Airport lounge access on credit cards: spend conditions, guests and add-ons

Which of my cards give free airport lounge access?

It depends on the exact card, because terms differ within one bank: Axis Rewards needs Rs 50,000 of spend for 2 visits a quarter, while Axis Horizon has no spend rule.

Add your cards to My Cards to see them together, or browse all lounge access credit cards, those under Rs 1,000 a year, RuPay cards with lounge access and lifetime free cards with lounge access.

Benefits can end: Axis's lounge document says Flipkart Axis stopped offering them on 20 June 2025 and Airtel Axis on 12 April 2026.

241 of 562 open cards, from 31 banks. 321 open cards have no figure here because we did not find one. Rows marked Not confirmed are figures we could not check against the issuer document, so check with the bank.

How much do I have to spend to unlock lounge visits?

On the cards in the table below that name a figure, it runs from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1,00,000. Other cards set their own figures, so check yours. Spend this quarter usually unlocks visits next quarter, so meeting the target today does not help at today's airport.

Axis looks at a rolling window, the previous 3 calendar months. HDFC Regalia Gold and Kotak White look at the previous calendar quarter. ICICI says calendar quarter too, but its own illustration has you spending from 26 September to 25 December to qualify for January to March. Spend between 1 October and 25 December counts on either reading, or ask ICICI to confirm your window.

ICICI's MITC, last updated 9 October 2026, moved Adani One Signature, Adani One Platinum and MakeMyTrip cards onto the Rs 75,000 rule from 1 July 2026. ICICI's Upcoming changes page still lists MakeMyTrip as exempt, without a date, so go by the dated MITC or confirm with ICICI. HDFC and Axis both reserve the right to change these benefits.

Read at each bank's lounge document or product page on 31 October 2026. Each bank's other cards can differ. Kotak's White page says its starred benefits, including these domestic visits, depend on paying the joining fee and do not apply to the free variant. SBI Card's lounge terms and PRIME page state no spend condition, which is not a promise that none applies.

Which spends count towards the lounge target?

HDFC Regalia Gold's terms count all retail debit transactions, and HDFC, ICICI and Axis each list spends that do not count. EMI transactions are out at HDFC Regalia Gold and ICICI. SBI Card's lounge terms state no spend rule, and Kotak White's notice lists no lounge exclusions.

ICICI also leaves out rent, government and education payments, fees, interest and reversed or cancelled transactions. Axis excludes interest, fees, other charges and reversed payments, and counts only transactions settled within the 3 months, which can take up to 5 working days. HDFC Regalia Gold also goes by the settlement date, so a purchase on the last day of the quarter may land in the next one.

The ICICI documents we read do not name UPI payments on a RuPay credit card either way, so ask ICICI before you rely on them. See our guide to RuPay credit cards on UPI.

What does it cost if I fall short of the spend target?

You lose the free visit, and you pay the lounge's own price if you still want to go in. HDFC Regalia Gold's terms say the card swipe will be declined and the staff will tell you. Axis says you pay the price displayed at the lounge, directly to the lounge.

Banks do not publish those walk-in prices in the documents we read.

An example. You hold HDFC Regalia Gold and spend Rs 66,000 from July to September 2026, of which Rs 9,000 is an EMI transaction. Eligible spend is Rs 66,000 minus Rs 9,000, or Rs 57,000. That is Rs 3,000 short of Rs 60,000, so you get no free visits from October to December. If you enter through Priority Pass instead, HDFC charges USD 27 plus taxes per person per visit. At an assumed Rs 90 to the dollar, that is Rs 2,430, plus 18% GST of Rs 437.40, or Rs 2,867.40. Three visits come to Rs 8,602.20.

On some cards Priority Pass is not a free route inside India. HDFC's MITC, version 4.17 of October 2026, charges USD 27 plus taxes for every Priority Pass visit in India on Regalia Gold, Regalia, Regalia Activ, Doctor's Regalia, Tata Neu Infinity, Business Regalia and BizPower, while it gives Infinia unlimited Priority Pass access. It also says Regalia Gold visits over the complimentary limit are charged at the prevailing lounge rate inclusive of taxes, so ask HDFC which applies. SBI Card's MITC says up to USD 27 plus taxes.

Do add-on cardholders and guests get free lounge access?

Guests usually pay, though a few premium cards include some free guest visits: Axis's Magnus terms give 4 complimentary guest visits a calendar year on its domestic lounge programme. Add-ons depend on the card: HDFC Regalia Gold lets a primary or add-on holder use their own card, while ICICI Sapphiro and Kotak White limit free visits to the primary cardholder.

Axis's document gives free entry to the eligible cardholder only and does not treat add-ons separately. HDFC's does not say whether an add-on shares the primary's quota, so ask the bank. Nobody else can use your card or pass: HDFC, Axis, SBI Card and Kotak's Priority Pass terms all say it is not transferable. See our guide to add-on credit cards.

Read at each bank's lounge document or product page on 31 October 2026. Some premium cards differ.

Why is there a small charge when I enter a lounge?

It is a check that the card is valid, usually Rs 2. Whether you get it back depends on the bank and the network.

SBI Card takes Rs 2 on Visa and RuPay and says it is non-refundable, while Mastercard gets a temporary Rs 25 hold that is not debited. Axis lists a nominal swipe fee of Rs 2 on Visa and RuPay and Rs 25 on Mastercard, and its document does not say it comes back. ICICI takes Rs 2, or Re 1 on Amex variants.

HDFC's MITC, version 4.17, is not consistent. One line says the Rs 2 is debited and later reversed. Its charges section says the Rs 2 is not reversed on variants other than Mastercard, while on Mastercard the charge, Rs 2 from 1 January 2024, is made void at the terminal and does not appear on your statement. Regalia Gold visits over the limit carry a validation charge that is not reversed. Regalia Gold's lounge terms add that a reversal does not cancel the visit, so if you change your mind you must tell the lounge staff. Kotak White debits USD 1 for international visits and reverses it within 7 working days.

Which cards give lounge access without a spend condition?

A few. Axis waives its rule for Burgundy Private, Reserve, Olympus, Primus, Horizon and Atlas. ICICI's MITC exempts Diamant, Emeralde Private Metal, Emeralde Private, Emeralde, Emirates Emeralde and Times Black.

The conditions above are written for lounges in India. ICICI Sapphiro's 2 free international visits and HDFC Regalia Gold's 6 a year through Priority Pass carry no such spend figure on the bank's pages, though HDFC needs 4 transactions on the card before you can apply for the pass.

To filter by what you need, use Find a card. For costs abroad, see our guide to forex markup.

Do new cards get lounge access straight away?

Sometimes. Axis waives the spend rule for the month of issue and the next 3 calendar months, though an upgrade does not count as a new card.

HDFC Regalia Gold may exempt a card opened in the last month of a calendar quarter for the next quarter only. ICICI's and Kotak's documents we read state no such waiver.

Why was I refused at the lounge when I qualify?

The lounge may not be on your card's list, or it may be full. Your card works only at its listed lounges, and being on a bank's list does not guarantee a seat.

Since 10 January 2026, SBI Card has put selected cards, those with an annual fee of Rs 1,499 or Rs 2,999, on a Set A list of 16 lounges or a Set B list of 30. SBI Card PRIME is in Set B. Axis also runs two lists, and warns that entry can be refused when a lounge reaches its capacity for a card type or when the swipe fails. ICICI asks for a boarding pass or air ticket for travel on the same or next day.

Unused visits do not roll over on HDFC Regalia Gold. Lounges may charge for some food, alcohol and spa services, and may limit your stay, usually to 2 or 3 hours. RuPay entry at SBI Card lounges works only through Pine Labs machines.