HDFC & SBI Card Rule Changes on July 1: How to Check Your Airport Lounge Eligibility Before Traveling
Flying after July 1st? You may want to review your credit card benefits before making your way to the airport, since two credit card companies – HDFC Bank and SBI Card – are changing their policies. Customers using certain cards from HDFC Bank would have to fulfill quarterly expenditure targets in order to unlock lounge access. SBI Card too is tweaking its reward policy for selected cards.
For regular travelers, this means that even with a premium card in hand, they may not be able to get into lounges.
What Is Changing for HDFC Cardholders?
The most significant change relates to the complimentary domestic airport lounges that come with some HDFC Bank credit cards.
As of July 1st, some cards, such as Regalia Gold Card and Diners Club Privilege Card, will require cardholders to attain a certain amount of minimum spends in the previous quarter before they can make use of complimentary lounges. For most of the affected cards, the spending requirement in the previous quarter stands at ₹60,000, after which the customers will be able to receive their complimentary lounges based on the new limits.
What About SBI Card Users?
In comparison to HDFC Bank, the recent changes that came into force on July 1st are mainly related to the reward program of selected PhonePe SBI credit cards and not to the introduction of the airport lounges. These changes apply to PhonePe SBI Card PURPLE and PhonePe SBI Card SELECT BLACK. It needs to be noted that earlier in the year, changes were made to the lounge access program for selected SBI cards.
It is thus necessary for the cardholder to check both programs separately prior to travel.
How to Check Your Lounge Eligibility Before Your Flight
It is recommended that one should check beforehand if their card will offer free access to lounges.
The simplest method is to log in to the mobile banking portal of your bank or the credit card app and see the perks of the card. The banks also provide lounge access information along with the amount of spend done in the last quarter and visits available through your card.
One can also go to the official website of HDFC Bank or SBI Card to view the list of cards offering lounge access and their terms and conditions.
Why Banks Are Changing Lounge Access Rules
Lounge access free of cost has emerged as one of the most widely opted for credit card benefits in the recent years.
Due to the rise of free lounge access from entry level as well as mid level cards, lounges began to get more and more congested. In response to this issue, banks have been making an attempt to tie down lounge access with minimum spending thresholds. This is becoming a trend nowadays.
What Should Frequent Travellers Do?
When lounge access is an important factor in choosing which credit card to use, it is wise to check out the benefits guide offered by the credit card company each quarter.
Checking quarterly expenditures, counting the number of complimentary accesses left, and identifying eligible lounges will allow you to have continued access to lounges while traveling.
Travelers that travel a lot might even want to compare cards that still offer greater access to lounges depending on their spending habits.
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Conclusion
These changes on July 1 should be noted, since access to the airport lounges is no longer automatically granted because of holding an expensive credit card.
For HDFC cardholders, achieving spending goals has been gaining importance; and SBI Card users need to learn about any modifications made in the reward programs for their particular cards. Spending a little time on checking whether you have the access right will save you the trouble at the airport.
If you are planning to go by air in the future, make sure that your credit card will give you access to the airport lounge.
