Lifetime-free credit card

As banks cutback on free lounge access on credit card, a few lifetime-free cards still stand out

- Sashind Ningthoukhongjam

Banks are quietly dialing back complimentary airport lounge access on credit cards, as soaring usage by low-spending customers squeezes margins and undercuts profitability. Many banks and card providers have introduced new rules, such as minimum spends to activate complimentary lounge access and reducing the number of free lounge visits in a given timeframe.

While most high-end credit cards offer unlimited lounge access, they are out of reach for many due to their income requirement, fees, and spending threshold. Lifetime-free cards, which are more suitable for most moderate spenders, have preconditions, such as minimum spending in a given month, and other conditions as prerequisites to activate the lounge access.

Mint asked credit card experts which easy-to-get credit cards with no annual or joining fees (lifetime-free, or LTF, cards) are the best if one is primarily looking for airport lounge access.

Cards with unlimited access Federal Bank's Scapia credit card unlocks unlimited domestic lounge access after ₹10,000 is spent in the previous billing cycle. It is a travel-focused credit card that, until February 2025, had to stop onboarding new customers as the country's banking regulator asked the bank to stop onboarding new co-branded credit card clients. After a brief pause, Scapia is now back in the market with its flagship travel card.

What sets the Scapia card apart is that it offers access not only to airport lounges but also to a variety of premium experiences beyond them, like coffee shops, restaurants, spas, and retail outlets inside the airport.