Best Lounge Access Credit Cards in 2024

Credit cards offer many benefits to help you make your travels cheaper and more convenient. Among these, complimentary airport lounge access is a common feature that helps users avail free access to select lounges at domestic and international airports. Lounge access features are not limited to travel credit cards several all-rounder cards also provide free lounge access as an additional benefit. However, the number of free lounge visits in a year varies from card to card. Read on to know about the best credit cards with airport lounge access in India.

Top 10 Airport Lounge Access Credit Cards in India 2024

Listed below are the best lounge access credit cards in India. Readers should note that travel-focused credit cards have been given priority in this list, followed by cards with more all-rounder benefits.
While the travel cards in the list are good on the lounge access front, some of them may lack on overall travel benefits.

*Lounge access benefit may be subject to meeting certain spend-based milestones or other terms and conditions. Refer to the details below for each card.

1. Axis Atlas Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 5,000
Annual Fee: Rs. 5,000

Lounge Access Benefits:

Axis Atlas comes with a tier-based model depending on your yearly spends, where you reach begin with Silver Tier on spending Rs. 3 Lakh or more, Gold Tier on spending Rs. 7.5 Lakh or more and Platinum Tier on spending Rs. 15 Lakh or more in a year. Here’s how the lounge access benefit varies for different tiers:

• International Lounge Visits: 4 for Silver Tier, 6 for Gold Tier and 12 for Platinum Tier Cardholders
• Domestic Lounge Visits: 8 for Silver Tier, 12 for Gold Tier and 18 for Platinum Tier Cardholders

Other Key Features & Benefits:

• 2 EDGE Miles for every Rs. 100 spent across all categories
• 2 EDGE Miles for every Rs. 100 spent on monthly travel spends above Rs. 2 Lakh
• 5 EDGE Miles for every Rs. 100 spent on monthly travel spends up to Rs. 2 Lakh
• 2,500 bonus EDGE Miles on making the first transaction within 37 days of card setup
• EDGE Miles can be converted loyalty points with select airlines and hotels in 1:2 ratio
• 1 EDGE Mile = Rs. 1 for making travel bookings via Axis Bank’s Travel EDGE Platform

Axis Atlas is one of the best travel credit cards in India offering 5% value back on travel spends and 2% back on other categories in the form of EDGE Miles. Accumulated miles can be transferred to loyalty program partners, including some leading airlines and hotels. In addition to spend-based travel benefits, Atlas also offers a significant number of free airport lounge access in India as well as overseas.

The card works on a unique tier-based structure, hence it is a great option for travellers who can put maximum spends on the card and reach a higher tier with a higher number of complimentary lounge visits, along with enhanced travel benefits.

2. Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 3,000
Annual Fee: Rs. 3,000

Lounge Access Benefits:

• 8 complimentary international lounge visits every year (2 per quarter)
• 32 complimentary domestic lounge visits in a year (8 per quarter) for Visa Signature cardholders
• 24 complimentary domestic lounge visits every year (6 per quarter) for Mastercard World cardholders

Other Key Features & Benefits:

• 5 EDGE Miles per Rs. 100 spent on Travel EDGE portal and direct airline websites/counters
• 2 EDGE Miles per Rs. 100 on other spends
• 5,000 EDGE Miles on the first transaction worth Rs. 1,000 or more within 30 days of card issuance
• Bonus 1,500 EDGE Miles as renewal benefit

Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card is an airline-agnostic credit card offering value back in the form of EDGE Miles. Cardholders can earn EDGE Miles on every spend and redeem them against various travel partners. The card offers 5% value back on travel bookings and a base rate of 2% on other spends.

Also, the number of complimentary domestic airport lounge visits is notably higher than other cards with a similar annual fee, and the annual bonus EDGE Miles further enhances the card’s overall value.

3. IndusInd Bank Avios Visa Infinite Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 40,000
Annual Fee: Rs. 10,000

Lounge Access Benefits:

• 2 international lounge visits every quarter with complimentary Priority Pass membership
• 2 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits every quarter

Other Key Features & Benefits:

• 5 Avios for every Rs. 200 spent at select preferred international destinations for PoS transactions
• 2 Avios for every Rs. 200 spent on Qatar Airways & British Airways website and app
• 1 Avios per Rs. 200 spent on online spends on select preferred international destinations, domestic & other international destinations and other categories
• 10% discount on flight bookings through Qatar Airways, on choosing Qatar Airways Privilege Club as the preferred airline loyalty programme
• 10% additional discount for Privilege Club members on all flights originating from India, if booked via Qatar Airways platform
• Low forex markup fee of 1.5%
• 2 complimentary meet-and-greet services per year at leading international airports

IndusInd Bank Avios Visa Infinite Credit Card is a premium card designed for frequent travellers. Unlike typical co-branded airline cards, it partners with two major airlines—Qatar Airways and British Airways. Depending on your preferred airline and travel destinations, you can earn accelerated rewards and benefits.

Beyond airline-specific benefits, the card offers a reasonable number of lounge visits annually, making it well-suited for frequent travellers. It also offers other benefits like a low forex markup fee and bonus Avios points through renewal and milestone rewards, which can be redeemed for travel bookings.

4. SBI Card Miles Elite

Joining Fee: Rs. 4,999
Annual Fee: Rs. 4,999

Lounge Access Benefits:

• 8 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits every year (Max. 2 visits per quarter)
• Additional domestic lounge visit with every spend of Rs. 1 Lakh, capped at 15 in a year
• Complimentary Priority Pass membership with 6 complimentary international airport lounge visits every year (Max. 2 visits per quarter)

Other Key Features & Benefits:

• 6 Travel Credits per Rs. 200 on travel spends
• 2 Travel Credits per Rs. 200 on other spends
• 5,000 Travel Credits on spending Rs. 1 Lakh within 30 days of card issuance
• 20,000 bonus Travel Credits on annual spends of Rs. 12 Lakh
• Low forex markup fee of 1.99%

SBI Card Miles Elite is designed for frequent travellers, allowing cardholders to earn accelerated rewards on travel spends and transfer points at a 1:1 ratio. The card offers value back as travel credits, which can be redeemed across various partner loyalty programs for hotels and airlines.

One of its standout features is the complimentary lounge access, including up to 15 additional domestic lounge visits as a milestone benefit, making it ideal for frequent travellers. However, aside from lounge access, the card offers limited benefits, which may feel insufficient given its annual fee of Rs. 4,999.

5. Scapia Federal Bank Credit Card

Joining Fee: Nil
Annual Fee: Nil

Lounge Access Benefits:

• Unlimited domestic airport lounge access on spending at least Rs. 5,000 in a month

Other Key Features & Benefits:

• 10% Scapia Coins on all online & offline spends
• 20% Scapia Coins on travel bookings through the Scapia app
• Zero forex mark-up fee

Scapia Federal Bank Credit Card is an excellent option for those seeking a lifetime-free card with substantial value-back on travel expenses. The highlighting feature is zero forex markup on international transactions—a benefit typically offered on premium or super-premium cards.

In addition to accelerated rewards, offering 20% back in Scapia Coins on travel spends, the card offers unlimited domestic lounge access on spending Rs. 5,000 per month—a relatively achievable milestone. Altogether, this credit card is a convenient and rewarding choice for frequent travellers.

6. Ixigo AU Credit Card

Joining Fee: Nil
Annual Fee: Nil

Lounge Access Benefits:

• 16 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits in a year
• 1 complimentary international lounge visit every year
• 16 complimentary domestic railway lounge access every year

Other Key Features & Benefits:

• 20 reward points for every Rs. 200 spent on train bookings with Ixigo
• 10% off on bus bookings, up to Rs. 300 once per month
• 10% discount on hotel & flight bookings through Ixigo
• Zero forex markup fee
• 10 reward points for every Rs. 200 spent online
• 5 reward points for every Rs. 200 spent offline

Ixigo AU Credit Card is tailored for people who frequently travel by bus and train. With direct discounts on Ixigo spends and accelerated reward points on online spends, cardholders can save on both Ixigo and other travel bookings.

Despite being focused on bus and train bookings, this credit card offers a generous number of domestic lounge visits, making it ideal for frequent domestic travellers. For beginners or Ixigo loyalists, this card offers a decent value back on travel expenses, especially if they don’t already have a credit card.

7. YES Bank Marquee Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 9,999
Annual Fee: Rs. 4,999 (Waived off on annual spends of Rs. 10 Lakh)

Lounge Access Benefits:

• Up to 24 complimentary domestic lounge visits (6 per quarter) in a year for primary and add-on card users
• Unlimited complimentary international lounge visits for both primary as well as add-on cardholders
• 8 complimentary domestic or international lounge visits in a year for guests

Other Key Features & Benefits:

• 36 YES Rewardz Points for every Rs. 200 spent online
• 18 YES Rewardz Points for every Rs. 200 spent offline
• 10 YES Rewardz Points per Rs. 200 spent on select categories
• Low forex markup fee of 1%
• Up to 12 complimentary golf lessons in a year at select golf courses in India
• 4 complimentary green fee waivers at select golf courses in India

YES Bank Marquee Credit Card offers benefits primarily centered around rewards and travel. Cardholders receive a welcome bonus of 60,000 reward points on activation, and unlike many other cards, this one includes typically excluded categories—such as rent, insurance payments, and utility bills—in its rewards program.

The card also offers unlimited international lounge access and a solid number of domestic lounge visits, with the 8 guest visits per year standing out as a significant benefit.

Cardholders can also avail benefits on golf, movies, and dining, making it an excellent choice for those seeking an all-around premium credit card with a relatively lower annual fee.

8. HDFC Regalia Gold Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 2,500
Annual Fee: Rs. 2,500 (Waived off on annual spends of Rs. 4 Lakh)

Lounge Access Benefits:

• 6 complimentary international airport lounge visits per year via Priority Pass for both primary and add-on card members on completing minimum 4 card transactions
• 12 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits every year

Other Key Features & Benefits:

• Complimentary gift voucher, MMT Black Elite and Swiggy One memberships on spending Rs. 1 Lakh within the first 90 days
• 20 reward points per Rs. 150 spent at Myntra, Marks & Spencer, Reliance Digital and Nykaa
• 4 reward points per Rs. 150 spent on other categories
• Vouchers worth Rs. 1,500 from Marriott, Myntra, Marks & Spencer or Reliance Digital on Rs. 1.5 Lakh quarterly spends
• 5,000 flight voucher each on Rs. 5 Lakh and Rs. 7.5 Lakh annual spends

HDFC Regalia Gold Credit Card is an upgraded version of HDFC Regalia Credit Card. Cardholders can avail travel benefits through complimentary lounge access and a low forex markup fee, along with Swiggy One and MMT Black memberships.

Additionally, the card also offers flight vouchers worth Rs. 10,000 on reaching an annual spend of up to Rs. 7.5 Lakh. Frequent travellers who prefer using credit cards for their expenses can save significantly with these benefits.

Cardholders also get access to an exclusive Gold catalogue for redeeming reward points with premium brands. Given its annual fee of Rs. 2,500, the travel benefits offered by this card are more than good.

9. AU Zenith+ Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 4,999
Annual Fee: Rs. 4,999 (Waived off on spending Rs. 8 Lakh in a year)

Lounge Access Benefits:

• 16 complimentary international airport lounge visits every year using Priority Pass (Max. 4 per quarter)
• 16 complimentary domestic airport lounge access every year

Other Key Features & Benefits:

• 2 reward points per Rs. 100 spent on travel, dining, and international spends
• 1 reward point per Rs. 100 on retail spends across all merchant categories
• Low forex markup fee of 0.99%
• End-to-end airport VIP check-in with 4 complimentary services per year
• 1,000 reward points and complimentary Taj Epicure membership as milestone benefits
• Luxury brand vouchers or reward points worth Rs. 5,000 on the card activation
• 8 complimentary golf games or lessons every year

AU Zenith+ Credit Card is a premium card offering benefits across multiple categories, like international travel, movies, dining, and more.

The travel benefits offered on this card are at par with up to 16 complimentary domestic as well as international lounge visits, a low forex markup fee, 2X reward points on international spends, and complimentary VIP services at the airport.

While many premium cards offer lounge visits, AU Zenith+ stands out with its higher frequency. Overall, the combination of reward points, extensive travel benefits, and a low forex markup fee of 0.99% makes this card an excellent choice for international travellers.

10. Axis Bank SELECT Credit Card

Joining Fee: Rs. 3,000 (Nil for Burgundy clients)
Annual Fee: Rs. 3,000 (Nil for Burgundy clients)

Lounge Access Benefits:

• Complimentary Priority Pass membership in the first year on making first transaction within 30 days of card issuance
• 6 complimentary international lounge visits in a year
• Additional 6 complimentary international lounge visits per year on spending above Rs. 3 Lakh in a year
• 2 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits per quarter on spending Rs. 50,000 in the last 3 months

Other Key Features & Benefits:

• 2X EDGE reward points for every Rs. 200 spent on retail transactions
• 10 EDGE reward points for every Rs. 200 spent on other categories
• 10,000 EDGE reward points worth Rs. 2,000 on the first transaction made within 30 days of card issuance
• 5,000 EDGE reward points on spending Rs. 3 Lakh in a year
• Up to 12 complimentary golf rounds per year

Axis Bank SELECT Credit Card offers accelerated reward points on retail spends along with discount on brands like BigBasket and Swiggy, targeting two major categories- grocery and dining.

Cardholders can avail travel benefits through complimentary international and domestic lounge access. While cardholders can redeem accumulated reward points into Air Miles, a ratio of 5:1 (10:1 for select brands) definitely affects the overall value of this card.

However, offering up to 12 international lounge visits through the complimentary Priority Pass program makes this a reasonable choice for individuals seeking lounge access benefits.