Credit cards today offer multiple travel benefits. Besides being able to earn air miles on your grocery shopping and other daily spends, you can use them to get yourself free airline tickets, movie tickets, enjoy discounts at restaurants and even play unlimited complimentary golf games.
Jet Airways & JetPrivilege have a variety of co-branded credit cards that offer airline perks, such as excess baggage allowance, free one-way tickets and dedicated check-in counters. However, the most valuable benefit that comes along with these cards, as per me, is the ability to access airport lounges free of cost, sometimes, across the world.
Ahlan Business Class Lounge at Dubai Airport, accessible with JetPrivilege HDFC Bank Diners Club Credit Card
Airport lounges can be very useful. Lounges have not just made my regular travel more comfortable but have also come in very handy when I am stuck during flight delays. The terminal building usually gets packed to capacity with passengers, and thankfully because I have access to the airport lounge, I can wait comfortably.
With Jet Airways and JetPrivilege co-brand partnerships with a variety of banks, over 40 lounges are accessible in India for holders of the credit cards. Here are some of the best airport lounges in India which you can access with your Jet Airways / JetPrivilege co-branded credit card.
Best Airport Lounges in India: Domestic
American Express Lounge, Domestic Departures, Delhi Terminal 3
The American Express lounge is my go-to lounge in Delhi Terminal 3 when I’m flying Jet Airways. With a convenient location on the domestic side of Terminal 3, right across from Starbucks, this lounge has excellent views of the tarmac.
Dining at the American Express Lounge, Domestic Departures, Delhi Terminal 3
My favourite part of being in this lounge is the customised dining options they offer. Instead of choosing from a buffet, I can order hot meals off the menu. So, when I am hungry it is the Chicken Biryani or Spaghetti Pasta I go for, and if I want to get a snack, then the Satays are delicious here.
Travel Club Lounge by TFS, Domestic Departures Mumbai Terminal 2
When I entered this lounge the first time, my thought was that it is visually stunning. The lounge is done up in white and gold marble hues, and it is pretty swanky regarding design. There is ample seating space, and a large part of the seating area has individual lighting overhead and plug points, so seats are reasonably convenient to read and charge devices.
The food options are quite impressive, even at 5 am in the morning. There were hot dishes, salads, fruits, fresh juices, sandwiches, and a live kitchen. The lounge attendant encouraged me to try their live kitchen options of dosa and eggs. With a business centre and a spa, this is a great lounge to wait in Mumbai airport.
Plaza Premium Lounge, Domestic Departures, Bangalore
This spacious lounge is open for fliers 24/7. There is a lot of comfortable seating around the lounge. Apart from the excellent food spread, there is a bar, and the lounge also has a spa facility. The Plaza Premium lounge is situated on the mezzanine floor and is a great place to leave Bengaluru from, with its filter coffee which is authentic (so is the Masala chai!). And if you crave a dosa before take-off, you’ll find it here.
Best Airport Lounges in India: International
Plaza Premium Lounge B, International Departures Terminal 3, New Delhi
Plaza Premium Lounge B, International Departures Terminal 3, New Delhi
Delhi Airport, on the International side of Terminal 3, has two lounges operated by Plaza Premium: Lounge A and B. Plaza Premium Lounge B is located past the duty-free area and is the bigger lounge with more facilities when compared to Lounge A.
This lounge comes with several amenities like a separate dining area, a spa, shower facility, a private room. On my last trip here during breakfast hours, they had an eggs station where I could get eggs done to my liking.
When you arrive early to the airport for your international flights and if a credit card allows you the opportunity to relax stylishly, then why not have it?
Plaza Premium Lounge, International Departures, Hyderabad
Plaza Premium Lounge, International Departures, Hyderabad (Image courtesy: Plaza Premium)
Open 24 hours, this lounge is a haven for the avgeeks. With great airside views, this lounge has a fantastic food spread along with a good variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. There’s also a separate VIP room and spa facilities.
Though this lounge is smaller compared to other Plaza Premium lounges in India, the staff are friendly, food is excellent especially the Hyderabadi Biryani, and the tarmac views magnificent. There are multiple Jet Airways / JetPrivilege co-branded credit cards that give you complimentary access.
Above Ground Level, International Departures, Bengaluru
Above Ground Level, International Departures, Bengaluru (Picture Courtesy: Priority Pass)
I’m partial to this one because there is comfortable seating, accompanied by an enjoyable spread of food and a fully furnished business centre. The food spread in the lounge changes three times a day and every time I’ve visited this lounge the spread has been delicious. The lounge also has printing facilities and is open for passengers 24 hours of the day.
The best Jet Airways co-branded Credit Cards to get lounge access
Here are some of the best credit cards that will allow you to earn JPMiles and offer free airport lounge access in India. Also, the Dragon Pass which is complimentary with the Jet Airways ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card gives you access to 450 lounges across 115 countries regardless of the class or airline you fly. So undoubtedly valuable to have.
Jet Airways American Express Platinum Credit Card
Jet Airways American Express Platinum Credit Card is one of the best cards out there, given the lounge benefits it comes with. The Amex Lounge network gives you access to 13 lounges in 11 airports across India on this card.
For the INR 5,000 initiation fee you pay, you get 10,000 JPMiles to start and another 2,500 for applying through the JetPrivilege Cards portal. You can earn 8 JPMiles on every INR 150 you spend.
This card becomes available to everyone who earns INR 6 Lakhs, and above per annum, so the entry barrier is not very high, and you can get instant approval when you apply for this card on the JetPrivilege website.
- Initiation fee: INR 5,000 plus taxes
- Lounge Access: Unlimited access to 13 lounges across India, including the Amex Lounge in Delhi
- Free Jet Airways Ticket: One-way complimentary Jet Airways domestic ticket (base fare waived off)
JetPrivilege HDFC Bank Signature Credit Card
If travel takes you outside India then, for an annual fee of INR 2,500 and taxes, this is an excellent card to consider. Not only does it give you a one-way free ticket but comes with a joining bonus of 7,500 JPMiles.
With an earning of 6 JPMiles for every INR 150 spent, a spend of INR 1,20,000 annually, will make you a total of 12,300 JPMiles in a year including the joining bonus. That is good to get you an economy return ticket on a lot of domestic sectors and Premiere on some.
The beauty of this card is also in the Priority Pass that comes along with this card and provides five free visits to over 1000 international lounges worldwide.
- Annual Fee: INR 2,500 plus taxes
- Lounge Access: 5 complimentary visits worldwide with Priority Pass. 4 complimentary visits per quarter at select airport lounges across India.
- Free Jet Airways Ticket: One-way complimentary Jet Airways domestic ticket (base fare waived off)
Jet Airways ICICI Bank Sapphiro AMEX/ VISA Credit Card
Another good card to have in your wallet is the Jet Airways ICICI Bank Sapphiro credit card. It comes with a one-way free ticket and a generous bonus of 10,000 JPMiles, which is good enough to redeem an economy return ticket all by itself.
It also gets you 5 JPMiles credit for every INR 100 spent for the Amex version. Annual spend of INR 1,40,000 combines with the bonus will equal to 17,000 JPMiles. That’s a free economy return ticket on over 90% of Jet Airways’ domestic sectors or a free return ticket from India to Kathmandu or Colombo.
There are two variants of this card: Jet Airways ICICI Bank Sapphiro AMEX and Jet Airways ICICI Bank Sapphiro VISA credit card. Here’s our review of this card.
- Annual Fee: INR 5,000 plus taxes
- Lounge Access: 4 complimentary entries every year to lounges across India on AMEX card. Eight complimentary visits per year on the VISA card. Plus, you get a Dragon Pass membership that allows two times a year free access to international lounges & domestic airport spas.
- Free Jet Airways Ticket: One-way complimentary Jet Airways domestic ticket (base fare waived off)
JetPrivilege HDFC Bank Diners Club Credit Card
This card has the best earning ratio for ticket bookings on Jet Airways. You get 24 JPMiles/INR 150 for booking tickets directly with the airline, and you get 15 Tier Points in the first year. Tier points are crucial to upgrade or retain your JetPrivilege tier status. I had used the 15 Tier points to gain my Platinum status one year when I did not have enough travel. Additionally, I get 1 tier point every 150K INR of spend.
Not just that, you get 30,000 JPMiles on signup (15K on activation, and 15K on completing minimum spend). Being a card on the top end, you get complimentary lounge access at over 700 lounges across the world, which means the card works for you anywhere in the world, rather than just in India. When it comes to India, Diners allows you lounge access even in smaller cities like Guwahati, Dehradun and Raipur. These lounges are still not on the Visa and MasterCard network.
- Annual fee: INR 10,000 plus taxes
- Lounge Access: Unlimited access to over 700 lounges worldwide
- Free Jet Airways Ticket: One-way complimentary Jet Airways domestic ticket (base fare waived off)
Jet Airways IndusInd Bank Odyssey VISA Credit Card
By paying a joining fee of INR 10,000, this card gives you 15,000 JPMiles and a free Jet Airways one-way ticket. So, you’ve made good the joining fee paid here.
As for airport lounge access, this card gives two complimentary lounge visits every quarter to lounges on the VISA network. Plus, it comes with a Priority Pass membership which provides you with access to 700 plus lounges worldwide. Again, an excellent card for Jet-setters.
- Annual Fee: INR 10,000 plus taxes
- Lounge Access: Access to over 700 lounges worldwide via Priority Pass. Plus two complimentary visits every quarter to VISA lounges in India
- Free Jet Airways Ticket: One-way complimentary Jet Airways domestic ticket (base fare waived off)
Like I have said before, paid credit cards come with many benefits and yield much higher value for the fee paid. Check out the JetPrivilege Credit Card website to see which is the best card for your lifestyle.
Which is your favourite lounge in India and how do you get access to it?
Isn’t Jet Airways and JetPrivilege a bit out dated ? Considering that Jet Airways is now no more existing! I have a JetPrivilege card HDFC Signature, but I am refused lounge access without a Jet Airways boarding pass, which is not possible to get!
So effectively, the 4 lounge accesses per quarter (16 in total) sounds good on paper but it is not usable.
Should 1 consider the return on investments by usage of credit cards and what in the end is he getting returns on them. spending annual fee of 5000 + GST , then it makes sense that he has to make spends equivalent to some rupees to get that expenditure on paying annual fees+ GST back to the person. I value JP miles at around 0.5 INR/ – sometimes even low as 0.3 /- .
JP AmexPlatinum card earns 8 JP Miles for every Rs 150 spent. It has been mebtioned as 8JP miles/Rs 100. Please reconcile
Hi Shipra & Ajay,
This is my first time on your site, all thanks to that insightful podcast you guys did on Paisa Vaisa. I’m from Kolkata and frequently travel, but within India.
I have some questions regarding Priority Pass membership. I’m a Platinum member with Jet and also have the AMEX-Jet Airways card. Now I’m new to Priority Pass. AMEX did send me one application form, which says free membership, however each visit will be charged $27 (roughly INR 1500).
Now I already get lounge access whenever I travel by Jet, otherwise I have two other options (1) My AMEX-Jet Airways card (2) Ola Select membership. Will the priority pass membership help me? Will it give me access to some lounges (within India), which I can’t get access through the above means?
Finally, one solution I’ve been looking for long, is how do I take my colleague/friend travelling with me to the lounges I visit, I get it that Priority Pass will let me take them, but I have to pay $27. Is there any other better way?
@SM Glag you enjoyed the podcast.
The AMEX card combined with the Ola select membership already gives access to airport lounges in over 10 cities in India.The Priority Pass(PP) being offered to you is basic where guests still have to pay 27 USD/ 1750 INR for every visit. Most lounges in India are priced between 500 and 750 INR, so don’t really see the point of using PP for domestic lounge visits. PP comes very handy on international travel with its network of 700+ International lounges.
As for taking a colleague along in a lounge. They can always swipe their credit card to gain lounge access along with you. Lots of cards in the market that offer airport lounge access.
Ive a diners black which gets me access, but my main problem is that my wife doesnt get free access and we have to end up paying for her. is there any solution for that?
@Piyush the HDFC Bank Signature card gives access to most lounges on the Diners network in India. Plus it comes with a Priority Pass that allows 5 visits to international lounges
http://livefromalounge.boardingarea.com/2017/11/27/jpmiles-cards-for-beginners/
Hi Piyush,
Access to the longue is only for Primary Card holders. I have the same problem as well.
Hi Ajay/Shipra, Which card do u recommend for NRIs who visit India couple of times in a year, primarily from perspective of lounge access in India? Thanks
Great post, Ajay. But in my experience, the Above Ground Level Domestic lounge at Bangalore has been better than Plaza Premium.
*Shipra
yes even i prefer Above Ground Level Domestic lounge at Bangalore