IndusInd Bank was one of the last remaining mid-tier banks not to request spending for credit-card-based lounge access. The trend started, I think, with Axis Bank about 3 years ago, when travel returned post-COVID, and other banks followed suit over time. Now, they made a new move.
IndusInd Bank imposes a new requirement for spending for lounge access eligibility
IndusInd Bank has notified customers of a new requirement that will take effect on April 1, 2026, towards minimum spend on various credit cards. This baseline, applicable quarterly, will be the minimum spending required to obtain lounge access in the next quarter. First, let’s go over the requirements for various IndusInd Bank Credit Cards:
- Indulge Credit Card, with a spend of INR 5,00,000 in a Quarter, will get 6 Lounge Visits for the next Quarter
- Solitaire Credit Card, with a spend of INR 5,00,000 in a Quarter, will get 4 Lounge Visits for the next Quarter
- Crest Credit Card, with a spend of INR 5,00,000 in a Quarter will get 2 Lounge Visits for the next Quarter
- Legacy Credit Card and Pinnacle Credit Card, with a spend of INR 1,50,000 in a Quarter will get 1 Lounge Visit for the next Quarter
- Celesta Credit Card, with a spend of INR 1,50,000 in a Quarter will get Unlimited Visits for the next Quarter
Here is the communication sent out.
Effective April 1, 2026, access to domestic airport lounges will be based on this spend criterion. Spend tracking for the complimentary domestic lounge feature will begin in quarter 1 of the FY 26-27 (April-May-June). Customers will be able to use the complimentary domestic lounge in the April-May-June quarter, and the complimentary access, as per the card variant, will be unlocked from the July- August-September quarter.
For a newly issued card, the minimum spend criteria from the previous quarter will be applied to the complimentary domestic lounge access in the subsequent quarter. For card upgrades, complimentary lounge access will be based on the new card. If the spending threshold in the previous quarter is not met, the complimentary domestic lounge access will not be extended.
My Take
It is a reality of the economics of Credit Cards, that there is no money left for freebies such as lounge access. Major banks such as Axis Bank Credit Cards, Yes Bank Credit Cards, IDFC First Bank Credit Cards and ICICI Bank Credit Cards have already implemented rules around Lounge Access which need a certain amount of spending either on a monthly or on a quarterly basis. However, everyone has some INR 50K per month or INR 100K per quarter kind of spend requirements, so IndusInd Bank Credit Cards has clearly oveplayed their hand on the amount they would expect people to spend for one trip to the lounge.
Bottomline
IndusInd Bank Credit Cards has put out conditions for some of their credit cards in terms of minimum spending for access to the lounge. The requirements are from INR 150,000 per quarter to INR 500,000 per quarter, and the new requirements come into force as of April 1, 2026.
What do you think of the new requirements from IndusInd Bank Credit Cards, for earning lounge access on spends?
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Better to fly Business class for a fraction of this spend requirement 🙂