How do Scapia’s Airport Privileges Work?

In 2023, Scapia launched its travel-focused credit cards. Scapia was unique because its card products, as well as the entire app and experience, are centred on travel. For instance, the company offers an app that accompanies the card, allowing users to book flights and accommodations, apply for visas, and even buy travel-related objects such as bags and electronic appliances. These lifetime free credit cards come with some great features, such as zero markup on foreign spending, and also offer a groundbreaking feature called Airport Privileges for domestic travel, which is a direct counter to the queues at airport lounges that have been going on for a long while.

Scapia Airport Privileges

The idea behind the Scapia Credit Card airport privileges is to offer a range of travel perks that not only allow you to relax but also let you enjoy spending time (and money) at the airport in ways that feel truly rewarding.

When you think of “airport privilege,” most cards evoke images of comfortable lounge chairs and complimentary coffee. Scapia’s definition is more inclusive. The program activates once you reach a per-statement spending threshold — INR 10,000 on the Visa card or INR 15,000 on the RuPay card — and then provides a set of options each time you have a flight departure. Note that the limit will increase to INR 20,000 per month starting February 27, 2026.

Every time you are at the airport, you can scan your boarding pass (or if you booked tickets on the Scapia App, you don’t even need to do that) to authenticate that you are in the geofenced area the Scapia app recognises as the airport. On authentication, you can pick one airport benefit per departure from a list of benefits that includes:

• Unlimited domestic airport lounge access: Not limited to a specific number of passes, but available freely throughout the month you qualify, at lounges across India. This is particularly beneficial in a market where many cards limit you to only a few visits per year.

• Complimentary dining credits: Instead of (or in addition to) relaxing in a lounge, you can choose to dine at participating airport outlets. You’ll receive the spend back in Scapia Coins up to specified caps — usually up to INR 1,000 at major hubs like Delhi, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, and up to INR 500 at smaller airports. Also, while the list of restaurants may not include the restaurant you want to dine at, it covers all stores at the airport (domestic), as I’ve verified repeatedly.

• Shopping credits:  Airport retail can often feel like a tax on travellers. Scapia turns it into a benefit: spend with your Scapia card at eligible shops, and you’ll get the same amount back in coins – usually up to INR 1,000 at major hubs like Delhi, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, and up to INR 500 at smaller airports. This transforms buying travel essentials, gifts, or that gadget you forgot to pack into a reward-earning experience. Also, while the list of shops may not include the store you want to shop at, it covers all stores at the airport (domestic), as I’ve verified repeatedly.

• Spa credits: One of the more unexpected options: if you’d rather surrender to pre-flight serenity, you can elect to use your benefit on a spa experience. Like dining and shopping, the spend is returned to you in Scapia Coins up to the airport’s cap.

All of these options can be selected in the Scapia app before you swipe the card. You choose how you want to elevate your airport experience — dining, shopping, spa, or lounge — on a per-departure basis.  And if needed, you can also switch the choice later. That’s the nuance that makes this perks program feel more like a travel companion and less like a static benefit list. Keep in mind that Scapia’s spending remains the same in each case, as these spending limits are set based on the average lounge access cost at these airports.

How Scapia’s Airport Privileges Work in Practice

The genius of Scapia’s Airport Privileges lies in its simplicity. You don’t have to guess whether you’ll use your benefits; you activate them each time you’re flying. Once you’ve met the monthly spend:

• Open the Scapia app and choose which privilege you want for your upcoming departure.
• Generate the relevant QR code or activation for a lounge, or pick your preferred retail, dining or spa outlet. When you choose the non-lounge options, you have 2 hours to use them, and the first transaction counts as the Airport Privilege being honoured.
• Use your Scapia Federal Credit Card at that outlet during your trip.
• Scapia credits back the value in Scapia Coins, effectively reimbursing you for the spend up to the allowed cap. The Airport Privileges show in your Scapia Coins Balance after the billing statement is generated.  

That’s not just a perk; that’s agency. You’re not corralled into lounges if you’d rather try the airport’s best dosa, grab a last-minute gift, or unwind with a massage before boarding. In a travel world that increasingly values personalisation, that flexibility feels rare.

And you can use it multiple times if you are on a trip with stops in between. For instance, if you book Delhi – Indore – Mumbai, you can use the privilege at both Delhi and Indore.

Why This Matters, Especially Now?

Flyers in India are growing in number, but airport experiences haven’t kept pace. Lounges are often overcrowded. Retail outlets are premium-priced. Dining at airports usually hurts the middle-class wallet. Scapia’s approach acknowledges that comfort comes in many forms and often depends on where you are in your journey—not just whether you have a lounge pass left. 

By tying the activation to a monthly spend minimum, the card aligns its benefits with real usage patterns. It rewards people who actually use the card, not just a cost centre (lifetime free cards still incur a cost), and funnels the value back into travel experiences that matter right in the moment, rather than some distant future reward.

Is it truly Unlimited?

Yes. You can use the benefit once every 24 hours at one airport. In the past, I’ve bought books for myself, chocolates for the home, mithai for relatives I’m visiting, treats and toys for my dog, jeans for my wife, an adaptor for my phone and many other items as I’ve criss-crossed Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and other airports over the past year. And not just that, I’ve treated myself to some sinful burgers at the new Gordon Ramsay Burgers in Delhi Terminal 1, and also comped in friends and family to the lounge because they did not have a lounge-access credit card.

More is coming

Despite its permissive design, Scapia’s airport privileges are mostly domestic so far: international lounge access isn’t included. This will change. If you buy an international ticket worth INR 50,000 or more using Scapia’s Credit Card and app, it will unlock Airport Privileges at the departing airport in India, worth INR 2,000. You can use it at an airport outlet for dining or for duty-free shopping. The choice is yours. This feature will go live on February 27, 2026, for international tickets booked after that date.

Bottomline

If travel rewards were a spectrum between rigid lounge programs and truly flexible travel perks, Scapia’s airport privileges land closer to the latter. It treats airports as ecosystems of experience, not just lounges, and gives the modern traveller agency to make the most of them. Whether you’re a weekend getaway warrior or an annual globetrotter, that level of customisation is a refreshing twist on the usual credit card travel perk playbook.

And what is also new is that Scapia now has two banking partners, Federal Bank and BOBCard, so approvals are twice as likely as before.

So, what is your pick of Scapia Airport Privileges that you like the most?

Apply for your Scapia Credit Card here, and you get an INR 1000 discount on travel bookings, and also 200 INR worth of Scapia Coins for your next flight booking

 

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