25+ Best Debit Cards in India for free Airport Lounge Access (2020)

Not many are aware that the debit card in their wallet can get them complimentary access to airport lounges. Debit cards issued by popular banks like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank etc. provide free airport lounge access. MasterCard India has the most generous airport lounge access program followed by Visa and RuPay.

Prefer debit cards on MasterCard platform over Visa & RuPay as former has wider coverage of airport lounges in their network.

In this article I am listing 25+ best debit cards in India for complimentary airport lounge access. So without further ado, let’s get started.

• 1. HDFC Bank Millennia Debit Card
• 2. HDFC Bank EasyShop Platinum Debit Card
• 3. HDFC Bank RuPay Premium Debit Card
• 4. JetPrivilege HDFC Bank Signature Debit Card
• 5. HDFC Bank Times Point Debit Card
• 6. SBI Platinum Debit Card
• 7. SBI RuPay Platinum Debit Card
• 8. ICICI Bank Coral Debit Card
• 9. ICICI Bank Rubyx Debit Card
• 10. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Debit Card
• 11. Citi Priority World Debit Card
• 12. Citigold World Debit Card
• 13. Citigold Private Client World Debit Card
• 14. Axis Bank Priority Debit Card
• 15. Axis Bank Delight Debit Card
• 16. Axis Bank RuPay Platinum Debit Card
• 17. Axis Bank Burgundy Private Debit Card
• 18. Yes Prosperity Platinum Debit Card
• 19. Yes Premia Debit Card
• 20. Yes First World Debit Card
• 21. IndusInd Bank World Exclusive Debit Card
• 22. IndusInd Bank Pioneer World Debit Card
• 23. IDFC First Visa Signature Debit Card
• 24. Bank of India RuPay Platinum Debit Card
• 25. Central Bank of India RuPay Platinum Debit Card
• 26. IDBI RuPay Platinum Debit Card
• 27. IDBI Visa Signature Debit Card
• 28. Kotak Privy League Signature Debit Card
• Bottomline

1. HDFC Bank Millennia Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 4 per year
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 500 + GST
  • Annual fee is waived off for Classic, Preferred and Imperia customers
• Rewards:
  • 5% Cashback on shopping via PayZapp and SmartBuy
  • 2.5% Cashback on all online spends
  • 1% Cashback on all offline spends and Wallet reloads
  • Maximum cashback per month: Rs. 400

HDFC Bank Millennia Debit Card is the newest offering from HDFC Bank. Apart from lounge access, this card also provides attractive cashback on online and offline spends.

2. HDFC Bank EasyShop Platinum Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 750 + GST
  • Annual fee is waived off for Classic, Preferred and Imperia customers
• Rewards:
  • 1% cashback on Telecom, Utilities
  • 0.5% cashback on Groceries, Supermarket, Restaurant, Apparels, Entertainment
  • Maximum cashback per month: Rs. 750

HDFC Bank EasyShop Platinum Debit Card is the most popular debit card from HDFC Bank. Opt for MasterCard variant for better coverage of lounges.

3. HDFC Bank RuPay Premium Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 200 + GST
  • Annual fee is waived off for Classic, Preferred and Imperia customers
• Rewards:
  • 5% cash back on utility bill payments, max Rs. 50 per month

Issued on RuPay platform, HDFC Bank RuPay Premium Debit Card carries the lowest annual fee among HDFC Debit Cards. Since it doesn’t provide any reward point for spends, don’t use it for the same.

4. JetPrivilege HDFC Bank Signature Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Nil
• Rewards:
  • 4 InterMiles on every Rs. 150 spent on all International shopping, online merchants and on all flights being booked on InterMiles.com
  • 2 InterMiles on every Rs. 150 spent on all domestic Hotel, Air, Travel, Utility, Apparels and
  • 1 InterMiles on every Rs. 150 spent on all domestic shopping and online merchants for rest of the categories (except Jewellery, Business Services and Fuel)

JetPrivilege HDFC Bank Signature Debit Card is the only debit card from HDFC Bank issued on Visa Signature platform. Though it provides InterMiles on spends, I won’t recommend using it for the same as the reward rate is really poor.

5. HDFC Bank Times Point Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 1 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Nil
• Rewards: 2 Times Points for every Rs. 150 spent at shopping (except for fuel, jewellery and business services)

HDFC Bank Times Point Debit Card is the best looking debit card from HDFC Bank. However apart from looks, there is nothing else exciting. Avoid this card for online and offline spending as the reward rate is poor.

6. SBI Platinum Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 175 + GST
• Rewards:
  • 1 RP = Rs. 0.25
  • 2 RP per Rs. 200 spent, 0.25% reward rate
  • Max RP per transaction: 100
  • Max RP per month: 1,000
  • 2X RP on birthday, 0.50% reward rate
  • Max bonus RP in birthday month: 200

SBI doesn’t issue this card by default and hence you need to place a request specifically for this card. Again opt for MasterCard version for better coverage of lounges.

7. SBI RuPay Platinum Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 200 + GST
  • Waived off on maintaining average quarterly balance of Rs. 50,000
• Rewards:
  • 1 RP = Rs. 0.25
  • 2 RP per Rs. 200 spent, 0.25% reward rate
  • Max RP per transaction: 100
  • Max RP per month: 1,000
  • 2X RP on birthday, 0.50% reward rate
  • Max bonus RP in birthday month: 200
  • 5% cash back on utility bill payments, max Rs. 50 per month

SBI RuPay Platinum Debit Card is the most rewarding among SBI Debit Cards. Go for this card if you don’t intend to use it internationally.

8. ICICI Bank Coral Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 599 + GST
• Rewards:
  • 4 PAYBACK Points per Rs. 200 spent, 0.5% reward rate
  • Buy 1 Get 1 on BookMyShow, Carnival Cinemas and Inox

ICICI Bank Coral Debit Card is the most popular debit card from ICICI Bank. Prefer this debit card over others as the latter has almost similar benefits but comes with higher annual charge.

9. ICICI Bank Rubyx Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 749 + GST second year onwards
• Rewards:
  • 4 PAYBACK Points per Rs. 200 spent, 0.5% reward rate
  • Buy 1 Get 1 on BookMyShow, Carnival Cinemas and Inox

ICICI Bank Rubyx Debit Card is one step above ICICI Bank Coral Debit Card. However the benefits are almost identical. Don’t opt for this debit card unless you are offered for free.

10. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 4 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 1,499 + GST second year onwards
• Rewards:
  • 4 PAYBACK Points per Rs. 200 spent, 0.5% reward rate
  • Buy 1 Get 1 on BookMyShow, Carnival Cinemas and Inox

ICICI Bank Sapphiro Debit Card is a step above ICICI Bank Rubyx Debit Card. You may opt for this card if you need to access airport lounges more than 2 times in a quarter. If not, stick with ICICI Bank Coral Debit Card as it has a lower annual fee.

11. Citi Priority World Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: Unlimited
  • International: 8 per year
• Annual Fee: Nil
• Rewards:
  • 2 reward points per Rs. 150 spent, 1.33% reward rate
  • Golf Privileges: Green fee waiver 3 times in a year
  • Buy 1 Get 1 on movie tickets at BookMyShow
    • Max discount Rs. 250
    • Can be availed twice in a month

Citi Priority World Debit Card is offered to Priority Banking customers who maintain a net relationship value (NRV) of Rs. 15 Lakhs. Coupled with decent reward rate and Golf Privileges, this is a good debit card to have if you can maintain the Priority Status.

12. Citigold World Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: Unlimited
  • International: 16 per year
• Annual Fee: Nil
• Rewards:
  • 2 reward points per Rs. 150 spent, 1.33% reward rate
  • Golf Privileges: Green fee waiver 4 times in a year
  • Buy 1 Get 1 on movie tickets atBookMyShow
    • Max discount Rs. 400
    • Can be availed 3 times in a month
  • Buy 1 Get 1 on non-movie tickets at BookMyShow
    • Max discount Rs. 1,000
    • Can be availed 4 times in a month

Citigold World Debit Card is issued to Citigold customers who maintain a NRV of Rs. 75 Lakhs. Clearly this debit card is not for the masses and benefits provided are quite attractive.

13. Citigold Private Client World Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: Unlimited
  • International: 20 per year
• Annual Fee: Nil
• Rewards:
  • 2 reward points per Rs. 150 spent, 1.33% reward rate
  • Golf Privileges: Green fee waiver 4 times in a year
  • Buy 1 Get 1 on movie tickets at BookMyShow
    • Max discount Rs. 500
    • Can be availed 4 times in a month
  • Buy 1 Get 1 on non-movie tickets at BookMyShow
    • Max discount Rs. 1,000
    • Can be availed 4 times in a month

Citigold Private Client World Debit Card is issued to elitist customers of Citi Bank who maintain a NRV of Rs. 5 Crores and above. Clearly not everyone’s cup of tea.

14. Axis Bank Priority Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 750 + GST
  • Waived off for priority customers
• Rewards:
  • 12,500 reward points worth Rs. 2,500 per quarter on spending Rs. 25,000 online, 10% reward rate
  • 1 reward point per Rs. 200 spent domestically, 0.1% reward rate
  • 3 reward points per Rs. 200 spent internationally, 0.3% reward rate

Axis Bank Priority Debit Card is issued to Priority Customers of Axis Bank. You need to maintain an average quarterly balance of Rs. 2 Lakhs to maintain the priority status with Axis Bank. The rewards offered are quite good, especially on online spending.

15. Axis Bank Delight Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 999 + GST
• Rewards:
  • 1 Reward point per Rs. 200 spent, 0.1% reward rate
  • Buy 1 Get 1 on BookMyShow, limited to 2 per month

Axis Bank Delight Debit Card has a very poor reward rate and hence I would recommend using it for complimentary airport lounge access only.

16. Axis Bank RuPay Platinum Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 200 + GST
  • Waived off for Axis Republic main account holder
• Rewards:
  • 5% cash back on utility bill payments, max Rs. 50 per month

Axis Bank RuPay Platinum Debit Card is issued on RuPay platform. This is a no-frills card which provides decent cashback on utility bill payments.

17. Axis Bank Burgundy Private Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 4 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 10,000 + GST
  • Waived off for Burgundy Private clients
• Rewards:
  • 10 reward points on every Rs. 200 spent internationally, 1% reward rate
  • 3 reward points on every Rs. 200 spent domestically, 0.3% reward rate
  • Buy 1 Get 1 movie ticket at BookMyShow limited to 6 tickets of Rs. 500 in a month
  • Buy 1 Get 1 non-movie ticket at BookMyShow limited to 4 tickets of Rs. 1,000 in a month

Axis Bank Burgundy Private Debit Card is issued to Burgundy Private clients of Axis Bank free. You need to have a NRV of Rs. 5 Crores and more to qualify for Burgundy Private status. Absence of international lounge access on such premium debit card is really disappointing.

18. Yes Prosperity Platinum Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 1 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 599 + GST
• Rewards:
  • 1 reward point per Rs. 200 spent, 0.125% reward rate
  • 4X rewards on international spends, 0.5% reward rate
  • Rs. 100 off on BookMyShow, twice in a month

Yes Prosperity Platinum Debit Card is an entry level debit card from Yes Bank. Go for this debit card only if the annual fee is waived off.

19. Yes Premia Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 1,249 + GST
  • Waived off for YES PREMIA Customers
• Rewards:
  • 1 reward point per Rs. 200 spent domestically, 0.125% reward rate
  • 4 reward points per Rs. 200 spent internationally, 0.5% reward rate
• Rs. 200 off on BookMyShow, once in a month
• Green Fee waiver for accessing select premium golf courses in India

Yes Premia Debit Card is issued to Yes Premia Customers who maintain a NRV of Rs. 10 Lakhs. The low reward rate on this debit card is really underwhelming.

20. Yes First World Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 3 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 2,499 + GST
  • Waived off for YES FIRST customers maintaining requisite Net Relationship Value with the Bank
• Rewards:
  • 1 reward point per Rs. 200 spent domestically, 0.125% reward rate
  • 4 reward points per Rs. 200 spent internationally, 0.5% reward rate
  • Rs. 250 off on BookMyShow, once in a month
  • Green Fee waiver for accessing select premium golf courses in India

Yes First World Debit Card is issued to Yes First Customers who maintain a NRV of Rs. 30 Lakhs. It makes sense to go for this debit card only if you can maintain the Yes First status. Otherwise the benefits provided on this debit card against the annual charges are not worth in my opinion.

21. IndusInd Bank World Exclusive Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Nil
• Rewards:
  • 1 RP = Rs. 0.35
  • 2 RP per Rs. 200 up to monthly spends of Rs. 5,000
  • 3 RP per Rs. 200 between monthly spends of Rs. 5,001 to Rs. 10,000
  • 4 RP per Rs. 200 between monthly spends of Rs. 10,001 to Rs. 20,000
  • 5 RP per Rs. 200 between monthly spends of Rs. 20,001 to Rs. 40,000
  • 6 RP per Rs. 200 above monthly spends of Rs. 40,001
  • Buy one Get One on BookMyShow limited to 3 tickets of Rs. 500 in a quarter

IndusInd Bank Signature Exclusive Debit Card is a hidden gem with no forex markup. Hence it’s most suited for those who travel internationally a lot or spend a lot in foreign currency. To open the Exclusive Account with them, you need to deposit Rs. 2 Lakhs in the account.

22. IndusInd Bank Pioneer World Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Nil
• Rewards:
  • 1 RP = Rs. 1
  • 1 reward point for every Rs. 200 spent, 0.5% reward rate
  • Buy one Get One on BookMyShow limited to 3 tickets of Rs. 900 in a quarter

IndusInd Bank Pioneer World Debit Card is issued to Pioneer Banking customers of IndusInd Bank. You need to maintain a NRV of Rs. 30 Lakhs to qualify for Pioneer Banking. Though this debit card doesn’t provide a great reward rate, some other features like doorstep banking is really convenient wherein they can deliver cash to your home.

23. IDFC First Visa Signature Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Nil
• Rewards: Rs. 250 cashback per month on BookMyShow

IDFC Bank after the merger with Capital First recently, launched the IDFC First Visa Signature Debit Card. You need to maintain an average monthly balance of Rs. 25,000 to get this card. Though there is no rewards program on this card yet, flat cashback of Rs. 250 per month will certainly delight movie buffs.

24. Bank of India RuPay Platinum Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 200 + GST
• Rewards:
  • 1 RP = Rs. 0.25
  • 1 RP per Rs. 100 up to monthly spends of Rs. 5,000
  • 1.5 RP per Rs. 100 between monthly spends of Rs. 5,001 to Rs. 10,000
  • 2 RP per Rs. 100 above monthly spends of Rs. 10,001
  • 3 RP on preferred category merchants, preferred category needs to be selected by user and can be changed after 6 months
  • 5% cash back on utility bill payments, max Rs. 50 per month

Bank of India RuPay Platinum Debit Card provides multi-tiered reward rate and you can select your preferred category to get accelerated rewards. This is a unique offering from Bank of India and I really liked this concept.

25. Central Bank of India RuPay Platinum Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Nil
• Rewards:
  • 1 RP = Rs. 0.25
  • 1.5 RP per Rs. 100 spent, 0.375% reward rate
  • 5% cash back on utility bill payments, max Rs. 50 per month

Central Bank of India RuPay Platinum Debit Card comes with a decent reward rate of 0.375%. Being on Rupay Platinum platform, this card offers the domestic airport lounge access and cashback on utility bill payments.

26. IDBI RuPay Platinum Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 2 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 300 + GST
• Rewards:
  • 2 reward point per Rs. 100 spent, 0.5% reward rate
  • 5% cash back on utility bill payments, max Rs. 50 per month

IDBI RuPay Platinum Debit Card is issued on RuPay platform and comes with a decent reward rate of 0.5%. Though the card is enabled for international transactions, the international acceptance of RuPay cards is not that great.

27. IDBI Visa Signature Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 1 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Rs. 799 + GST
• Rewards: 3 reward point per Rs. 200 spent, 0.75% reward rate

IDBI Visa Signature Debit Card, as apparent from its name, is issued on Visa Signature platform. Coupled with decent reward rate, airport lounge access and insurance cover, this debit card is a really good value proposition.

28. Kotak Privy League Signature Debit Card

• Limit:
  • Domestic: 1 per quarter
  • International: Nil
• Annual Fee: Nil
• Rewards: Nil

Kotak Privy League Signature Debit Card is issued to Privy League customers of Kotak Mahindra Bank who maintain a NRV of Rs. 30 Lakhs and above. Even with high NRV requirements, this card doesn’t provide any benefits. Hence I feel this debit card is pretty useless and I won’t recommend anyone to opt for it.

Bottomline

Free access to airport lounges on debit cards is a great benefit. Almost all banks issue debit cards with complimentary airport lounge access. It’s always advisable to switch to a debit card with airport lounge access unless the difference in annual changes is substantial.

Only downside for airport lounge access with debit cards is that, for most banks, the free access is limited to lounges located in India only. Hence for international lounge access, you need to depend on credit cards. I have compiled a list of best credit cards in India for free airport lounge access which will come handy during your travel.

Which debit card you generally use for free airport lounge access? Do you think I have missed a good debit card in the list above? Let me know by leaving a comment below.