Many moons ago, when PayTM launched their Bank, the PayTM Rupay Debit Card was the easiest and cheapest way to get Lounge Access across the country. The Debit Card cost all of INR 125 to be issued, and you could spend INR 2 to receive lounge access at one of the broadest assortment of lounges across India, two times every quarter.
PayTM Payments Bank will, however, discontinue this free lounge access facility as of January 9, 2020, as per a flash that is going up on PayTM Payments Bank website.
This is not something that Rupay is stopping to offer, so if you have a Rupay Platinum Debit Card issued by any other bank, you should still be able to access lounges with the Rupay Debit Card, just not with PayTM Bank.
While this is most unfortunate for users, Lounge Access is an expensive feature to offer, with the minimums being INR 400-500 at low-end lounges as bill footed by the Bank, and it would have run dry PayTM Payments Bank a lot of money for those who opened zero balance accounts and used the lounge access features. On the flip side, I do hope the rush in many lounges goes down as well.
What do you make of the move from PayTM Payments Bank to discontinue Lounge Access? Were you using the Lounge Access feature regularly?
(H/T to Kautuk Raj)
I cancelled my physical paytm debit card. However, during cancellation, the executive told me that this is something because of rupay and not paytm.
From when paytm is discontinuing the lounge access service?
I hope the rush in the lounge will reduce with this. Which may not be a bad thing.
Thankfully the Amex Lounge at BOM is always an oasis of calm. I tend to fly for pleasure, not business so always schedule a flight in the afternoon when the airport is less busy.
Sometimes only I used Paytm Rupay Platinum to get access to lounges else Mastercard and Visa