Top 8 credit cards for free airport lounge access—No spend requirement | Mint

Airlines require you to report at the airport a couple of hours before the flight departure timing. Early reporting is required to complete the security check, collect the boarding pass, hand over the baggage, etc. What if you complete all the above formalities and there is still some time for the flight departure or what if your flight is delayed? You can spend this time in an airport lounge. While airport lounge access is a paid service, some banks provide it as a complimentary feature on specified credit cards.

In this article, we will explore some credit cards that provide complimentary airport lounge access without any spend criteria.

What is an airport lounge?

An airport lounge is a designated area within an airport where travellers can sit and relax while waiting for their flight. An airport lounge offers facilities like comfortable seating, complimentary food and beverages, high-speed Wi-Fi, etc. Some airport lounges provide additional facilities like a gaming zone, shower, spa, massage, etc.

Travellers can sit and relax in an airport lounge while waiting for their flight. You can catch up on your work or just unwind if your flight is delayed.

How to access an airport lounge?

Access to an airport lounge is restricted. An individual can pay a fee and access an airport lounge. However, you can get complimentary access through some credit cards, debit cards, frequent flyer programs (FFP) of airlines, etc. While access through a credit card is complimentary for you, the bank has to pay the lounge operator on your behalf when you access the lounge.

Why have banks linked airport lounge access to spends on credit cards?

In the last few years, air travel has boomed. Taking note of this boom, many banks started offering complimentary airport lounge access on many credit cards to attract more customers. Many customers lapped up these credit cards and started using them for complimentary airport lounge access. Some people took some credit cards, mainly for airport lounge access or only for airport lounge access. It also led to overcrowding inside airport lounges and long queues outside airport lounges for complimentary access.

While the customer avails of the complimentary lounge access, the bank has to compensate the lounge operator. When people don’t use the credit card or use it sparingly for spending transactions, providing complimentary lounge access to such customers is a loss-making proposition for the bank. Hence, many banks have recently linked complimentary airport lounge access to spends on credit cards. Along with linking it to spends, some banks have even reduced the number of complimentary airport lounge visits in a year.

The customer has to spend a specified amount in a month or a quarter to unlock the complimentary airport lounge access. The income earned from the credit card spent by the cardholder compensates the bank to some extent for the complimentary airport lounge access it provides to the cardholder.

How to access complimentary airport lounge access without spend criteria?

Most banks have linked complimentary airport lounge access for most credit cards to spend. However, some credit cards still provide complimentary airport lounge access without any spend criteria. Let us look at some of these credit cards.

The first set of credit cards we will look at are travel-centric credit cards. Airport lounge access is a natural extension of travel. Hence, it makes sense for banks to provide complimentary airport lounge access with these credit cards.

1. Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card

The Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card provides 12 complimentary access annually to airport lounges at domestic and international terminals within India. The card provides 12 complimentary access annually to international lounges located outside India.

2. American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card

The American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card provides 8 complimentary visits per year (two per quarter) to airport lounges within India.

3. Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card

The Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card provides two complimentary domestic airport lounge access per calendar year.

4. Ixigo AU Credit Card

The ixigo AU Credit Card provides 16 complimentary domestic airport and railway lounge access every year. The card provides one complimentary international lounge access every year.

5. Axis Bank Atlas Credit Card

The Axis Bank Atlas Credit Card ties the number of complimentary airport visits to the cardholder’s membership tier. All cardholders start as silver members. Depending on the amount spent in a card membership year, they progress to gold or platinum members. The complimentary lounge access is as follows.

Note: The complimentary lounge access for gold and platinum tiers is linked to spends. However, there is no spending criteria for silver members (base tier) to get complimentary airport lounge access.

Apart from the above travel-centric credit cards, some other credit cards that provide complimentary airport lounge access without spending criteria include the following.

6. HDFC Bank Tata Neu Infinity Credit Card

The HDFC Bank Tata Neu Infinity Credit Card provides 8 complimentary domestic lounge access per calendar year (two in a quarter). The card provides 4 complimentary international lounge access per calendar year (one per quarter) outside India.

7. HSBC Live+ Credit Card

The HSBC Live+ Credit Card provides 4 complimentary domestic airport lounge access per year (one per quarter).

8. IndusInd EazyDiner Credit Card

The IndusInd EazyDiner Credit Card provides two complimentary domestic airport lounge access per calendar quarter.

Apart from the above-discussed credit cards, some premium and super-premium credit cards provide complimentary airport lounge access. For example, the HDFC Bank Diners Club Black and Infinia credit cards provide unlimited airport lounge access. Both these cards provide unlimited access to domestic and international airport lounges across the globe for primary and add-on card members. However, as the Diner Club Black card has a high income eligibility requirement and the Infinia card is an invite-only card, they are difficult for most people to get.

Enjoy complimentary airport lounge access while waiting for your flight

Most banks have linked the complimentary airport lounge to spending for most credit cards, as it is a cost to the bank. However, some travel-centric and other credit cards continue providing complimentary airport lounge access without any spending criteria. If you travel frequently, whether for official or leisure purposes, you may choose from one of these cards. With these cards, you can enjoy complimentary airport lounge access and relax in the lounge while waiting for your flight.

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