7 best credit cards which offer complimentary access to airport lounges in India and abroad. List here

If you are a travel freak, you would naturally be spending a lot of time at airports. Often times, you would reach there before time, thus having to wait at the terminal for long hours. Sometimes, the wait can be excruciating. It is, therefore, recommended to access the airport lounge to ease the discomfort while you wait for your next flight to Mauritius or Singapore or San Francisco.

Although you can very well access an airport lounge by paying for it, it is advisable to use your credit card for this purpose, particularly when you are a frequent traveller and need this for several times in a year.

Here we list out some of the famous credit cards which give complimentary access to airport lounges:

I. HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit Card: This credit card offers 12 complimentary airport lounge access in a year. The access is given for both domestic and international terminals. 

By utilising the Priority Pass, the card holder, along with add-on member, can get access up to 6 complimentary lounge access per calendar year outside India.

II. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Visa Credit Card: This card offers up to four complimentary airport lounge visits in each quarter at Indian airports. Unlimited Access to Airport Lounges.

III. ICICI Bank Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card: This card, also by ICICI Bank, gives unlimited free access to airport lounges.

III. Kotak Mahindra Bank: Kotak Mahindra offers Mojo Platinum Credit Card which offers eight complimentary airport lounge visits per year. This means two visits per quarter within India.

IV. Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card: This credit card offers access to select airport lounges within India in one calendar year on minimum spend of ₹50,000 in previous 3 months.

V. Axis Bank ACE Credit Card: This Axis Bank credit card offers four complimentary lounge access per year at select airports.

VI. Yes Private Credit Card: This gives access to over 850 lounges in over 120 countries around the world. It also offers a dozen complimentary guest visits in one year.

VII. SBI Card Prime: It gives four complimentary visits per calendar year to international priority pass lounges outside India. This is subject to a maximum of two visits per quarter. There are eight complimentary visits per calendar year to domestic lounges in India subject to a maximum of two visits per quarter.

Notably, most of these credit cards give access to airport lounges subject to meeting of certain criteria. For instance, Flipkart Axis Bank credit card allows access to airport lounge when there is a minimum spend of ₹50,000 in previous three months.

Additionally, not all lounges are covered by these programmes. Some of the airport lounges such as Encalm Prive at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport are accessible by business class travellers only.