In early 2024, RuPay signed the lease for a lounge to be opened next to Gate 41 at the Delhi IGI Airport Terminal 3. This lounge would stand in the same spot where the Vistara Lounge was back in 2016. However, the difference would be that Encalm Hospitality would manage the lounge. This lounge management company also manages all the other lounges at Delhi Airport. Earlier this week, RuPay announced the opening of their lounge for credit card customers only. This lounge formally opened on September 12, 2024, and we reviewed it.
RuPay Lounge, Delhi IGI Airport Terminal 3 Gate 41
The lounge is great, and comes with tarmac views, meals depending on the time of the day and a games room.
RuPay Lounge, Delhi IGI Airport Terminal 3 Gate 41
RuPay Lounge Access policies changing on January 1, 2025
Everyone can access the lounge as long as you have a RuPay Credit Card. No limits are being applied at the moment, either. But RuPay will implement limits as of January 1, 2025. These limits will align with the current controls set up by credit cards, which limit access as per spending. Except it will be the first time a network will do it.
Only RuPay Credit cardholders (Select, Platinum, and Higher Variants only) will have access to the RuPay Exclusive Lounge at Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.
The following Tiers are being proposed at the moment for lounge access. This policy goes live on January 1, 2025, which means that spending made from January to March 2025 will count towards lounge access from April to June 2025. For now, it is unclear if multiple cards from one customer need to be clubbed to reach these spending limits or if they are notified on a per-card basis.
|
Tier |
Spend Limit | Access Policy |
|
Tier 1 |
INR 10,000 to INR 50,000 |
Two complimentary visits in a calendar quarter |
|
Tier 2 |
INR 50,001 to INR 1,00,000 |
Four complimentary visits in a calendar quarter |
|
Tier 3 |
INR 1,00,001 to INR 5,00,000 |
Eight complimentary visits in a calendar quarter |
|
Tier 4 |
INR 5,00,001 and above |
Unlimited complimentary visits in a quarter |
The full circular issue can be read here.
The lounge is now going to deliver on the strategic objective to drive spending; although it is just a Delhi-based lounge, the effect will be far more localised. It could also lead to this lounge being passed over by many customers before it even becomes a fixture for passengers at Delhi Terminal 3 Domestic. For instance, I don’t expect anyone to spend INR 5 Lakhs to get access an unlimited amount of times to this lounge for sure.
Bottomline
RuPay has notified a new policy where your spending on the RuPay network, either via Scan and Pay or swipe or online usage of the RuPay Credit Cards, will account for access to the RuPay Lounge, Delhi T3 (and any other lounges coming up in the future). This will be the first time a network will limit lounge access at its own level. The new policy goes into effect from January 1, 2025.
What do you think of the new policy from RuPay to limit access to its exclusive lounge at Delhi Terminal 3?
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From the reading of the circular, it seems the banks / credit card issuers need to monitor the spends and share the list of eligible beneficiaries with Rupay every quarter. So, Rupay network will not monitor the spends as opposed to “Except it will be the first time a network will do it.”
@Amit, first time a network will implement limits to access a lounge, in case it was not phrased well earlier. So far, banks would keep an eye on spends and send data to Dreamfolks, Collinson or whosoever was their partner on lounge access. Now, they need to send to RuPay network as well.
@Ajay – Got it, thanks.