Airport lounge access benefits offered on many debit and credit cards in India will change from April 2026.
These changes are happening because several banks are updating their reward systems and new rules have been introduced by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
Some cards will no longer offer free lounge access, while others will link this benefit to spending. These updates may affect millions of cardholders across the country.
RuPay Platinum Debit Cards to Lose Lounge Access
NPCI has instructed banks to stop complimentary lounge access on RuPay Platinum debit cards from April 1, 2026.
After this date, cardholders will not be able to use these cards for entry into airport lounges (both domestic and international) or railway lounges.
Several banks have already informed their customers:
Punjab National Bank (PNB) confirmed that domestic lounge access will end from April 1
HDFC Bank
Punjab & Sind Bank
ESAF Small Finance Bank
All these banks have announced the discontinuation of this benefit.
RuPay Select Cards: Spend-Based Lounge Access
Lounge access will still be available on RuPay Select debit cards, but it will now depend on spending.
Cardholders must meet a minimum spending requirement in the previous quarter to get free lounge access in the next period.
For example, according to Punjab National Bank:
Customers must spend at least ₹5,000 in a quarter
If they spend this amount between January 1 and March 31
They will get lounge access between April 15 and July 14
Changes in Credit Card Lounge Benefits
The changes are not limited to debit cards. Some credit card benefits are also being updated.
Axis Bank has announced that:
The Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card will no longer offer 4 free domestic airport lounge visits
This change will take effect from April 12, 2026
However, cashback benefits on Airtel payments will remain the same.
Updated Cashback Rules
Under the new system:
Users will still get 25% cashback on Airtel mobile, broadband, and DTH payments
10% cashback will continue on other utility bill payments
But the maximum cashback limit will now depend on the base cashback earned from other spends in the same billing cycle.
Currently, the cashback limit is ₹250 per month, but this will change under the new rules.
Changes in Partner Platform Rewards
Axis Bank has also updated rewards on partner platforms.
Earlier:
10% cashback was available on Swiggy, Zomato, and BigBasket
Now:
This cashback will be discontinued
Instead, users will get 10% value back on online transactions on Zomato, Blinkit, and District Movies
The reward will be credited to the partner wallet instead of the credit card statement
Why These Changes Are Being Made
In recent years, the use of airport lounges has increased a lot. This has raised costs for banks and card networks.
To manage these expenses, many banks are now introducing spend-based lounge access. This ensures that only active card users can enjoy these benefits.
