Protection against medical emergencies up to ₹15 Lakhs

• ₹1 Crore in air accident insurance

• Coverage for credit liability up to ₹9 Lakhs

• Up to ₹55,000 in travel insurance coverage for delayed baggage

2. SBI ELITE Credit Card

If you are looking for a credit card that comes with a wide range of perks for traveling, the SBI ELITE Credit Card can definitely prove to be a great option. The annual fee of this card stands at Rs.4,999 plus GST. The welcome gift voucher that comes with this card is worth Rs.5,000. You can enjoy a complimentary priority pass program. This membership is a great choice as it gives you access to 6 airport lounge visits in a calendar year. The complimentary membership can be enjoyed at over 1,000 airports globally.

 

The SBI Elite credit card is a high-end credit card that provides access to 6 foreign and 8 domestic lounges per year. A maximum of two local and two foreign lounges may be visited per quarter. Additionally, you would receive 10 points for every ₹100 spent on eating, department stores, groceries, and overseas purchases. If your annual spending exceeds ₹8 Lakhs, you could earn up to 50,000 additional reward points with the SBI Elite credit card. Reward points can be used to pay for travel.

 

Following are the Milestone Advantages:

 

• Upon achieving annual purchases of ₹3 Lakhs and ₹4 Lakhs, you'll receive 10,000 bonus reward points.

• Achieving annual spending of ₹5 Lakhs and ₹8 Lacs will get you 15,000 bonus reward points.

• The only additional reward points are worth up to 1.5% in direct savings.

The additional advantages are listed below:

 

• 10 points for every ₹100 spent on groceries, eating, department stores, and foreign purchases.

• 2 points for every dollar spent elsewhere

• For every ₹100 spent on flights with Vistara, you get 9 Vistara points.

• Every month, get two free movie tickets worth ₹500.

• Waiver of 1% fuel fee

• 1.99% markup for foreign exchange

3. Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card

The joining fee for this stands at Rs.10,000 plus GST. As a welcome gift, you can enjoy a business class ticket. When you use this credit card you can enjoy all the world-class privileges like complimentary airport lounge access, priority boarding, priority check-in, additional allowance for baggage, and so on. For every Rs.200 that you spend using this card, you can earn 6 Club Vistara (CV) points. From the card issuance date, if you spend Rs. 1 lakh within a period of 90 days, you can get 10,000 Club Vistara points.

 

Upon reaching a particular expenditure threshold, you can receive bonus reward points and cost-free business class tickets. The information about milestone rewards for the Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card is as follows:

 

• Earn 10,000 bonus CV points on spending ₹1 Lakh 

• Earn 1 business class ticket on spending ₹2.5 Lakhs 

• Earn 1 business class ticket on spending ₹5 Lakhs 

• Earn 1 business class ticket on spending ₹7.5 Lakhs 

• Earn 1 business class ticket on spending ₹12 Lakhs 

 

With this credit card, you may also take advantage of additional perks like reward points for every dollar spent, free lounge access, golf advantages, dining discounts, and many more. The following are some additional advantages of the Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Credit Card:

 

• With this credit card, every ₹200 spent earns you 6 Club Vistara points.

• admission to certain Indian airport lounges is free of charge.

• 6 free rounds of golf at elite golf facilities.

• Dine at participating restaurants and receive discounts of up to 20%.

• Convert any purchases you make for ₹2,500 or more into EMIs.

• According to the information below, you may obtain insurance coverage of up to ₹2.5 Crores: 

1. Coverage for air accidents up to ₹2.5 Crores

2. A purchase protection policy with a maximum of ₹1 Lakh

3. For lost or stolen travel documents, up to $300

4. For lost check-in luggage, up to $300

5. Up to $300 for luggage check-in delays

4. Jet Privilege HDFC Bank Platinum Credit Card

One of the most popular travel credit cards is the Jet Privilege HDFC Bank Platinum Credit Card. The joining fee of this particular credit card stands at Rs.1,000 plus GST. Enjoy up to 3,000 bonus Intermiles with this credit card. You can also get discount vouchers for your air travel as your welcome gift. For every Rs.150 that you spend using this card for retail purchases, you can earn 4 Intermiles. If you book your flight tickets on intermiles.com, you can earn 8 Intermiles. Enjoy discounts when you book economy flight tickets of the Etihad Airways on intermiles.com.The following are some of the other perks: 

 

• When you utilise your card within 90 days of the membership being renewed, you can earn up to 1,500 JPMiles. ₹150 is the minimum transaction amount.

• With the use of the JetPrivilege HDFC Bank Platinum Credit Card,airport lounges can be easily visited. You get access to the domestic lounges at a few Indian airports.

• Free access for up to two times each year to selected domestic airport lounges.

• You can receive a free accidental death insurance policy worth up to ₹50 Lakhs if you complete at least 4 transactions totaling at least ₹100 per month.

• Additionally, if you use the JetPrivilege HDFC Bank Platinum Credit Card to purchase items costing ₹5,000 or more, you receive:

• Free fire and burglary insurance for 180 days following the date of purchase.

5. SBI Yatra Credit Card

If you are looking for a travel credit that card is pretty affordable and gives you some of the best perks of using a travel credit card, this could be an ideal option for you. The Yatra SBI Credit Card is a co-branded card that comes with an annual fee of Rs.499 plus GST. Enjoy great discounts on your domestic flight booking and hotel stays. For every Rs.100 that you spend using this card on grocery, entertainment, dining, and so on, you can get 6 reward points.The following are the travel perks that come with the card:

 

• Yatra.com sends you vouchers valued at ₹8,250 as soon as you sign up.

• Get a ₹1,000 discount when you buy a domestic flight for at least ₹5,000.

• A discount of ₹4,000 is offered for bookings of overseas travel totaling at least ₹40,000.

• Get a 20% discount on domestic hotel reservations when you spend ₹3,000 or more.

 

The following are the joining benefits of the card:

 

• 2 tickets for domestic travel, each worth ₹500.

• 2 vouchers for overseas travel totaling ₹1,000 each

• A ₹750 coupon good for hotel reservations

• A ₹1,500 coupon for a domestic vacation package

• A ₹3,000 coupon for an international vacation package

 

Here are the other perks offered by the card:

 

• Spend ₹100 on department stores, groceries, dining, movies, and entertainment to earn 6 reward points.

• For every ₹100 spent in the other categories, one reward point is awarded.

• If you spend ₹1 Lakh in a year, your annual charge is waived.

• Every three months, get two free passes to a domestic airport's airport lounge.

• Waiver of up to ₹100 in monthly fuel surcharge

• Free coverage for air accidents totaling ₹50 Lakhs

• Through "Balance Transfer," pending credit from an existing credit card could be transferred to a Yatra SBI Card.

• Yatra SBI Cardholders can get help by calling the SBI Card Customer Helpline.

 

Also Read: 5 Credit Card Features That Exclusively Benefit a Traveller Like You

 

Bottomline – Compare and choose a travel credit card that offers the best perks to you.